Of the Begining of the Parliament.

The kyng ought to be in the parliament the first day, and should sitt in the middes of the high bench. The vith day of the parliament, the chancellour of England, the treasurer, the barons of the exchequer, the justices, were accustomed to the record, the defaults done in the parliament in forme following:-The ist day thei shall call for the citizens and burgesses of all England; and, for lack of ther appearance, a cite shall be amercied iii cl. a burrows ccc marks. The secund daie they shall call the knights of the shires of England; and in the default of ther appearance, the shire to be amercied iii cl. The third daie shall the barons of the Chincts Ports be called, after them the other barons, and after them the erles; and for lack of appearance of the barons of the Chinck Ports, the barony shall be amercied iijc marks, an erle iij cl. In like manner shall be done to them, that the erles and barons, peres, that is to say, thei that have landis and rentis to the yearly valu of an erledom, or of a barony, as it is expressed before in the tytle of commons.

The fourth daie the proctours of the clergy shall be called; and for lack of ther appearance, the bishops shall be amercied iij c. mark, for every arch-deaconry that maketh default. The fifth daie, deans, priours, abbots, bishops, and archbishops; and for lack of their appearances, of an archbishop, he shall be amercied cl.; a bishop that holdeth a barony, iij c. marks; and so of abbots and priours.

For Proclamations of the Parliament.

The first day of the parliament proclamacions should be made first in the haule, or in the monestery, or in some open place, where the parliament shall be holden or kepid, and after in the cite or town openly, that every man that have bille or peticion to be examined or determined in the parliament, that it should be laid in within 5 days after the begining of the parliament.

Of the Preaching at the Parliament.

An archbishop, bishop, or famous clerk, discrete and eloquente, by the archbishop in whose province the parliament shall be kepid, to be assigned, shall preach on the first five dayes in the full parliament, and in the king's presence, and he shall beginn when all the parliament or the more part assembled. And in his orison or prayer, he shail require all the hool parliament, that thei humbly beseech Almighty God for the peace and tranquility of the realme.

Of the Speaker of the Parliament.

After the sermon in the parliament is done, the chancellour of England, or chief justice of England, or a justice that is eloquent, discret, and honest, or a clerk of like qualities, by the said chancellour assigned or elected, standing in the parliament house, shall declare first generally, and secundarily speciali, the causes of the parliament, or the causes wherefore the sayd parliament is holden; and it is to be notid, that everi man, the kyng excepte, shall stand while the said speaker doth declare his matter, to the intent that everi man may hear him; and in cause he do speak obscure or darkeli, or so lowe that he cannot be heard, he must begynn again, or else another to speak in his place.

What the Kyng shall say after the Speaker hath done.

The kyng, after the speaker hath declared the causes wherefore the parliament is kepid, shall desire the spiritualte and temporalte, naming every degree, that is to say, archbishops, bishops, abbots, priours archdeacons, proctors, and other of the clergi; erles, barons, knights, cittizens, and burgesses, and other of the temporalte, that thei diligentli, studiousli, and lovingly endeavour themself to examine, and partakte or handle, the causes of the parliament, to the honour of God principalli, and secondarily to the king, honour and welfare of the realme.

Of the King's Absence from the Parliament.

The king ought daily to be present in the parliament, unless he be sick or diseased, and then he may kepe his chamber, so that he lodge not out of the mannour and towne where the parliament is kepid or holden; and then he owght to send for 12 persons of the great estates, that be monished or summoned to the parliament, that is to say, ii bishops, i erles, ii baronyes, ii knights of the shire, ii citizens, and ii burgesses, to see his person, and to testify of his estate; and in ther presence he ought to commit power to the archbishop of the province, to the lord steward, and to the chief justices, that thei junctly and severally shall beginne and continew the parliament in toe king's name, makeing express mencion in the commission of his disease to the other estates, and that the persons above named can report the same; for it is a perillous case and a dangerous, the king to be absent from the parliament, nor he ought not, nor may not be absent but only for bodily sicknesse.

Of the Places and Seats of the Parliament.

Firste, As it is spoken before, the king shall sitte in the middes of the high bench, upon his right hand the archbishop of Canterbury, and upon his left hand the archbishop of York, and after, bishops, abbots, and priours in order, everi man in his degree, and among his peers; and that this order be keepid, the lord-steward of England is bound to take heed, unless the king assigne any other at his right, for the chancellour of England, the chief justice of England, with his fellows and their clerks, that be of the parliament; and at his left foot shall sit the chamberlaine, the treasurer, the barons of the exchequer, the judge of the common place, with ther clerks that be of the parliament.

Of the Porters of the Parliament.

The chief porter of the parliament shall stand within the great gate of the monastery, the haule, or place where the parliament is holden or kepid, and shall attend, that no man enter into the parliament, but they that ought to come to the parliament, excepte he be called for matters that he sheweth in the parliament; and it is expedient that the said porter have knowledge of every man's person that shall come and enter into that parliament, and if need require, to have many porters.

Of the Cryer of the Parliament.

The cryer of the parliament shall stand without the parliament door, and the porter shall shew him whom and what he shall call. The king was wont to appoint his huant at armes to kepe the parliament door, that no thrust, preace, or noyse were made ther, by means whereof the parliament might be lettid. That such thrust, preace, or noyse should be avoyded, proclamacions should be made, that no man enterprize such things there, under payne of imprisonment; for by the law, the parliament door should not be shutt, but should be kepid by the porter and huant at armes.

Of the Help' of the King.

The king was not accustomed to demand help of his realme, but only for war that was instant; for the creation of his sonns to be knights, or his daughters to be married; and for these causes help ought to be demanded in the full parliament, and in writing to be deliverid to every degree of the parliament, and they in writing to make answer; and if such help ought to be granted, then every degree of the parliament should consent thereto; and it is to be known, that two knights that come to the parliament for a shire, in granting or denying any things demanded in the parliament, have more authority than any erle in England; and two proctours for the clergy in oon diocese have more authority than ther bishops in things to be granted or denyed in parliament. This is the case, for the king may hold his parliament for the commonalte of his realme without bishops, erles, or baronyes, so that they have lawful monicions or summons: howbeit, they come not for some time, there was neither bishop, erle, nor baron, and yet the king did kepe and hold his parliament; but of the contrary, if the comonalty of the clergy and of the temporalte be monished to the parliament, as by the law thei ought to be, and for certain causes they do not, nor will not come, as if they pretended the king hath not ruled nor governed them accordingly, and so do not come. In this case, though the king with his bishops, erles, and barons, do hold a parliament, it is of none effect; and therefore, in all such things that should be granted or denyed, stablished or broken by parlia ment of necessite, the commonalte of the parliament must consent thereto, that be contained in degrees of the parliament; that is to say, the spectators of the clergy, knights of the shires, citizens, and burgesses; for these persons doth represent the hoole communalte of England, and the estates doth represent but their own persons.

Of the Ending of the Parliament.

The parliament ought not to be ended while any petitions dependeth undiscussed, or at the least to whom a determinable answer is not made, and if the king permitteth the contrary; nor no peer of the parliament shall depart from the parliament with licence obtained of the king and his peers, but of all the whole parliament; and that licence to be recorded in the roll of the parliament; and if it happen any of the peers to be sicke during the parliament, so that he cannot come to the parliament, then iii days he shall send his excuse to the parliament, the which iii days passed, if he come not, then two of peers shall be sent unto him to vieue his person, and thereupon to asscertain the parliament; and in case that any suspicion be had, those two peers shall be sworne to say and testifie the very trouch; and if it appear that he hath feigned himself sike, then,

his

Aid or supply voted by parliament to the king.

before them, he shall make a sufficient depute to appear in the parliament for him. No person of the parliament can be excused having his health and memory.

The Finishing of the Parliament.

The ending of the parliament must be assigned or appointed, and openly proclaimed in the parliament, and within the place of the parliament; and if there be any man that will say, that he hath none answer of his bill delivered into the parliament, then to continue it till he hath an answer; and at the proclamacion made, if there be no bills to be laid in, the king may lycence his parliament.

Of the Copyes of the Records of the Parliament.

The clerk of the parliament shall deny no man the copy of his processe, but shalle deliver it to every man that demandeth it, taking for the lines writing 1s., and if the parte be poor, and thereupon give an oath, then thei to have nothing. The rolls of the parliament ought to be x inches brood. The parliament shall be holden or kepid wheresoever it pleaseth the king.-Thus endeth the Manner and Forme of the Parliament.

A Charge exhibited in Parliament [1386] against Michael de la Pool, created Earl of Suffolk, and Chancellor of England, by Richard II.

Richard's propensity towards favouritism is well known. Robert de la Vere, Earl of Oxford, stood so high in his favour, as to be created Duke of Ireland. Michael de la Pool, his chancellor, was, in 1379, made Earl of Suffolk, with a grant of an annuity of a thousand marks. These extravagant donations excited the jealousy of the nobles and commons, who, headed by the Duke, impeached the Earl of Suffolk, as mentioned in the following narrative. The tract was probably compiled or translated in the reign of Charles I., with a view to the Duke of Buckingham.

MANY of the more experienced nobility, and graver gentry, represented to the king, that the new glory of Robert de Vere, created Marquess of Dublin, and Duke of Ireland, and his exorbitant ambitious views, did reflect high indignity upon the reputation of the English and Irish nations, to be unworthily abused and oppressed by a fellow subject, the king, Richard, sent them home without thanks, his nature being against any wholesome counsels, though as true as oracles, not failing to acquaint either the chancellor or the Duke of Ireland, not only with the advice, but the adviser, which his grace as childishly again discovered on every little motion of his coler; and consequently, this, amongst other violences, gave him the character not of a wise, no not of a faithfull subject, such visible similitude there is between folly and infidelity, that oftentimes they are mistaken for one another.

His ambition was now grown to so high a point, that moderate persons, much more the haughty, thought it full time to launce it; the lords and ministers of state had many private meetings about it; were most of opinion, at the meeting of the parliament, he should

by both Houses be remonstrated against, as the common grievance of the whole kingdom, and consequently be brought to trial, having matter enough in his crimes to compose a weighty charge; but others, more experienced in the ways of those assemblies, differed in their opinion, holding it best to begin with the new Earl of Suffolk, a man out of danger of being pittyed, which the Duke of Ireland, as Earl of Oxford, was not; besides the chancellor, they held him steersman in affaires of state, and, removing the rudder, the ship would leave sailing of itself; and, consequently, 'twas resolved to exhibit this charge against him the second day of parliament:

First, For deceiving the crown of sundrie goodly lands and tenements, contrary to his oath, as chancellor, giving little or nothing at all in regard of the value.

Secondly, That he had broken his faith in parliament, for not sealing a commission to certain trustees, authorised by the whole body of the three estates, which he ought to have done by virtue of his place.

Thirdly, That he had expended the best subsidies, contrary to the ordinances of parliament, made by the king, the lordes, and the commons.

Fourthly, When payments were made to the king's grace, by process of law, he, the said chancellor, would, for bribes, procure releases to be made thereof again unto the parties fined, against the king's profit, and contrary to common justice.

Fifthly, He took in farm, of the great master of St Anthonie, then a schismatic convict by due process of law, all his leases, tenements, and messages, at twenty marks per annum, which were well worth above a thousand; the said master of St Anthonie and his son, having indentured to pay the chancellor and his son, a hundred marks a-year, for so protecting of him against the laws, both ecclesiastical and civil.

Sixthly, During the time of his chancellorship, he hath passed diverse pardons for tumults, murders, felonies, and treasons, as also to rasers of rolles, and sellers of laws.

Seventhly, Diverse sums of monyes, which were, by parliament, assigned for the defence of the strong holds of the kingdom, whereby both the places and treasure were lost, to the great disrepute and peril of the crown.

The chancellor heard all these computations very quietly, and like enough intended some reply, but that a knight, deputed by the House of Commons, began to enforce the evidence thus.

The Prosecution of the Charge against the Chancellor.

My Lords the Peers,

These omissions in my lord chancellor, discovered by the industrie of the commons, deserve some explanation, that at least their sence may be clearly expressed here; for we do not only complain the publick should faint under such oppression, but, as being next neighbours to your lordships, in the steps of honour, wonder how the son of a laborious artist should so easily work himself into the order of nobilite; being only the right of the ancient gentry, to be called up into this House, or else soldiers of merit, who, with doing bravely, become capable of such promotions, as many of your lordships' ancestors have done by desert in camps abroad, and loyalty at home, the right of sitting in this House. My lords, these frauds in the chancellor, are so many slight skarres in the sides of the government, punishable in courts fit enough to sit upon the meanesse of his condition; but his inclination to ease, luxury, and mimical pastimes, with which he hath visibly both allured and debauched the king from the paths of his ancestors, are ulcers within the vitals of the commonwealth, which the commons House doth chiefly apprehend, because this island is a mixed situation both for warr and peace, so enterwoven as no good peace or alliance can probably be made, without a certaine means, if need, of waging war.