CHAPTER V.— PRIMOGENITURE
GREEKS, Romans, Britons, Saxons, divided lands equally, some among all the children, some among males only. But when the Emperors of Germany began to create honorary feuds, or titles of nobility, estates were made "impartible," that is, descending to the eldest son. This was done to increase the dignity of the "Counts of the Empire." The splitting up of estates was also inconvenient for military service, and younger sons were induced to take up with a country life, instead of engaging in military or civil employments.
In Saxon times, even the Crown was only hereditary in the family. Within that limit, the Crown was elective, and this was recognised at every coronation; and to this day, the acknowledgment of the King by the people is a part of the ceremony. The Crown of England is, theoretically, partly elective. In old times, this was more than a theory. In the days when kings were leaders, and on the personal character and ability of the King the safety of the country
… The old money rents of colleges must … have sunk almost to a fourth part of the corn which they were formerly worth. But since the reign of Philip and Mary, the denomination of the English coin has undergone little or no alteration, and the same number of pounds, shillings and pence, have contained very nearly the same quantity of pure silver. … But though the real value of a corn rent varies much less from century to century than that of a money rent, it varies much more from year to year. … From century to century, corn is a better measure than silver, because, from century to century, equal quantities of corn will command the same quantity of labour more nearly than equal quantities of silver."—Adam Smith, "[[Wealth of Nations]],"" Bk. 1. chap. v.
"Next to tenancy at will, we rank money rents as the great bar to improvement in English agriculture. To the conversion of money unto corn rents the Scotch farmers attributed their superior condition, and ability to continue improvements on their farms even during the trying times 1833-35. They say the tenants were 'saved' by this.
"A corn rent is the payment of a certain fixed quantity of farm produce to the landlord in lieu of a fixed sum of money. The tenant pays only so much money as the number of quarters of wheat or barley which constitute his rent have actually sold for in the market."—Greg, "Letters on Scotch Farming in England, 1842."
