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28

HISTORY OF ENGLAND,

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c hai>. w hich those monarchies arose had been provinces of the samegreat civilised empire, and had been overrun and conquered,about the same time, by tribes of the same rude and warlikenation. They were members of the same great coalition againstIslam. They were in communion with the same superb andambitious Church. Their polity naturally took the same form.They had institutions derived partly from imperial Rome,partly from papal Rome, partly from the old Germany. Allhad Kings; and in all the kingly office became by degreesstrictly hereditary. All had.nobles bearing titles which hadoriginally indicated military rank. The dignity of knighthood,the rules of heraldry, were common to all. All had richlyendowed ecclesiastical establishments, municipal corporationsenjoying large franchises, and senates whose consent was ne-cessary to the validity of some public acts,preroga- Of these kindred constitutions the English was, from an

The prerogatives of the

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lives of . . ,

u»e early early period, justly reputed the best.

Kings, sovereign were undoubtedly extensive. The spirit of religion,and the spirit of chivalry, concurred to exalt his dignity. Thesacred oil had been poured on his head. It was no disparage-ment to the bravest and noblest knights to kneel at his feet.His person was inviolable. He alone was entitled to convoketheEstates of the realm: he could at his pleasure dismiss them;and his assent was necessary to all their legislative acts. Hewas the chief of the executive administration, the sole organ ofcommunication with foreign powers, the captain of the mili-tary and naval forces of the state, the fountain of justice, ofmercy, and of honour. He had large powers for the regulationof trade. It was by him that money was coined, that weightsand measures were fixed, that marts and havens were ap-pointed. His ecclesiastical patronage was immense. His he-reditary revenues, economically administered, sufficed to meetthe ordinary charges of government. His own domains wereof vast extent. Ila was also feudal lord paramount of the whole