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In the First Volume of the Lords' Journals, commencing 1 Henry VIII., the Rolls are carried on from the Parliament prorogued to Nov. 4, A. R. 4, through the whole Reign of this King to 1 Mary. They thus supply a large deficiency which exists in the Journals themselves.

(3) In 1528, an Abridgment of the Statutes, from Magna Charta, to the 19th Henry VIII., was published by Owen, but William Rastall, in 1618, first put Marginal Notes to the Statutes at large, and collected all in force from Magna Charta to the 4th year of Philip and Mary.

In the Reports from the Commissioners on the Public Records, is, in Volume I., p. 86, a Plan for an authentic Collection of the Statutes of the Realm, of which, under the Authority of Parliament, the First Volume appeared in 1811. Nine Volumes are now published in the following Series:

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An Alphabetical Index to the Statutes was published in 1824, and contains under the word "Parliament," a List of all Bills passed.

A Chronological Index from Magna Charta to Queen Anne, was also published in 1828. Other Editions of the Statutes reach to the present day.

(4) The Journals of the Lords and Commons, the former commencing 1 Henry VIII., and, in 1836, extending to 91 Folio Volumes; the latter from Nov. 8, 1547, 1 Edward VI., (Vol. I. terminating March 2, 1628, 4 Car. I.) and extending, in 68 Volumes, to the same period, were orignally printed by Authority of the Houses, and are continued in a regular series from their first dates, with a few intermissions occasioned by the loss of the original Records, to the present day.

A complete Journal of the Transactions of both Houses, from 1 Henry VIII. to 7 Edward VI., was drawn up by Robert Bowyer, sworn Clerk of Parliaments, ▲ D. 1609, and is in the Cotton Library. The Original Records are in the Tower, and Parliament Office.

(5) Many Collections of the "Writs of Summons to Parliament," made at different Periods by the labour and researches of individual Authors, will be noticed under the Third Class. The present authorized Edition, embraces only the Reigns of Edward I. and II. It was collected and edited by Sir Francis Palgrave, and printed by Command of His Majesty King George IV., in pursuance of an Address of the Commons House of Parliament. The First volume was published in 1827; the Second, in two Parts, in 1830; and a Third Division to the same Volume, containing an Alphabetical Digest and Index, in 1834, by Command of His Majesty King William IV.

In the Preface to the Second Volume a notice is given of the additions which have been made in the present work, to those previously collected and published by Prynne.

It is observed, by Sir Harris Nicolas, that "the Editor of the Parliamentary Writs has executed his task in a satisfactory and able manner, with one exception, that of not commencing the Series with the earliest Writs upon Record." He considers it the only well edited volume the Commission has published.

These are the principal Records illustrating the subject of Parliamentary History, which have hitherto been published by the authority of Government. Many other Documents, from which casual and incidental information may be obtained, appear in the list of volumes edited by the Record Commission, for which their Report may be consulted. There is also, without doubt, much authentic information to be found in the Repositories of the British Museum and of many Local Courts, of which we have at present no certain knowledge. Thus in the 24th volume of the Archæologia (1832) at p. 317, are published Portions of the Proceedings of the Corporation of Lynn Regis, Norfolk, from 1430 to 1731, taken from the Hall Books." From 1392, 15 Rich. II., to 1453, 32 Hen. VI., the Records are imperfect. From this latter period, they are perfect to the present day. To the year 1487, 4 Hen. VI., they are written in Latin; since that time in English.

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II.

The Second Class of Authentic Documents tending to illustrate our Constitutional History, consists of the Historians who were contemporary to, or shortly followed, the events which they relate. Of these, many Collections and separate Editions have been, at different times, published.

Of such Historical Records, the Saxon Chronicle is undoubtedly the earliest and most important. It contains the

original testimony of contemporary Writers on the Transactions of our Forefathers, from their first arrival, to the year 1154. Professor Abraham Wheloc first translated and published it, at Cambridge, in 1644, as an Appendix to his Saxon Bede. His "Chronica Anglo-Saxonica" extend only to 62 folio pages. An improved Edition was published by Edmund Gibson, afterwards Bishop of London, at Oxford, in 1692, which contains nearly four times as much as Wheloc's Extract, but is still not the entire Chronicle. The honour of having printed the first literal version of the Saxon Annals was reserved for a learned Lady, Miss Gurney, of Keswick, Norfolk. Her Work was finished in 1819, but has not been published. In the year 1823, the Rev. J. Ingram published the first complete Edition, from a Collation of all the Manuscripts, and with an English Translation. This volume contains 374 pages. In the Preface, the Author gives an Account of the other sources of our History, prior to Henry II., when this invaluable Document terminates. Such were Gildas, and Nennius who repeats him, Bede, Aserius, and Ethelward, the most extraordinary and faithful Follower of the Saxon Annals, who seems to have disregarded all other Sources. For nearly a Century after the Conquest, the Saxon Annalists appear to have been eye witnesses of the Transactions which they relate,

Where the Saxon Chronicle ends, Geoffrey of Monmouth begins. At this Period, almost every Great Monastery had its Historian, and we are indebted to these Institutions for all the authentic early information we possess as to the occurrences and events of those remote times. In each mitred Abbey of the Order of St. Benedict, says Matthew Paris, some of the Fraternity were appointed to register the most considerable Events, and after the death of every King, these Memoirs were laid before a Chapter of the Order, to be re

duced to a body of History, which was preserved in their Archives.

Florence of Worcester closely followed Bede, Asserius, and the Saxon Chronicle. The same may be said of the Annals of Gisburne, of Margan, Melros, and Waverley.

Thomas Wikes, in his Latin Chronicle of English Affairs, from the Conquest down to 1304, does not add much to Bede, William of Newburgh, and Matthew of Paris. William of Malmesbury is to be selected from all his competitors for superiority of genius. His deficiencies and inaccuracies may be corrected by a reference to the Saxon Chronicle. Succeeding Writers to the Chronicle of Simeon of Durham, who transcribes Florence of Worcester, are the two Priors of Hexham, Gervase, Hoveden, Brompton, Stubbes, the two Matthews, of Paris and of Westminster, and others. It appears, that however numerous these Writers may have been, every thing original and authentic as to the above period, may be traced to the Saxon Annals. (c)

Nicholson, in his Historical Libraries, p. 40-1, has given a list of Saxon Authors, and, at p. 34, in defence of the Saxon Records, says, "Many are lost, but there are still more remaining than any of our neighbour Nations can pretend to shew, relating to the transactions of those Ages." That many Documents are lost, which indicated their careful attention to Historical Proceedings, is rendered probable by the allusions of Andrew Horn, Author of the "Mirroir de Justice," who lived under Henry II. He quotes the Rolls of the Saxon Times, and even their Year Books, of which no remains exist. This Author makes the further statement that he had perused all the Laws of this Island, since the time of King Arthur.

(c) On the probable Authors of these Annals, see Ingram's Preface p. x., &c.

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