Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/241

 Ch. 14. be oberved, with regard to ex, primogeniture, and repreentation, that have jut been laid down with regard to lineal decents from the peron of the lat proprietor.

, econdly, the heir need not be the nearet kinman abolutely, but ony ub modo; that is, he mut be the nearet kinman of the whole blood; for, if there be a much nearer kinman of the half blood, a ditant kinman of the whole blood hall be admitted, and the other entirely excluded.

of the whole blood is he that is derived, not only from the ame ancetor, but from the ame couple of ancetors. For, as every man's own blood is compounded of the bloods of his repective ancetors, he only is properly of the whole or entire blood with another, who hath (o far as the ditance of degrees will permit) all the ame ingredients in the compoition of his blood that the other hath. Thus, the blood of John Stiles being compoed of thoe of Geoffrey Stiles his father and Lucy Baker his mother, therefore his brother Francis, being decended from both the ame parents, hath entirely the ame blood with John Stiles; or, he is his brother of the whole blood. But if, after the death of Geoffrey, Lucy Baker the mother marries a econd huband, Lewis Gay, and hath iue by him; the blood of this iue, being compounded of the blood of Lucy Baker (it is true) on the one part, but of that of Lewis Gay (intead of Geoffrey Stiles) on the other part, it hath therefore only half the ame ingredients with that of John Stiles; o that he is only his brother of the half blood, and for that reaon they hall never inherit to each other. So alo, if the father has two ons, A and B, by different venters or wives; now thee two brethren are not brethren of the whole blood, and therefore hall never inherit to each other, but the etate hall rather echeat to the lord. Nay, even if the father dies, and his lands decend to his eldet on A, who enters thereon, and dies eied without iue; till B hall not be heir to this etate, becaue he is only of the half blood to A, the peron lat eied: but, had A died without en- Rh