Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/297

 Ch. 8.

AVING, in the preceding chapter, conidered at large thoe branches of the king's prerogative, which contribute to his royal dignity, and contitute the executive power of the government, we proceed now to examine the king's fical prerogatives, or uch as regard his revenue; which the Britih contitution hath veted in the royal peron, in order to upport his dignity and maintain his power: being a portion which each ubject contributes of his property, in order to ecure the remainder.

revenue is either ordinary, or extraordinary. The king's ordinary revenue is uch, as has either ubited time out of mind in the crown; or ele has been granted by parliament, by way of purchae or exchange for uch of the king's inherent hereditary revenues, as were found inconvenient to the ubject.

I ay that it has ubited time out of mind in the crown, I do not mean that the king is at preent in the actual poeion of the whole of this revenue. Much (nay, the greatet part) of it is at this day in the hands of ubjects; to whom it has been granted out from time to time by the kings of England: which has rendered the crown in ome meaure dependent on the people for it's ordinary upport and ubitence. So that I mut be obliged to recount, as part of the royal revenue, what lords of Rh