THESE substantive or direct prerogatives may again be divided into three kinds: being such as regard, first, the king's royal _character_; secondly, his royal _authority_; and, lastly, his royal _income_. These are necessary, to secure reverence to his person, obedience to his commands, and an affluent supply for the ordinary expenses of government; without all of which it is impossible to maintain the executive power in due independence and vigour. Yet, in every branch of this large and extensive dominion, our free constitution has interposed such seasonable checks and restrictions, as may curb it from trampling on those liberties, which it was meant to secure and establish. The enormous weight of prerogative (if left to itself, as in arbitrary government it is) spreads havoc and destruction among all the inferior movements: but, when balanced and bridled (as with us) by it's proper counterpoise, timely and judiciously applied, it's operations are then equable and regular, it invigorates the whole machine, and enables every part to answer the end of it's construction. IN the present chapter we shall only consider the two first of these divisions, which relate to the king's political _character_ and _authority_; or, in other words, his _dignity_ and regal _power_; to which last the name of prerogative is frequently narrowed and confined. The other division, which forms the royal _revenue_, will require a distinct examination; according to the known distribution of the feodal writers, who distinguish the royal prerogatives into the _majora_ and _minora regalia_, in the latter of which classes the rights of the revenue are ranked. For, to use their own words, "_majora regalia imperii praeeminentiam spectant; minora vero ad commodum pecuniarium immediate attinent; et haec proprie fiscalia sunt, et ad jus fisci pertinent_[k]." [Footnote k: _Peregrin. de jure fisc._ _l._ 1. _c._ i. _num._ 9.]