Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/340

 324 we read that Edward the black prince (oon after his uccees in France) in imitation of the Englih cutom, impoed a tax of a florin upon every hearth in his French dominions. But the firt parliamentary etablihment of it in England was by tatute 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 10. whereby an hereditary revenue of 2s. for every hearth, in all houes paying to church and poor, was granted to the king for ever. And, by ubequent tatutes, for the more regular aement of this tax, the contable and two other ubtantial inhabitants of the parih, to be appointed yearly, (or the urveyor, appointed by the crown, together with uch contable or other public officer) were, once in every year, empowered to view the inide of every houe in the parih. But, upon the revolution, by tatute 1 W. & M. t. 1. c. 10. hearth-money was declared to be "not only a great oppreion to the poorer ort, but a badge of lavery upon the whole people, expoing every man's houe to be entered into, and earched at pleaure, by perons unknown to him; and therefore, to erect a lating monument of their majeties' goodnes in every houe in the kingdom, the duty of hearth-money was taken away and abolihed." This monument of goodnes remains among us to this day: but the propect of it was omewhat darkened when, in ix years afterwards, by tatute 7 W. III. c. 18. a tax was laid upon all houes (except cottages) of 2s. now advanced to 3s. per houe, and a tax alo upon all windows, if they exceeded nine, in uch houe. Which rates have been from time to time varied, being now extended to all windows exceeding ix; and power is given to urveyors, appointed by the crown, to inpect the outide of houes, and alo to pas through any houe two days in the year, into any court or yard to inpect the windows there.

VII. eventh branch of the extraordinary perpetual revenue is the duty ariing from licences to hackney coaches and chairs in London, and the parts adjacent. In 1654 two hundred hackney coaches were allowed within London, Wetminter, and Rh