ade in the time of the reign of King Edward the First,
commonly called Statutum de Tallagio non concedendo,[1] that no
tallage [here, a tax levied by the King upon the lands of the crown,
and upon all royal towns] or aid shall be laid or levied by the King
or his heirs in this realm, without the goodwill and assent of the
Archbishops, Bishops, Earls, Barons, Knights, Burgesses, and other the
freemen of the commonalty of this realm: and by authority of
Parliament holden in the five and twentieth year of the reign of King
Edward the Third, it is declared and enacted, that from henceforth no
person shall be compelled to make any loans to the King against his
will, because such loans were against reason and the franchise of the
land; and by other laws of this realm it is provided, that none should
be charged by any charge or imposition, called a Benevolence, or by
such like charge, by which the statutes before-mentioned, and other
the good laws and statutes of this realm, your subjects have inherited
this freedom, that they shuld not be compelled to contribute to any
tax, tallage, aid, or other like charge, not set by common consent in
Parliament.

[1] A statute concerning tallage not granted by Parliament. This is
now held not to have been a statute. See Gardiner's "Documents of the
Puritan Revolution," p. 1. It is considered by Stubbs an unauthorized
and imperfect abstract of Edward I's Confirmation of the Charters--
which see.

Yet nevertheless, of late divers commissions directed to sundry
Commissioners in several counties with instructions have issued; by
means whereof your people have been in divers places assembled, and
required to lend certain sums of money unto your Majesty, and many of
them upon their refusal so to do, have had an oath administered unto
them, not warrantable by the laws or statutes of this realm, and have
been constrained to become bound to make appearance and give
attendance before your Privy Council, and in other places, and others
of them have been therefore imprisoned, confined, and sundry other
ways molested and disquieted: and divers other charges have been laid
and levied upon your people in several counties, by Lords Lieutenants,
Deputy Lieutenants, Commissioners for Musters, Justices of Peace and
others, by command or direction from your Majesty or your Privy
Council, against the laws and free customs of this realm:

And where also by the statute called, "The Great Charter of the
L