the king's army, and by his repeated treacheries at laſt transferred the crown to Canute the Dane.
It ſeems univerſally agreed by all hiſtorians, that king Alfred firſt ſettled a national militia in this kingdom, and by his prudent diſcipline made all the ſubjects of his dominion ſoldiers: but we are unfortunately left in the dark as to the particulars of this his ſo celebrated regulation; though, from what was laſt obſerved, the dukes ſeem to have been left in poſſeſſion of too large and independent a power: which enabled duke Harold on the death of Edward the confeſſor, though a ſtranger to the royal blood, to mount for a ſhort ſpace the throne of this kingdom, in prejudice of Edgar Atheling the rightful heir.
Upon the Norman conqueſt the feodal law was introduced here in all it's rigor, the whole of which is built upon a military plan. I ſhall not now enter into the particulars of that conſtitution, which belongs more properly to the next part of our commentaries: but ſhall only obſerve, that, in conſequence thereof, all the lands in the kingdom were divided into what were called knight's fees, in number above ſixty thouſand; and for every knight's fee a knight or ſoldier, miles, was bound to attend the king in his wars, for forty days in a year; in which ſpace of time, before war was reduced to a ſcience, the campaign was generally finiſhed, and a kingdom either conquered or victorious[1]. By this means the king had, without any expenſe, an army of ſixty thouſand men always ready at his command. And accordingly we find one, among the laws of William the conqueror[2], which in the king's name commands and firmly enjoins the perſonal attendance of all knights and others; "quod habeant et teneant ſe ſemper in armis et equis, ut decet et oportet; et quod ſemper ſint prompti et parati ad ſervitium ſuum integrum nobis explendum et peragendum, cum opus adfuerit, ſecundum quod debent de feodis et tenementis ſuis
