Essentials of the Law : a Review of Blackstone's Commentaries for the Use of Students at Law |
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acts of parliament afterwards amendments ancient authority beginning belong bill body bound branch called cause Charter civil civil death command committed common law conduct consequence considered consists constitution continues course courts crown customs death determination direct duress duties Edward effects election England entitled established exception executive expressed fear force former frequently hand hath House House of Commons human laws immediately imprisonment individual injuries judges justice king king's kingdom land legislator liberty likewise limbs limited Lords losing loss manner matters means ment merely method municipal law mutual natural necessary never particular passed peers political prerogative present preserve principal privilege prorogued protect punishment queen realm reason regard relations representatives rights of persons royal rule says separate society Speaker statute sufficient taken temporal things third unless usually whereby whole wrongs
Popular passages
Page 2 - Commentaries remarks, that this law of Nature being coeval with mankind, and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries and at all times ; no human laws are of any validity if contrary to this, and such of them as are valid, derive all their force, and all their validity, and all their authority, mediately and immediately, from this original...
Page 29 - The power and jurisdiction of parliament is so transcendent and absolute, that it cannot be confined, either for causes or persons, within any bounds.
Page 24 - So great moreover is the regard of the law for private property, that it will not authorize the least violation of it ; no, not even for the general good of the whole community.
Page 4 - Municipal law, thus understood, is properly defined to be a 'rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state, commanding what is right and prohibiting what is wrong.
Page 21 - But every man, when he enters into society, gives up a part of his natural liberty, as the price of so valuable a purchase ; and in consideration of receiving the advantages of mutual commerce, obliges himself to conform to those laws, which the community has thought proper to establish.
Page 6 - Commons, freely chosen by the people from among themselves, which makes it a kind of democracy; as this aggregate body, actuated by different springs, and attentive to different interests, composes...
Page 9 - This unwritten, or common, law, is properly distinguishable into three kinds : 1. General customs; which are the universal rule of the whole kingdom, and form the common law, in its stricter and more usual signification. 2. Particular customs ; which for the most part affect only the inhabitants of particular districts. 3. Certain particular laws; which by custom are adopted and used by some particular courts, of pretty general and extensive jurisdiction.
Page 23 - And the law so much discourages unlawful confinement, that if a man is under duress of imprisonment, which we before explained to mean a compulsion by an illegal restraint of liberty, until he seals a bond or the like ; he may allege this duress, and avoid the extorted bond. But if a man be lawfully imprisoned...
Page 24 - For no subject of England can be constrained to pay any aids or taxes, even for the defence of the realm or the support of government, but such as are imposed by his own consent, or that of his representatives in parliament.
Page 26 - It is a branch of the royal prerogative, that no parliament can be convened by its own authority, or by the authority of any, except the king alone.