Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/361

 Ch. 9. rents within his bailiwick, if commanded by proces from the exchequer.

execute thee various offices, the heriff has under him many inferior officers; an under-heriff, bailiffs, and gaolers; who mut neither buy, ell, nor farm their offices, on forfeiture of 500𝑙.

under-heriff uually performs all the duties of the office; a very few only excepted, where the peronal preence of the high-heriff is neceary. But no under-heriff shall abide in his office above one year ; and if he does, by tatute 23 Hen. VI. c. 8. he forfeits 200𝑙. a very large penalty in thoe early days. And no under-heriff or heriff's officer hall practice as an attorney, during the time he continues in uch office : for this would be a great inlet to partiality and oppreion. But thee alutary regulations are hamefully evaded, by practicing in the names of other attorneys, and putting in ham deputies by way of nominal under-heriffs: by reaon of which, ays Dalton, the under-heriffs and bailiffs do grow o cunning in their everal places, that they are able to deceive, and it may well be feared that many of them do deceive, both the king, the high-heriff, and the county.

, or heriff's officers, are either bailiffs of hundreds, or pecial bailiffs. Bailiffs of hundreds are officers appointed over thoe repective ditricts by the heriffs, to collect fines therein; to ummon juries; to attend the judges and jutices at the aies, and quarter eions; and alo to execute writs and proces in the everal hundreds. But, as thee are generally plain men, and not thoroughly kilful in this latter part of their office, that of erving writs, and making arrets and executions, it is now uual to join pecial bailiffs with them; who are generally Rh