Preface	v
struction are largely his own* There has been no at-
tempt to make an ideal allotment of space to the several
divisions of the subject. Here the author has been influ-
enced by what he has regarded as desiderata in other
texts and by the present state of knowledge. He has
felt, for instance, that the judiciary has been slighted,
while Maitland's work has made possible a treatment of
it which cannot be accorded some other topics which
have traditionally received more attention. More-
over, classes in English constitutional history ought to
contain a good number of prospective lawyers. It seems
hardly necessary to seek to justify the copious quotations
from Maitland. If nothing further were accomplished
than properly to introduce the student to this scholar's
writings, the author would feel quite content. In general,
there has been more of quotation than is customary;
but it is believed that when an important or difficult point
has been stated superlatively well, it is justifiable to use
such statement in a work of this sort, especially if it
originally appeared where it would not be likely to be
widely ready by undergraduates.
The present volume has not undertaken the com-
plete analysis or exposition of documents or provided any
substitute for the first-hand study of documents in class.
In the case of any given document, only its most salient
feature, as bearing upon the matter under consideration,
has been pointed out. The bibliography, it is hoped,
contains most of the material likely to be of real service
to undergraduates. The author here takes pleasure in
acknowledging a debt, in the matter of bibliograph-
ical data, to Professor Gross's Sources and Literature of
English History. The indebtedness to the works of Mait-
land, Stubbs, and Medley is apparent throughout, while,
in particular parts, the obligation to other well-known
authorities has been equally great. The author wishes
to make an especial acknowledgment of what he owes
Professor George B. Adams. It was Professor Adams
who introduced him to the study of the English con-