SIR WILLIAM GASCOIGNE,

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE KING'S BENCH.

THE following account of this courageous and inflexible Magiftrate is taken from " Magna Bri"tanniæ Notitia," article "Gunthorp :"

"Famous only for the antient, virtuous, and "warlike family of Gafcoign, two of which "(both Knights and named William) were High "Sheriffs of the county of York in the reigns of "Henry VI. and VII. But, before either of "these, there was a Knight of this family, named "alfo Sir William Gascoign, far more famous than they. He was bred up in our Municipal "laws in the Inner Temple, London, and grew fo eminent for his fkill and knowledge in them, that he was made Chief Juftice of the "King's Bench by Henry the Fourth, in the "eleventh year of his reign, and kept that high "fituation till the fourteenth year of that King's "reign, demeaning himself all the time with "admirable integrity and courage, as this exam66 ple will fhew:

"It chanced that the fervant of Prince Henry "(afterwards Henry V.) was arraigned before "the Judge for felony; and the Prince, being "zealous to deliver him out of the hand of juf"tice, went to the Bench in fuch a fury, that

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..

"the fpectators thought he would have ftricken "the Judge; and he attempted to take his fervant from the bar: but Sir William Gascoign, "well knowing whose perfon he represented, fat "unconcerned; and, knowing the Prince's attempt to be illegal, committed him to the 66 King's Bench Prison, there to remain till the King his father's pleasure was known. This "action was foon represented to the King, with no good will to the Judge, but it proved to "his advantage; for when the King heard what "his Judge had done, he replied, that he "thanked God for his infinite goodness, who "had at once given him a Judge that dared in"partially to adminifter juftice, and a fon who "would fubmit to it.' The Prince himself, "when he came to be King, (reflecting upon this "transaction,) thus expreffed himself in relation "to Sir William Gafcoign: I fhall ever hold "him worthy of his place and of my favour ; " and I wish that all my Judges may poffefs the "like undaunted courage to punish offenders, of "what rank foever."

HENRY THE FIFTH.

[1413-1422.]

"THIS King," fays Hollinfhed, " even at first "appointing with himself, to fhew that in his per"fon princelie honours fhould 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 elfe 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 "chofe 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 Juftice, 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."

VOL. I.

[18]

THOMAS POLTON,

ONE of the Ambaffadors from England to the Council of Conftance, in the thirty-first 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 remonftrances 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 reasons alleged by their Ambassadors 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 fince 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 Nations that 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 English observed 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,

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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, "(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 practises, specially by main force, as feeking

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