Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/362

 346 mean perons employed by the heriffs on account only of their adroitnes and dexterity in hunting and eiing their prey. The heriff being anwerable for the midemenors of thee bailiffs, they are therefore uually bound in a bond for the due execution of their office, and thence are called bound-bailiffs; which the common people have corrupted into a much more homely appellation.

are alo the ervants of the heriff, and he mut be reponible for their conduct. Their buines is to keep afely all uch perons as are committed to them by lawful warrant: and, if they uffer any uch to ecape, the heriff hall anwer it to the king, if it be a criminal matter; or, in a civil cae, to the party injured. And to this end the heriff mut have lands ufficient within the county to anwer the king and his people. The abues of gaolers and heriff's officers toward the unfortunate perons in their cutody are well retrained and guarded againt by tatute 32 Geo. II. c. 28.

vat expene, which cutom had introduced in erving the office of high-heriff, was grown uch a burthen to the ubject, that it was enacted, by tatute 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 21. that no heriff hould keep any table at the aies, except for his own family, or give any preents to the judges or their ervants, or have more than forty men in livery; yet, for the ake of afety and decency, he may not have les than twenty men in England and twelve in Wales; upon forfeiture, in any of thee caes, of 200𝑙.

II. coroner's is alo a very antient office at the common law. He is called coroner, coronator, becaue he hath principally to do with pleas of the crown, or uch wherein the king is more immediately concerned. And in this light the lord chief jutice Rh