Among the Anglo-Saxons the theory of their constitution seems to have been, that every ten men or heads of families, should choose one from among them, to act for them in the council of their little community, consisting generally of ten such compartments or wards. Ten of these wards formed a tything or parish. And ten of these tithings formed a hundred, the elders of which, thus chosen, were supposed to meet for the management of matters belonging to the ten tithings in general; while each tything took charge of the affairs that especially belonged to itself. The county which was still more extensive corresponded to the tribe in Israel. The word county or compte seems to be derived from the Hebrew word signifying to rise up, to stand--and refers to the rod or ensign of the tribe to which they congregated themselves in the large assemblies of the people. * * * The nation of Israel we have seen, were, at an earlier period of their history, given proper rules for their association, such as were equally adapted for a small society or for a large one. The people were given to have a mutual oversight of each other in tens; each ten had one who represented and acted for them. See 1st chapter of Deuteronomy: "So I [Moses] took the chiefs of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes." The law of primogeniture, so prevalent in different degrees among the nations overrun by the Goths and Vandals, and their kinsmen, strikes us as being a relic of Mosaic law. According to Hebrew law, the first born son received a double portion of his father's estate. The English law greatly resembles this. It would almost appear that this double portion was conferred, among the Hebrews, on the oldest male child, to compensate in some degree for the loss of the Priesthood held by him of right in patriarchal days, but under the Mosaic dispensation vested in the house of Aaron, so far as the lesser Priesthood called after his name is concerned, while the higher or Melchizedec Priesthood appears, after the days of Moses until the coming of Christ, only to have been held by a certain favored few, who because of their righteousness were endowed with this special measure of Divine favor.