Chap

liv.

* 641 .

188 HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

. fundamental laws, ecclesiastical and civil, whichmany of his predecessors had established

By removing the star-chamber, the king’spower of binding the people by his proclamations,was indirectly abolished ; and that importantbranch of prerogative, the strong.symbol os ar-bitrary power , and unintelligible in a limitedconstitution, being at last removed, left the systemof government more consistent and uniform Thestar-chamber alone was accustomed to punishinfractions of the king’s edicts : But as no courtsof judicature now remained , except those inWestminster-hall, which take cognizance only ofcommon and statute law, the king may thence-forth issue proclamations, but no man is boundto obey them. It must, however, be confessed,that the experiment here made by the parliament,was not a little rash and adventurous. No govern-ment, at that time, appeared in the world, noris perhaps to be found in the records of anyhistory, which subsisted without the mixture ofsome arbitrary authority, committed to somemagistrate; and it might reasonably, beforehand,appear doubtful, whether human society couldever reach that state of perfection, as to supportitself with no other controul than the generaland rigid maxims of law and equity. But theparliament justly thought, that the king was tooeminent a magistrate to be trusted with discre-tionary power, which he might so easily turn to

2«t

Rush worth, vol. v. p. 107.