HENRY THE FIFTH. [1413-1422.] "THIS King," fays Hollinfhed, " even at first "appointing with himself, to fhew that in his per"fon princelie honours should change publicque "manners, determined to put on him the shape "of a new man. For, whereas aforetime he " had made himselfe a companion unto misrulie mates of diffolute order and life, he now "banished them all from his presence, (but not "unrewarded, or else unpreferred,) inhibiting "them, upon great paine, not once to approach, "lodge, or fojourne within ten miles of his "court or presence; and in their places he "chose men of gravitie, wit, and high policie, "by whose wife councill he might at all times "rule to his honour and dignitie: calling to "minde, how once, to the offense of the King "his Father, he had with his fift ftricken the "Chiefe Justice, for fending one of his minions "(upon defert) to prifon, when the Justice "ftoutlie commanded himself alfo ftrict to ward, and he (the Prince) obeied." THOMAS POLTON, ONE of the Ambaffadors from England to the Council of Conftance, in the thirty-first session of that Council, and in the year 1417, prefented a memoir in favour of the privileges and dignity of his country, and of its right of being a nation by itself, which was read to the Council, and the claims afferted in it were allowed by that Affembly, in fpite of the remonstrances made against it by the French Ambaffador, who infifted that they should remain as formerly, by a decree of Pope Benedict IX. a part of the German Nation*. On the arrival of Sigifmund the Emperor at the Council, in the fame year, the English repre The English were allowed to make the Fifth Nation. The reafons alleged by their Ambaffadors for the allowance of their claim, were, That England had given birth to Conftantine the Great; That it had never fallen into any herefy; That, whilst in France there was only one language spoken, in England five were spoken; and, That Albertus Magnus and Bartholomew Glanville had long fince divided Europe into four Kingdoms-that of Rome, that of Conftantinople, that of Ireland (which had since that time belonged to the English), and that of Spain, without making the least mention of France; and, That the Common Law takes notice of four Univerfities only, according to the four Nationsthat of Paris for the French, Oxford for the English, Bologna for the Italians, and Salamanca for the Spaniards. fented fented a facred Drama before him, which was quite a novelty in Germany. It contained the Adoration of the Magi, and the Maffacre of the Innocents by Herod. One ceremony the Englifh obferved in this Council, which had, perhaps, been better omitted,-the celebration of the Anniversary of the Canonization of Thomas à Becket, an arrogant infolent Prelate, who defied the laws of his Country and the King of it. "This Archbishop," fays L'Enfant, in his Hiftory of this Council, was canonized in 1173, " and has been ever looked upon by the Ro"mish Church, if not as a martyr for the Faith, ❝as a martyr for her pretenfions. I do not, «however, think that his canonization could "have been grateful to this Council." 66 HENRY THE SIXTH. [1422-1461.] "THIS Prince," fays Hollinfhed, .. (befides "the bare title of royaltie and naked name of King,) had little appertaining to the port of a "Prince. For (whereas the dignitie of prince"dome ftandeth in fovereigntie) there were of "his Nobles that imbecilled his prerogative by fundrie practifes, fpecially by main force, as feeking C. 24, "feeking either to fuppreffe, or to exile, or to "obfcure, or to make him awaie; otherwise "what should be the meaning of all thofe foughten fields most miserablie falling out "both to Prince, Peere, and People, as at St. "Alban's, at Bloreheath, at Northampton, at "Banberie, at Barnet, at Wakefield, to the effu"fion of much bloud, and putting on of manie "a plage, which otherwise might have been ❝ avoided." SIR JOHN FORTESCUE, Knt. CHANCELLOR AND CHIEF JUSTICE TO HENRY THE SIXTH. HAD M. Necker and M. de Brienne looked into a book written by this great and honest Lawyer, intitled, "Of Abfolute and Limited "Monarchie," they would have there seen predicted, what, unluckily for them and the Kingdom, happened, by the measures which they fuggested in hopes of gaining fome money for their diftreffed and impoverished Sovereign. "Realme of France," fays Fortefcue, "gyveth "never freely, of their own good will, any fub' fydie to their Prince; because the Commons "thereof being fo poor, as they may not gyve any thing of their own goods; and the Kyng "there ૮. 4 "The "there afkyth never fubfydie of his Nobles, for "dreade that yf he chargy'd them fo, they "would confedre with the Commons, and peradventure put him down." "The poor man had been ftyred thereto by "occafion of his povertie for to get good; and "the riche men have gone with them, because they would not be poor by lofyng of their 66 goods. Trulie it is like, that this land (that "of France) fchuld be like unto the land of "Boeme (Bohemia), where the Comons for 66 povertie rose upon the Nobles, and made all "the goods to be common. Item, It is the Kinge's "honour, and alfo his office, to make his realme "riche, and yt is dishonour, when he hath a poor "realme; of which men will say, that he reygneth upon beggars, yet yt war much gretter dyf honour, if he founde his realme riche and then "made it poor; and also it were gretely agenste "his confyence, that ought to defend them and "their goods, if he take from them their goods "without lawfull caufe. From the infamie "thereof God defend our King, and gyve him grace to augment his realme in richefs, welth, "and prosperite, to his perpetual laude and " honour!" C 3 |