REVENUE. 
own expense ; and in the ancient mo- 
narchies of Europe, the' people, when they 
served in the field, were, by the condition 
of their feudal tenures, to be maintained, 
either at their own expense, or at that of 
their immediate lords, without bringing 
any new charge upon the sovereign. The 
other necessary expenses of government 
were very moderate. The administration 
of justice, instead of being a cause of ex- 
pense, was a source of revenue. The la- 
bour of the country people, for three days 
before and after harvest, was thought a suf- 
ficient provision for maintaining all tlie 
bridges, highways, and otlicr public works, 
which the commerce of the country was 
supposed to require. In those days, the 
principal expense of the sovereign seems to 
have consisted in the maintenance of his 
own family and houseliold. The cfiiccrs of 
his household, accordingly, were then the 
gieat , officers of state. The Lord Trea- 
surer received his rents ; the Lord Steward 
and Lord Chamberlain looked after the ex- 
pense of his family ; the care of his stables 
was committed to tlie Lord Constable and 
the Lord Marshal; his houses were all 
built in the form of castles, and the keep- 
ers of those houses or castles might be con- 
sidered as a sort of military governors, who 
seem to have been the only military officers 
it was necessary to maintain in time of 
peace. In these circumstances, the rent 
of a considerable landed estate might, upon 
ordinary occasions, very well defray all the 
usual expenses of government, and when- 
ever extraordinary circumstances caused a 
greater expense, the sum necessary to 
make it good was drawn from the people 
by some arbitrary and often very unequal 
imposition. 
The ordinary revenue of the early kings 
of England, consisted of the following 
branches : 
1. Rents and profits of the crown-lands. 
This must have been considerable, as it ap- 
pears from Domesday-book, that there 
were appropriated to the use of the crown 
1422 manors, besides other lands and quit- 
rents. This ancient branch of the King’s 
revenue has, however, of late years be- 
come of very small amount, as the lands 
originally reserved by the crown, or which 
came to it afterwards by forfeiture, have 
been almost entirely granted away. 
2. Profits from military tenures. As a 
great part of the lands in England were 
subject to knight-service, the profits in- 
cident to this tenure were very great, be- 
sides the extraordinary contributions to 
vvhich they were liable, for making the 
King’s eldest son a knight, and for marry- 
ing his eldest daughter. 
3. The custody of the lay-revenues, lands, 
and tenements of bishoprics, during their 
vacancy; and, before the dissolution of ab- 
beys, the custody of the temporalities of 
.such as were of royal foundation. Many 
of the kings were induced to keep the sees 
a long time vacant in order to enjoy their 
temporalities. 
4. First-fruits and tenths of all spiritual 
preferments. The former was the whole 
of the first year’s produce of the prefer- 
ment, according to a valuation made in 
38 Henry III. and afterwards increas- 
ed in 20 Edward II. The tenths were 
the tenth part of the whole animal profit of 
each living, by the same valuation. These 
revenues were paid to the Pope, till an- 
nexed to the crown by 26 Henry VIII. 
c. 3, when a new valuation was made, by 
which the clergy are at present rated, 
and which forms what is commonly called 
the King’s Books. 'These revenues are 
now vested in trustees for ever, as a Amd 
for the augmentation of poor livings, and 
form what is usually called Queen Ann’s 
Bounty. 
5. Purveyance and pre-emption, or a 
right of buying up provisions and other ne- 
cessaries, for the use of the royal household, 
at an appraised valuation, in preference to 
all other persons, and even without the 
consent of the owner ; also of forcibly im- 
pressing carriages and horses for the King’s 
use, at a settled price. Tlie purveyors 
greatly abused their authority, and were of 
little advantage to the crown ; Cliai-les IL 
therefore, at his restoration, agreed to re- 
sign this prerogative, with the military te- 
nures ; and the Parliament, in lieu thereof, 
settled on him and his successors for ever, 
a tax on beer and ale, afterwards commonly 
called the hereditary excise. 
6. Fines and forfeitures of various de- 
scriptions ; also fees to the crown, in a va- 
riety of legal matters. 
7. The right to all shipwrecks ; to trea- 
sure-trove ; to royal fish, that is, whales and 
sturgeons, when thrown ashore, or caught 
near the coast ; to all mines of silver or 
gold ; to waifs, or goods stolen and thrown 
away by the thief in his flight ; and estrays, 
or animals found wandering, and the owner 
unknown ; and to deodands, and forfeitures 
of lands and goods for offences. Tlie.se 
rights producing little profit, have since 
