Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol II).djvu/77

 Ch. 5. of each aid remained arbitrary and uncertain. King John's charter indeed ordered, that all aids taken by inferior lords hould be reaonable ; and that the aids taken by the king of his tenants in capite hould be ettled by parliament. But they were never completely acertained and adjuted till the tatute Wetm. 1. 3 Edw. I. c. 36. which fixed the aids of inferior lords at twenty hillings, or the uppoed twentieth part of every knight's fee, for making the eldet on a knight, or marrying the eldet daughter; and the ame was done with regard to the king's tenants in capite by tatute 25 Edw. III. c. 11. The other aid, for ranom of the lord's peron, being not in it's nature capable of any certainty, was therefore never acertained.

2., relevium, was before mentioned as incident to every feodal tenure, by way of fine or compoition with the lord for taking up the etate, which was laped or fallen in by the death of the lat tenant. But, though reliefs had their original while feuds were only life-etates, yet they continued after feuds became hereditary; and were therefore looked upon, very jutly, as one of the greatet grievances of tenure: epecially when, at the firt, they were merely arbitrary and at the will of the lord; o that, if he pleaed to demand an exorbitant relief, it was in effect to diinherit the heir. The Englih ill brooked this conequence of their new adopted policy; and therefore William the conqueror by his laws acertained the relief, by directing (in imitation of the Danih heriots) that a certain quantity of arms and habiliments of war hould be paid by the earls, barons, and vavaours repectively; and, if the latter had no arms, they hould pay 100s. William Rufus broke through this compoition, and again demanded arbitrary uncertain reliefs, as due by the feodal laws; thereby in effect obliging every heir to new-purchae or redeem his land : but his brother Henry I. by the charter before-mentioned retored his father's law; and ordained, that the relief Rh