Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/192

176 but uch member is capable of being re-elected. 8.&ensp;That all knights of the hire hall be actual knights, or uch notable equires and gentlemen, as have etates ufficient to be knights, and by no means of the degree of yeomen. This is reduced to a till greater certainty, by ordaining, 9.&ensp;That every knight of a hire hall have a clear etate of freehold or copyhold to the value of ix hundred pounds per annum, and every citizen and burges to the value of three hundred pounds; except the eldet ons of peers, and of perons qualified to be knights of hires, and except the members for the two univerities: which omewhat ballances the acendant which the boroughs have gained over the counties, by obliging the trading interet to make choice of landed men: and of this qualification the member mut make oath, and give in the particulars in writing, at the time of his taking his eat. But, ubject to thee retrictions and diqualifications, every ubject of the realm is eligible of common right. It was therefore an uncontitutional prohibition, which was inerted in the king’s writs, for the parliament holden at Coventry, 6 Hen. IV, that no apprentice or other man of the law hould be elected a knight of the hire therein : in return for which, our law books and hitorians have branded this parliament with the name of , or the lack-learning parliament; and ir Edward Coke oberves with ome pleen, that there was never a good law made thereat.

3.&ensp; third point regarding elections, is the method of proceeding therein. This is alo regulated by the law of parliament, and the everal tatutes referred to in the margin ; all which I hall endeavour to blend together, and extract out of them a ummary account of the method of proceeding to elections.