That the Lords and Commons fhall remit un- King Henry VII. to the King, all fuch Sums of Money as he had borrowed of them fince the first of January, Anno 33. of his Reign.

That certain Tenures fhall be referved, at the King's Pleasure, upon Houfes and Lands, being fometimes Abbey Lands, under Forty Shillings a Year.

That all Perfons which have any Houses, Lands, Gardens, and other Grounds in the Town of Cambridge, adjoining upon every High Way, Street, or Lane, in his own Right, or the Right of his Wife, &c. fhall caufe the fame to be paved with paving Stone unto the Middle of the fame Ways, and in Length as their Grounds do extend ; and fo fhall, from Time to Time, maintain 'hem, upon Pain to forfeit Six-Pence for every Yard square not fufficiently paved, to the King and Informer. And had this Statute extended to the other Cities and great Towns of England, it would have been much to the Beauty of them, and Commodity of Paffengers.

That the King fhall have Authority, during his Life, to name two and thirty Perfons; viz fixteen Spiritual, and fixteen Temporal, to examine all Canons, Conftitutions, and Ordinances Provincial and Synodal, and to establifh all fuch Laws Ecclefiaftical as fhall be thought, by the King and them, convenient to be used in all Spiritual Courts. this, it feems, expired with the King's Life (h).

But

An Ordinance alfo (never fufficiently to be commended) was made for Prefervation of Woods, which being too long and particular to rehearte, I fhall defire the Reader to perufe in his Place: There being no Law either more ufeful to this Kingdom, in regard of our Navy and other wife, or whereof the Infraction can with more Difficulty be repaired; fo many Years, if not Ages, being required before they

Q 3

(b) It appears by the Journals, that this Bill was read four Times in the House of Lords, between the 19th and the 24th of January.

King Henry VIII. they can come to that Growth, which any rash Hand may cut down in a very fhort Space.'

Levies and Preparations were now made to carry on the War, both against France and Scotland; and, over the latter Kingdom Henry's Army gained great Advantages, by the taking and burning of Edinburgh, and other Towns in that Neighbourhood. Nor was he lefs folicitous about France, having transported an Army of 30,000 Men to Calais, and actually, went over to conduct the War in Perfon.

Lord Herbert, and the larger English Hiftorians, may be confulted for a particular Account of these Wars. Whatever the Succefs was, it may well feem not to be worth the Expence, when the King's Neceffities drove him to very mean Ways to raise Money for carrying it on. For, though he had much enriched himself with the Revenues of the fupprefs'd Abbies; and, befides, had great Subfidies and Loans from his Subjects; yet, Fortifications, Shipping, and other Provifions had exhaufted his Treasure. Add to this, he found out that his crafty Neighbours had well nigh drained his Kingdom of the current Money, whilft they made great Advantage of it in their own. To remedy which Evil, the King both enhaunced our Gold from forty-five Shillings to forty-eight an Ounce; and Silver, from three Shillings and nine Pence to four Shillings. He, likewife, caused fome new-coined bafe Money Mcney rais'd by a Benevolence, to be made current, though not without much for carrying on Murmuring. He had borrowed, alfo, divers Sums of Money, of different People, giving them Privy Seals for their Security. But, all not fupplying the vaft Expence of the War, Henry fet on Foot the old Practice of raifing Money by a Benevolence; and, in the Year 1544, he appointed Commiffioners to collect it, beginning at Landon with the LordMayor and Aldermen. It is remarkable, that, amongst thofe Magiftrates, there was one, called Read, that refused to pay his Share. On which he was feized and fent to ferve in the War against the Scots; where in the Battle at Ancram, the next Spring, he was in. Many excused themselves,

the War.

alfo,

alfo, by their Penury; in regard the King had taken KingHenry VIII. up fo much Corn from them, this Year, for his Ufe, and, not, as yet, paying for it; fo that, in Effect, this Benevolence raifed not fo much Money as Henry expected, and what was collected came with much Grudging (i).

All thefe Ways and Means, not answering the intended Purpofe, Henry had Recourse to his old Friends the Parliament, who, in the Courfe of his whole Reign, never refused him any Thing he asked of them. Accordingly, Writs were fent out for a Par

(i) A Benevolence granted to the King by the Subjects, upon
Commiffion to all the Counties. 35 Henry VIII. Anno 1544.
Taken from STRYPE's Appendix of Records, No. CXIX, in his
Ecclef. Mem. VOL. I.

King Henry VIII. a Parliament to meet at Westminster, on the 23d Anno Regni 37. Day of November, in the 37th Year of his Reign. 1546.

The Clerks have, again, neglected to infert the initiating Speeches and Ceremonies, at the opening of this Parliament, in the Journal; and we meet with nothing more than the Names of the Peers, and the Receivers and Tryers of Petitions.

November the 27th. A Bill was brought into the House of Lords for the abolishing of Herefies, and of fome Books tainted with falfe Opinions. It was read a first Time, and committed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Pawlet, Grand Mafter of the Houfhold; the Earls of Hertford and Shrewfbury; the Bishops of Ely, Sarum and Worcester; the Lords De la Ware, Morley and Ferrers, for Examination.

This was a good Beginning, but it ferved, only, as introductory to worfe Matters; for on the 14th of December, a Bill was brought up to the House of Lords, from the Commons, by Sir Thomas Cheney, Treasurer of the Houfhold, and others of the princiDiffolution of all pal Members of that Houfe, for granting a SubfiColleges, Hofpi- dy to his Majefty. And the next Day, another Bill tals, &c. was read a firft Time, for the Diffolution of all

A Subfidy; and an Act for the

Colleges, Chantries, Hospitals, Free Chapels, &c.

Which two Bills paffed both Houfes, without any
Oppofition.

The Subfidy was two Shillings and eight Pence in the Pound on Goods, and four Shillings in the Pound on Land, to be all paid within two Years. The Clergy alfo granted fix Shillings in the Pound, which was afterwards confirmed, as the Custom then begun, by the whole Parliament.

But the Bill for the Diflolution of Colleges, &c. made much more Noise in the World; and as Lord Herbert well obferves, nothing could be pleaded in Excufe for it but the King's Neceffities, which every Man must think violent, when, adds he, they retrenched upon the reverend Foundations of Colleges, Free-Chapels, Chantries, Hospitals, Fraternities, Brotherhoods, Guilds, and Stipendiary Priefts, which had Continuance in Perpetuity. Together

with

with all their Manors, Lands, and Hereditaments, King Henry VI. which were now committed to the King's Difpofal; and that they should be in the Order and Survey of the Court of Augmentations; the Right to others yet faved, and feveral Provifions yet made. The Motive for bringing in this Bill was alledged to be the King's great Charges in his Wars with France and Scotland; as, alfo, the Abuses of the Rulers and Governours of the faid Colleges, &c. Upon which and the King's folemn Promise to the Parliament, that all fhould be done to the Glory of God, and common Profit of the Realm; the Bill was paffed (k).

By this it appears how liberal the Parliament was in giving away other Men's Goods; and it may be reasonably believed, that in diffolving and giving up the Chantries, &c. they would, if it had been required, have given up the Churches alfo, where they were founded.

There are no less than thirty-two Titles of Acts, paffed in this Parliament, in the Journals; the Statute Books give us only twenty-five. The other Bills, of any Significancy, which were pafled into Statutes, this Seffion, are these ;

• An Act, how Offenders in Ufury fhould be pu- Other Acts. nifhed; and a certain Proportion of Ten in the Hundred was limited. Which yet, had it been lower, would have made Lands more valuable, Merchandize and Victuals cheaper, and adventuring by Sea more frequent: That lazy Way of Thriving being more oppofite than any Thing elfe to that Industry, by which all Kingdoms fubfift and flourish.

• That where a full Jury did not appear, a Tales might be granted de Circumftantibus: And this was much for the Expedition of Juftice.

That whereas the Lord Chancellor of England, Lord Treasurer, Lord President of the King's Council, Lord Privy Seal, and the two Chief Ju

(k) Kennet, Vol. II. P. 253.

ftices,