This is called Aid Prayer, or Aid Prayer. But thiscourse of proceeding is now much disused. A City or Corporation, holding a Fee-farm of the King, may pray in aid of him; if anything be demanded of them relating thereto. The Aid Prayer is sometimes also used in the King’s behalf, to prevent any proceeding against him till his Council be called, and heard what they have to say for avoiding the King’s prejudice or loss.
Aid de Camp, an officer in an army, whose business isto attend the general officers, and receive and carry theirorders as occasion requires. When the King is in the field, he usually appointsyoung volunteers of quality to carry his orders, who arecalled the King’s Aids de Camp. Aid Major, or Adjutant, is an officer, whose businessis to ease the Major of part of his duty; and to perform it all in his absence. See Major and Adjutant.
Some Majors have several Aid-Majors. Each Troop ofGuards has but one Major, who has two Aid-Majors under him; or more, according as the business requires. SeeTroop and Guard. Every Regiment of Foot has as many Aid-Majors as itcontains Battalions. When the Battalion is drawn up, theAid-Major’s post is on the left, beyond all the Captains,and behind the Lieutenant-Colonel. See Regiment, Battalion, etc. Aid, Auxilium, in our ancient customs, a subsidy or sumof money due to the Lord, from his tenants, on certainoccasions. See Subsidy, Service, etc.
It differed from a Tax, which is imposed at any timewhen wanted; whereas the aid could only be levied whereit was customary, and where the particular occasion fellout. See Tax.
Such was the Aid de Relief, due from the tenants in fee,upon the death of the Lord Main, to his heir; towardsthe charge of a relief of the fee, of the superior Lord. See Relief, Fee, Lord, etc.
Such also was the Aid Cheval, or Capital Aid, due byvassals to the chief Lord, or the King, of whom they held in Capite. See Vassal.
Of this, there are three kinds. The first, of Chivalry;or, as they called it, Par fitz Chevalier, towards makinghis eldest son a Knight, when arrived at the age of 21years. The second, of Marriage, or Par fille marier, towards marrying his eldest daughter. Both these, with allcharges incident thereto, are taken away by Stat. 12 Car. II.See Tenure, Capite, etc. Some will have them to havebeen first established in England, by William the Conqueror; and afterward transferred to Normandy. But the morecommon opinion is, that the Conqueror brought them withhim. The third was of Ransom, due when the Lord was taken prisoner. See Ransom.
In some provinces, there was a fourth kind of Aid; duewhenever the Lord should undertake an expedition to theHoly Land. See Crusade, etc. We also read of Aids paid to the Lord when he was minded to purchase any land or tenement. These were onlygranted once in his life. Aids for the repairing andfortifying of castles, seats, etc.
These Aids, or contributions, were at first imposed bythe Lord or King, at what rate he pleased; but by a Stat.3d Edw. I, a restraint was laid on common persons being Lords, and they were tied down to a fixed proportion.By a subsequent statute, the same rate was extended even to the King.
They seem to have been first established with a view tothe clients and freedmen of ancient Rome, who made presents to their patrons towards his daughter's fortune, as also on his birthday, and other solemn occasions. See PATRON and CLIENT. Accordingly, Boutellier relates,that in his time, they depended on the courtesy andgoodwill of the vassals; for which reason they were called, Droits de Complaisance.The bishops also received aids from their ecclesiastics,called Synodales, and Pentecostals. They were to be paidat the time of their consecration; or when they had aking to entertain; or when called by the Pope to his court,or to a council; as also when they went to receive the Pallium. See SYNODALES, etc.Add, that the archdeacons exacted aids from the clergy of their jurisdiction. See Procurations, etc. Aids are also used in matters of polity, for any extraordinary taxes or impositions occasionally levied by the kingand parliament, upon the subjects; to support the chargesof the government, when the ordinary revenues prove short. See SUBSIDY.Aids, in the manege, are helps or assistances, whichthe horseman contributes towards the motion or action required of the horse; by a discrete use of the bridle, cavesson, spur, poisson, rod, calf of the leg, and voice. See BRIDLE.Such a horse knows his aids, answers his aids, takes hisaids with vigor, etc. The aids are made use of, to avoid the necessity of corrections. The same aids, givenin a different manner, become corrections. See CORRECTION.The aids used to make a horse go in airs, are very different from those required in going upon the ground. Newcastle.The inner heel, inner leg, and inner rein, are calledinner aids. The outer heel, outer leg, etc. are outeraids. AIGLETTE, in heraldry. See EAGLET.
