THE Angevin monarchs, therefore, though in theory lords
under feudal convention, already had an intricate and infinitely
responsive ministry to work through, and, though not absolute,
were prepared on any given occasion to act as though they
were.

It is a paradox which we must come to terms with, and we
do so not without effort. We are almost as ill-qualified as can
be to appreciate the effectiveness of Angevin kingship. All our
habits of thought are against it, for we are schooled to thinking
that there should be principle behind every action, an office, or
at least an official, for every function, and that nothing can be
done properly unless it begins in the right department, bears the
department's approval, and proceeds through 'channels' to its
effect. Of all this there is in early Angevin government the
beginning but no more than the beginning. There, to all
appearances, are no inescapable 'proper channels'--though
there are habitual and convenient ones. The King's will is, in the
last recourse, free, uninhibited, incontrovertible. The regime is
already a system, but a system of routine only. In any year we
can predict what any given servant will do and where he will
do it, and how. But we can never dogmatize, never denounce
a writ as invalid because it is not attested by what we may know
to be the accustomed authority or bears the wrong seal. The
system is always stirring, changing subtly from month to month,
perceptibly from year to year, sometimes suffering great changes
suddenly. And, though there are specialists in abundance, the
level of literacy and accountancy is high enough to qualify
almost anyone who has worked in the Court to take his turn
at need.

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