Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/284

 268 tatute of 1 Geo. III. c. 23. enacted at the earnet recommendation of the king himelf from the throne, the judges are continued in their offices during their good behaviour, notwithtanding any demie of the crown (which was formerly held immediately to vacate their eats) and their full alaries are abolutely ecured to them during the continuance of their commiions: his majety having been pleaed to declare, that "he looked upon the independence and uprightnes of the judges, as eential to the impartial adminitration of jutice; as one of the bet ecurities of the rights and liberties of his ubjects; and as mot conducive to the honour of the crown ."

criminal proceedings, or proecutions for offences, it would till be a higher aburdity, if the king peronally ate in judgment; becaue in regard to thee he appears in another capacity, that of proecutor. All offences are either againt the king's peace, or his crown and dignity; and are o laid in every indictment. For, though in their conequences they generally eem (except in the cae of treaon and a very few others) to be rather offences againt the kingdom than the king; yet, as the public, which is an inviible body, has delegated all it's power and rights, with regard to the execution of the laws, to one viible magitrate, all affronts to that power, and breaches of thoe rights, are immediately offences againt him, to whom they are o delegated by the public. He is therefore the proper peron to proecute for all public offences and breaches of the peace, being the peron injured in the eye of the law. And this notion was carried o far in the old Gothic contitution, (wherein the king was bound by his coronation oath to conerve the peace) that in cae of any forcible injury offered to the peron of a fellow ubject, the offender was accued of a kind of perjury, in having violated the king's coronation oath; dicebatur fregie juramentum regis juratum. And Rh