MAINPRIZE. See Falsé Imprisonment.
The writ of mainprize, manucapio, is a writ directed to the sheriff (either generally, when any man is imprisoned for a bailable offence, and bail hath been refused; or specially, when the offence or cause of commitment
commitment is not properly billable below), commanding him to take sureties for the prisoner's appearance, usually called mainperners, and to let him at large. Mainperners differ from bail, in that a man's bail may imprison or surrender him up before the stipulated day of appearance; mainperners can do neither, but are only sureties for his appearance at the day: bail are only sureties that the parties be answerable for the special matter for which they stipulate, mainperners are bound to produce him to answer all charges whatever. See Harras Corpus.