Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/303

 Ch. 8. committing wate; and the uual rent mut be reerved, or, where there has uually been no rent, one third of the clear yearly value. The misfortune is, that this act was made too late, after almot every valuable poeion of the crown had been granted away for ever, or ele upon very long leaes; but may be of benefit to poterity, when thoe leaes come to expire.

VI. might have been referred the advantages which were ued to arie to the king from the profits of his military tenures, to which mot lands in the kingdom were ubject, till the tatute 12 Car. II. c. 24. which in great meaure abolihed them all: the explication of the nature of which tenures mut be referred to the econd book of thee commentaries. Hither alo might have been referred the profitable prerogative of purveyance and pre-emption: which was a right enjoyed by the crown of buying up proviions and other necearies, by the intervention of the king's purveyors, for the ue of his royal houhold, at an appraied valuation, in preference to all others, and even without conent of the owner; and alo of forcibly impreing the carriages and hores of the ubject, to do the king's buines on the public roads, in the conveyance of timber, baggage, and the like, however inconvenient to the proprietor, upon paying him a ettled price. A prerogative, which prevailed pretty generally throughout Europe, during the carcity of gold and ilver, and the high valuation of money conequential thereupon. In thoe early times the king's houhold (as well as thoe of inferior lords) were upported by pecific renders of corn, and other victuals, from the tenants of the repective demenes; and there was alo a continual market kept at the palace gate to furnih viands for the royal ue. And this anwered all purpoes, in thoe ages of implicity, o long as the king's court continued in any certain place. But when it removed from one part of the kingdom to another (as was formerly very frequently done) it was found ne- Rh