the King; and at times they even limited[2] their
appropriations of money to particular purposes. Finally, in 1407, the
Commons took the most decided step of all. They boldly demanded and
obtained *the exclusive right of making all grants of money* required
by the Crown.[3]

[3] This right the Commons never surrendered.

In future the King, unless he violated the law, had to look to the
Commons--that is, to the direct representation of the mass of the
people--for his chief supplies. This made the will of the Commons
more powerful than it had ever been.

14. Religious Legislation; Emancipation of the Villeins;
Disfranchisement of County Electors.

The Parliament of Merton had already (1236) refused to introduce the
canon or ecclesiatical law (S265). In the next century two very
important statutes relating to the Church were enacted,--that of
Provisors (1350)[4] and the Great Act of Praemunire,
1393,[1]--limiting the power of the Pope over the English Church. On
the other hand, the rise of the Lollards had caused a statute to be
passed (1401) against heretics, and under it the first martyr had been
burned in England. During this period the villeins had risen in
insurrection (1381) (SS250-252), and were gradually gaining their
liberty. Thus a very large body of people who had been practically
excluded from political rights now began to slowly acquire them.[2]
But, on the other hand, a statute was enacted (1430) which prohibited
all persons having an income of less than forty shillings a year--or
what would be equal to forty pounds at the present value of money--
from voting for knights of the shire (S297). The consequence was that
the poorer and humbler classes in the country were no longer directly
represented in the House of Commons.

[4] Provisors: this was a law forbidding the Pope to provide any
person (by anticipation) with a position in the English Church until
the death of the incumbent.
[1] Praemunire: see Constitutional Documents, p. xxxii. Neither the
law of Provisors nor of Praemunire was strictly enforced until
Henry VIII's reign.
[2] Villeins appear, however, to have had the right of voting for
knights of the shire until the statute of 1430 difranchised them.

15. Wars of the Roses; Decline of Parliament; Partial Revival of its
Power under Elizabeth.

The Civil Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) gave a decided check to the
further development of parliamentary power. Many noble families