Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/164

148 wittena-gemote or the meeting of wie men. It was alo tiled in Latin, ' and ometimes '. We have intances of it’s meeting to order the affairs of the kingdom, to make new laws, and to amend the old, or, as Fleta exprees it, “,” o early as the reign of Ina king of the wet Saxons, Offa king of the Mercians, and Ethelbert king of Kent, in the everal realms of the heptarchy. And, after their union, the mirrour informs us, that king Alfred ordained for a perpetual uage, that thee councils hould meet twice in the year, or oftener, if need be, to treat of the government of God’s people; how they hould keep themelves from in, hould live in quiet, and hould receive right. Our ucceeding Saxon and Danih monarchs held frequent councils of this ort, as appears from their repective codes of laws; the titles whereof uually peak them to be enacted, either by the king with the advice of his wittena-gemote, or wie men, as, “';” or to be enacted by thoe ages with the advice of the king, as, “';” or latly, to be enacted by them both together, as, “”

is alo no doubt but thee great councils were held regularly under the firt princes of the Norman line. Glanvil, who wrote in the reign of Henry the econd, peaking of the particular amount of an amercement in the heriff’s court, ays, it had never yet been acertained by the general aie, or aembly, but was left to the cutom of particular counties. Here the general aie is poken of as a meeting well known, and it’s tatutes