Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/71

 Ch. 5.

N this chapter we hall take a hort view of the antient tenures of our Englih etates, or the manner in which lands, tenements, and hereditaments might have been holden; as the ame flood in force, till the middle of the lat century. In which we hall eaily perceive, that all the particularities, all the eeming and real hardhips, that attended thoe tenures, were to be accounted for upon feodal principles and no other; being fruits of, and deduced from, the feodal policy.

all the real property of this kingdom is by the policy of our laws uppoed to be granted by, dependent upon, and holden of ome uperior lord, by and in conideration of certain ervices to be rendered to the lord by the tenant or poeor of this property. The thing holden is therefore tiled a tenement, the poeors thereof tenants, and the manner of their poeion a tenure. Thus all the land in the kingdom is uppoed to be holden, mediately or immediately, of the king; who is tiled the lord paramount, or above all. Such tenants as held under the king immediately, when they granted out portions of their lands to inferior perons, became alo lords with repect to thoe inferior perons, as they were till tenants with repect to the king; and, thus partaking of a middle nature, were called mene, or middle, lords. So that if the king granted a manor to A, and he granted a portion of the land to B, now B was aid to hold Rh