The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

166 CASE OF TIHE POST-NATI OF SCOTLAND.
cute martial law, and to appoint all officers of any foreign wares that come into the realm, and
war at his pleasure. so of native wares that go out of the realm.
5. The king hath power to grant his letters of
mart and reprisal for remedy to his subjects upong's prerog e s
foreign wrongs. subjects.
6. The king may give knighthood, and thereby 1. The king may create any corporation or
enable any subject to perform knight's service. body politic, and enable them to purchase, to
grant, to sue, and be sued; and with such restricThe king's prerogative in matter of money. tioas and limitations as he pleases.
1. The king may alter his standard in baseness 2. The king may denizen and enable any foor fineness. reigner for him and his descendants after the
2. The king may alter his stamp in the form charter; though he cannot naturalize, nor enable
of it. him to make pedigree from ancestors paramount.
3. The king may at his pleasure alter the va- 3. The king may enable any attainted person,
luations, and raise and fall moneys. by his charter of pardon, and purge the blood for
4. The king may by proclamation make money time to come, though he cannot restore the blood
of his own current or not. for the time past.
5. The king may take or refuse the subjects' 4. The king may enable any dead persons in
bullion, or coin for more or less money. the law, as men professed in religion, to take and
6. The king by proclamation may make foreign purchase to the king's benefit.
money current, or not. Jt twofoldpower of the law.
The king's prerogative in matters of trade and 1. A direction: in this respect the king is
trqaic. underneath the law; because his acts are guided
thereby.
i. The king may constrain the person of any 2. Correction: In this respect the king is
of his subjects not to go out of the realm. above the law; for it may not correct him for any
2. The king may restrain any of his subjects to offence.
go out of the realm in any special part foreign.
3. The king may forbid the exportation of any. twofoldpower in the hing.
commodities out of the realm. 1. His absolute power, whereby he may levy
4. The king may forbid the importation of any forces against any nation.
commodities into this realm. 2. His limited power, which is declared and
5. The king may set a reasonable impost upon expressed in the laws what he may do.
THE
ARGUMENT OF SIR FRANCIS BACON, KNIGHT,
HIS MAJESTY'S SOLICITOR-GENERAL,
IN THE CASE OF
THE POST-NATI OF SCOTLAND,
IN THE EXCHEQUER CHAMBER,
BEFORE THE LORD CHANCELLOR, AND ALL THE JUDGES OF ENGLAND.
that by time, that extendeth not only to the preMAY IT PLEASE YOUR LORDSHLIPS, sent time, but much more to future generations,
THIS case your lordships do well perceive to be Et nati natorum, et qui nascentur ab illis:
of exceeding great consequence. For whether And, therefore, as that is to receive at the bar a
you do measure that by place, that reacheth not full and free debate, so I doubt not but that shall
only to the realm of England, but to the whole receive from your lordships a sound and just reIsland of Great Britain: or whether you measure solution according to law, and according to truth.