Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/169

Ch. 2. this by the antient tatutes of the realm, he is bound to do every year, or oftener, if need be. Not that he is, or ever was, obliged by thee tatutes to call a new parliament every year; but only to permit a parliament to it annually for the redres of grievances, and dipatch of buines, if need be. Thee lat words are o looe and vague, that uch of our monarchs as were enclined to govern without parliaments, neglected the convoking them, ometimes for a very coniderable period, under pretence that there was no need of them. But, to remedy this, by the tatute 16 Car. II. c. 1. it is enacted, that the itting and holding of parliaments hall not be intermitted above three years at the mot. And by the tatute 1 W. & M. t. 2. c. 2. it is declared to be one of the rights of the people, that for redres of all grievances, and for the amending, trengthening, and preerving the laws, parliaments ought to be held frequently. And this indefinite frequency is again reduced to a certainty by tatute 6 W. & M. c. 2. which enacts, as the tatute of Charles the econd had done before, that a new parliament hall be called within three years after the determination of the former. II.&ensp; contituent parts of a parliament are the next objects of our enquiry. And thee are, the king’s majety, itting there in his royal political capacity, and the three etates of the realm; the lords piritual, the lords temporal, (who it, together with the king, in one houe) and the commons, who it by themelves in another. And the king and thee three etates, together, form the great corporation or body politic of the kingdom, of which the king is aid to be . For upon their coming together the king meets them, either in peron or by repreentation; without which there can be no beginning of a parliament ; and he alo has alone the power of diolving them. Rh