Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/270

 254 attainted hall not only be incapable himelf of inheriting, or tranmitting his own property by heirhip, but hall alo obtruct the decent of lands or tenements to his poterity, in all caes where they are obliged to derive their title through him from any remoter ancetor. The chanel, which conveyed the hereditary blood from his ancetors to him, is not only exhauted for the preent, but totally dammed up and rendered impervious for the future. This is a refinement upon the antient law of feuds, which allowed that the grandon might be heir to his grandfather, though the on in the intermediate generation was guilty of felony. But, by the law of England, a man's blood is o univerally corrupted by attainder, that his ons can neither inherit to him nor to any other ancetor, at leat on the part of their attainted father.

corruption of blood cannot be abolutely removed but by authority of parliament. The king may excue the public punihment of an offender; but cannot abolih the private right, which has accrued or may accrue to individuals as a conequence of the criminal's attainder. He may remit a forfeiture, in which the interet of the crown is alone concerned: but he cannot wipe away the corruption of blood; for therein a third peron hath an interet, the lord who claims by echeat. If therefore a man hath a on, and is attainted, and afterwards pardoned by the king; this on can never inherit to his father, or father's ancetors; becaue his paternal blood, being once throughly corrupted by his father's attainder, mut continue o: but if the on had been born after the pardon, he might inherit; becaue by the pardon the father is made a new man, and may convey new inheritable blood to his after-born children.

there is however a difference between aliens and perons attainted. Of aliens, who could never by any poibility be heirs, the law takes no notice: and therefore we have een, Rh