own peril, there is the King bound in honour to defend him. But my good Lord for conclufion, there is no Man in England that will lay any invention either grievous or againft Law upon the Kings Majesty: and therefore your Lordships muft fhare it amongst you.

Counf. For my part, I had no hand in it, (I think) Ingram was he that propounded it to the Treasurer.

Jat. Alas, my good Lord, every poor Waiter in the Custom-houfe, or every Promooter might have done it, there is no invention in thefe things. To lay impofitions, and fell the Kings Lands, are poor and common devices. It is true that Ingram and his fellows are odious Men, and therefore his Majefty pleas'd the People greatly to put him from the Coffer-fhip. It is better for a Prince to ufe fuch a kind of Men, than to countenance them; Hang-men are neceffary in a Commonwealth, yet in the Netherlands, none but a hangmans Son would Marry a hang-mans daughter. Now my Lord, the laft gathering which Henry the Seventh made, was in the Twentieth year, wherein he had another Benevolence both of the Clergy and Laity, a part of which taken of the poorer fort, he ordained by his Teftament that it fhould be reftored. And for King Henry the Eighth, although he was left in a moft plentiful eftate, yet he wonderfully preft his People with great payments; for in the beginning of his time, it was infinite that he spent in

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Masking and Tilting, Banqueting, and other vanities, before he was entred into the moft confuming expence of the most fond and fruitless War that ever King undertook. In his Fourth year he had one of the greatest fubfidies that ever was granted; for befides Two Fifteens and two difmes, he used Davids Law of Capitation or head-Money, and had of every Duke Ten Marks, of every Earl five Pounds, of every Lord Four Pounds, of every Knight Four Marks, and every Man rated at Eight Pound in Goods Four Marks, and fo after the rate: yea, every Man that was valued but at Forty Pound, paid Twelve pence, and every Man and Woman above Fifteen years, Four pence. He had alfo in his Sixth year divers Subfidies granted him. In his Fourteenth there was a Tenth demanded of every Mans Goods, but it was moderated. In the Parliament following, the Clergy gave the King the half of their fpiritual livings for one year, and of the Laity there was demanded 800cool. which could not be levied in England, but it was a marvellous great Gift that the King had given him at that time. In the Kings Seventeenth year was the Rebellion before fpoken of, wherein the King difavowed the Cardinal:" In his Seventeenth year, he had a Tenth and Fifteenth given by Parliament, which were before that time paid to the Pope. And hefore that alfo the Money that the King borrowed in his Fifteenth year were forgiven him by Parliament in his Seventeenth year.

In his Thirty Fifth year a Subfidy was gran ted of Four pence the pound of every Man worth in goods from 20s. to 5 l. from 5 1. to o . and upward of every pound 25. And all ftrangers, denizens and others doubled this Sum, ftrangers not being inhabitants, above Sixteen years 4 d. a head. All that had Lands, Fees, and Annuities, from 20. to 5. and to double as they did for goods: And the Clergy gave 6 d. the Pound. In the Thirty feventh year, a Benevolence was ta ken not voluntary, but rated by Commiffio. ners, which because one of the Aldermen refufed to pay, he was fent for a Soldier into Scotland. He bad alfo another great Subfidy of Six fhillings the pound of the Clergy, and Two fhillings Eight pence of the goods of the Laity, and Four fhillings the Pound upon Lands.

In the Second year of Edward the Sixth, the Parliament gave the King an aid of Twelve pence the Pound of goods of his Natural Subjects, and two fhillings the Pound of ftrangers, and this to continue for three years, and by the Stature of the fecond and Third of Edward the fixth, it may appear the fame Parliament did alfo give a fecond aid, as followeth (to wit) of every Ewe kept in feveral Paflures, three pence, of every Weather kept as aforefaid two pence, of every Sheep kept in the Common three half pence. The Houfe gave the King alfo Eight pence the Pound of every woollen Cloath made for the fale throughout England for Three years.

In the Third and Fourth of the King, by reafon of the troublefome gathering of the Pole money upon Sheep, and the Tax upon Cloth this A&t of Subidy was repeal'd and other relief given the King, and in the Seventh year he had a Subfidy and Two Fifteenths.

In the first year of Queen Mary, tunnage and poundage were granted: In the fecond year a Subfidy was given to King Philip, and to the Queen, fhe had alfo a third Subfidy in Annis 4 & 5.

Eliz. Reg. Now my Lord, for the Parlia ments of the late Queens time, in which nothing new, neither Head-mony, Sheep mony, efcuage, nor any of these kinds of payments was required, but only the ordinary Subfidies, and thofe as easily granted as demanded, I fhall not need to trouble your Lordship with any of them, neither can inform your Lordship of all the paffages and acts which have pailed, for they are not extant, nor Printed,

Counf. No, it were but time loft to speak of the latter, and by thofe that are already remembred, we may judge of the reft, for thofe of the greateft importance are publick. But I pray you deal freely with me, what you think would be done for his Majesty, if he fhould call a Parliament at this time, or what would be required at his Majefties hands?

Just. The first thing that would be required, would be the fame that was required by the Commons in the Thirteenth year of Henry the Eighth (to wit) that if any Man of the

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Commons houfe fhould fpeak more largely, than of Duty he ought to do, all fuch offences to be pardoned, and that to be of Record.

Counf. So might every Companion speak of the King what they lift.

Juft. No my Lord, the reverence which a Vafal oweth to his Sovereign is always intended for every fpeech, howfoever it muft import theGood of the King, and his eftate, and fo long it may be eafily pardoned, otherwife not; for in Queen Elizabeths time who gave freedom of fpeech in all Parliaments, when Wentworth made thofe motions, that were but fuppofed dangerous to the Queens eftate, he was imprifoned in the Tower, notwithftanding the Priviledge of the houfe, and there dyed.

Conf. What fay you to the Sicilian vefpers remembied in the latt Parliament ?

Juft. I lay he repented him heartily that ufed that fpeech, and indeed befides that it was feditious, this example held not. The French in Sicily ufurped that Kingdom, they neither kept law nor faith; they took away the Inheritance of the Inhabitants, they took from them their Wives, and ravished their Daughters, committing all other Infolencies that could be imagined. The Kings Maje fly is the natural Lord of England, his Valfals of Scotland obey the English Laws, if they break them, they are punifhed without ref pect. Yea, his Majefty put one of his Barons to a fhameful Death, for being confenting only