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Perhaps this portrait is highly coloured ; but both the 

 Conqueror and his fon William Rufus appear to have 

 fuffered their paflion for the chace to carry them to inor- 

 dinate oppreflion of their fubjects. The latter, when he 

 applied to the Englifh for their affiftance upon the general 

 revolt of the Normans, promifed to redrefs thefe grievances ; 

 but he never performed his promife. The memory of his 

 tyranny was long preferved with deteftation and abhor- 

 rence ; and the fuperftition of the times confidered his death 

 in the midft of the chace as a judgment of heaven upon his 

 iniquities. 



Henry the firft commenced his reign by a charter which 

 promifed relief from all the oppreffions of his brother and 

 father; but the laws attributed to him profefs to retain 

 the forefts as his father had retained them, by confent of 

 his barons. From the charter of his fucceffbr, however, 

 it appears that the officers of Henry had aimed at extend- 

 ing the forefts in a manner which excited great difcontent. 

 The pleas of the foreft are particularly enumerated in his 

 conftitutions, and extended only to the ordinary fubjecls of 

 foreft jurifdi&ion at this day. Whatever oppreffions, 

 therefore, prevailed, were either illegal aflumptions of 

 power, or abufes arifing from mifconducl: of the foreft 

 officers; except as the foreft- law may at this day, fo far 

 as it is exercifed, be deemed an oppreffion, unlefs the 

 original exclufive rights of the crown in the foil of the 

 forefts are attentively confidered, and every trefpafs on 

 thofe rights is deemed an injury to the property in the 

 foil, which fevere laws alone could protect. It {hould 

 be alfo remembered, that the property of the crown of 

 every fort (as a fpecies of public property) is frequently 

 confidered, even by perfons of no mean rank, as under 

 circumftances fo different from thofe which belong to the 

 private property of individuals, that men think they have 



not 



