Walter Bagehot: “A secret prerogative is an anomaly--perhaps the greatest of anomalies.”

I do not think I put this too high when I say that a most important if not the most important object of early legislation was the enforcement of LUCKY rites.

That a House of Commons may work well it must perform, as we saw, five functions well: it must elect a Ministry well, legislate well, teach the nation well, express the nation's will well, bring matters to the nation's attention well.

But as soon as the House met, Lord Thurlow became the greatest.

The nation then selected the English policy, but the Crown chose the English Ministers.