Garisons placed in Wales by K. Henrie. Floriacensis. Wigorniensis. The king thus hauing vanquished and ouercome the Welshmen, placed garisons in sundrie townes & castels, where he thought most necessarie, and then returned to London with great triumph. Thither shortlie after came ambassadours from the emperour, requiring the kings daughter affianced (as before you haue heard) vnto him, and (being[8] now viripotent or mariable) desired that she might be deliuered vnto them. King Henrie hailing heard their sute and willing with spéed to performe the same, A subsidie raised by the king to bestowe with his daughter. Hen. Hunt. Polydor. raised a great tax among his subiects, rated after euerie hide of land which they held, & taking of ech one thrée shillings towards the paiment of the monie which was couenanted to be giuen with hir at the time of the contract. Which when the king had leuied, with much more, towards the charges to be emploied in sending hir foorth, he appointed certeine of his greatest péeres to safe conduct hir vnto hir husband, who with all conuenient speed conueied hir into Germanie, and in verie honorable maner there deliuered hir vnto the foresaid emperour. After this, the The king goeth ouer into Normandie. king went into Normandie, and there created his sonne William duke of that countrie, causing the people to sweare fealtie and obedience to him, whereof rose a custome, that the kings of England from thencefoorth (so long as Normandie remained in their hands) made euer their eldest sonnes dukes of that countrie. When he had doone this with other his businesse in Normandie, he returned into England.
1114. The sea decreaseth. Wonders. Wil. Thorne. In this yeare about the fiftéenth daie of October, the sea so decreased and shranke from the old accustomed water-markes and coasts of the land here in this realme, that a man might haue passed on foot ouer the sands and washes, for the space of a whole daie togither, so that it was taken for a great woonder. It was also noted, that the maine riuers (which by the tides of the sea vsed to ebbe and flow twice in 24. houres) became so shallow, that in many places men might go ouer them without danger, Simon Dun. Ran. Higd. Matth. Westm. and namlie the riuer of Thames was so lowe for the space of a day and a night, that horsses, men, and children passed ouer it betwixt London bridge and the tower, and also vnder the bridge, the water not reaching aboue their knées. Moreouer, in the moneth of December, the aire 1115.
An. Reg. 16. appeared red, as though it had burned. In like maner, the Winter was verie extreame cold with frosts, by reason whereof at the thawing and breaking of the yce, the most part of all the bridges in England were broken and borne downe.
1116.
An. Reg. 17. Griffin ap Rice dooth much hurt on the marshes. Polydor. Not long after this, Griffin ap Rees tooke a great preie and bootie out of the countries subiect to the king within the limits of Wales, and burned the kings castels, bicause he would not restore such lands and possessions vnto him as apperteined to his father Rées or Rice. Howbeit, the king (notwithstanding this businesse) being not otherwise troubled with any other warres or weightie affaires, deferred his voiage into those quarters, and first called a councell of his lords both spirituall and temporall at Salisburie on the nintéenth daie of March, wherein manie things were ordeined for the wealth and quiet state of the land. And first he sware the Nobilitie of the realme, that they should be true to him and his sonne William after his deceasse. Secondlie, he appeased sundrie matters then in controuersie betwixt the Nobles and great Péers, causing the same to be brought to an end, and the parties made freends: the diuision betwixt the archbishops of Yorke and Canturburie (which had long depended in triall, and could not as yet haue end) excepted. For ambitious Thurstane would not stand to any decrée or order therin, except he might haue had his whole will, so that the king taking displeasure with him for his obstinate demeanor, commanded him either to Thurstane refuseth to obey the kings pleasure. Eadmerus. be conformable to the decrée made in Lanfranks time, or else to renounce his miter, which to doo (rather than to acknowledge any subiection to the archbishop of Canturburie) he séemed to be verie willing at the first, but afterwards repented him of his speech passed in that behalfe. Now when the councell was ended, and the king went ouer into Normandie, he followed, trusting by some meanes to persuade the king, that he might haue his furtherance to be consecrated, without recognizing any obedience to the sée of Canturburie: but the king would not heare him, whereby the matter rested long in sute, as heereafter shall appeare.
¶ Hereby it is plaine (as Polydor saith) how the bishops in those daies were blinded with couetousnesse and ambition, not considering that it was their duties to despise such worldlie pompe, as the people regard, and that their calling required a studious endeuour for the health of such soules as fell to their charge. Neither yet remembred they the simplicitie of Christ, and his contempt of worldlie dignitie, when he refused to satisfie the humor of the people, who verie desirouslie would haue made him a king, but withdrew himselfe, and departed to a mountaine himselfe alone. They were rather infected with the ambition of the apostles, contending one with another for the primasie, forgetting the vocation whereto Christ had separated them, not to rule as kings ouer the gentiles; but to submit their necks to the yokes of obedience, as they had Christ their maister an example and president.
The first vse of parlements in England. ¶ Here is to be noted, that before this time, the kings of England vsed but seldome to call togither the states of the realme after any certeine maner or generall kind of processe, to haue their consents in matters to be decreed. But as the lords of the priuie councell in our time doo sit onlie when necessitie requireth, so did they whensoeuer it pleased the king to haue any conference with them. So that from this Henrie it may be thought the first vse of the parlement to haue proceeded, which sith that time hath remained in force, and is continued vnto our times, insomuch that whatsoeuer is to be decreed touching the state of the commonwealth and conseruation thereof, is now referred to that councell. And furthermore, if any thing be appointed by the king or any other person to be vsed for the wealth of the realme, it shall not yet be receiued as law, till by authoritie of this assemblie it be established.
Now bicause the house should not be troubled with multitude of vnlearned cōmoners, whose propertie is to vnderstand little reason, and yet to conceiue well of their owne dooings: there was a certeine order taken, what maner of ecclesiasticall persons, and what number and sort of temporall men should be called vnto the same, and how they should be chosen by voices of free holders, that being as atturnies for their countries, that which they confessed or denied, should bind the residue of the realme to receiue it as a law. This counsell is called a parlement, by the French word, for so the Frenchmen call their publike assemblies.
The maner of the parlement in England The maner of their consulting heere in England in their said assemblies of parlement is on this wise. Whereas they haue to intreat of matters touching the commoditie both of the prince and of the people, that euerie man may haue free libertie to vtter what he thinketh, they are appointed to sit in seuerall chambers, the king, the bishops, and lords of the realme sit in one chamber to conferre togither by themselues; and the commoners called knights for the shires, citizens of cities, and burgesses of good townes in another. These choose some wise, eloquent, and learned man to be their prolocutor or speaker (as they terme him) who propoundeth those things vnto them that are to be talked of, and asketh euerie mans opinion concerning the conclusion thereof. In like sort, when any thing is agreed vpon, and decreed by them in this place (which they call the lower house in respect of their estate) he declareth it againe to the lords that sit in the other chamber called the higher house, demanding likewise their iudgments touching the same. For nothing is ratified there, except it be agreed vpon by the consent of the more part of both those houses. Now when they haue said their minds, and yeelded their confirmation therevnto, the finall ratification is referred to the prince; so that if he thinke good that it shall passe for a law, he confirmeth also by the mouth of the lord Chancelor of the realme, who is prolocutor to the lords alwaies by the custome of that house.
The same order is vsed also by the bishops and spiritualtie in their conuocation houses. For the bishops sit in one place by themselues as in the higher house, and the deanes, archdeacons, and other procurators of the spiritualtie in an other, as in the lower house, whose prolocutor declareth to the bishops what is agreed vpon by them. Then the archbishop (by consent of the more part of them that are assembled in both those conuocation houses) ratifieth and pronounceth their decrees for lawes, remitting (notwithstanding) the finall ratification of them to the temporall houses.
This is the order of the lawgiuing of England; and in such decrees (established by authoritie of the prince, the lords spirituall and temporall, and the commons of this realme thus assembled in parlement) consisteth the whole force of our English lawes. Which decrees are called statutes, meaning by that name, that the same should stand firme and stable, and not be repealed without the consent of an other parlement, and that vpon good and great consideration.