ABSTRACT
Sovereignty consists in absolute power, that is to say in full and complete authority in every respect, what canon lawyers call the plenitude of power, and is consequently without superior, since he who has a superior cannot be supreme and sovereign. There can be no limitation in time since that would imply neither absolute power nor even lordship but only power held in custody or on trust. Since only God is all-powerful, the authority of men can never be entirely absolute: there are several kinds of law which limit the sovereign’s power without affecting his sovereignty. The Kings our predecessors, to prevent these accidents, which cause often the destruction of the most powerful monarchies, have from time to time convoked assemblies to discover and recognize the imperfections and disorders which have been formed in their states, and to advise the best means to remove them.
