Page:John Adams - A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Vol. I. (1787).djvu/116

78 Every upply was accompanied with a lit of grievances, and produced a diminution of the royal prerogative. The barons, at the head of their vaals, were bound to fight, and the king could require uch feudal ervices in defence of the kingdom: but Caimir the third, to obtain pecuniary aids, gave up the power of ummoning the nobles to his tandard, and of enacting any law without the concurrence of the diet. John Albert, to procure an election in preference to his elder brother, aented to all the immunities extorted from his predeceors, and wore to their obervance, in 1469. Alexander, his ucceor, declared in 1505, the following limitations of overeign authority to be fundamental laws of the kingdom. 1. The king cannot impoe taxes. 2. He cannot require the feudal ervices. 3. Nor alienate the royal domains. 4. Nor enact laws. 5. Nor coin money. 6. Nor alter the proces in the courts of jutice. Sigimund the firt, ucceeded Alexander, and under his reign the Polih contitution was the mot tolerable, as the property of the ubject was bet ecured, and the crown had coniderable influence: but this did not atisfy the nobles. Under Sigimund Augutus, on and ucceor of Sigimund the firt, that favourite object of the Polilh nobles, the free election of the king, was publicly brought forward, and the king obliged to agree, that no future monarch hould ucceed to the throne, unles freely elected by the nation: before this, the overeigns upon their acceion, though formally raied by the conent of the nation, till reted their pretenions upon hereditary right, always tiling themelves heirs of the kingdom of Poland. Sigimund Augutus was the lat who bore that title; at his death, in 1572, all title to the crown from