suffice that un to us alle it is undoubted, yf some folkes hadd followed the commyn opinion that was thoughte allewey most lykly to falle, moche of ther daunger had bene avoyded. But now trowthe [hit] ys quod sicut audivimus sic vidimus. There for to diligent herynge Isaie exhorteth bothe princes, whych may be compared seyngea Audite celi, and other

havyng gret honours and possessions, in thes words, et auribus percipe terra. Hyt ys the same prophete that scythe Audite insule, as whoo wolld sey the most proper meyne to kepe the grette estates of the public body in ther welthe and prosperite ys everyche to herken apon other, soo that neyther for supplantacion, dissimulacion, ne envye the due proporcion and armonie of thys body be not disturbed. By concord, as Salustius seythe, smalle thyngs growe on the grete, and by discord fulle grete thynges falle to ruine and desolacion. The cause why lordys and nobille men oughte more to be persuadid to accord, and eche amyabilly to herken apon other, then the hole generallte of alle the peuple, is playne and evident inowe, consyderynge how the polityk rule of every region wele ordeigned stondithe in the nobles; for after that Rome was peupleed, the fyrst institucion of the thynge public there made by Romulus was in centum senatoribus; lyke wyse Moises, the leder of the chelderne of Israel, by th' advise and counselle of Jetro his cosen, chose oute of the whole multitude a certen nombre of wyse and nobille men to have power undre hym in alle causes reserved the grettest; lyke as in theys dayes in every region where is a monarchie and one prince [the semblable] policie is observyd. To yow then my lordys perteynethe principally the offyce of herynge of the state of every case fallynge a mong your self, or the peuple undre yowe, yowrself to be reduced by lovynge tretie, the peuple be true justice. Ye be lyke to Moyses and Aaron, whych escend unto the mownt where the lawe ys geven. The peuple must stond a forr, and not passe the lymittes; ye speke with the prince, whyche is quasi deus noster in terris, as

they did with God mouthe to mouthe; but hyt suffisith the peuple to receyve with due obeissaunce the prince's commandementes by the direccion of hys wyse ministers and offycers, that saynge to everyche of yow, as they of Israel dyd to Moises, loquere tu nobis et audiemus, non loquatur nobis Dominus. When the grett prince Allemighty God, lord of alle lordes, gaf the lawe yn the hylle to Moises and Aaron, the peuple stondynge by nethe, nat ferre thens, but att the foote of the mownte, grett thundre clappys were herde, muche lyghtnynge and other terrible impressions wer seyn, whyche sore agasted the peuple, for the whyche they seyd to Moises, as to a mortalle man such as they were them self, how be yt he was yn hye estate and had undre God the ledyng and governaunce of them, Moises, quod they, our duke and maister, speke thow to us and we shalle here and obeye thee, lete not owr Lord speke un to us. Hyt ys not unknowen but that when so ever the kynge in hys person, for the multitude of mysdoers, takythe upon hym to visite hys Reame

yn hys hyghe presence, the criminalle causes of felonyes, murders, and other haynouse and incredible oultrages, the ministracion of justice is wont to be so terrible and precise in processe that alle the pertees and persones adjoignaunt quake and tremble for fere. Dicunt ergo, Non loquatur nobis dominus. Wherefor it ys not to doulte but that the rule and governaile of the Reame appereth then in most temperaunce and moderacion when the kynges juges and commisses be obeyd at large in every parte of the londe, so that hys hyghenes and hys nobylle counselle be not letted, where the kynge lystythe beste to be, to entend the politik establysshynge of the Reme. Attendite igitur populi de longe, Gyff then your attendaunce, ye peuple that stonde ferre of, to the lordes and nobille men whyche be in auctorite; they come from the wele hedd, ye stonde a longe. I speke not to yowe that nowe represent the hele, but to them that ye come fro, whome for ther gret and confuse nombre and multitude nature can not wele suffre to assemble in oo place apt to the makynge of a lawe. When Romulus lakked peuple and made hys newe cite to be and called azilum, that ys to sey a franchese or

sanctuary for every person that wollde come and dwelle there, the law was made by the assente of alle the peuple togedyr; they were not in suche nombre but that they mighte welle be assembled in oo place. But after they were so ferre encreased that hyt was hard and in maner impossible [for them to meet all together, the] power of the lawe was geven to the [senate] to the nombre of a .c. noble and wyse men; yet after that chalenged the peuple to haue ther enterlacyng yn gret causes with the nobles, and obteigned a specyalle magistrate called tribunus plebis to be ther president in ther consultacions, lyke as yn the senate the one of the consuls proposed and diffined alle that was amonges them. I see the policie of thys Reme in the tyme of holdynge of parliamentes grettly correspondente to the same maner of the Romanes. Thys ys the howse of the senate. The commons have ther apart. And lyke as yn thys house one tanquam consul makithe the questions, soo yn the lower howse in lyke wyse alle ys directed by the speker quasi per tribunum. Valerie in the seconde boke of the memorable dictes and dedys of Rome rehersythe that, thowe the Tribunes of the peuple might not presume to entre withyn the courte of the Senatours, yet schulde they have setes withoute toa examine what were decried by the nobles, suche decrees to be not avayleable unto the tyme they were ratified by the peuple. See the passynge of every act made in a parliament, and alle is oo thynge, that that the Romaynes did in ther tyme, and that that we do nowe in thys the kynges most hyghe and soverayne courte. Audiunt insula, attendunt populi de longe. The princes and lordes have the fyrst and principalle undrestondynge and knowlege of every gret thynge necessarye to be redressed, the lower peuple and commens herkene and attende uppon them. And when they agre eche to other thynge can be better. That bodye ys hole and stronge whois stomake and bowels is ministered by the utward membres with that suffiseth to be wele degested; for if the fete and the hondes, whyche seme to doo most paynefulle labour for mannys lyvyng, wollde complayne ageynste the wombe as ageynste

a MS. the.

an idelle and slowthfulle parte of the bodye, and denye the provysyon of syche nessessarye foode as the stomake calleth for, hyt might sone happe, that faylynge the belye for lake, the guttes and intestines compressed and shut by drynesse, alle the other membres sholld nedes peryshe togedyr. And therefor hyt ys undoubted in nature that thys middelle membres of the body, that ys to sey, the stomake, the bely and partes adjoignante be not unoccupied, but hafe ryght a besy office; for when they be fedd they fede agayne, yeldynge un to every parte of the bodye that withoute the whyche no man may leve, that ys to wyt, in to all the vaynes blode, degested out of the best of mannys foode and repast. What ys the bely or where ys the wombe of thys grete publick body of Englonde but that and there where the Kyng ys hym self, hys court and hys counselle? for there must be digested alle maner metes, not onely servyng to commyn foode, but alleso to dent . . . and some tyme to medicines, such as be appropred to remedye the excesses and surfettes committed at large. Thidir be brought alle maters of weight, peax and were with outwarde londes, confederacions, [ligues and alliances, receivynge] and sendynge of embassades and messages, brekynge of treux, perises in the see, Routes and riotts, and unlawfulle assemblees, oppressions, extorsions, contemptes and abusions of the lawe, and many moo surfettes then can be welle nombred. Thys wombe wexed grete anemst the departure of the prince of blessed memorie the kynges fader, whome Godd absoyle, consyderynge the inextricable curis, pensifenesse3, thowghtes and charges wharewith ys wyse and fercastinge mynd was hugely occupied and encombreed, a fore hys decesse, seeyng the crafty and fraudulente delynge of the outward princes with whome he was allyed, and howe untruely they varied bothe for mariages, paymentes, suretees and other grete and noble appoyntmentes passed fro them by theor othys and selys. In the myddys of thys moste chargeable besinesses, the kynge owre souverayne lord ys callyd of Godd to reigne uppon hys peuple, and therefor hys hyghenesse, remembrynge how alle hys lovynge subjettes in what degree he fyndythe the state of hys londe at thys hys newe entree, and how

grete and weightye maters most nedes be digested dayly in hys counselle, as yn the stomak and bely of thys grete body of Englonde, sayth unto yowe, Dominus ab utero vocavit me, Audite insula, ye lordes of my counselle here, and yn alle maters gyfe good and redy audience. Et attendite populi, [ye] lovinge peuple and commens denye not yowr deligent attendaunce, quia Dominus ab utero vocavit me, for Godd hath called me [unto the occupation of mine] office, as a yonge creature comynge out of the wombe, and middes of ryghte weightye and besye cha[r]ges. What roten membre is that yn thys gret body of Englonde, how insensible and mortified ys that membre, that can not have compassion of the ache of hys hede. Synt Paule seyth, Si quid patitur unum membrum, compatiuntur etiam omnia membra.a Yf ever the nobles and peuple of this londe were kynde to any of ther princes, if they hadd at eny tyme a good truste of justice, and to be delyvered from newe and exactiff invencions, Iff therefor hit greved them not to renewe by auctoryte of parliamente syche grauntes as were thought yn the tyme of other kynges cowde not welle be spared, whoo can suppose but that they that see the most towarde and vertuous disposicion of our souveraygne lorde that now is, hys gentylle wytte and rype understondynge, ferre passynge the nature of hys youthe, who can thynke but that the lordes and commens of thys londe wylle as agreabilly pourvey for the sure maynetenaunce of hys hyghe estate as eny of their predecessours have done to eny other of the kynges of Englonde afore, namely considered the necessarye charges whych yn the tyme of the kynges tendre age must nedely be borne and supported by the ryght noble and famous prince the duke of Gloucestir hys uncle, protector of thys Reme. In whos gret puis [sance], wysdome and fortunes restethe at thys rason thexecucion of the defence of thys Reme, as wele ageynste

Mr. Sharon Turner has printed this word "seson," which may be the correct reading, though not so in the MS. The word "fortunes" has a stroke more, "fortumes:" and had possibly some other meaning. In the preceding line Mr. Turner read the imperfect word "prudence."