Inaugural Address, Xv 
and he wasobliged to abandon his intention.(1)  ITis suc- 
cessors had recourse to expedicnts less alarming.—Among 
the first, certain cases in which the King was interested, or 
presumed to be interested, were declared to be “ Pleas for 
the Crown,” or ‘* Cas Royaux’’ which, according to feu- 
dal principles, (he being the Lord paramount) could not be 
dicided by the officer of his vassal, and were therefore cog- 
nizable in the Royal courts exclusively. To this distinc- 
tion, the seignevrs of inferior note submitted, but it was 
scorned by the more powerful, who, relying upon their 
Strength, continued to exercise Jurisdiction over all cases. 
The attempt, however, even with respect to the latter, was 
productive of benefit; it turned the attention of the vas- 
sals to courts distinct from those of their oppressors, aud 
taught them to view the sovereign as a protector, and this 
facilitated the subsequent introduction of Appeals, by which 
the decisions of the seigneurial courts were brought under 
the review ofthe Royal Judges.(2) Of these the Appeal 
** de défaut de droit,” on account of the delay or refusal of 
Justice, was the first. ‘The feudal law had provided that if 
a Seigneur had not as many vassals as enabled him to try, 
by their peers, the parties who pleaded in his Court, or if 
he delayed, or refused to proceed to trial, the cause might 
be carried by appeal to the Court of the superior Lord of 
whom the Seigneur held, and be there tried (3) The 
right of Jurisdiction had been usurped by many inconsidera- 
ble Seigneurs who were often unable to hold Courts, for 
want of Officers and Vassals, and while trials by battle 
continued in use, there were times, and cases, even in the 
Courts of the greater Seigneurs, in which it was diflicult to 
assemble the Peers, by reason of the dangerto which they 
were exposed, by their being liable to appeals, by either 
party, 
(1) Hénault’s Abrégé Chronologique, tome 2d p. 730. 
(2) Robertson's Charles V. vol. Ist. p. 60, 61. 
(3) Beavmanoir, cap, 62, p. 322, Uvsprit des Loix, Lib. 28, cap, 28. 
