Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/468

 452 when abroad by any pretext whatever, the peron both ending and ent hall be diabled to ue in law or equity, or to be executor or adminitrator to any peron, or to enjoy any legacy or deed of gift, or to bear any office in the realm, and hall forfeit all his goods and chattels, and likewie all his real etate for life.

2. power of parents over their children is derived from the former conideration, their duty; this authority being given them, partly to enable the parent more effectually to perform his duty, and partly as a recompene for his care and trouble in the faithful dicharge of it. And upon this core the municipal laws of ome nations have given a much larger authority to the parents, than others. The antient Roman laws gave the father a power of life and death over his children; upon this principle, that he who gave had alo the power of taking away. But the rigor of thee laws was oftened by ubequent contitutions; o that we find a father banihed by the emperor Hadrian for killing his on, though he had committed a very heinous crime, upon this maxim, that "patria potetas in pietate debet, non in atrocitate, conitere." But till they maintained to the lat a very large and abolute authority: for a on could not acquire any property of his own during the life of his father; but all his acquiitions belonged to the father, or at leat the profits of them for his life.

power of a parent by our Englih laws is much more moderate; but till ufficient to keep the child in order and obedience. He may lawfully correct his child, being under age, in a reaonable manner ; for this is for the benefit of his education. The conent or concurrence of the parent to the marriage of his child under age, was alo directed by our antient law to be obtained: but now it is abolutely neceary; for without it the contract is void. And this alo is another means, which the law has put into the parent's hands, in order the better to dicharge Rh