Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/228

212 and unexpected vacancy of the throne, the old line of ucceion; which from the conquet had lated above ix hundred years, and from the union of the heptarchy in king Egbert almot nine hundred. The facts themelves thus appealed to, the king’s endeavours to ubvert the contitution by breaking the original contract, his violation of the fundamental laws, and his withdrawing himelf out of the kingdom, were evident and notorious: and the conequences drawn from thee facts (namely, that they amounted to an abdication of the government; which abdication did not affect only the peron of the king himelf, but alo all his heirs, and rendered the throne abolutely and completely vacant) it belonged to our ancetors to determine. For, whenever a quetion aries between the ociety at large and any magitrate veted with powers originally delegated by that ociety, it mut be decided by the voice of the ociety itelf: there is not upon earth any other tribunal to reort to. And that thee conequences were fairly deduced from thee facts, our ancetors have olemnly determined, in a full parliamentary convention repreenting the whole ociety. The reaons upon which they decided may be found at large in the parliamentary proceedings of the times; and may be matter of intructive amuement for us to contemplate, as a peculative point of hitory. But care mut be taken not to carry this enquiry farther, than merely for intruction or amuement. The idea, that the conciences of poterity were concerned in the rectitude of their ancetors’ deciions, gave birth to thoe dangerous political hereies, which o long ditracted the tate, but at length are all happily extinguihed. I therefore rather chue to conider this great political meaure, upon the olid footing of authority, than to reaon in it’s favour from it’s jutice, moderation, and expedience: becaue that might imply a right of dienting or revolving from it, in cae we hould think it to have been unjut, oppreive, or inexpedient. Whereas, our ancetors having mot indiputably a competent juridiction to decide this great and important quetion, and having in fact decided it, it is now become our duty at this ditance of time to acquiece in their determination; being born under that etablih- ment