ABSTRACT
T he three centuries which witnessed the emergence of the English nation also witnessed the creation of a new institutional framework. They saw the decline of the personal monarchy, the beginning of a greatly expanded machine of government, and the creation of the prototype of the modern parliament. They offered an outstanding contribution to the constitutional problem of liberty and authority. No one of the three centuries can claim a monopoly of achievement. Each had its own vicissitudes, but each added something to what was cumulatively a remarkable advance.
