Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/117

§. 4. to it, by the laws before-cited of Edward the firt and his grandon.

as Ireland was a ditinct dominion, and had parliaments of it’s own, it is to be oberved, that though the immemorial cutoms, or common law, of England were made the rule of jutice in Ireland alo, yet no acts of the Englih parliament, ince the twelfth of king John, extended into that kingdom; unles it were pecially named, or included under general words, uch as, “within any of the king’s dominions.” And this is particularly expreed, and the reaon given in the year books : “a tax granted by the parliament of England hall not bind thoe of Ireland, becaue they are not ummoned to our parliament:” and again, “Ireland hath a parliament of it’s own, and maketh and altereth laws; and our tatutes do not bind them, becaue they do not end knights to our parliament: but their perons are the king’s ubjects, like as the inhabitants of Calais, Gacoigny, and Guienne, while they continued under the king’s ubjection.” The general run of laws, enacted by the uperior tate, are uppoed to be calculated for it’s own internal government, and do not extend to it’s ditant dependent countries; which, bearing no part in the legilature, are not therefore in it’s ordinary and daily contemplation. But, when the overeign legilative power ees it neceary to extend it’s care to any of it’s ubordinate dominions, and mentions them exprely by name or includes them under general words, there can be no doubt but then they are bound by it’s laws. original method of paing tatutes in Ireland was nearly the ame as in England, the chief governor holding parliaments at his pleaure, which enacted uch laws as they thought proper. But an ill ue being made of this liberty, particularly by lord Gormantown, deputy-lieutenant in the reign of Edward IV , a et