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THE

PARLIAMENTARY

OR

CONSTITUTIONAL

History of England;

Being a

FAITHFUL ACCOUNT

Of all the

Moft remarkable TRANSACTIONS
In PARLIAMENT,

From the earlieft TIMES,

TO THE

Restoration of King CHARLES II.

COLLECTED

From the JOURNALS of both HOUSES, the RECORDs,
original MANUSCRIPTS, fcarce SPEECHES and
TRACTS; all compared with the feveral Cotem-
porary Writers, and connected, throughout, with
the Hiftory of the Times.

By SEVERAL HANDS.

VOL. III.

From the Acceffion of King Henry VIII. to the
Fifth Year of Queen Elizabeth.

LONDON,

Printed; and Sold by Thomas Ofborne, in Gray's Inn;

AND

William Sandby, against St. Dunstan's Church,Fleet-ftreet,

MDCCLI.

SITY OF

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Anno 1509.

N the Demife of Henry VII. his The Acceffion of only Son, Henry, fucceeded to the Henry VIII. Throne, by the Name of Henry the VIIIth. Never did Prince come to that Dignity with more fhining Qualities; fuch a natural Difpofition to do Good; and fo many Advantages for reigning happily; infomuch, that no Perfon in England could doubt but that he would efface the Glory of the most illuftrious of his Predeceffors. He began his Reign at a Time, alfo, when the most happy Circumstances concurred to make it eafy to himself and favourable to his People. Befides his indifputable Title to the Crown, he found the Kingdom peaceable, his Treafury immenfely rich; his Subjects engaged to him in Love and Efteem; the neighbouring Princes divided, and oblig'd to feek to him, as an Arbitrator of Peace, or War; in fhort,. to hold the Balance between the two great Houfes of Bourbon and Auftria, who were then extreamly jealous of each other's Power. But, tho' he retained VOL. III.

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A

his

his Grandeur, he foon diffipated his Riches; for all King Henry VIII. the Treasure his Father amaffed, in feveral Years, to the Value, as Authors atteft, of 1,800,000 1. he prodigally fquandered away in three; as if, fays Bishop Burnet, the Son's Expence was to vie with the Father's Industry and Thriftiness. (a)

A Parliament call'd.

After the Coronation, which was performed, with great Ceremony, at Weftminster, June 25, 1509, Writs were iffued out for calling a ParliaAnno Regni 1. ment, dated at the fame Place, October 17th, to meet on the 21st of January following, The first At Westminster. Writ, to the Peers, being directed to his most dear Coufin, Edward Duke of Buckingham, &c. reft we subjoin in their Order. (b)

1509.

State of the
Peerage.

The

Thomas, Marquess of Charles Somerset, Lurd

Dorfet,

Herbert,

Henry, Earl of Northum- Thomas, Lord Darcy,

berland,

Thomas, Earl of Arundel,

John, Earl of Oxford,
Thomas, Earl of Surrey,
Richard, Earl of Kent,
Henry, Earl of Effex,
Thomas, Earl of Derby,
George, Earl of Shrewf-
bury,
Henry, Lord Clifford,
George, Lord Nevile, of

Bergavenny,
George, Lord Haftings,
Thomas Weft, Loid Dela-
War,
Richard, Lord Lumley,
John Brooke, Lord Cob.
ham,

Edward Sutton, Lord
Dudley,

Richard Nevile, Lord La

timor,

Lord

William, Lord Coniers,
William Blount, Lord
Mountjoy,
John, Lord Zouch,
John Bourchier,
Fitz-Warin,
Thomas Ormend,
Rochford,
Thomas Fennys, LordDacre,
Ralph Ogle, Lord Ogle.
John Bourghchiere, Lord
Berners,

Lord

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Ferrers,

William, Lord Willoughby, George, Lord Fitz-Hugh,

The

(a) BURNET's Hiftory of the Reformation. Vol. I. P. 2.
(b) DUGDALE's Summons to Parliament. Anno 1. Hen. VIII.

The like Writs of Summons were fent to the fol-'King Henry VIII,

lowing Judges, &c.

Sir Robert Rede, Knt.
Robert Brudenell,
Humphry Conyngsby,
Sir John Fisher, Knt.
John Butler,

William Grevile,

Lewis Pollard,

Richard Elyott

John Ernley, the King's
Attorney General.

On the Day appointed, being Monday, January 21, the Parliament met, in the great Chamber of the Palace at Westminster, near the Royal Chapel, or Oratory; and the King fitting on his Throne, William Wharham, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord High Chancellor of England, by the King's Command, declared the Caufe of the Summons under this Text. (c)

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Deum timete, Regem honorificate. Pet. z.

Which the Prelate divided into two Parts; to the The Lord Chancellor's Speech first, he said, That Fear was effential in many Pro- at opening the ceedings; and that it particularly required Kings and Parliament. great Men to fear God, above all others; by the Neg lect of which, not only Kings and their Subjects, 6 but even Cities, Commonwealths and Kingdoms, "were afflicted, chaftifed, or, almoft, totally fubverted. For this Caufe, only, that the Fear of 'God was not before their Eyes.

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To the fecond Part he argued, That Kings ⚫ ought to be honoured by their Subjects; and that to honour the King is to chufe Judgment or Un⚫derstanding. In enlarging upon which, he shewed ⚫ many Sorts or Kinds of Judginent; concluding, that the abovefaid Honour was the most powerful when the King's Subjects governed themselves 'well; and, when there was occafion, reformed ⚫ themselves alfo. And, when the Judges, acting by the Royal Authority, adminifter fuch Judg < ment as is both juft and right, humane and natural. Saying, how neceflary good Laws are for the

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(c) The following Speech and Proceedings, in this first Parliament of Henry VIII. and all the fubfequent ones, from this Time, are tranflated and extracted from a Manufcript Copy of the Journals of the Houfe of Lords; lately belonging to the Earl of Oxford; purchased by Mr. Ofborne, Bookfeller in Gray's-Inn,

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