Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/414

 398 which were called the marches, from the teutonic word, marche, a limit: as, in particular, were the marches of Wales and Scotland, while they continued to be enemies countries. The perons, who had command there, were called lords marchers, or marquees; whoe authority was abolihed by tatute 27 Hen. VIII. c. 27: though the title had long before been made a mere enign of honour; Robert Vere, earl of Oxford, being created marques of Dublin, by Richard II in the eighth year of his reign.

3. earl is a title of nobility o antient, that it's original cannot clearly be traced out. Thus much eems tolerably certain: that among the Saxons they were called ealdormen, quai elder men, ignifying the ame as enior or enator among the Romans and alo chiremen, becaue they had each of them the civil government of a everal diviion or hire. On the irruption of the Danes, they changed the name to eorles, which, according to Camden, ignified the ame in their language. In Latin they are called comites (a title firt ued in the empire) from being the king's attendants; "a ocietate nomen umperunt, reges enim tales ibi aociant ." After the Norman Conquet they were for ome time called counts, or countees, from the French; but they did not long retain that name themelves, though their hires are from thence called counties to this day. It is now become a mere title, they having nothing to do with the government of the county; which, as has been more than once oberved, is now entirely devolved on the heriff, the earl's deputy, or vice-comes. In writs, and commiions, and other formal instruments, the king, when he mentions any peer of the degree of an earl, frequently tiles him "truty and well beloved couin:" an appellation as antient as the reign of Henry IV; who being either by his wife, his mother, or his iters, actually related or allied to every earl in the kingdom, artfully and contantly acknowleged that connexion in all his letters and other public acts; from whence the uage has decended to his ucceors, though the reaon has long ago failed. Rh