commons with assent of the lords spiritual and temporal, have granted to our said lord the king one entire fifteenth and tenth, and one half-fifteenth and half-tenth, to be levied on the people in the manner customary before this time, to the terms underwritten that is to say, one half-fifteenth and half-tenth, in the month of St. Michael next to come, and another half-fifteenth and half-tenth, on the fifteenth of Easter then next ensuing; and another half-fifteenth and half-tenth on the fifteenth of St. Michael thereafter next ensuing.

102. Resignation of Richard II

(1399. Latin original, 3 R. P. 416. Translation by Editors. 2 Stubbs, 528, 529, 3 Stubbs, 14, 528.)

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IN God's name, Amen. I, Richard, by the grace of God, king of England and France, and lord of Ireland, absolve all archbishops and bishops of the said kingdoms and lordships, and all other prelates whatsoever of secular or regular churches of whatsoever dignity, rank, state, or condition they may be, and dukes, marquises, earls, barons, knights, vassals, and vavassors and all my liege men, clerical or secular by whatsoever name they are known, from the oath of fealty and homage and all others whatsoever made to me and from every bond of allegiance, royalty and lordship with which they have been or are bound by oath to me, or bound in any other way whatsoever; and these and their heirs and successors in perpetuity from these bonds and oaths and all other bonds whatsoever, I relieve, free, and excuse; absolved, excused and freed as far as pertains to my person, I release them from every performance of their oath which could follow from their promises or from any of them; and all royal dignity and majesty and royalty and also the lordship and power in the said realms and lordship; and my other lordships and possessions or whatsoever others belong to me in any way, under whatsoever name they are known, which are in the aforesaid realms and lordships or elsewhere; and all right and color of right, and title, possessions, and lordship which I have ever had, still have or shall be able to have in any way, in these or any of them, or to these with their rights and everything pertaining to them or dependent upon them in any way whatsoever; from these or any of them; and also the command, government, and administration of such realms and lordships; and all and every kind of

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absolute and mixed sovereignty and jurisdiction in these realms and lordships belonging to me or to belong to me; the name and honor and royal right and title of king, freely, voluntarily, unequivocally, and absolutely, and in the best fashion, wise, and form possible, in these writings I renounce, and resign as a whole, and release in word and deed, and yield my place in them, and retire from them forever.

Saving to my successors, kings of England, in the realms and lordships and all other premises in perpetuity, the rights belonging or to belong to them, in them or in any of them, I confess, acknowledge, consider, and truly judge from sure knowledge that I in the rule and government of the said realms and lordships and all pertaining to them have been and am wholly insufficient and useless, and because of my notorious deserts am not unworthy to be deposed. And I swear on these holy gospels touched bodily by me that I will never contravene these premises of renunciation, resignation, demise and surrender, nor will I impugn them in any way, in deed or in word by myself or by another or others, or as far as in me lies permit them to be contravened or impugned publicly or secretly, but I will hold this renunciation, resignation, demise, and surrender unalterable and acceptable and I will keep it firmly and observe it in whole and in every part; so may God help me and these holy scriptures of God. I, Richard, the aforesaid king, subscribe myself with my own hand.

103. Deposition of Richard II and Election of Henry IV

(1399. Latin and English original, 3 R. P. 422. Translation by Editors. 2 Stubbs, 528, 531, 3 Stubbs, 13, 14.)

51. AND since it seemed to all these estates, after they had made examination separately and also together, that these crimes and shortcomings were sufficient and notorious enough for the deposition of the said king, having considered his confession concerning his own insufficiency and the other things contained in the said renunciation and surrender openly set forth, all the abovesaid estates unanimously agreed that for these abundant reasons they should proceed to the deposition of the said king, for the greater safety and tranquillity of the people and for the security of the realm.

Then the aforesaid estate unanimously and amicably appointed certain commissioners, namely the bishop of St. Asaph, the abbot of Glastonbury, the earl of Gloucester, the lord of Berkeley, Thomas Erpingham and Thomas Gray, knights, and Wm. Thirning, justice, and then publicly deputed them to carry out the sentence of such deposition and to depose the said king Richard from all the dignity, majesty and honor of a king, in the place of and with the name and authority of all the aforesaid estates, as had been observed in like cases of the ancient custom of the realm. And thereupon the said commissioners, taking upon themselves the burden of such a commission and seating themselves before the said royal throne as the tribunal, some deliberation having been held previously respecting these things, brought the sentence of deposition reduced to writing, in the place of and with the name and authority of the aforesaid and they had the said sentence of the will and command of the commissioners, read and delivered by the said bishop of St. Asaph, their fellow commissioner and colleague, in the following words:

52. In the name of God, Amen. We, John bishop of St. Asaph, John abbot of Glastonbury, Thomas earl of Gloucester, Thomas lord Berkeley, Thomas Erpingham and Thomas Gray, knights, and William Thirning, justice, for the peers and nobles of the realm of England spiritual and temporal, and for the commons of the realm, representing all the estates of this realm, commissioners specially deputed for the writings below, seated before the tribunal, after having considered the very many perjuries, and the cruelty, and many other crimes of the said Richard, which he has committed and perpetrated in respect to his rule in the above mentioned realms and lordship throughout the time of his rule and having openly and publicly proposed, shown, and declared them in the presence of the said estates; which have been and are so public, notorious, plainly manifest, and famous that none have been able or are able to be concealed by subterfuge; and also by the confession of the aforesaid Richard who acknowledges and considers and truly judges from his own sure knowledge that he has been and is utterly insufficient and useless in the rule and government of the aforesaid realms and lordship and those things pertaining to them, and on account of his notorious deserts is not unworthy to be deposed, which was set forth previously by Richard himself, and published according to his will and command in the presence of the said estates, and by them made known and explained to the public, and diligent deliberation having previously been held concerning

these and all things involved in this business in the presence of the aforesaid estates and by us, in the representation, name and authority committed to us in the matter, for abundant reason and as a precaution for the rule and government of the said realms and lordship and the rights pertaining to them, we pronounce, decree, and declare that Richard himself has been and is useless, incapable, utterly insufficient and unworthy; and because of the circumstances stated above and in consequence of them we pronounce, decree and declare him worthy to be deposed from all royal dignity and honor, if any dignity and honor of this sort remain to him, and by a like precaution, we depose him by our definite sentence in all and each of these writings. To the lords, archbishops, bishops and prelates, dukes, marquisses, earls, knights, vassals and vavassors, and other men of the said realms and lordship, and of other places subject to the said realms and lordship, their subjects and liegemen whomsoever, it is expressly forbidden that any one of them should in any way submit or attend to the said Richard as if he were king or lord of the aforesaid realms and lordship.

53. Moreover in addition the said estates wishing that nothing should be lacking which can be and ought to be required concerning these circumstances set down above, after having considered separately, appointed the same persons formerly nominated commissioners to be their procurators jointly and separately, to bear and to restore to the said king Richard the homage and fealty formerly rendered to him and to announce all the circumstances touching this deposition and renunciation, if it should be necessary. And immediately, as it was evident from the circumstances set down above and their occasion that the realm of England with its appurtenances was vacant, the aforesaid Henry duke of Lancaster rising from his place, and standing erect so that he might be able to be well seen by the people and protecting himself humbly with the sign of the cross on his forehead and breast, after first calling upon the name of Christ, claimed the aforesaid English realm inasmuch as it was vacant, together with the crown and all its parts and appurtenances in his mother tongue in this form of words:

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I, Henry of Lancaster, challenge this realm of England and the crown with all the members and the appurtenances, as I that am descended by right line of the blood coming from the good lord king Henry III, and through that right, that God of his grace hath sent me with help of my kin and of my friends to recover it: the

which realm was in point to be undone for default of governance and undoing of the good laws.

54. After the lord spiritual and temporal and all the estates there present had considered this demand and claim singly and jointly what was to be judged concerning that demand and claim, the said estate with all the people, without any difficulty or delay, unanimously agreed that the aforesaid duke should reign over them. And as soon as the said king had showed to the estates of the realm the signet of king Richard, delivered to him as a token of good will as is clearly set forth, the aforesaid archbishop, taking the said king Henry by his right hand, led him to the aforesaid royal throne. And after the said king on bended knees before the said throne had prayed for a short time, the said archbishop of Canterbury, joining to himself the aforesaid archbishop of York, took the said king and caused him to sit on the aforesaid royal throne, while the people applauded vigorously with excessive joy.

104. Act for the Security of the Subject and in Repeal of the Acts of the Parliament of Shrewsbury

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(October, 1399. French text and translation, 2 S. R. 111. 3 Stubbs, 19.) [ENRY, by the grace of God, king of England, and of France, and lord of Ireland, to the laud and honor of God, and reverence of Holy Church, for to nourish unity, peace, and concord in all parts within the realm of England, and for the redress and recovery of the same realm, which now of late hath been dangerously put to great ruin, mischief, and desolation; of the assent of the prelates, dukes, earls, and barons, and at the instance and special request of the commons of the same realm, assembled at his parliament holden at Westminster in the feast of St. Faith the Virgin, the first year of his reign, hath caused to be ordained, and established certain ordinances and statutes in form as hereafter followeth.

1. First, that Holy Church have and enjoy all her rights, liberties, and franchises, entirely and without inblemishing: and that the great charter, and the charter of the forest, and other good ordinances and statutes made in the time of his noble progenitors, and not repealed, be firmly holden and kept in all points: and that the peace within this realm be holden and kept,