REVENUE, public, the portion of the general income of a state, which is ap propriated to the payment of national ex penses. Different nations have adopted different modes of raising a public reve nue, but the rent derived from land, being obviously a fund of a more permanent na ture than most others, has usually been one of the earliest resources, and has sometimes been the principal source of public revenue, particularly in ancient times. From the produce or rent of the public lands, the republics of Greece and Italy derived, for a long time, the greater part of the revenue which defrayed the necessary expenses of the common wealth ; and the rent of the crown-lands constituted the greater part of the reve nue of the ancient sovereigns of Europe. The introduction of a different mode of warfare, and the greater duration of mo dern wars, increased considerably the public expenditure, and rendered it ne cessary to raise a much greater revenue. In the ancient republics of Greece and Italy, every citizen was a soldier, who both prepared himself for service, and served at his own expense ; and in the ancient monarchies of Europe, the peo ple, when they served in the field, were, by the condition of their feudal tenures, to be maintained, either at-their own ex pense, or at that of their immediate lords, without bringing any new charge upon the sovereign. The other necessary ex penses of government were very mode rate. The administration of justice, in stead of being a cause of expense, was a source of revenue. The labour of the country people, for three days before and after harvest, was thought a sufficient provision for maintaining all the bridges, highways, and other public works, which the commerce of the country was sup posed to require. In those days, the principal expense of the sovereign seems to have consisted in the maintenance of his own family and household. The offi cers.of his household, accordingly, were then the great officers of state. The Lord Treasurer received his rents ; the Lord Steward and Lord Chamberlain look ed after the expense of his family ; the care of his stables was committed to the Lord Constable and the Lord Marshal ; his houses were all built in the form of castles, and the keepers of those houses or castles might be considered as a sort of military governors, who seem to have been the only military officers it was ne cessary to maintain in time of peace. In
these circumstances, the rent of a consi derable landed estate might, upon ordi nary occasions, very well defray all the usual expenses of government, and when ever extraordinary circumstances caused a greater expense, the sum necessary to make it good was drawn from the people by some arbitrary and often very unequal imposition.
The ordinary revenue of the early kings of England, consisted of the follow ing branches : 1. Rents and profits of the crown lands. This must have been considerable, as it appears from Domesday-book, that there were appropriated to the use of the crown 1422 manors, besides other lands and quitrents. This ancient branch of the King's revenue has, however, of late years become of very small amount, as the lands originally reserved by the crown, or which came to it afterwards by forfeiture, have been almost entirely granted away.
2. Profits from military tenures. As a great part of the lands in England were subject to knight-service, the profits in cident to this tenure were very great, besides the extraordinary contributions to which they were liable, for making the King's eldest son a knight, and for marry ing his eldest daughter.
3. The custody of the lay-revenues, lands, and tenements of bishoprics, dur ing their vacancy ; and, before the disso lution of abbeys, the custody of the tem poralities of such as were of royal foun dation. Many of the kings were induced to keep the sees a long time vacant, in order to enjoy their temporalities.
4. First-fruits and tenths of all spiritual preferments. The former was the whole of the first year's produce of the prefer ment, according to a valuation made in 38 Henry HI. and afterwards increased in 20 Edward H. The tenths were the tenth part of the whole annual profit of each living, by the same valuation. These revenues were paid to the Pope, till an nexed to the crown by 26 Henry VIII. c. 3. when a new valuation was made, by which the clergy are at present rated, and which forms what is commonly called the King's Books. These revenues are now vested in trustees for ever, as a fund for the augmentation of poor livings, and form what is usually called Queen Anne's Bounty.