Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/204

188 under the limitations which the Englih contitution has precribed: o that, on the one hand, they may frequently and regularly come together, for the dipatch of buines and redres of grievances; and may not, on the other, even with the conent of the crown, be continued to an inconvenient or uncontitutional length.

2. may be diolved by the demie of the crown. This diolution formerly happened immediately upon the death of the reigning overeign, for he being conidered in law as the head of the parliament, () that failing, the whole body was held to be extinct. But, the calling a new parliament immediately on the inauguration of the ucceor being found inconvenient, and dangers being apprehended from having no parliament in being in cae of a diputed ucceion, it was enacted by the tatutes 7 & 8 W. III. c. 15. and 6 Ann. c. 7. that the parliament in being hall continue for ix months after the death of any king or queen, unles ooner prorogued or diolved by the ucceor: that, if the parliament be, at the time of the king’s death, eparated by adjournment or prorogation, it hall notwithtanding aemble immediately: and that, if no parliament is then in being, the members of the lat parliament hall aemble, and be again a parliament.

3., a parliament may be diolved or expire by length of time. For if either the legilative body were perpetual; or might lat for the life of the prince who convened them as formerly; and were o to be upplied, by occasionally filling the vacancies with new repreentatives; in thee caes, if it were once corrupted, the evil would be pat all remedy: but when different bodies ucceed each other, if the people ee caue to diapprove of the preent, they may rectify it’s faults in the next. A legilative aembly alo, which is ure to be eparated again, (whereby it’s members will themelves become private men, and ubject to the full extent of the laws which they have enacted for others) will think themelves bound, in interet as well