Blackstone’sworkisacompilation，anditwouldbeoutofthequestiontoreduceitsstatementstoanythinglikeconsistency。Therationalisticmodeofthoughtwhichhasleftsuchapeculiarstampontheeighteenthcentury，appearsinallitsgloryinthelayingoutofthewisemilitarypolityoffeudalism。ButscarcelyhasourauthorhadtimetoshowtherapidprogressofthisplanallroundEurope，whenhestartsonanentirelynewtacksuggestedbyhiswishtointroduceahistoricaljustificationofConstitutionalMonarchy。FeudalpolityisoflateintroductioninEngland，andappearsasacompactbetweensovereignandsubjects；originalfreedomwasnotdestroyedbythiscompact，andlaterinfringementsofcontractualrightsbykingsultimatelyledtoarestorationanddevelopmentofancientliberties。InthepartsofthetreatisewhichconcernPrivateLawthekeynoteisgiventhroughoutbythatveryNormanjurisprudenceonwhichsuchseverecondemnationispassedwithregardtoPublicLaw。TheConquestisthusmadetoappearalternatelyasasourceofdanger，struggle，andhardshipfromonepointofview，andastheoriginofsteadyimprovementinsocialconditionfromanother。InanycasethearistocraticcastofEnglishlifeisdeducedfromitsmostancientorigins，andalltherightsofthelowerordersaretakenastheresultsofgood-humouredconcessiononthepartofthelordsofthesoilandofquietencroachmentagainstthem。
StatementsandargumentsinBlackstone’sstylecouldholdwateronlybeforethatgreatcrisisinhistoryandhistoricalliteraturebywhichthenineteenthcenturywasusheredintotheworld。TheFrenchRevolution，andthereactionagainstit，laidopenandputtothetesttheworkingofallthechiefforcesengagedinhistoricallife。Governmentandsocialorder，nationalityandreligion，economicconditionsandmodesofthought，werethrownintothefurnacetobeconsumedorremoulded。Ideasandinstitutionswhichhadtoweredovercenturieswentdowntogether，andtheirfallnotonlybroughthomethetransitorycharacterofhumanarrangements，butalsolaidbarethegroundworkofsociety，whichhoweverheldgoodinspiteoftheconvulsionsonitssurface。Thegenerationthatwitnessedthesestormswastaughttoframeitspoliticsandtounderstandhistoryinanewfashion。ThedisorderlyscepticismoftheeighteenthcenturywastransformedbyNiebuhrintoascientificmethodthatpavedthewaybycriticismtopositiveresults。Ontheotherhand，theUtopiandoctrinesofpoliticalrationalismwereshatteredbySavigny’steachingonthefundamentalimportanceoftraditionandtheunconsciousorganicgrowthofnations。InhispolemicwithThibaut，thefounderofthehistoricalschooloflawentersamightyprotestagainstwantonreformonthegroundofacontinuityofinstitutionsnotlessrealthanthecontinuityoflanguage，andhis：HistoryofRomanLawduringtheMiddleAges，demonstratedthatevensuchaconvulsionastheBarbarianInvasionwasnotsufficienttosweepawaythefoundationsoflawandsocialorderslowlyformedinthepast。Eichhorn’s’HistoryofGermanPublicandPrivateLaw’gavedetailedexpressiontoanideawhichoccursalsoinsomeofSavigny’sminorworks——totheidea，namely，thattheGermannationshavehadtorunthroughtheirhistorywithanengrainedtendencyintheircharactertowardspoliticaldismembermentandsocialinequality。Thisrathercrudeattemptatgeneralisingoutsomeparticularmodernfeaturesandsanctioningthembythepastisofhistoricalinterest，becauseitcorrespondstothegeneralproblempropoundedtohistorybytheRomanticschool：viz。todiscoverinthevariousmanifestationsofthelifeofanationitspermanentcharacterandtheleadingideasitiscalledtoembodyinhistory。
ThecomparativesoundnessoftheEnglishsystemhadarrayeditfromtheverybeginningonthesideofConservatismagainstRevolution，andBurkewasthefirsttosoundtheblastofacrusadeagainstsubversivetheories。NowonderthehistoricaldiscoveriesontheContinentfoundaresponsiveechoinEnglishscholarship。AllentookupthedemonstrationthattheRoyalpowerinEnglandhaddevelopedfromtheconceptionsoftheRomanEmpire。PalgravegaveanentirelynewconstructionofAnglo-Saxonhistory，whichcouldnotbutexerciseapowerfulinfluenceonthestudyofsubsequentperiods。Hisbookiscertainlythefirstattempttotreattheproblemsofmedievalsocialhistoryonalargescaleandbynewmethods。Itdeservesspecialattention。
TheauthorsatdowntohisworkbeforetheRevolutionof1830，althoughhistwovolumeswerepublishedin1832。HesharestheconvictionsofverymoderateLiberalism，declaresinfavourofthegradualintroductionofreforms，andagainstanyreformnotframedasacompromisebetweenactualclaims。CustomandtraditiondidnotexcludechangeanddevelopmentinEngland，andforthisreasonthemovementtowardsprogressdidnottearthatpeoplefromtheinheritanceoftheirancestors，didnotdisregardthemightyagencyofhistoricaleducation。InordertostudytherelativeforceoftheelementsofprogressandconservatisminEnglishhistory，Palgravegoesbehindtheexternalplayofinstitutions，andtriestoconnectthemwiththeinternalgrowthoflegalprinciples。Itisagreat，thoughusual，mistaketobeginwithpoliticalevents，toproceedfromthemtothestudyofinstitutions，andonlyquiteattheendtotakeuplaw。Thetruesequenceistheinverseone。AndinEnglandinparticulartheConstitution，withallitsshowyandfamousqualities，wasformedunderthedirectinfluenceofjudicialandlegalinstitutions。InaccordancewiththisleadingviewPalgrave’sworkbeginsbyadisquisitiononclasses，formsofprocedureandjudicialorganisation，followedupbyanestimateoftheeffectsofthedifferentConquests，andultimatelybyanexpositionofthehistoryofgovernment。Weneednotfeelboundbythatorder，andmaystartfromtheconclusionwhichgivesthekeytoPalgrave’swholesystem。
ThelimitedmonarchyofEnglandisaresultoftheactionoftwodistinctelements，equallynecessaryforitscomposition。ItisamanifestationofthemonarchicalpowerdescendedbothinprincipleandinparticularattributesfromtheRomanEmpire。IfthispoliticalideahadnotbeenatworktheKingdomsofthebarbarianswouldhavepresentedonlylooseaggregatesofseparateandself-sufficientpoliticalbodies；ontheotherhand，ifthispoliticalideahadbeensupreme，medievalKingswouldhavebeenabsolute。TheprinciplesofTeutonicandofRomanpolityhadtoworktogether，andtheresultwasthemedievalStatewithanabsoluteKingforitscentre，andagreatindependenceoflocalparts。TheEnglishsystemdifferedfromthecontinentalinthisway，thatinEnglandthefreejudicialinstitutionsofthelocalitiesreactedonthecentralpower，andsurroundeditbyconstitutionallimitations，whiletheContinenthadtocontentitselfwithestatesofaverydoubtfulstandingandfuture。ItiseasytoseeinthisconnexionhowgreatanimportancewemustassigntotheconstitutionoflocalCourts：theshires，hundreds，andtownshipsarenotmereadministrativedivisions，butpoliticalbodies。ThattheKingdomformeditselfontheirbasis，notasanabsolutebutasaparliamentarymonarchy，mustbeexplainedinagreatmeasurebytheinfluenceoftheNormanConquest，whichledtoacloserunionoftheisolatedparts，andtoaconcentrationoflocallibertyinparliament。