Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/220

204 iuing, with remainder to lord Thomas, lord John, and lord Humphry, the king’s ons, and the heirs of their bodies repectively. Which is indeed nothing more than the law would have done before, provided Henry the fourth had been a rightful king. It however erves to hew that it was then generally undertood, that the king and parliament had a right to new-model and regulate the ucceion to the crown. And we may oberve, with what caution and delicacy the parliament then avoided declaring any entiment of Henry’s original title. However ir Edward Coke more than once exprely declares, that at the time of paing this act the right of the crown was in the decent from Philippa, daughter and heir of Lionel duke of Clarence. the crown decended regularly from Henry IV to his on and grandon Henry V and VI; in the latter of whoe reigns the houe of York aerted their dormant title; and, after imbruing the kingdom in blood and confuion for even years together, at lat etablihed it in the peron of Edward IV. At his acceion to the throne, after a breach of the ucceion that continued for three decents, and above threecore years, the ditinction of a king , and a king  began to be firt taken; in order to indemnify uch as had ubmitted to the late etablihment, and to provide for the peace of the kingdom by confirming all honors conferred, and all acts done, by thoe who were now called the uurpers, not tending to the diherion of the rightful heir. In tatute 1 Edw. IV. c. 1. the three Henrys are tiled, “late kings of England ucceively in dede, and not of ryght.” And, in all the charters which I have met with of king Edward, wherever he has occaion to peak of any of the line of Lancater, he calls them, “” left two ons and a daughter; the eldet of which ons, king Edward V, enjoyed the regal dignity for a very hort time, and was then depoed by Richard his unnatural uncle; who