There are cases in which the I.C.C. corrects D.B., cases in which D.B. corrects the I.C.C., and cases in which the I.C.C. corrects itself. There are also several cases of discrepancy between the two, in which we cannot positively pronounce which, if either, is right. A singular instance of both being wrong is found in the case of Soham. The assessment of this township was actually eleven hides, its four component holdings being severally assessed at nine and a half hides less six acres, half a hide, one hide, and six acres. The I.C.C. at first gives the total assessment as eleven hides and a half, while D.B. erroneously assesses the first of the four holdings at six hides and forty acres in one place, and nine hides and a half in the other, both figures being wrong. A most remarkable case of yet another kind is found in _Scelford_ (Shelford). Here the entry in I.C.C. agrees exactly with the duplicate entries found in D.B. Yet they both make nonsense.[29] But on turning to the _Inquisitio Eliensis_ we obtain the correct version. As this is a very important and probably unique instance, the entries are here given in parallel columns:
_Inq. Eliensis._ _Inq. Com. Cant._ _D.B._ i. 198 _D.B._ i. 198 (_a_) 2. (_a_) 2.
i. hidam et dim. Tenuerunt vii. Tenuerunt vii. Tenuerunt vii. et vi. acras quas [_sic_] [_sic_] [_sic_] tenuerunt vi. sochemanni sochemanni sochemanni sochemanni de i. hidam et i. hidam et i. hidam et socha abbatis dim. et vi. dim. et vi. dim. et vi. ely, de quibus acras de soca acras de soca acras de soca non potuerunt abbatis de ely. abbatis. Non[30] abbatis de ely. dare nec Non potuerunt potuerunt Non potuerunt recedere nisi recedere sed recedere cum recedere cum iii^{ cs.} virgas soca remanebat terra, sed soca terra, sed soca absque ejus abbati. remanebat remanebat licentia. æcclesia de ely. æcclesiæ Ely. Et si alias vendidissent tres virgas, predictus abbas semper socham habuit T.R.E.
Here the _Inquisitio Eliensis_ version shows us that the estate had two divisions held by different tenures. Three virgates the sokemen were not free to sell; the other three they might sell, but if they did, 'predictus abbas semper socham habuit'.[31] The two divisions of the estate are confused in the other versions. But all three of these correspond so exactly that we are driven to assign the error to the original returns themselves. In that case the compiler (or compilers) of the I.E. will have corrected the original return from his own knowledge of the facts, which knowledge, I shall show, he certainly possessed.