Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/197

Ch. 2. with us; at leat in the houe of commons, where every member’s conduct is ubject to the future cenure of his contituents, and therefore hould be openly ubmitted to their inpection.

bring a bill into the houe, if the relief ought by it is of a private nature, it is firt neceary to prefer a petition; which mut be preented by a member, and uually lets forth the grievance deired to be remedied. This petition (when founded on facts that may be in their nature diputed) is referred to a committee of members, who examine the matter alleged, and accordingly report it to the houe; and then (or, otherwie, upon the mere petition) leave is given to bring in the bill. In public matters the bill is brought in upon motion made to the houe, without any petition at all. Formerly, all bills were drawn in the form of petitions, which were entered upon the parliament rolls, with the king’s anwer thereunto ubjoined; not in any ettled form of words, but as the circumtances of the cae required : and at the end of each parliament the judges drew them into the form of a tatute, which was entered on the tatute-rolls. In the reign of Henry V, to prevent mitakes and abues, the tatutes were drawn up by the judges before the end of the parliament; and, in the reign of Henry VI, bills in the form of acts, according to the modern cutom, were firt introduced.

perons, directed to bring in the bill, preent it in a competent time to the houe, drawn out on paper, with a multitude of blanks, or void paces, where any thing occurs that is dubious, or neceary to be ettled by the parliament itelf; (uch, epecially, as the precie date of times, the nature and quantity of penalties, or of any ums of money to be raied) being indeed only the celeton of the bill. In the houe of lords, if the bill begins there, it is (when of a private nature) referred to two of the judges, to examine and report the tate of the facts alleged, to