Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/304

 288 ent of the heirs of the feoffer; or ometimes for the heir apparent himelf to join with the feoffor in the grant. And, on the other hand, as the feodal obligation was looked upon to be reciprocal, the lord could not aliene or transfer his igniory without the conent of his vaal: for it was eteemed unreaonable to ubject a feudatory to a new uperior, with whom he might have a deadly enmity, without his own approbation; or even to transfer his fealty, without his being thoroughly apprized of it, that he might know with certainty to whom his renders and ervices were due, and be able to ditinguih a lawful ditres for rent from a hotile eiing of his cattle by the lord of a neighbouring clan. This conent of the vaal was expreed by what was called attorning, or profeing to become the tenant of the new lord; which doctrine of attornment was afterwards extended to all leees for life or years. For if one bought an etate with any leae for life or years tanding out thereon, and the leee or tenant refued to attorn to the purchaor, and to become his tenant, the grant or contract was in mot caes void, or at leat incomplete : which was alo an additional clog upon alienations.

by degrees this feodal everity is worn off; and experience hath hewn, that property bet anwers the purpoes of civil life, epecially in commercial countries, when it's transfer and circulation are totally free and unretrained. The road was cleared in the firt place by a law of king Henry the firt, which allowed a man to ell and dipoe of lands which he himelf had purchaed; for over thee he was thought to have a more extenive power, than over what had been tranmitted to him in a coure of decent from his ancetors : a doctrine, which is coun- Rh