446 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



various matters guided by him almost controlled by him. 

 With chief officers of State it has often -been the same ; and 

 especially where hereditary succession is well established, 

 A ruler who, young, or idle, or pleasure-seeking, performs his 

 duties by proxy, or who, through personal liking or entire 

 tiust, is led to transfer his authority, presently becomes so 

 ill informed concerning affairs, or so unused to modes of pro 

 cedure, as to be almost powerless in the hands of his agent. 



Where hereditary succession pervades the society and fixes 

 its organization, there is sometimes shown a tendency to 

 inheritance, not of the rulership only, but also of these 

 offices which grow into deputy-rulerships. Under the Nor 

 man dukes before the Conquest, the places of seneschal, 

 cup-bearer, constable, and chamberlain, were &quot; hereditary 

 grand serjeanties.&quot; In England in Henry II/s time, succes 

 sion to the posts of high-steward, constable, chamberlain, and 

 butler, followed from father to son in the houses of Leicester, 

 Miles, Vere, and Albini. So was it with the Scotch in King 

 David s reign : &quot; the offices of great steward and high constable 

 had become hereditary in the families of Stewart and De 

 Morevil.&quot; And then in Japan the principle of inheritance of 

 ministerial position had so established itself as to insure 

 ministerial supremacy. In these cases there come 



into play influences and methods like those which conduce to 

 hereditary kingship. When, as during the later feudal period 

 in France, we see efforts made to fix in certain lines of 

 descent, the chief offices of State (efforts which, in that case, 

 sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed), we are shown 

 that ministers use the facilities which their places give them, 

 to establish succession to these places in their own families, 

 in the same way that early kings do. Just as, during the 

 stage of elective kingship, the king is apt to use the advan 

 tages derived from his position to secure the throne for his 

 son, by getting him chosen during his own life, and thus to 

 initiate hereditary succession ; so the minister who has been 

 allowed to acquire great power, is prompted to employ it for 



