DEFEND, in our ancient laws and statutes, signifies to prohibit or forbid: as Usuarios defendit quoque rex Edwardus ne remanerent in regno. I. L. Edw. Conf. c. 38. & 5 Rich. 2. c. 7. In which sense Chaucer also uses it in the following passage:
"Where can you say in any manner age,
"That ever God defended marriage."
In 7 Edw. I. there is a statute entitled, "Statutum de Defendanti defensione portandi arma," &c. And "it is defended by law to distrain on the highway;" Coke on Litt. fol. 161.