The EUROPEAN LEGISLATURES. 167 



ther chief magiftrate, and muft have been confidered as a rival 

 and a foe to the natural head of the community. 



VERY ftrong arguments have been derived from the progrefs 

 of the Houfe of Commons to its political confequence ; and, 

 from its rank and functions, when fir ft found acting in the le- 

 giflature, to ihow, that it was, by no means, a body coeval with 

 the conftitution. Thefe, however, are well known, and need 

 not be infifted on. 



BUT, independently of the foregoing obfervations, which, 

 however they may produce conviction on people accuflomed to 

 eftimate the force of political reafonings, will pombly be little 

 relifhed by others ; I apprehend we have evidence of a more 

 direct nature againft the antiquity of the reprefentation of 

 towns. Jf, previous to the <zra of charters of incorporation, towns 

 were governed precifely in the fame manner as the country \. it is ma- 

 nifeft, that nothing can be more improbable, than that they re- 

 forted to the diet in any other way than the reft of the nation j 

 and an examination of the ft ate of the Anglo-Saxon towns, 

 compared with that of thofe on the continent, both proves, 

 that they contained the fame orders of perfons, and the fame political 

 arrangements as the country ; and even points out the circum- 

 ftances, in their fituation, which led them to exchange their 

 ancient ftructure for their prefent conftitutions. 



IN the firft place, it is evident from Doomfday, (which, it 

 will be remembered, mentions the ftate of things under ED- 

 WARD the ConfefTor, as well as their fubfequent ftate under 

 the Conqueror, when the furvey was taken), that the towns 

 \vere univerfally comprehended under the divifions of the 

 country, by counties, hundreds, and tithings, and were fub- 

 jected to certain public burdens, in proportion to the divifion 

 at which they were rated *. And we accordingly find, that, 



when 



* " BURGUM de Grentbrige pro uno hundret. fe defend." Grentebrefcire, " Bede- 

 " ford; tempore regis EDWARDI, pro dimidio hundret. fe defendeb. et modo facit in 



" expeditione. 



