COMMONS, or HOUSE OF COMMONS, a denomi-
nation given to the lower house of parliament. See
PARLIAMENT.
The commons consist of all such men of any prop-
erty in the kingdom as have not seats in the house
of lords, every one of whom has a voice in par-
liament, either personally or by his representatives.
In a free state, every man who is supposed a free
agent, ought to be in some measure his own gover-
nor: and therefore a branch at least of the legisla-
tive power should reside in the whole body of the
people. And this power, when the territories of the
state are small and its citizens easily known, should be
exercised by the people in their aggregate or collec-
tive capacity, as was wisely ordained in the petty re-
publics of Greece, and the first rudiments of the Ro-
man state. But this will be highly inconvenient when
the public territory is extended to any considerable
degree, and the number of citizens is increased. Thus
when, after the Social war, all the burghers of Italy
were admitted free citizens of Rome, and each had a
vote in the public assemblies, it became impossible to
distinguish the spurious from the real voter, and from
that time all elections and popular deliberations grew
tumultuous and disorderly; which paved the way for
Marius and Sylla, Pompey and Cæsar, to trample on
the liberties of their country, and at last to dissolve
the commonwealth. In so large a state as ours, there-
fore, it is very wisely contrived, that the people should
do that by their representatives which it is imprac-
ticable to perform in person: representatives chosen
by a number of minute and separate districts, where-
in all the voters are or may be easily distinguished.
The counties are therefore represented by knights,
elected by the proprietors of lands; and cities and bor-
oughs are represented by citizens and burgesses cho-
sen by the mercantile or supposed trading interest of
the nation; much in the same manner as the burghers
in the diet of Sweden are chosen by the corporate
towns, Stockholm sending four, as London does with
us, other cities two, and some only one. The num-
ber of English representatives is 513, of Scots 45, of
Irish 100; in all 658, and every member, though
chosen by one particular district, when elected and re-
turned, serves for the whole realm; for the end of his
coming thither is not particular, but general; not
barely to advantage his constituents, but the common-
wealth; to advise his majesty, as appears from the writ
of summons, "de communi consilio super negotiis qui-
busdam arduis et urgentibus, regem, statum, et defen-
sionem regni Anglie et ecclesie Anglicane concernentibus." And therefore he is not bound, like a de-
puty in the United Provinces, to consult with, or
take the advice of, his constituents upon any particu-
lar point, unless he himself thinks it proper or prudent
so to do.
The peculiar laws and customs of the house of com-
mons relate principally to the raising of taxes, and the
elections of members to serve in parliament. See
TAXES and ELECTIONS.