ith great retinues of armed men
to it; and many things were violently transacted therein against the
king's prerogative.

_Parliamentum Indoctorum_, was a parliament held at Coventry, 6th Henry
VI. whereunto by special precept to the sheriffs of the several counties,
no lawyer, or person skilled in the law was to be called.

_Parliamentum Diabolicum_, was a parliament held at Coventry, 38th Henry
VI. wherein Edward, Earl of March (afterwards king) and several others
were attainted. The acts passed therein were annulled in the succeeding
parliament.

"In 1524, April 15, (says Stowe) a parliament was begun at the Blacke
Friers, wherein was demanded a subsidy of L800,000. to be raised of goods
and lands, four shillings in every pound; and in the end was granted two
shillings. This parliament was adjourned to Westminster, among the blacke
monks, and ended in the king's palace there the 14th of August, at nine
of the clocke in the night, and was therefore called the _Blacke
Parliament_."

Parliaments formerly sat in Westminster Hall and the Chapter house. "In
1397, (says Pennant) when in the reign of Richard II. the hall was
extremely ruinous, he built a temporary room for his parliament formed
with wood, covered with tiles. It was open on all sides, that the
constituents might see every thing that was said and done; and to secure
freedom of debate, he surrounded the house with 4,000 Cheshire archers,
with bows bent, and arrows knocked ready to shoot. This fully answered
the intent, for every sacrifice was made to the royal presence."

The place where the commons of Great Britain, now hold their assemblies,
was built by king Stephen, and dedicated to his namesake the
proto-martyr. It was beautifully rebuilt by Edward III. in 1347, and by
him made a collegiate church, and a dean and twelve secular priests
appointed. Soon after its surrender to Edward VI. it was applied to its
present use. The revenues at that period were not less than L1,085 a
year.

When the royal assent (says de Lolme) is given to a public bill, the
clerk says, _le Roy le veut_. If the bill be a private one, he says,
_soit fait comme il est desire_. If the bill has subsidies for its
objects, he says, _le Roy remercie ses loyaux sujets, accepte leur
benevolence ainsi le veut_. Lastly, if the King does not think proper to
assent to the bill, the clerk says, _le Roy s'en avisera_; which is a
mild way of giving a refusal. This custom was introduced at th