TINDER CHARLES THE SECOND.

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that of the worst Stuart, the golden opportunity which had chap.been suffered to escape.

The old civil polity was, therefore, by the general consent ^ f b °j i _ ll0nof both the great parties, reestablished. It was again exactlywhat it had been when Charles the First, eighteen years be- service,fore, withdrew from his capital. All those acts of the LongParliament which had received the royal assent were admittedto be still in full force. One fresh concession, a concessionin which the Cavaliers were even more deeply interested thanthe Roundheads, was easily obtained from the restored King.

The military tenure of land had been originally created as ameans of national defence. But in the course of ages what-ever was useful in the institution had disappeared; and no-thing was left but ceremonies and grievances. A landed pro-prietor who held an estate under the crown by knight service,

— and it was thus that most of the soil of England washeld, — had to pay a large fine on coming to his property.

He could not alienate one acre without purchasing a license.

When he died, if his domains descended to an infant, thesovereign was guardian, and was not only entitled to greatpart of the rents during the minority, but could require theward, under heavy penalties, to marry any person of suitablerank. The chief bait which attracted a needy sycophant tothe court was the hope of obtaining as the reward of servilityand flattery, a royal letter to an heiress. These abuses hadperished with the monarchy. That they should not revivewith it was the wish of every landed gentleman in the king-dom. They were, therefore, solemnly abolished by statute;and no relic of the ancient tenures in chivalry was suffered toremain, except those honorary services which are still, at acoronation, rendered to the person of the sovereign by somelords of manors.

The troops were now to be disbanded. Fifty thousand Disband-men, accustomed to the profession of arms, were at once army.