CONSULTATIVE BODIES. 4U 



of the whole people is contained in his &quot; in the age when 

 the king (Louis XIV.), &quot; imbued with the idea of his omnipo 

 tence and divine mission,&quot; &quot; was regarded by his subjects with 

 adoration.&quot; he &quot;had extinguished and absorbed even the 

 minutest trace, idea, and recollection of all other authority 

 except that which emanated from himself alone.&quot; Along 

 with establishment of hereditary succession and acquirement 

 of semi-divine character, such power of the other estates ^,s 

 existed in early days had disappeared. 



Conversely, there are cases showing that where the king 

 has never had, or does not preserve, the prestige of supposed 

 descent from a god, and where he continues to be elective, 

 the power of the consultative body is apt to over-ride the 

 royal power, and eventually to suppress it. The first to be 

 named is that of Eome. Originally &quot; the king convoked the 

 senate when he pleased, and laid before it his questions ; no 

 senator might declare his opinion unasked ; still less might the 

 senate meet without being summoned.&quot; But here, where the 

 king, though regarded as having divine approval was not held 

 to be of divine descent, and where, though usually nominated 

 by a predecessor he was sometimes practically elected by the 

 senate, and always submitted to the form of popular assent, 

 the consultative body presently became supreme. &quot; The 

 senate had in course of time been converted from a corporation 

 intended merely to advise the magistrates, into a board com 

 manding the magistrates and self-governing.&quot; Afterwards 

 &quot; the right of nominating and cancelling senators originally 

 belonging to the magistrates was withdrawn from them ;&quot; 

 and finally, &quot; the irremovable character and life-tenure of the 

 members of the ruling order who obtained seat and vote, was 

 definitely consolidated:&quot; the oligarchic constitution became 

 pronounced. The history of Poland yields another example. 

 After unions of simply-governed tribes had produced small 

 states, and generated a nobility ; and after these small states 

 had been united ; there arose a kingship. At first elective, as 

 kingships habitually are, this continued so never became 



