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HISTORY OP ENGLAND,

chap, the existence of the English nation into two distinct parts.

-Our laws and customs have never been lost in general and

irreparable ruin. With us the precedents of the middle agesare still valid precedents, and are still cited, on the gravestoccasions, by the most eminent statesmen. Thus, whenKing George the Third was attacked by the malady whichmade him incapable of performing his regal functions, andwhen the most distinguished lawyers and politicians differedwidely as to the course which ought, in such circumstances,to be pursued, the Houses of Parliament would not proceedto discuss any plan of regency till all the examples which wereto be found in our annals, from the earliest times, had beencollected and arranged. Committees were appointed to ex-amine the ancient records of the realm. The first precedentreported was that of the year 1217: much importance wasattached to the precedents of 1326, of 1377, and of 1422: butthe case which was justly considered as most in point was thatof 1455. Thus in our country the dearest interests of partieshave frequently been staked on the results of the researchesof antiquaries. The inevitable consequence was, that ourantiquaries conducted their researches in the spirit of par-tisans.

It is therefore not surprising that those who have writtenconcerning the limits of prerogative and liberty in the oldpolity of England should generally have shown the temper, notof judges, but of angry and uncandid advocates. For theywere discussing, not a speculative matter, but a matter \Aichhad a direct and practical connection with the most momen-tous and exciting disputes of their own day. From the com-mencement of the long contest between theParliament and theStuarts down to the time when the pretensions of the Stuartsceased to be formidable, few questions were practically moreimportant than the question whether the administration of thatfamily had or had not been in accordance with the ancient