Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/264

248 the crown were attainted of treaon and felony, and afterwards the crown hould decend to him, this would purge the attainder . And therefore when Henry VII, who as earl of Richmond tood attainted, came to the crown, it was not thought neceary to pas an act of parliament to revere this attainder; becaue, as lord Bacon in his hitory of that prince informs us, it was agreed that the aumption of the crown had at once purged all attainders. Neither can the king in judgment of law, as king, ever be a minor or under age; and therefore his royal grants and aents to acts of parliament are good, though he has not in his natural capacity attained the legal age of twenty one. By a tatute indeed, 28 Hen. VIII. c. 17. power was given to future kings to recind and revoke all acts of parliament that hould be made while they were under the age of twenty four: but this was repealed by the tatute 1 Edw. VI. c. 11. o far as related to that prince; and both tatutes are declared to be determined by 24 Geo. II. c. 24. It hath alo been uually thought prudent, when the heir apparent has been very young, to appoint a protector, guardian, or regent, for a limited time: but the very neceity of uch extraordinary proviion is ufficient to demontrate the truth of that maxim of the common law, that in the king is no minority; and therefore he hath no legal guardian. of