80. Lawyers and Sheriffs excluded from Parliament (November, 1372. French text and translation, I S. R. 394. 2 Stubbs, 445.) WHER HEREAS men of the law who follow divers businesses in the king's courts on behalf of private persons, with whom they are, do procure and cause to be brought into parliament many petitions in the name of the commons, which in no wise relate to them, but only the private persons with whom they are engaged; also sheriffs who are common officers for the people, and ought to be abiding in their office, for the doing right to every one, are named, and have heretofore been and returned to parliament knights of the shires, by the same sheriffs; it is accorded and assented in this parliament, that hereafter no man of the law following business in the king's court, nor any sheriff for the time that he is sheriff, be returned nor accepted knights of the shires; nor that they who are men of the law and sheriffs now returned to parliament have any wages; but the king willeth that knights and sergeants of the most worthy of the county be hereafter returned knights in parliament; and that they be elected in full county. 81. Grant of Tunnage and Poundage, by Citizens and Burgesses alone (November, 1372. French text, 2 R. P. 310. Translation by Editors. 2 Stubbs, 444, 557.) 14. AND after this leave was given to the knights of the shires to depart and to sue out their writs for their expenses. And so they departed. 15. But the citizen and burgesses who had come to the said parliament, were commanded to tarry for certain reasons, which citizens and burgesses, the next day after, having assembled before the prince and others, prelates and great men, in a chamber near the white chamber, it was shown to them, how the year before, grant had been made for a certain term for the safe and sure conduct of the ships and merchandises coming to this land by sea and passing from it, a subsidy, that is to say, on each tun of wine coming into this land, two shillings, and of each pound of merchandise of what sort soever, both that entering and that leaving, six pence, which term is already past. That they in consideration of the perils and mischiefs which might come to their ships and merchandises at the hands of enemies on the sea, should will to grant such a subsidy to endure for a year, for the said reasons. Which subsidy they granted to the king to take the manner in which it was taken and levied in the And so they departed. and to levy in year last past. 82. Impeachment of Richard Lyons (May, 1376. French text, 2 R. P. 323. Translation by Editors. 17. FIRST, Richard Lyons, merchant of London, was impeached and accused by the said commons of many deceptions, extortions, and other crimes committed by him against the king our lord, and against his people as well during the time when he was in attendance upon the household and council of the king as also during the time when he was farmer of the subsidies and customs of the king. And especially because the said Richard, by covenant made between him and certain of the privy council of our lord the king to secure their own profit and advantage thereof, has procured the making of many patents and writs of licence for carrying great quantities of wool, woolfells, and other merchandises to places outside of the staple of Calais, contrary to the ordinances and prohibitions made before this time in parliament, to the damage of the same staple of Calais and of the revenue there, to the great damage of the king and of the realm of England and to the ruin of the city of Calais aforesaid. And also, because he has put and procured to be put upon the wool, woolfells, and other merchandises, certain new impositions without the assent of parliament, and he has levied and collected those impositions largely for his own use and for the use of those about the king who are of the said covenant, without the oversight or witness of any comptroller, and without his being charged by record or otherwise except at his will, but he alone is sole treasurer and receiver, and the high treasurer of the realm does not interfere at all. And it is commonly said that he takes in certain from a parcel ten shillings, and from other parcels twelve pence, from each sack etc., which amounts to a vast sum for all the time that he has been receiver and treasurer thereof, as is aforesaid. And likewise of another new imposition of four pence made and put by him upon each pound of coin sent abroad by Lombards and other merchants, in the way of exchange, by his own authority and without warrant or assent of parliament, or otherwise. And this same imposition of four pence on the pound, a great portion collected and held for the use of the king, he pays our lord the king nothing thereof. And also of various loans made for the use of the king without necessary cause: and especially of one loan which was recently made in London of twenty thousand marks, for which twenty thousand marks our lord the king was obliged to repay thirty thousand marks; and this by the advice of the said Richard, and of other privy councillors about the king, who had agreed with the creditors to receive part of the profit, and to be partners secretly in the said loan: to which loan the said Richard furnished his own money and afterwards gained by way of usury from the king his lord, of whose council he had formerly been a member, a great quantity of coin to the great damage and deception of the king. And also of many other extortions, frauds, deceptions, oppressions, champerties, and maintenances, committed against our lord the king and against his people, in every part of the realm, as well during the time that the said Richard was farmer of the subsidies and customs of the king throughout the realm, and thus acted toward him and his council, and treasurer or receiver of the said new impositions, as at other times, by taking upon himself notoriously the royal power in all the said things, which would have been a horrible matter to rehearse in full. And also in that when the king our lord was debtor of record for many great sums of money to various persons, the said Richard by the assent of other privy councillors about the king, of his said covenant, made bargains in many such debts, some at one time for the tenth penny and at another time for the twentieth or the hundredth penny, and obtained the payment of the entire debt by the king. And also by his subtleties of this sort, and for his personal profit, both the king our lord and the said debtors were foully deceived; and especially the prior of Saint John of Jerusalem in England, to whom the king was debtor for a certain sum, and the said Richard had thereof four marks out of every twenty as brokerage, for obtaining for the prior the payment of the balance. And at another time of the lord le Despenser, to whom the king was also debtor; and the said Richard obtained from him, in the same manner another large sum of money. And also, of many others, to the great deception, slander, and degradation of the king and of his court. 18. To which the said Richard, being present in parliament, replied, that as to the loan made to the king of the twenty thousand marks aforesaid, he was entirely free from any blame. And further he said that he had thereof neither profit nor gain, nor did he furnish anything to the loan aforesaid, in money, nor in anything else and this he was ready to prove by all the reasonable means that might be demanded. And as to the said imposition of ten shillings and of twelve pence on the sack of wool etc., and of four pence on the pound of coin he could not clearly excuse himself of having also levied and collected them and of taking thereof a portion for himself that is to say, twelve pence from each sack of wool, etc. But this he did, he said, at the express command of our lord the king and at the prayer and with the consent of the merchants who asked for such licences. And as to the residue of those impositions, he had caused them to be entirely delivered to the receiver of the chamber of the king and had accounted therefor fully in the said chamber. And the said Richard was told that for it he ought to produce the warrant under the authority of which he had done the said things. But no warrant nor authorization was produced in parliament under the seal of the king, nor otherwise; save only that he said, that he had commandment therefor from the king himself and from his council to do it. And upon this, testimony was given openly in parliament, that our lord the king had said expressly the day before to certain lords here present in parliament, that he did not know how nor in what manner he had entered into such an office with regard to him; and furthermore, he did not recognize him as his officer. And as to the other articles the said Richard made no answer; but he said that if he had committed offence or done wrong in any wise, he placed himself at the mercy of the king our lord. 19. Thereupon the said Richard was ordered to prison during the king's pleasure; and to be put to fine and ransom, according to the amount and heinousness of his offence: and that he lose his liberty of the city of London, and that he never hold office of the king nor enter the council nor the palace of the king. And accordingly, the said Richard was afterwards brought before the lords of parliament, and there he was told that it seemed to the lords that his evil deeds were so great and heinous that he could not make adequate satisfaction for them. And at once the said Richard placed at the mercy of the king, his person, his lands, tenements, goods, and chattels; and there willed and granted that his person, lands, goods, and chattels should be at the mercy of the king to ordain and to do therewith as was his pleasure: requesting the king to grant him his life, if it were his pleasure; and if that were not his pleasure, that he should do with him and his, his entire will. Wherefore it is also adjudged that all his lands, tenements, goods, and chattels be seised into the hands of the king, and that his person remain in prison, during the king's pleasure. And as to the extortions committed by the said Richard or his deputies during the time that he was farmer of the said subsidies or custom, as is above said, it is ordained in parliament, that good inquisition be made by proper persons in all the ports of England. 83. Grant of a Poll Tax, and Petition for special Treasurers (February, 1377. French text, 2 R. P. 364. Translation by Editors. 19. THE noble lords and commons assembled in this parliament perceiving clearly the great charges and the very grievous and insupportable expenses which our lord the king makes and still must needs make more and more every day, as well, that is to say in the maintenance of the war and the defense of the realm of England, as otherwise, of their common assent and free will, have granted to our said lord the king in maintenance of his said wars, four pence to be taken of the goods of each person of the said realm, as well males as females, above the age of fourteen years. Excepting only genuine mendicants without fraud. Praying most humbly to their said liege lord that it will please him to excuse them because they are not now able to grant a greater subsidy: for, they would have been most willing to do this, if it had not been that they had been so impoverished in the past, as well by great losses on the sea, as otherwise by bad years which had befallen them so that they are not able to do more at present. 20. And also the said commons pray that it may please our lord the king to name two earls and two barons, of those who shall seem to him best, who shall be guardians and treasurers as well of this subsidy now granted and of the subsidy which the clergy |