Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/419

 Ch. 12. cannot loe his nobility, but by death or attainder; though there was an intance, in the reign of Edward the fourth, of the degradation of George Nevile duke of Bedford by act of parliament, on account of his poverty, which rendered him unable to upport his dignity. But this is a ingular intance: which erves at the ame time, by having happened, to hew the power of parliament; and, by having happened but once, to hew how tender the parliament hath been, in exerting o high a power. It hath been aid indeed, that if a baron wate his etate, o that he is not able to upport the degree, the king may degrade him: but it is exprely held by later authorities , that a peer cannot be degraded but by act of parliament.

commonalty, like the nobility, are divided into everal degrees; and, as the lords, though different in rank, yet all of them are peers in repect of their nobility, o the commoners, though ome are greatly uperior to others, yet all are in law peers, in repect of their want of nobility.

firt name of dignity, next beneath a peer, was antiently that of vidames, vice domini, or valvaors : who are mentioned by our antient lawyers as viri magnae dignitatis; and ir Edward Coke peaks highly of them. Yet they are now quite out of ue; and our legal antiquarians are not agreed upon even their original or antient office. Rh