Let us therefore observe,
1. That France was an unlimited monarchy.
2. That both the legislative and executive powers resided in the king.
3. That his decrees had the same force as our acts of parliament.
4. That the kingdom was divided into fifteen parts, each of which had a parliament; as that of Paris, Toulouse, Rouen, Grenoble, Bordeaux, Dijon, Aix, Rennes, Pau, Besancon, Metz, Dowa, Perpignan, Arras, and Alsace.
5. That these parliaments consisted of a certain number of presidents and inferior judges, who purchased their offices of the crown, or of those that possessed them, as they were for life, unless the officers were found guilty of malconduct in the execution of their office.
6. That the parliament of Paris was esteemed the highest, because it was composed of princes of royal blood, dukes and peers, besides ordinary judges. Here the king frequently came in person, and had his royal edicts recorded and promulgated.
7. That the kingdom was also divided into twenty-five generalities, every one of which had an intendant, on whom the king depended for the administration of justice, in civil and criminal causes; for ruling and governing the subordinate officers, and ordering and conducting his finances and revenues.
8. That the king nominated the bishops and their livings, and then the pope sent his bulls of consecration.
9. That the crown seized all the temporalities of archbishopricks, and bishopricks, which was called the regal, and the king frequently gave pensions to laymen out of the bishopricks.