Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/245

Ch. 5. Spencers, father and on, for which they were banihed the kingdom, “that they by their evil covin would not uffer the great men of the realm, the king’s good counellors, to peak with the king, or to come near him; but only in the preence and hearing of the aid Hugh the father and Hugh the on, or one of them, and at their will, and according to uch things as pleaed them .” 3.&ensp; council belonging to the king, are, according to ir Edward Coke, his judges of the courts of law, for law matters. And this appears frequently in our tatutes, particularly 14 Edw. III. c. 5. and in other books of law. So that when the king’s council is mentioned generally, it mut be defined, particularized, and undertood, ; and, if the ubject be of a legal nature, then by the king’s council is undertood his council for matters of law; namely, his judges. Therefore when by tatute 16 Ric. II. c. 5. it was made a high offence to import into this kingdom any papal bulles, or other procees from Rome; and it was enacted, that the offenders hould be attached by their bodies, and brought before the king and his council to anwer for uch offence; here, by the expreion of king’s council, were undertood the king’s judges of his courts of jutice, the ubject matter being legal: this being the general way of interpreting the word, council.

4.&ensp; the principal council belonging to the king is his privy council, which is generally called, by way of eminence, the council. And this, according to ir Edward Coke’s decription of it, is a noble, honorable, and reverend aembly, of the king and uch as he wills to be of his privy council, in the king’s court or palace. The king’s will is the ole contituent of a privy counellor; and this alo regulates their number, which of antient time was twelve or thereabouts. Afterwards it increaed to o large a number, that it was found inconvenient for ecrey and dipatch;