S6o COM 
where one part is joined to another.-—This animal is 
covered with a drong fiiell, jointed like armour by four 
tranfverfe commijfures in the middle of the body, connected 
by tough membranes. Ray. 
To COMMIT', ii, a, [committo, Lat.] To intruft; to 
give in trull; to put into the hands of another: 
It is not for your health, thus to commit 
Your weak condition to the raw cold morning. Shake/. 
To put in any place to be kept fafe.—They who are de- 
fcrous to commit to memory, might have eafe. 2 Mac. ii. 25. 
Is my mufe controul'd 
By fervile awe ? Born free, and not be bold ! 
At lead: I’ll dig a hole within the ground, 
And to the trufty earth commit the found. Drydcn. 
To fend to prifon; to imprifon.—They two were com¬ 
mitted , at lead redrained of their liberty. Clarendon. 
So, though my ankle die has quitted. 
My heart continues dill committed;. 
And, like a bail’d and main-priz’d lover, 
Although at large, I am bound over. Hudibras. 
To perpetrate ; to do a fault; to be guilty of a crime.— 
Letters out of Ulder gave him notice of the inhuman 
murders committed there upon a multitude of the protef- 
tants. Clarendon. —To put together for a conted; a La- 
tinifm.—How becomingly does Philopolis exercife his 
office, and feafonably cotnmit the opponent with the re- 
fpondent, like a long praftifed moderator. More. —To 
place in a date of hodility or incongruity : a Latinifm : 
.Harry, whofe tuneful and well-meafur’d long 
Fird taught our Englifli mufic how to fpan 
Words with jud note and accent, not to fcan 
With Midas’ ears, committing diort and long. Milton. 
COMMIT'MENT,/ [from commit .] in law, the fend¬ 
ing of a perfon to prifon, by warrant or order, who hath 
been charged with the commilfion of any crime. Anciently 
more felons were committed to jail without a mittimus in 
writing, than were with it; fitch were commitments by 
watchmen, condables, &c. But, fince the habeas corpus 
aft, a commitment in writing teems more neceflary than 
formerly ; otherwife a prifoner may be admitted to bail 
under that aft, whatfoever his offence may have been. 
There is no doubt but that perfons apprehended for of¬ 
fences which are not bailable, and alfo all perfons who 
uegleft to offer bail for offences which are bailable, mud 
be committed. It is faid, that wherefoever a judice of 
peace is impowered by any Statute to bind a perfon over, 
or to caufe him.to do a certain thing, and fuel) perfon 
being in his prefence fliall refufe to be bound, or to do 
fuch thing, the judice may commit him to the jail to re¬ 
main there till he (hall comply. It feems agreed by all 
the old books, that wherefoever a condable or private 
perfon may judify the arreding another for a felony cr 
treafon, he may alfo judify the fending or bringing him 
to the common jail ; and that every private perfon hath 
as much authority in cafes of this kind, as the fherifr', or 
any other officer ; and may judify fuch imprifonment by 
his own authority, but not by the command of another. 
3 Hawk. P. C. c. 16. 
But, inafmuch as it is certain, that a perfon lawfully 
making fuch an arreft, may judify bringing the party to 
the condable, in order to be carried by him before a juf- 
tice of peace; and, inafmuch as the datutes of 1 Sc 2 P. 
& M.. c. 13. and 2 & 3 P. & M. c. 10. which direct in 
what manner perfons brought before a judice of the peace 
for felony fhall be examined by him, in order to their 
being committed or bailed, feem clearly to fuppofe, that 
all fuch perfons are to be brought before fuch judice for 
fuch purpofe; and, inafmuch as the’datute of 31 Car. II. 
c. 2. commonly called the habeas corpus add, feems to 
fuppofe that all perfons, who are committed to prifon, 
are there detained by virtue of fome warrant in writing, 
which feems to be intended of a commitment by fbme 
COM 
magidrafe, and the condant tenor of the late books, prac¬ 
tice,- and opinions, are agreeable hereto ; it is certainly 
mod advifeable at this day, for any private perfon who- 
arreds another for felony, to caufe him to be brought, 
as foon as conveniently he may, before fome judice of 
peace, that he may be committed or bailed by him, 
2 Hawk. P. C. c. 16. 
It is certain that the privy council, or any one or two 
of them, or fecretary of date, may lawfully commit per¬ 
fons for treafon, and for other od’ences againd the date, 
as in all ages they have done. 2 Hawk. P. C. 117. As to 
commitments by the privy council, two cafes in Leonard, 
(1 Leon. 71. 2 Leon. 175.) pre-fuppofe fome power for this 
purpofe, without faying what; and the cafe in 1 Anderf. 
297. plainly recognifes fuch a power in high treafon. Bi t 
as to the jurildiftion of privy counfellors in other of¬ 
fences, it does not appear to have been either claimed or 
exercifed. As to commitments by the fecretary of date : 
in the cafe of Entick nj. Carrington, C. B. Mich. 6 G. III. 
upon a fpecial verdict refpefting tire validity of a fecre¬ 
tary of date's warrant to feize perfons and papers in the 
cafe of libels, a very critical enquiry was made into the 
fource of this power in that officer, in cafes of libels and 
other date crimes. 2 Wilf. 275. It appears that the king 
being the principal confervator of the realm, the fecre¬ 
tary of date has fo much of the royal authority transfer¬ 
red to him, as judifies commitment for thefe crimes, but 
not the feizure of papers. 
The following indances of commitments by the privy 
council and fecretary of date, will further explain the 
nature of this power. 1. Howell was committed in the 
28 Eliz. and Hollyard in the 30 Eliz. by fecretary Wal- 
lingham, privy counfellor; and it was determined that, 
where the commitment is not by the whole council, the 
caufe mud be expreded in the warrant: fee 31 Car. II. 
c. 2. Lord Raym. 65. 2. In 34. Eliz. the judges remon- 
drated againd the exercife of this power; and declared 
that all prifoners may be difeharged, unlefs committed 
by the queen’s command, or by her whole council, or by 
one or two of them, for high treafon. 1 And. 297. 3. Mel¬ 
vin was committed, in 4C. I. by fecretary Conway, on fuf- 
picion of high treafon ; but the court thought the cuulb 
of the lufpicion ffiould have been expreded. Palm. 558. 
4. Crofton was committed by the council, in 14 C. II. for 
high treafon generally. Faugh. 142. 5. Fitzpatrick by the 
privy council, in 7 W. III. for high treafon, in aiding an 
efcape ; and bailed for negleft of profecution. 1 Salk. 103. 
6. Yaxley was committed, 5 W. Sc M. by the fecretary 
of date, lord Nottingham, for refufing to declare if he was 
a Jefuit. Carth. 291. 7. Kendal and Roe were committed, 
7 W. III. by fecretary Trumbal, for high treafon, in af? 
Tiding the efcape of Montgomery; and by Holt chief 
judice held good, but the prifoners were bailed. Skin. 
596. Holt 144. Lord Raym. 61. 8. Derby was committed, 
10 Anne, for publiihing a libel, called the Obfervator; 
and the court held the warrant good and legal. Fortefc.. 
140. 9. Sir W. Wyndham was committed, 4 Geo. I. by 
fecretary Stanhope, for high treafon ; and by Parker chief 
judice held good. Sir a. 3. 3 Fin. 516. 10. Lord Scarf- 
dale, Duplin, and Harvey, were committed, 2 Geo. I. by 
lord Townfliend, fecretary of date, for treafonable prac¬ 
tices, and admitted to bail. 3 Fin. 534. 11. Earbury was 
arreded and committed by warrant from the fecretary of 
date, for being the author of a leditious libel, and his pa¬ 
pers feized, and he continued on his recognizance. 7 Gea. 
II. 8 Mod. 177. 12. Henley was committed, 31 Geo. II, 
by the earl of Holderneis, fecretary of date, for high trea- 
fon, in adhering to the king’s enemies. 1 Burr. 642. 13. 
Shebbeare was committed, 31 Geo. II. on two warrants 
from the fecretary of date, for a libel. 1 Burr. 460. 14. 
Wilkes was committed, 3 Geo. III. by warrant from the 
earl of Hallifax, fecretary of date, for a libel; but dif¬ 
eharged by his privilege of parliament. 2 Wilf. 150. 15, 
Sayer was apprehended, 18 Geo. III. by warrant from the 
earl of Rochford, fecretary of date, for high treafon, and 
bailed 
