Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/465

 Ch. 16. tain it : for this being a debt of hers, when ingle, hall like others extend to charge the huband. But at her death, the relation being diolved, the huband is under no farther obligation.

peron is bound to provide a maintenance for his iue, unles where the children are impotent and unable to work, either through infancy, dieae, or accident; and then is only obliged to find them with necearies, the penalty on refual being no more than 20s. a month. For the policy of our laws, which are ever watchful to promote indutry, did not mean to compel a father to maintain his idle and lazy children in eae and indolence: but thought it unjut to oblige the parent, againt his will, to provide them with uperfluities, and other indulgences of fortune; imagining they might trut to the impule of nature, if the children were deerving of uch favours. Yet, as nothing is o apt to tifle the calls of nature as religious bigotry, it is enacted, that if any popih parent hall refue to allow his protetant child a fitting maintenance, with a view to compel him to change his religion, the lord chancellor hall by order of court contrain him to do what is jut and reaonable. But this did not extend to perons of another religion, of no les bitternes and bigotry than the popih: and therefore in the very next year we find an intance of a jew of immene riches, whoe only daughter having embraced chritianity, he turned her out of doors; and on her application for relief, it was held he was intitled to none. But this gave occaion to another tatute, which ordains, that if jewih parents refue to allow their protetant children a fitting maintenance, uitable to the fortune of the parent, the lord chancellor on complaint may make uch order therein as he hall ee proper.

law has made no proviion to prevent the diinheriting of children by will: leaving every man's property in his own Rh