Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/214

198 and tates, and the other loes them; the latter entirely aimilates or is melted down in the former, and mut adopt it’s laws and cutoms. And in puruance of this maxim there hath ever been, ince the union of the heptarchy in king Egbert, a general acquiecence under the hereditary monarchy of the wet Saxons, through all the united kingdoms. Egbert to the death of Edmund Ironide, a period of above two hundred years, the crown decended regularly, through a ucceion of fifteen princes, without any deviation or interruption, ave only that king Edred, the uncle of Edwy, mounted the throne for about nine years, in the right of his nephew a minor, the times being very troubleome and dangerous. But this was with a view to preerve, and not to detroy, the ucceion; and accordingly Edwy ucceeded him. Edmund Ironide was obliged, by the hotile irruption of the Danes, at firt to divide his kingdom with Canute, king of Denmark; and Canute, after his death, eied the whole of it, Edmund’s ons being driven into foreign countries. Here the ucceion was upended by actual force, and a new family introduced upon the throne: in whom however this new acquired throne continued hereditary for three reigns; when, upon the death of Hardiknute, the antient Saxon line was retored in the peron of Edward the confeor. was not indeed the true heir to the crown, being the younger brother of king Edmund Ironide, who had a on Edward, irnamed (from his exile) the outlaw, till living. But this on was then in Hungary; and, the Englih having jut haken off the Danih yoke, it was neceary that omebody on the pot hould mount the throne; and the confeor was the next of the royal line then in England. On his deceae without iue, Harold II uurped the throne; and almot at the ame intant came on the Norman invaion: the right to the crown being all the time in Edgar,