Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/118

102 a et of tatutes were there enacted in the 10 Hen. VII. (ir Edward Poynings being then lord deputy, whence they are called Poynings’ laws) one of which, in order to retrain the power as well of the deputy as the Irih parliament, provides, 1.&ensp;That, before any parliament be ummoned or holden, the chief governor and council of Ireland hall certify to the king under the great eal of Ireland the coniderations and caues thereof, and the articles of the acts propoed to be paed therein. 2.&ensp;That after the king, in his council of England, hall have conidered, approved, or altered the aid acts or any of them, and certified them back under the great eal of England, and hall have given licence to ummon and hold a parliament, then the ame hall be ummoned and held; and therein the aid acts o certified, and no other, hall be propoed, received, or rejected. But as this precluded any law from being propoed, but uch as were preconceived before the parliament was in being, which occaioned many inconveniences and made frequent diolutions neceary, it was provided by the tatute of Philip and Mary before cited, that any new propoitions might be certified to England in the uual forms, even after the ummons and during the eion of parliament. By this means however there was nothing left to the parliament in Ireland, but a bare negative or power of rejecting, not of propoing or altering, any law. But the uage now is, that bills are often framed in either houe, under the denomination of “heads for a bill or bills;” and in that hape they are offered to the conideration of the lord lieutenant and privy council: who, upon uch parliamentary intimation, or otherwie upon the application of private perons, receive and tranmit uch heads, or reject them without any tranmiion to England. And, with regard to Poynings’ law in particular, it cannot be repealed or upended, unles the bill for that purpoe, before it be certified to England, be approved by both the houes.