THOMAS POLTON,

ONE of the Ambaffadors from England to the Council of Conftance, in the thirty-firft feffion 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 fhould 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 reprefented a facred Drama before him, which was

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 Constantine the Great; that it had never fallen into any herefy; that, whilst in France there was only one language spoken, in England five wete fpoken; 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 fince that time belonged to the Englith) and that of Spain, without making the leaft mention of France; and, that the Common Law takes notice of four Univerfities only, according to the four Nations-that of Paris for the French, Oxford for the Englifh, Bologna for the Italians, and Salamanca for the Spaniards.

VOL. I.

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quite a novelty in Germany. It contained the Adoration of the Magi, and the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod. One ceremony the English observed in this Council, which had, perhaps, been better omitted-the celebration of the Anniverfary 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 Romish 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."

HENRY THE SIXTH.

[1422-1461.]

"THIS Prince," fays Hollinfhed," (besides "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 standeth in fovereigntie) there were of

his Nobles that imbecilled his prerogative by "fundrie practises, specially by main force, as seeking either to fuppreffe, or to exile, or to « obfcure,

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obfcure, or to make him awaie; otherwife what "fhould be the meaning of all those foughten "fields moft miferablie falling out both to Prince,

Peere, and People, as at St. Alban's, at Blore"heath, at Northampton, at Banberie, at Barnet, "at Wakefield, to the effufion of much bloud, "and putting on of manie a plage, which other "wife 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 honeft Lawyer, intitled, "Of Abfolute and Limited Mo "narchie," they would have there seen predicted, what, unluckily for them and the kingdom, happened, by the measures which they fuggefted in hopes of gaining some money for their diftreffed and impoverished Sovereign. "The Realme of France," fays Fortescue, "gyveth never freely, "of their own good will, any fubfydie 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 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 rich men have gone with them, because they

would not be poor by lofyng of their goods. "Trulie it is like, that this land (that of France). "fchuld be like unto the land of Boeme, (Bohe

mia) where the Comons for povertie rose upon "the Nobles, and made all the goods to be common. "Item, It is the Kinge's honour, and also his

office, to make his realme riche, and yt is dyfhonour, when he hath a poor realme; of which "men will fay, that he reygneth upon beggars, yet yt war much gretter dyfhonour, if he founde his realme riche and then made it poor; and "alfo it were gretely agenfte his confyence, that "ought to defend them and their goods, if he take "from them their goods without lawfull cause. From the infamie thereof God defend our King,

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"and gyve him grace to augment his realme in "richefs, welth, and profperite, to his perpetual

"laude and honour !""

JOHN DE LA POLE,

DUKE OF SUFFOLK.

THE following Letter, preferved by Sir John' Fenn, in his very curious Collection of the " Pafton "Letters," will fhew that homage which vice is' obliged to pay to virtue; and that earnest defire which even the moft profligate perfons are animated with, that those who are dear to them may' efcape the fnares and temptations into which they themselves have fallen.

THE COPIE OF A NOTABLE L'RE WRITTEN BY THE DUKE OF SUFF' TO HIS SONNE GIVING HYM THEREIN VERY GOOD COUNSEIL.

"My dere and only welbeloved Sone I be"feche oure Lord in Heven' ye maker of alle "the world to bleffe you and to fende you eu'

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grace to love hym and to drede hym to ye which "as ferre as a Fader may charge his child I bothe charge you and prei you to fette alle your fpirites " and wittes to do and to knowe his holy Lawes "and Comaundments by the which ye fhall w

his grete m'cy paffe alle y grete tempeftes and "troubles of yis wrecched world, and y' alfo "wetyngly ye do no thyng for love ner drede of "any erthely creature y' fhuld difplefe hym. And "y" as any Freelte maketh you to falle befecheth

"hys