84 ENCLOSURES OF THE EIGHTEENTH 



curious aristocracy, was ever being added to from bel( 

 by the admission into their ranks of the successful lawyer, 

 the banker, merchant, or other prosperous man of busim 

 and affairs. 1 



This aristocracy not only practically controlled the county 

 elections where the franchise was in the hands of the 40<v. 

 freeholders, and monopolized the seats in Parliament, and 

 the central executive, but also were real masters of local 

 government and justice, forming as J.P.'s and members 

 of Quarter Sessions a great, perhaps the greatest, unpaid 

 set of local officials which the world has ever seen, an 

 aristocracy based on an enfranchised middle class, which 

 paid for its privileges by personal services and claimed a 

 precedence in public duties which the lower classes perhaps 

 did not wish, and certainly were not able, to challenge. 2 



Under these circumstances it was inevitable not only 

 that this Parliament formed of the gentry ' the knights 

 errant' of the Revolution of 1688 would represent the 

 prejudices, the convictions, and the aspirations of the land- 

 owners, but that the views of the legislature would be 

 seconded and enforced by the local authorities. 3 Many of 

 the Tudor and early Stuart writers had despaired of the 

 success of legislation that ran counter to the interests of 

 this powerful class 4 ; and we know that the Protector 



1 Lecky, History, i. 193. Cf. De Foe, The Complete Tradesmai 

 p. 74 ; Tour, i. 17 ; Voltaire, Lettres philosophiques, Letter x. 



2 Gneist, Englische Verfassungsgeschichte, Eng. trans., c. 47, 4S 

 The number of electors was some 200,000. The qualification fo 

 a Knight of the Shire was 600, for a burgess 300. a year in land 

 That of a J.P. 100. Three-fourths of the House of Commons were 

 J.P.'s. 



3 Godwin, Political Tracts, 1731, p. 30. 



* Latimer, i. 93, 'We have good statutes, but in the end nothing 

 cometh forth.' Thoroton, Nottinghamshire, Preface, 1676, 'The Lords 

 and such gentlemen as are usually members of the House of Commons 



