Ancient Exercise of Jurisdiction by the Lords in Parliament.
House of Lords the Court of Parliament, 1.—Concurrence of the Sovereign in its Judgments, 2.-How to be understood, ibid.-Supposed participation of the Commons, 3.-Negatived, ibid.-Dispensation of Justice a prominent object of ancient Parliaments, 4.-Magdulphus v. King of Scotland, 5.-Gradual relinquishment of original Jurisdiction, ibid. -Receivers and Triers of domestic and foreign Petitions, ibid.—Who were the Receivers, 6.- Who the Triers, ibid.-Duties, 8.-Project of reviving their Authority, 10.-Of the Parliamentary Court established by 14 Edward III., c. 5, 13.—Might sit during Recess, 14.— Of Committees of Judicature, 15.
IN N its judicial character, the House of Lords must be regarded as constituting, exclusively, that supereminent tribunal which we distinguish by the title of the High Court of Parliament (^);—a court identified, by representative succession, with the great councils of the realm assembled in distant ages to advise the sovereign, to enact laws, and to dispense justice.
Viewed in this light, the jurisdiction of the House of
() The word Parliament, now applied to both houses, formerly denoted the House of Lords alone. Hence the office of the House of Lords is still called the "Parliament Office;" and
its chief clerk is styled, in his commission from the Crown, the " Clerk of the Parliaments." In short, the House of Lords was originally the entire Parliament; and, in a judicial sense, is so still.