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the house, and immediately twice read, and committed; an expedition never before heard of in parliament; and the next day, with as little agitation, and the contradiction of very few voices, engrossed, and carried up to the lords. With them it had

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some debate, and amendments, which were delivered at a conference, the principal whereof was, "that the time should be limited, and not left indefinite, and that it should not be dissolved with"in two years, except by consent of both houses;" that time being sufficient to provide against any accidents that were then apprehended.

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These alterations were highly resented in the house of commons, as argument of jealousy between the king and the parliament, "that it should be imaginable the members of both houses, who "resided from their houses and conveniences at great charge for the service of the public, would "desire to continue longer together than the neces

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sity of that service should require;" without considering, that it was more unlikely that the king (who had condescended so far to them, and had yet in truth received no fruit from their meeting) would dissolve them, as long as they intended that for which they were summoned together, and con. tained themselves within the bounds of duty and moderation.

But the commons stoutly insisted on their own bill; and the lords, in that hurry of noise and confusion, when the people were abroad, kindly consented likewise to it: and so, by the importunity, and upon the undertaking of persons he then most trusted, in the agony of the other despatch, the

king was induced to include that bill in the commission with the act of attainder, and so they were both passed together.

After the passing these two bills, the temper and spirit of the people, both within and without the walls of the two houses, grew marvellous calm and composed; there being likewise about that time passed by the king, the two bills, for the taking away the star-chamber court, and the high commission so that there was not a grievance or inconvenience, real or imaginary, to which there was not a through remedy applied; and therefore all men expected, that both armies would be speedily disbanded; and such returns of duty and acknowledgment be made to the king, as might be agreeable to their professions, and to the royal favours he had vouchsafed to his people.

But what provisions soever were made for the public, particular persons had received no satisfaction.

The death of the earl of Bedford, and the high proceedings in all those cases in which the king was most concerned, left all those who expected offices and preferments, desperate in their hopes : and yet an accident happened, that might have been looked upon as an earnest or instance of some encouragement that way.

Besides the lord Say's being invested in the mastership of the wards, in the place of the lord Cottington, (who was every day threatened, upon the secretary's paper of results, to be accused of high treason, till, like a wise man, he retired from the offices which begat his trouble; and for a long time after, till he again embarked himself in public employments, enjoyed himself without the least

disturbance,) at a committee in the lords' house, in the afternoon, in some debate, passion arose between the earl of Pembroke, who was then lord chamberlain of the household, and the lord Mowbray, eldest son to the earl of Arundel; and from angry and disdainful words, an offer or attempt of blows was made; for which misdemeanour, they were the next day both sent to the Tower by the house of lords. The king, taking advantage of this miscarriage; and having been long incensed by the passionate, indiscreet, and insolent carriage of the earl, sent to him, by a gentleman usher, for his staff; and within two or three days after bestowed it upon the earl of Essex; who, without any hesitation, took it.

It was thought this extraordinary grace to the most popular person of the kingdom would have had a notable influence upon the whole party, which made him believe it depended very much on him: but it was so far from having that effect, as they looked upon that favour, rather as a mark of punishment and revenge upon the earl of Pembroke, for his affection to them, and for giving his suffrage against the earl of Strafford, (which he had often professed to the king he could never in conscience do,) than of estimation and kindness to the earl of Essex; and so were in truth more offended and incensed with the disgrace and disobligation to the one, than they were pleased with the preferment of the other therefore whatever concerned the king in right; or what he might naturally expect from the compliance and affection of the house; or what was any way recommended by his majesty to them, found little or no respect.

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His revenue was so far from being advanced, (as had been gloriously promised,) that it was, both in dignity and value, much lessened from what it was: for shortly after the beginning of the parliament, great complaint had been made, "that tonnage and "poundage" (which is the duty and subsidy paid by the merchant upon trade) "had been taken by the king without consent of parliament;" the case whereof in truth is this: this duty had been constantly given to the succeeding king, ever since the reign of king Edward the Fourth, for his life, in the first parliament they held after their coming to the crown before that time, it had been granted for years; and was originally intended for the support of the navy, whereby the merchant might be freed from danger of pirates; and upon the death of every king since that time, his successor always received it, without the least interruption, till the next parliament; in the beginning whereof it was always without scruple granted: so that, though it was, and must always be acknowledged as the free gift of the people, (as all other subsidies are,) yet it was looked upon as so essential a part of the revenue of the crown, that it could not be without it and as the king is not less king before his coronation than he is after, so this duty had been still enjoyed as freely before, as it was after an act of parliament to that purpose; neither had there been ever any exception taken in parliament, (which sometimes was not in a year after the death of the former king,) that the crown had continued the receipt of it; which it always did, till the time of a new grant.

Thus, after the death of king James, his majesty received it, till the first parliament was summoned;

and, that and two more being unfortunately dissolved, (as was said before,) in which his ministers were not solicitous enough for the passing that act for tonnage and poundage, continued the receipt of it till this present parliament: then (that is, many weeks after the beginning of it) it was directed, "that a bill should be speedily prepared for the

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granting it, as had been usual, lest the crown might, by so long enjoying, in a manner prescribe "to it of right, without the donation of the people;” which the king always disclaimed to do. Shortly after (no man presuming to intimate, that it should be granted in any other manner than of course it had been) it was alleged, that the bill could not "be so speedily prepared as were to be wished, by reason that there were many just exceptions made

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by the merchants to the book of rates, which had "been lately made by the farmers of the customs, “in the time and by the direction of the earl of Portland;" (circumstances that carried prejudice enough to whatsoever they were applied;) and therefore it was proposed, for the present, as the best expedient to continue his majesty's supply, and to preserve the right of giving in the people, " that a temporary bill should pass, for the granting the same to his majesty for two months only, in which time a new book of rates should be made, more advantageous to his majesty in point of profit," (which was always solemnly professed,) “ and then a complete act might pass.'

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To this purpose a bill was accordingly brought in, the preamble whereof I renounced and declared against not only any power in the crown of levying the duty of tonnage and poundage, without

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