between John Strange, the Member for Dunwich, and his electors, in the third of Edward IV., 1463, in which the member covenants, 'whether the Parliament hold long time or short, or whether it fortune to be prorogued, that he will take for his wages only a cade and half a barrel of herrings, to be delivered by Christmas.'"* It is said, that Andrew Marvell, who was member for Hull, in the parliament after the Restoration, was the last person in the country who received wages from his constituents." The sum of 327. 12s., paid by the City of Salisbury to John Halle and William Hore for their services of one hundred and sixty-three days, as the Burgesses in Parliament, is equal in these, our, days, to £326!

On All Souls' Day, in the 36th year of Henry, the Sixth, 1457, John Halle was elected Mayor of the City of Salisbury for the second time; and a stronger proof than this could not be given, that, from his former good conduct in the Chair, he well merited from his fellow-citizens this enviable distinction.

In the following year, 1458, in consequence of the use of highly improper, and violent, language at the councils of the Corporation, a byelaw was made; and a fine of 3s. 4d. was imposed on each person so offending, with exception of John Halle, (and another,) on whom the fine of 20s. was to be levied for the first40s. for the second, and-imprisonment to be

I.

Christian's Notes to Blackstone's "Commentaries," Vol.

p. 174.
+ Ibid.

awarded for the third, offence. You will here, gentle reader, be disposed to censure the conduct of the Hero of my humble History; and so, in good faith-am I; but I ween, that our censure varies in degree. You, perchaunce, consider John Halle as a man overbearing, and rudely abusive-quick in wrath, and-difficult to appease. You, mayhap, will say, that these superior, and heavier, fines are disgraceful to him; but to this I do not yield assent. Let us look on the other side of the picture. I regard John Halle as a man truly independent, and ashamed of doing an action, which bore even the semblance of dishonour-willing to do good-" to seek peace, and ensue it,"--and to do to others even as he would be done unto. John Halle lived in an age, rude in itself" when literature" (which softens men's manners) " was in abeyance" (p. 125). It is a most true observation, that many a man will unite to do that in the herd, which he would be ashamed to be seen to do as an individual. When acting in the mass, each man supposes, that he is standing in the shade, and is unseen. It will here be asserted, that I think -I speak-I act-ungenerously, but-I will not be beaten from my position. I have heard it, unblushingly, asserted, that a man in public life is not bound by the same laws of honour, which should guide his private conduct. I assert, and, with frankness, maintain, that there are those, who will join in a public action, from which, in private life, they would turn with disgust, and disdain. Thus in the councils of the

public body, to which John Halle belonged, measures may have been proposed, and supported, at which his honest heart recoiled; and, in his resistance to these, he may, in expressions, have given way to an undue warmth of temper. Here, gentle reader, you will say, that, as a Christian, it was his duty to curb that warmth of temper : I grant this-but recollect again, that the Hero of our History lived in the dark ages, when the precepts of the Stoic Philosophy were fallen into oblivion, and when the Christian Virtues did not shine so refulgent as at present. The weight of the fine, you will again say, marks the peculiarly offensive conduct of John Halle: -not at all so, my gentle reader,-it marks him as a man of very superior affluence; and, guided by the good sense of his cooler moments, I have no doubt, that he, with the greatest willingness, joined in-ay, mayhap, proposed-the greatness of the fine for the purpose of curbing those ebullitions of an hasty temper, which, you may depend, he was the first to condemn.

That I am well sanctioned in taking this favourable view of the question, and thus vindicating the character of one, who is not here to vindicate himself, does, I think, appear from the fact, that, subsequently, the citizens of Salisbury repeatedly elected John Halle as their Mayor, and as their Burgess in Parliament, an homage instinctively paid to virtue.

In the same year, 1458, John Halle was appointed an Alderman of St. Martin's Ward; an office then of repute, but now held by the beadles, or sergeants-at-mace. I am not ac

quainted with the peculiar duties of this office, nor is its developement at all important.

Renewed honours awaited John Halle. He was, in the 39th, or last, year of Henry, the Sixth, 1460, chosen, for the second time, Burgess of the City of Salisbury. This Parliament was summoned to meet at "Westmynstre" on the 7th of October in that year. This was an eventful year. The contest between the Houses of York and Lancaster was then raging in all its fury. The battle of Northampton had recently taken place, in which the Lancastrians were sorely defeated by the Earl of March, (afterwards Edward, the Fourth,) and the Earl of Warwick. The heroic, and spirited, Queen Margaret was constrained to fly with her son, the young Prince of Wales. The victors found the unhappy Henry nearly alone in his tent, but treated him with kindness, and removed him to London, where he was lodged in the Bishop's Palace. Information was immediately sent into Ireland to acquaint Richard, Duke of York, with the successful issue of the battle of Northampton; and to entreat his return. The Yorkists at home, in the mean time, usurped the sovereign power; and, in the name of the reigning king, issued writs, dated on the 30th of July, for the fresh election of Knights, and Burgesses, for a Parliament to meet at Westminster on the following 7th of October. The City of Salisbury responded (as before observed) by again committing the important trust to John Halle as one of the Burgesses. This Parliament had important business to transact-it had to

decide on the right to the Crown. The prelude to this debated question is thus related by honest John Stow: "The eight of October a parliament was begunne at Westminster, vnto the which came Richard duke of Yorke, that a little before was come out of Ireland, and being lodged in the pallace, the king being there, he brake up the doores of the kings chamber, so that the king giuing him place, tooke an other chamber. Then the said duke, as right heire by lineall descent from Richard the second, chalenged the realme, purposing to have beene crowned on Alhallown day next following, and hereupon sent to the parliament in writing his said claime, title, and pedigree. The which claime after diligent diliberation had and approved, by the said parliament, peace and concord betweene the king and duke on the vigil of Alhallow was established and concluded."*

Thus saith Stow; but other historians relate a very curious fact, which is, that, previous to this written claim, Richard, Duke of York, came into the House of Lords, and, stationing himself beside the throne, laid his hand on it in the expectation of being invited to seat himself. He was disappointed in the result, and-retired abashed. By this forward, and imprudent, measure, he, doubtlessly, for a time, marred his own views. The claim was taken into consideration, and Articles were agreed on by the two Houses of Parliament. The Crown was assured to Henry, the reigning Sovereign, for "Annales of England," 1592, p. 670.