Of the origin of

the aristocrati

cal part of our conftitution.

The ancient wittenagemotte.

the different degrees, dignities, and denominations, by which it was formerly known and distinguished. To do this fatisfactorily will require a longer digreffion than the intent and purport of this publication will admit of. Such of my readers, as may wish to acquire a more particular knowledge of this fubject, will receive the most fatisfactory information from the first volume of the learned Mr. Gurdon's history of the high court of parliament. Suffice it for me to observe, that our present aristocracy is much altered from what it formerly was, both in its relative and abfolute rights, privileges, powers, and duties.

In our earliest hiftory the great council of the nation under the Saxons, who concurred with the king in paffing laws, was called Wittenagemotte: *" a word compounded of Saxon and British, the former part of the word being Saxon, and the latter British. Witta is in Saxon, a wife man (i. e.) a nobleman; Gemot, in the British language, is a council or fynod, fo Wittenagemotte is a council of wife men or noblemen." According to the rude practices and habits of the warlike Saxons, they naturally allowed

• Gurdon, vol. i. p. 21.

an

an exclusive fuperiority of knowledge or wifdom to fuch, as had acquired the then rare advantages of education, which were only enjoyed by the clergy, and fome of the most opulent and powerful individuals of the community. They annexed not this attribute of wisdom to these national counsellors, as a native and hereditary prerogative in the fenfe, in which some modern illuminators speak in derifion of hereditary wife men and coun-. fellors; but they prefumed very juftly, that in the general average of men's intellectual faculties or talents, a fuperiority or preeminence of wisdom muft neceffarily attend the advantages of cultivation and improvement. The general diffufion of knowledge through all ranks of people in the prefent age, has happily rendered this ancient diftinction imperceptible to the present generation.

There are obvious reasons, why formerly the reprefentatives or delegates of the nation were not, as they now are, divided into two feparate bodies; for it is very evident, that the original spirit or principle of representation in this community was grounded upon the poffeffion of property, not upon the numbers of individuals. *The Britons called their

* Gurdon on Parliament, page 15.

councils

councils Kifrithin, which in the British language imports to debate and treat upon matters to be taken into confideration for the public weal. The members of their councils were their Edlins*, which were of royal or princely race, and the governors of districts or lords of villages: the husbandmen, and all the common people, were esteemed no more than fervants, had no intereft in land, being removeable at the will of their lord, they being villeins to their lords, were not adWhy copyhol- mitted to fit in council." Whence a copyholder, who by holding of the lord of the manor retains fomething of this ancient teis not even at this day qualified to vote for a member of parliament.

ders not qualified to vote.

The original Saxon ariftoeracy.

nure,

This principle of representing the landed property of the nation continued after the whole fyftem of landed property was altered. For the Saxons undertook the conquest of this country upon a joint engagement to divide the conquered lands proportionably amongst the leaders, as they had contributed their respective quotas to the enterprize. The joint undertakers, who were

* Or Ethelings, hence Edgar Etheling meant Edgar of the blood royal, or kingly race.

+ Gurdon on Parliament, p. 23.

at

at first by the Latin authors termed capitanei, as having a capital or original right in the fhares of the Britons lands; and these capitanei were not only fharers with the kings in the conquered lands, but alfo in the administration of the government, being members of the king's great council, and therein had a deliberative authority in confenting to laws and the highest matters of ftate; they alfo had a judicial authority, being the fupreme court of judicature of the nation."

* «Thefe colleagues, and their defcendants, Original nobiwere the Saxon nobles, that were members of lity arofe from

the great councils, the fuitors of the court of the grand feigniory of the kingdom, all nobility at that time arifing from poffeffion." In these ancient days, the ariftocratical part of the community were known or diftinguished only from the rest of the community, by rights, privileges, and prerogatives attached to the property they poffeffed; and as the greatest of these confifted in their enjoying a fhare in the legislature, it is unfair to conclude, that the commonalty or democratical part of the community were not formerly represented in parliament; for the perfons, who at that time represented the whole

Gurdon on Parliament, p. 163.

nation,

property.

The ancient members of the national council refembled more our commoners,

than our peers.

Whether fum

mons to parlia

ment anciently

conferred nobility.

nation, were only distinguished from the democratical part of it by this very right of representation, which was not then elective, but hereditary; and if we confider the nature of the duty, truft, and rights of these delegates or reprefentatives of the public, we fhall find them resemble much more thofe of the commoners, than of the peers of our prefent parliament.

There are many points warmly controverted by antiquarians concerning the ancient English barons, who either attended the national affemblies or parliaments, at stated times de more, or were fummoned on extraordinary occafions to attend them. The whole episcopal order, and many abbots and priors were admitted by all to have been a conftant part of the wittas in the wittenagemotes, and in all fubfequent conventions of the nation down to the regular and feparate establishment of a houfe of commons, by whatsoever defcriptions they were diftinguished. It is not material to my prefent purpose to consider, whether all, who were in thofe times fummoned to parliament, either as barones majores, barones minores, knights, or tenants in capite, or by any other titles, as earls, viscounts, vavafours, &c. were thereby fo enobled, as that their heirs inherited their honours; there

certainly