Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/193

Ch. 2. oon as the parliament is ummoned, the lord chancellor (or if a vacancy happens during parliament, the peaker, by order of the houe) ends his warrant to the clerk of the crown in chancery; who thereupon iues out writs to the heriff of every county, for the election of all the members to erve for that county, and every city and borough therein. Within three days after the receipt of this writ, the heriff is to end his precept, under his eal, to the proper returning officers of the cities and boroughs, commanding them to elect their members; and the aid returning officers are to proceed to election within eight days from the receipt of the precept, giving four days notice of the ame; and to return the perons choen, together with the precept, to the heriff.

elections of knights of the hire mut be proceeded to by the heriffs themelves in peron, at the next county court that hall happen after the delivery of the writ. The county court is a court held every month or oftener by the heriff, intended to try little caues not exceeding the value of forty hillings, in what part of the county he pleaes to appoint for that purpoe: but for the election of knights of the hire, it mut be held at the mot uual place. If the county court falls upon the day of delivering the writ, or within ix days after, the heriff may adjourn the court and election to ome other convenient time, not longer than ixteen days, nor horter than ten; but he cannot alter the place, without the conent of all the candidates; and in all uch caes ten days public notice mut be given of the time and place of the election.

, as it is eential to the very being of parliament that elections hould be abolutely free, therefore all undue influences upon the electors are illegal, and trongly prohibited. For Mr Locke ranks it among thoe breaches of trut in the executive magitrate, which according to his notions amount to a di- Rh