. The council
became the instrument of the Lords. Also, the Commons gained power
compared to the nobility because many nobles had died in war. The
consent of the Commons to legislation became so usual that the
justices declared that it was necessary. The Commons began to see
itself as representative of the entire commons of the realm
instead of just their own counties. Its members had the freedom to
consider and debate every matter of public interest, foreign or
domestic, except for church matters. The Commons, the poorest of
the three estates, established an exclusive right to originate all
money grants to the king in 1407. The Speaker of the Commons
announced its money grant to the king only on the last day of the
parliamentary session, after the answers to its petitions had been
declared, and after the Lords had agreed to the money grant. It
tied its grants by rule rather than just practice to certain
appropriations. For instance, tunnage and poundage were
appropriated for naval defenses. Wool customs went to the
maintenance of Calais, a port on the continent, and defense of the
nation. It also put the petitions in statutory form, called
"bills", to be enacted after consideration and amendment by all
without alteration. Each house had a right to deliberate in
privacy. In the Commons, members spoke in the order in which they
stood up bareheaded. Any member of Parliament or either house or
the king could initiate a bill. Both houses had the power to amend
or reject a bill. There were conferences between select committees
of both houses to settle their differences. The Commons required
the appointment of auditors to audit the King's accounts to ensure
past grants had been spent according to their purpose. It forced
the King's council appointees to be approved by Parliament and to
be paid salaries. About 1430, kings' councilors were required to
take an oath not to accept gifts of land, not to maintain private
suits, not to reveal secrets, and not to neglect the kings'
business. A quorum was fixed and rules made for removal from the
council. For the next fifty years, the council was responsible
both to the king and to Parliament. This was the first
encroachment on the King's right to summon, prorogue, or dismiss a
Parliament at his pleasure, determine an agenda of Parliament,
veto or amend its bills, exercise his discretion as to which lords
he summoned to Parliament, and create new peers by letters patent
[official pub