Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/336

 320 lands and tenements mot commonly letten for twenty years pat; o that if they have been let for above half the time (or eleven years out of the twenty) either for life, for years, at will, or by copy of court roll, it is ufficient. 8. The mot uual and cutomary feorm or rent, for twenty years pat, mut be reerved yearly on uch leae. 9. Such leaes mut not be made without impeachment of wate. Thee are the guards, impoed by the tatute (which was avowedly made for the ecurity of farmers and the conequent improvement of tillage) to prevent unreaonable abues, in prejudice of the iue, the wife, or the ucceor, of the reaonable indulgence here given.

follows, in order of time, the diabling or retraining tatute, 1 Eliz. c. 19. (made entirely for the benefit of the ucceor) which enacts, that all grants by archbihops and bihops (which include even thoe confirmed by the dean and chapter; the which, however long and unreaonable, were good at common law) other than for the term of one and twenty years or three lives from the making, or without reerving the uual rent, hall be void. Concurrent leaes, if confirmed by the dean and chapter, are held to be within the exception of this tatute, and therefore valid; provided they do not exceed (together with the leae in being) the term permitted by the act. But, by a aving exprely made, this tatute of 1 Eliz. did not extend to grants made by any bihop to the crown; by which means queen Elizabeth procured many fair poeions to be made over to her by the prelates, either for her own ue, or with intent to be granted out again to her favourites, whom he thus gratified without any expene to herelf. To prevent which for the future, the tatute 1 Jac. I. c. 3. extends the prohibition to grants and leaes made to the king, as well as to any of his ubjects.

comes the tatute 13 Eliz. c. 10. explained and enforced by the tatutes 14 Eliz. c. 11 & 14. 18 Eliz. c. 11. and 43 Eliz. c. 29. which extend the retrictions, laid by the lat Rh