Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (1st ed, 1768, vol III).djvu/52

40 made to form a checque upon each other: the court of chancery iuing all original writs under the great eal to the other courts; the common pleas being allowed to determine all caues between private ubjects; the exchequer managing the king's revenue; and the court of king's bench retaining all the juridiction which was not cantoned out to other courts, and particularly the uperintendence of all the ret by way of appeal; and the ole cognizance of pleas of the crown or criminal caues. For pleas or uits are regularly divided into two orts; pleas of the crown, which comprehend all crimes and midemenors, wherein the king (on behalf of the public) is the plaintiff; and common pleas, which include all civil actions depending between ubject and ubject. The former of thee were the proper object of the juridiction of the court of king's bench; the latter of the court of common pleas. Which is a court of record, and is tiled by ir Edward Coke the lock and key of the common law; for herein only can real actions, that is, actions which concern the right of freehold or the realty, be originally brought: and all other, or peronal, pleas between man and man are likewie here determined; though in ome of them the king's bench has alo a concurrent authority.

judges of this court are at preent four in number, one chief and three puine jutices, created by the king's letters patent, who it every day in the four terms to hear and determine all matters of law ariing in civil caues, whether real, peronal, or mixed and compounded of both. Thee it takes cognizance of, as well originally, as upon removal from the inferior courts before-mentioned. But a writ of error, in the nature of an appeal, lies from this court into the court of king's bench. Rh