it is expedient that the said porter have knowledge of every man's name that shall enter into the parlement, and if need require to have many porters under him.

Of the Cryers of the Parlement.

The cryer shall stand without the parlement door, and the porter shall shew him when and what he shall call. The king was accustomed to appoint his serjeants at armes to keep the parlement door, that no thrust, preace, or noise, were made there, by meanes whereof the parlement might be letted; and that such thrust, preace, or noise might be avoided, and proclamation should be made, that no person enterprise such things there under pain of imprisonment; for by the law, the parlement door should not be shut, but be kept by the porter or serjeant at armes.

Of the Help of the King.

The king was not accustomed to demand help of his realme, but onely for war that was instant, or for the creation of his sonnes to be made knights, or his daughter to be marryed; and these helps ought to be demanded in the full parlement, and in writing to be delivered unto every degree, and they in writing to make answer. And if this help ought to be granted, then every degree of the parlement should consent thereto. And it is to be known, that two knights, or two cittizens, or two burgesses, which come to the parlement, in granting or denying any thing demanded in the parlement, have more authority than the greatest earle in England. And in like case, two proctors for the clergy in one diocesse, have more authority than their bishops, in things to be granted or denyed in the parlement; and the reason is this: The king may holde his parlement, for the commonalty of his realme, without bishops, earles, or barons, so that they have lawfull summons, and come not; for some time there was no bishop, earle, nor baron, and yet the king did keep his parlement. But on the contrary, if the commonalty of the clergy, and the temporalty, be monished to the parlement, as they ought to be by the law, and for certaine causes they do not, or will not, come, as if they pretend that the king hath not ruled or governed them accordingly, and do therein express wherein he hath not ruled them accordingly; in this case the parlement, which the king holdeth with the bishops, earles, and barons, is of no effect. And therefore in all things that are to be granted, ordayned, established, or broken by parlement, the commonalty of the parlement of necessity must consent thereunto. For in the commonalty are contained iiij degrees of parlement, that is to say, proctors of the clergy, knights of sheeres, cittizens of cities, and burgesses of towns; and these persons do represent the whole commonalty of England, whereas the other estates do represent but their owne persons.

For Bills and Petitions of the Parlement.

The parlement ought not to be ended, whiles any petition dependeth undiscussed, or at least to whome a determinate answer is not made; and if the king permit the contrary, he is perjured. Also no peere of the parlement shall depart from the same without licence obtained of the king and of his peeres; which licence is to be obtained in open parlement, and to be recorded in roll of parlement.

And if it happen any of the peeres to be sick during the parlement, so that he cannot come to it; then for three days he shall send his excuse to the parlement; but if after three days passed he come not, then two of his peeres shall be sent to him to see his person, and

thereof to advertise the parlement; and if any suspition be had, these two peeres shall be sworne to testify the very truth. And if it appear he have feigned himself sick, he then to be amerced as a fault for his not appearance at the beginning of the parlement; and if he be sick then before, then he shall make a sufficient to appear in parlement for him.

No person of the parlement can be excused, having his health and memory.

The Ending of the Parlement.

The finishing of the parlement must be assigned, appointed, and openly proclaimed, both in the parlement and within the palace of the parlement; and if there be any will say, that he hath no answer of his bill delivered into the parlement, then the parlement to continue; but if no man so say, it is to be supposed that every man hath remedy, or assigned how to have remedy by the lawes. And at the proclamation made, if there be no bills to be laid in, the king may licence his parlement.

Of the Copyes of the Records of Parlement.

The clark of the parlement shall deny to no man the copy of his processe, but shall deliver unto every man that demandeth it, taking for every ten lines a peny; and if the party be poor, and thereupon maketh his oath, to have nothing: The rolle of the parlement shall be tenne inches brode. The parlement shall be kept wheresoever it shall please the king.

These orders in processe of time did surcease, and were out of all use, few or no parlements being kept, from the time of William the Conqueror, untill the reign of King Edward the First; who, by the advise of his wise and learned counsellors, prescribed a forme and order how the parlements within this realme should be observed and kept; which orders, also in the course of a certaine yeares, grew out of use in many points, and the order here ensuing is that which is in our dayes received and used.

The Copie of a Letter, concernyng the Credit of the late published Detection of the Doynges of the Ladie Marie of Scotland, by the learned Buchanan.

The Detectio Maria Regine was published by Buchanan in 1571. A French translation appeared in 1572. To give its contents currency among the unlearned commons of England, this abridgement or review was carefully circulated. Elizabeth's ministers felt that some apology was necessary to the English nation, for the mode in which Queen Mary had been treated since her flight into England.

MANY are the practises of Papistes, and other false and hollow-harted subjects; and wonder it is, what they dare do and say, as if they had the majesty of our prince in con

' John Vowell, alias Hooker, of Exeter, author of the above tract, was uncle to the famous Richard Hooker, a man of good family, and educated at Oxford. He was, in the study of divinity, a disciple of Peter Martyr; and, after having travelled upon the Continent, he settled in Exeter, and became the author of several learned works. Hooker translated Girald Barry's History of the Conquest of Ireland, and was hence enabled to add to Hollinshed's labours, "The Supplie of the Irish Chronicle, continued from the death of Henry VIII. 1546, untill the year 1586." In these annals, he has inserted a copy of the "Order and Usage," above written.

tempt, or did still beare themselves bold vpon the successe of some mightie treason, the bottom whereof hath not yet bene throughly searched. Of late hath bene published, out of Scotland, a treatise, detectyng the foule doynges of some that haue bene daungerous to our noble queen; by which detection, is induced a very excellent comparison for all Englishmen to judge whether it be good to chaunge queenes or no, and, therewith, a necessary enforcement, to every honest man, to pray hartely for the long continuance of our good mother to rule over us, that our posteritie may not see her place left empty for a perilous stepedame. Some caryed with popishe affection, that regardeth neither naturall prince nor contrey, and puffed with the dropsey of a trayterous humor, labour what they can to discredit the same detection, as untrue. Some of them, whyle they, lyke good sincere men forsoth, would fayne seme very indifferent iudges, say they will credit nothing, till they heare both parties, not remembryng, that, in the same one booke, are both parties to be heard, the one in the former parte, both in the declaration and oration of evidence; the other in the latter parte, in the parties owne contractes, songes, letters, iudiciall procedynges, protestations, examinations, and confessions. Some other more open fellowes say flatly that all is false, the booke hath no credit, the author is unknowne, obscure, the mater counterfaite, and all is nothing. If any such rumors come to your eare, first, I think verely, in truth you may be bold to say to the partie, Et tu ex illis es, thou art also one of them. And, for the mater, I have thought good to enforme you of so much as I know, for profe of the same treatise to be of credite, wherewith you may answere and stoppe the mouthes of such rumor. spreaders.

The booke itselfe, with the oration of evidence, is written in Latine by a learned man of Scotland, M. George Buchanan, one privie to the proceedyngs of the lordes of the kynges secret counsell there, well able to understand and disclose the truth, havyng easie accesse also to all the recordes of that contrey that might helpe hym. Besides that the booke was written by hym, not as of hym selfe, nor in his owne name, but accordyng to the instructions to hym geven by common conference of the lordes of the privie counsel of Scotland: by hym onely for hys learnyng penned, but by them the mater ministred, the booke overseen and allowed, and exhibited by them as mater that they have offred, and do continue in offerying, to stand to and justifie before our soveraigne ladie, or her highnesses commissioners in that behalfe apointed. And what profe they have made of it already, when they were here for that purpose, and the sayd authour of the sayd booke one among them, when both parties, or their sufficient procurators, were here present, indifferently to be heard, and so were heard indeede; all good subiects may easely gather, by our sayd soveraigne ladyes procedyng, sins the sayd hearyng of the cause, who, no dout, would never have so stayed her request, but rather would have added enforcement, by ministring of aide to the ladie Maria of Scotland, for her restitution (the president and honor of princes, and her maiesties own former example of sinceritie,. used in defence of the Scottish queene, herselfe in Scotland against France, and her maintenance of the French king's honor and libertie, against the hye attemptes of some his popish subjectes, considered) nor would have lyved in such good amitie with the yong kyng of Scotland, the regentes, and the true lordes mainteiners of that side, if these haynous offenses, alleged on that part, had not bene provable, or if the yong kyng had bene an usurper, or hys regentes, and other lordes of that faction, traytors, as they must have bene, if all be false that is obiected against the sayd Ladie Marie. I recite not what subscriptions and assentes have bene to confirme the booke, and the maters in it conteined; byside that I do you to wyte, that one written copie thereof, in Latine, was now, upon hys late apprehension, found in one of the duke of Norfolkes mens houses,'

The anxiety of Norfolk to stifle the evidence against the unfortunate Mary, may argue gentleness of heart, or excess of ambition, as the reader has faith or charity.

and thether sent, by his commaundement, a little before his apprehension, to be secret-> lie kept there, with divers other pamphelets and writynges; whiche thyng not onely addeth credit to this booke, that it was not counterfait, but also geveth shrewed suspicions, that the duke could not so well lyke the woman, beyng such a woman, as, for her person's sake, to venture the overthrow of such a florishing state, wherein he stode before; but that some other greater thing,' it might be, that he lyked, the gredynesse whereof myght temper his abhorrying of so foule conditions, and of so great a danger to hymselfe, to be sent after his predecessours. The byshop of Rosse lykewise doth both knowe, that the duke had this booke, and can tell how the duke came by it. The other mater of the contractes, letters, songes, &c. have, among other, these proves: Lively witnesses, of great honor and credit, can tell, that the very casket, there described, was here in England shewed; the letters, and other monumentes, opened and exhibited; and so much, as is there sayd, to have bene written or subscribed by the sayd Ladie Marie, the Erle Bothwell, or other, hath bene, by testimonies and othes of men of honor and credite of that contrey, testified and avowed, in presence of persones of most honorable state and authoritie, to have bene written and subscribed, as is there alledged, and so delivered without rasure, diminution, addition, falsifieng, or alteration, in any point. And a nomber there be in England, of very good and worshypful calling, byside the commissioners thereto apoynted, that have seene the originals them selves, of the same handes whoes this book doth say them to be. Whiche thinges have been heard and understoode by those that can tell, and those whoes truth, in reporting, is above all exception.

Wherefore sithe the Scottishmen have, for satisfaction of us, their good neyghbours, among whom the sayd Ladie Marie remayneth, to the perill of both princes, as the Scottishemen say, published these matters, to the intent that the impudencie of the sayd Ladie Marie's fautors, in denyeng those truthes, may not seduce Englishe subjectes to the underminyng of the estate, honor, and noble procedyng of our most gracious soveraigne, and divertyng of affections to undue places, and to the great perill of both realmes, which the adversaries call, Beneficiall Unityng, but is in deede most maleficiall confoundyng, intended to joyne the realmes in other persones, excluding the person of our sayd soveraigne lady let us receive this admonishment thankefully, and gather the frute thereof to the stablishment of our loyaltie to our owne queene, agaynst whom the favorers of the other side have banded themselves in hostilitie and treason.

This I have thought good to write to you, for your satisfaction in knowledge of the case; whom I know alreadie sufficiently satisfied in good and dutifull affection. God disclose these hollow hartes, or rather God graunt her majestie, and those that be in authoritie under her, an earnest will to see them, for they will disclose themselves fast enough. And God send her majestie so to remove the groundes of her perill, that not onely we, which by open thrustyng our selves agaynst her enemys, have set up our rest upon our Queene Elisabeth, and shall never be admitted to favour on the other side; but also all wise and honest men may know that it shal be safe to be true, and dangerous to be false; otherwise the mischief is evident. For men in nature and in policie will seke for their own safeties, which if they may not finde in truth, it is a great avauncement of falsehode. God long preserve our good and gracious Queene Elizabeth, and make her enemyes know, that there is sure perill in treason, and her true subjectes bold to sticke to her without dread of any revenge or displeasure. So fare ye well.

For further profe, that the sayd letters, written by the sayd Ladie Marie, and mention

I viz. The crown of England and Scotland.

2 Beheaded for treason.

3 Lely, bishop of Ross, and agent for the Queen of Scots. In the subsequent tract, is an account of his im prisonment.

ed in the sayd booke, are not counterfait but her owne, I have herewith also sent you the most autentike testimonie of the three estates of Scotland assembled in parliament, the copie of which acte you shall receive word for word, as it was enacted in Scotland in December 1567, and remaineth publikely in print, savyng that I have for your more easy understanding changed the Scottishe orthography, which I would to God had been done for Englishemens better satisfaction in maister George Buchanans booke. Howbeit, the same is not so hard but that, after the readyng of two leaves, a man may easily enough grow acquainted with it; and doutlesse the knowlege and monumentes therein contained are wel worth so small a travell to understand them.

The Case of the Bishop of Ross, Resident to the Queen of Scots; who was seized and committed to the Tower by Queen Elizabeth, for traiterous Practices, and endeavouring to raise a Rebellion against her.'

John Lesley, bishop of Ross, a man of a bold, active, and enterprising disposition, had acted as Mary's agent ever since her flight into England. He had been active in furthering the scheme of her marriage with Norfolk; and when that miscarried, he engaged in a yet more desperate enterprize for her relief. The King of Spain, the Duke of Alva, and the Pope, were all engaged in her cause, Ridolphi, a native of Florence, who resided at London under the character of a banker, but was in reality an agent for the Pope, assisted in conducting the negociation. Various schemes were laid for seizing the person of Elizabeth, for invading England, and for liberating Mary. The first suspicion of the plot arose from one of Ridolphi's messengers being intercepted; it was fully discovered by the infidelity of a servant of Norfolk. Upon the discovery, Ross was imprisoned in the Tower, treated with the utmost rigour, and only liberated on condition that he should leave the kingdom. The transaction happened in 1571. The bishop's firmness in the cause of his mistress excites our 'respect, though he seems to have been little scrupulous in the means he employed to serve her.

The Bishop of Ross retired to the Continent, and received some ecclesiastical preferment. He was made bishop of Valence; but as the civil wars then raged in France, he never obtained quiet possession of the see. He died at Brussels in 1596. Bishop Lesley published, in 1575, a Latin History of the Scottish Nation, which is a work of some authority.

The reader who wishes further information on the subject of this tract, may look into MURDIN'S State Papers, Vol. II., which contains many documents respecting the Bishop of Ross's conspiracy, imprisonment, and examination.

RIDOLPHO, the Florentine, who was sent to sollicit the Queen of Scots affairs beyond sea, had communicated to Charles Bayliff, a Netherlander, the Queen of Scots servant, all his transactions with the Duke d'Alva; and had given him letters written in cyphers, for her, the Spanish ambassador, the Duke of Norfolk, Ross, and the Baron of Lumley, made up in one packet; which Bayliff brought over himself, though Ross had ordered him to leave them with the governor of Calais to be conveyed over.

But, as soon as Bayliff was arrived at Dover, he was apprehended and imprisoned, and

'Which is in some measure applicable to the case of the Marquis de Botta and M. de Chetardie, ambassador at the court of Russia from France, and detected f treasonable practices against the Czarina.