K. Henry VIII. though he retained his Grandeur, he foon diffipated his Riches, for all the Treasure his Father amassed in feveral Years, to the Value, as Authors atteft, of 1,800,000l. he prodigally fquander'd away in three; as if, fays Bishop Burnet, the Son's Expence was to vie with the Father's Industry and Thriftiness *. A Parliament called. After the Coronation, which was perform'd with great Ceremony at Westminster, June 25, 1509, Writs were iffued out for calling a Parliament, daAnno Regni 1. ted at the fame Place, Oct. 17, to meet on the 21st of January following; the firft Writ to the Peers At Westminster. being directed to his moft dear Coufin, Edward Duke of Buckingham, &c. the rest we fubjoin in their Order b. 1509. State of the Thomas Marquis of Dor- Charles Somerset, Lord Henry Earl of Northum- la Ware, Richard Nevile, Lord Herbert, Tho. Fennys, Lord Dacre, Berners, Edm. Grey, Lord Wilton, Tho. Grey, Lord Ferrers, of Groby, Walter Devereux, Lord William Lord Willoughby, George Lord Fitz-Hugh, a Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, Vol. I. p. 2. The The like Writs of Summons were fent to the fol- K. Henry VIII, lowing Judges, &c. Sir Robert Rede, Knt. William Grevile, Lewis Pollard, Richard Elyott, On the Day appointed, being Monday, Jan. 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 Cause of the Summons under this Text: Deum timete, Regem honorificate. Pet. ii. Parliament. Which the Prelate divided into two Parts. To The Lord-Chanthe first, he faid, 'That Fear was effential in many cellor's Speech Proceedings; and that it particularly required at opening the Kings and Great Men to fear God above all ¿ others; by the Neglect of which not only Kings and their Subjects, but even Cities, Commonwealths, and Kingdoms were afflicted, chaftifed, or almoft totally fubverted; for this Cause only, that the Fear of God was not before their Eyes. 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 Understanding. In enlarging upon which he fhewed many Sorts or Kinds of Judgment; concluding, That the abovefaid Honour was the moft 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 Judgement as is both juft and right, humane and natural. Saying, how neceffary good Laws are for the right Government of any Kingdom, quia Leges "funt A 2 The following Speech and Proceedings in this firft 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, K. Henry VIII. « funt Norma Reipublicæ bene inftituenda; by art exact Obfervation of which all Republics muft profper. He argued alfo, That our Forefathers were accounted wife, not fo much from many • excellent Laws, which they made and published for the Benefit of Pofterity, but for a diligent and • indifferent Obfervation of them: Hence Almighty "God ought to be pray'd to, that good and nourishing Laws might not only be enacted in this Parliament, which he aptly termed the Stomach of the Nation, but that they might be alfo uprightly executed. Upon Juftice, he said that it chiefly and neceffarily behoved Kings to govern their • Dominions wifely, and then introduced several other Officers trufted with the Affairs of the Public. The Judges, who rightly and duly ad'ministered Juftice, he faid, were the Eyes of the • Commonwealth; the learned Expofitors of the "Laws he stiled the Tongues of it. Others were ⚫ the Meffengers of the Government, as the Sheriffs ⚫ and Magiftrates of Cities and Counties; the former of which, who did not execute their Offices rightly, he compared to Noah's Raven. The Collectors of the Taxes and Customs he called the • Commonwealth's Spies, of which Number few, ⚫he faid, were found to be good. Others were the Pillars of the Government, as Juries of twelve • Men are. Laftly, fays our Authority, cum magno Audientium Plaufu, he went upon the State of the whole Kingdom, and urged that it was the • real Intereft of each feparate Body, Spiritual, • Temporal, and Commonalty, to unite in fupport⚫ing the Crown; that Juftice, which is the Queen • of Virtues, may be aufpicious in the Nation: That both Bishop and Peer may join in reforming the Errors of paft Times; in utterly abolifhing all ⚫ iniquitous Laws; in moderating the rough and • severe ones; in enacting good and useful Statutes; • and, when made, to fee that they should be faithfully, honeftly, and inviolably observed: Which, if this Parliament will perform, then he affirmed • that • that there was no one could doubt but that God K. Henry VIII, fhould be feared, the King honoured, and, for ⚫ the future, the Commonwealth served with good Counsellors, every Way useful to the King and • Kingdom.' After this elaborate Discourse was ended, the Chancellor, in the King's Name, directed the Commons to meet the next Day, in their accustomed Place, and chufe their Speaker. At the fame Time the Receivers and Triers of Petitions and Complaints, from different Parts of the King's Dominions, were appointed: And, fince our Authority gives us their Names, we fhall, for once, tranfcribe them, to fhew who were the Members of either Houfe that were trufted with thofe Affairs at that Time. Receivers appointed for Petitions from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, to be deliver'd within fix Days. Sir John Young, Sir Roger Lupton, Sir John Taylor. From Gascoigny and other Countries beyond Sea, with the Ifles, within feven Days. Sir Nicholas West, Sir James Whetston, Sir William Litchfield, Sir Nicholas Rawftons. The Triers of Petitions from England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland, were The Archbishop of Can- Earl of Surrey, Abbots of Westminster, St. Edmundsbury, and Abingdon, Exeter, and Rochefter, Lord Haftings, Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Herbert. All these together, or a Number of these Bishops and Lords, had a Power to call to them the LordChancellor or Treafurer, or two other of the King's Officers, when there was Occafion. They were to fit in the Chamber of the King's Chamberlain. The Names of the Triers for Petitions from Gascoigny and other foreign Parts are omitted, as is fuppofed, by Neglect of the Clerks; for it fol A 3 lows, K. Henry VIII. lows, on the Record, that these alfo had Power to call to them the great Officers above, and the King's Serjeant, and they were to fit in the Chamber of the Treafury. Some Proxies for abfent Bishops and Abbots being read and allowed of, concluded the Bufinefs of the first Day. The next Day the Commons fent Sir Robert Drury, Knt. to the Lords, to acquaint them that they had chofen a Speaker; on which the LordChancellor appointed Ten o'Clock the next Morning for them to present him before the King; and THO. INGLE- accordingly they prefented Thomas Inglefield, Efq; a FIELD, Efq; as their Speaker; whofe Excufe for Infufficiency elected Speaker. not being accepted, with the ufual Proteftation for Liberty of Speech, &c. he was confirmed. At the fame Time it was unanimously agreed, by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, to meet the next Morning, and every Day during the Sitting of this Parliament, at Nine o'Clock, in order to do Business. The fourth Day of this Parliament, being Thurfday, Jan. 24, the Lords again met, when four Bills were prefented and read. The firft, as ufual, to confirm the Liberties of Holy Church; the next, to prevent falfe Returns in Efcheats to the Crown; one for forfeited Patents granted for Life; and another for reforming Excels in Apparel. The two first and the last were read twice on that Day, and committed to the King's Attorney and SollicitorGeneral for their Amendments. But we shall not tire our Readers with the further Proceedings of this Parliament contained in the Journal-Book, except when any remarkable Ordinance or Debate occurs. The moft useful Statutes which were made in it will appear beft under their feveral Heads in the Sequel. The particular Writer of this King's Life tells us, That at this Time it was thought fit, for d Store calls him Sir Thomas Ingleby, Knt. " many Thefe Officers, with the Clerk of Parliament, were then made Ufe of. as Meffengers, to carry Bills from the House of Lords to the Commons. The Life and Reign of King Henry VIII. by Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury. Fol. Lond. 1682, Kennet's Hiftory of England, Vol. II. p. 6. |
