Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/76

 64 income for this purpoe; nor could they acquire money by other means, being wholly converant in matters of arms; nor, by the nature of their tenure, could they charge their lands with this, or any other incumbrances. From bearing their proportion to thee aids no rank or profeion was exempted: and therefore even the monateries, till the time of their diolution, contributed to the knighting of their founder's male heir (of whom their lands were holden) and the marriage of his female decendants. And one cannot but oberve, in this particular, the great reemblance which the lord and vaal of the feodal law bore to the patron and client of the Roman republic; between whom alo there ubited a mutual fealty, or engagement of defence and proteсtion. With regard to the matter of aids, there were three which were uually raied by the client; viz. to marry the patron's daughter; to pay his debts; and to redeem his peron from captivity.

beides thee antient feodal aids, the tyranny of lords by degrees exadted more and more; as, aids to pay the lord's debts, (probably in imitation of the Romans) and aids to enable him to pay aids or reliefs to his uperior lord; from which lat indeed the king's tenants in capite were, from the nature of their tenure, excued, as they held immediately of the king who had no uperior. To prevent this abue, king John's magna carta ordained, that no aids be taken by the king without conent of parliament, nor in any wie by inferior lords, ave only the three antient ones above-mentioned. But this proviion was omitted in Henry III's charter, and the ame oppreions were continued till the 25 Edw. I; when the tatute called confirmatio chartarum was enacted; which in this repect revived king John's charter, by ordaining that none but the antient aids hould be taken. But though the pecies of aids was thus retrained, yet the quantity Rh