Albeit that the right, title, and estate, which our sovereign lord the king Richard the Third, hath to and in the crown and royal dignity of this realm of England, with all things thereunto within the same realm, and without it, united, annexed and appertaining, be just and lawful, as grounded upon the laws of God and of nature, and also upon the ancient laws and laudable customs of this.said realm, and so taken and reputed by all such persons as are learned in the abovesaid laws and customs. Yet nevertheless, forasmuch as it is considered, that the most part of the people of this land is not sufficiently learned in the abovesaid laws and customs, whereby the truth and right in this behalf of likelihood may be hid, and not clearly known to all the people, and thereupon put in doubt and question. And besides this, how that the court of parliament is of such authority, and the people of this land of such nature and disposition, as experience teacheth, that manifestation and declaration of any truth or right, made by the three estates of this realm assembled in parliament, and by authority of the same, maketh, before all other things, most faith and certainty; and, quieting men's minds, removeth the occasion of all doubts and seditious language. Therefore, at the request, and by assent of the three estates of this realm, that is to say, the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons of this land, assembled in this present parliament, by authority of the same, be it pronounced, decreed, and declared, that our said sovereign lord the king was, and is, very and undoubted king of this realm of England, with all things thereunto within the same realm, and without it, united, annexed and appertaining, as well by right of consanguinity and inheritance, as by lawful election, consecration, and coronation. And besides this, that, at the request, and by the assent and authority abovesaid, be it ordained, enacted and established, that the said crown and royal dignity of this realm, and the inheritance of the same, and other things thereunto within this same realm, or without it, united, annexed, and now appertaining, rest and abide in the person of our said sovereign lord the king, during his life, and, after his discease, in his heirs of his body begotten. And in especial, at the request, and by assent and authority abovesaid, be it ordained, enacted, established, pronounced, decreed, and declared, that the high and excellent prince Edward, son of our said sovereign lord the king, be heir apparent of the same our sovereign lord the king, to succeed to him in the abovesaid crown and royal dignity, with all things as is aforesaid thereunto united, annexed and appertaining; to have them after the discease of P our said sovereign lord the king, to him and to his heirs of his body lawfully begotten. 132. Grant of Subsidy (1484. English original, 6 R. P. 238. 3 Stubbs, 236.) So the worship of God. We your poor commons by your high commandment come to this your present parliament, for the shires, cities and boroughs of this your noble realm, by the assent of all the lords spiritual and temporal in this your present parliament assembled, grant by this present indenture to you, our sovereign lord, for the defense of this your said realm, and in especial for the safeguard and keeping of the sea, a subsidy called tonnage, to be taken in manner and form following; that is to say, 111 shillings of every ton of wine coming into this your said realm, and of every ton of sweet wine coming into the same your realm, by any foreign merchant, as well by the merchants of Hanse and of Almain, as of any other foreign merchant, iii shillings, over the said 111 shillings afore granted: to have and to perceive yearly the said subsidy, from the first day of this present parliament, for term of your natural life. And over that, we your said commons, by the assent aforesaid, grant to you, our said sovereign lord, for the safeguard and keeping of the sea, another subsidy called poundage; that is to say, of all manner merchandises of every merchant denizen and alien, as well of the merchants of Hanse and of Almain, as of any other foreign merchant, carried out of this your said realm or brought into the same by way of merchandise, of the value of every xxs., xiid.; except tin, whereof the merchants strangers to pay for subsidy, of the value of every xxs., 11S.; and the merchants denizens, xiid.; and all such manner merchandises of every merchant denizen, to be valued after that they cost at the first buying or achate, by their oaths, or of their servants buyers of the said merchandises in their absence, or by their letters, the which the same merchants have of such buying from their factors; all manner of woolen cloth made and wrought within this your realm, by any merchant denizen not born alien, to be carried out of the same realm within the time of this grant, all manner wools, woolfells and hides, going out of the same, and every manner of corn, flour, all manner of fresh fish, bestial, and wine, into this your realm coming, ale, and all manner victual going out of this your said realm for the victualing of your town of Calais, and of the marches there under your obeyance, out of this grant always except to have and to receive yearly the said subsidy of poundage, from the said first day of this present parliament, during your natural life; except afore except. And if any concealment be found in the merchants of the duty aforesaid, that they for such concealment pay thereof only the double subsidy, without any other hurt of forfeiture in that behalf; and that these grants be not taken in ensample to the kings of England in time to come. And that it may please your Highness, that as well merchants denizens, as strangers, coming into this your said realm with their merchandises, be well and honestly entreated and demeaned in their subsidies and all other things, and that the said merchants be entreated and demeaned as they were in the time of your noble progenitors, without oppression to be done to the merchants aforesaid, by the treasurer of England for the time being, customers, controllers, searchers, or any other your officers, paying their subsidies abovesaid. And that the said subsidies and every parcel of them, be employed and applied for the safeguard and keeping of the sea, and defense of this your said realm, in manner and form as it is before rehearsed. And over that, we your said poor commons, by the assent aforesaid, grant to you, our said sovereign lord, for the great affection and true humble hearts that we have to your Highness, for the defense of this your noble realm, a subsidy of wools, woolfells and hides, to be paid and levied in manner and form that followeth; that is to say, of every merchant denizen, for the subsidy of every sack of wool, xxxiiis. iiiid., and of every ccxl woolfells, xxxiiis. iiiid., and of every last of hides lxvis. viiid.; to have and receive the said subsidy, from the said first day of this present parliament, for term of your life: and of every merchant stranger, not born your liegeman, as well those that be made denizens, as hereafter shall be made by your letters patents or otherwise, as of other merchants strangers, of every sack of wool, lxvis. viiid., and of every ccxl woolfells, lxvis. viiid., and of every last of hides, lxxiiis. iiiid., going out of this your said realm; to have and to receive the said subsidies of the merchandises of the said aliens, from the said first day of this present parliament, during your natural life: the one half of all the said subsidies, by the merchants denizens to be paid at the end of six months next after the going out of the merchandises, and the other half at the end of six months then next following, for to dispose and ordain after your right gracious will and discretion for the defense abovesaid. *** 133. An Act to free Subjects from (1484. French text and translation, 2 S. R. 478. 3 Stubbs, 219, 237.) 2. THE king remembering how the commons of this his realm by new and unlawful inventions and inordinate covetousness, against the law of this realm, have been put to great thraldom and importable charges and exactions, and in especial by a new imposition named a benevolence, whereby divers years the subjects and commons of this land against their wills and freedom have paid great sums of money to their almost utter destruction; for divers and many worshipful men of this realm by occasion thereof were compelled by necessity to break up their households and to live in great penury and wretchedness, their debts unpaid and their children unpreferred, and such memorials as they had ordained to be done for the wealth of their souls were made void and annulled, to the great displeasure of God and to the destruction of this realm; therefore the king will it be ordained, by the advice and assent of his lords spiritual and temporal and the commons of this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that his subjects and the commonalty of this his realm from henceforth in no wise be charged by none such charge or imposition called benevolence, nor by such like charge; and that such exactions called benevolences, afore this time taken be taken for no example to make such or any like charge of any his said subjects of this realm hereafter, but it be dampned and annulled forever. 134. Recognition of the Title of Henry VII HEN ENRY, by the grace of God, king of England and of France, and lord of Ireland, at the parliament holden at Westminster the seventh day of November, in the first year of the reign of King Henry, the seventh after the conquest. To the pleasure of Almighty God, the wealth, prosperity and surety of this realm of England, to the singular comfort of all the king's subjects of the same and in avoiding of all ambiguities and questions, with the assent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and at the request of the commons, it is ordained, established and enacted by authority of this present parliament, that the inheritances of the crowns of the realms of England and of France, with all the permanence and royal dignity to the same pertaining, and all other seigniuriez to the king belonging beyond the sea with the appurtenances thereto in any wise due or pertaining, be, rest, remain and abide in the most royal person of our now sovereign lord King Henry the VIIth and in the heirs of his body lawfully coming, perpetually with the grace of God so to endure and in none other. 135. An Act against bringing in of Gascony Wine, except in English, Irish, or Welshmen's Ships IT (1485. Henry VII. c. 8. 2 S. R. 502.) TEM, in the said parliament it was called to remembrance of the great minishing and decay that hath been now of late time of the navy within this realm of England, and idleness of the mariners within the same, by the which this noble realm within short process of time, without reformation be had therein, shall not be of habilite and power to defend itself: wherefore at the prayer of the said commons, the king our sovereign lord, by the advice of the lords spiritual and temporal, in this said present parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, it is enacted, ordained and established, that no manner person of what degree or condition that he be of, buy nor sell within this said realm, |