Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/491

 Ch. 18. ir Edward Coke, is as a proper name, or name of baptim; and therefore when a private founder gives his college or hopital a name, he does it only as a godfather; and by that ame name the king baptizes the incorporation.

II. a corporation is o formed and named, it acquires many powers, rights, capacities, and incapacities, which we are next to conider. Some of thee are necearily and ineparably incident to every corporation; which incidents, as oon as a corporation is duly erected, are tacitly annexed of coure. As, 1. To have perpetual ucceion. This is the very end of it's incorporation: for there cannot be a ucceion for ever without an incorporation ; and therefore all aggregate corporations have a power necearily implied of electing members in the room of uch as go off. 2. To ue or be ued, implead or be impleaded, grant or receive, by it's corporate name, and do all other acts as natural perons may. 3. To purchae lands, and hold them, for the benefit of themelves and their ucceors: which two are conequential to the former. 4. To have a common eal. For a corporation, being an inviible body, cannot manifet it's intentions by any peronal act or oral dicoure: it therefore acts and peaks only by it's common eal. For, though the particular members may expres their private conents to any act, by words, or igning their names, yet this does not bind the corporation: it is the fixing of the eal, and that only, which unites the everal aents of the individuals, who compoe the community, and make one joint aent of the whole. 5. To make by-laws or private tatutes for the better government of the corporation; which are binding upon themelves, unles contrary to the laws of the land, and then they are void. This is alo included by law in the very act of incorporation : for, as natural reaon is given to the natural body for the governing it, o by-laws or tatutes are a ort of political reaon to govern the body politic. Rh