Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/426

 410 de jure nobu facere". This peronal ervice in proces of time degenerated into pecuniary commutations or aids, and at lat the military part of the feodal ytem was abolihed at the retoration, by tatute 12 Car. II. c. 24.

the mean time we are not to imagine that the kingdom was left wholly without defence, in cae of dometic inurrections, or the propect of foreign invaions. Beides thoe, who by their military tenures were bound to perform forty days ervice in the field, the tatute of Wincheter obliged every man, according to his etate and degree, to provide a determinate quantity of uch arms as were then in ue, in order to keep the peace: and contables were appointed in all hundreds to ee that uch arms were provided. Thee weapons were changed, by the tatute 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 2. into others of more modern ervice; but both this and the former proviion were repealed in the reign of James I. While thee continued in force, it was uual from time to time for our princes to iue commions of array, and end into every county officers in whom they could confide, to muter and array (or et in military order) the inhabitants of every ditrict: and the form of the commiion of array was ettled in parliament in the 5 Hen. IV. But at the ame time it was provided, that no man hould be compelled to go out of the kingdom at any rate, nor out of his hire but in caes of urgent neceity; nor hould provide oldiers unles by conent of parliament. About the reign of king Henry the eighth, and his children, lord lieutenants began to be introduced, as tanding repreentatives of the crown, to keep the counties in military order; for we find them mentioned as known officers in the tatute 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 3. though they had not been then long in ue, for Camden peaks of them, in the time of queen Elizabeth, as extraordinary magitrates contituted only in times of difficulty and danger. Rh