Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/352

 336 the crown; raied by the crown, officered by the crown, commanded by the crown. They are kept on foot it is true only from year to year, and that by the power of parliament: but during that year they mut, by the nature of our contitution, if raied at all, be at the abolute dipoal of the crown. And there need but few words to demontrate how great a trut is thereby repoed in the prince by his people. A trut, that is more than equivalent to a thouand little troubleome prerogatives.

to all this, that, beides the civil lit, the immene revenue of even millions terling, which is annually paid to the creditors of the public, or carried to the inking fund, is firt depoited in the royal exchequer, and thence iued out to the repective offices of payment. This revenue the people can never refue to raie, becaue it is made perpetual by act of parliament: which alo, when well conidered, will appear to be a trut of great delicacy and high importance.

the whole therefore I think it is clear, that, whatever may have become of the nominal, the real power of the crown has not been too far weakened by any tranactions in the lat century. Much is indeed given up; but much is alo requiredacquired [sic]. The tern commands of prerogative have yielded to the milder voice of influence; the lavih and exploded doctrine of non-reitance has given way to a military etablihment by law; and to the diue of parliaments has ucceeded a parliamentary trut of an immene perpetual revenue. When, indeed, by the free operation of the inking fund, our national debts hall be leened; when the poture of foreign affairs, and the univeral introduction of a well planned and national militia, will uffer our formidable army to be thinned and regulated; and when (in conequence of all) our taxes hall be gradually reduced; this adventitious power of the crown will lowly and imperceptibly dimihih, as it lowly and imperceptibly roe. But, till that hall happen, it will be our epecial duty, as good ubjects and good Rh