ngeance,
to wit, the parliament; and needed not to give themselves any concern
with regard either to the guilt of the persons whom they prosecuted,
or the evidence which could be produced against them. A session of
parliament being held, it was resolved to proceed against Seymour
by bill of attainder; and the young king being induced, after much
solicitation, to give his consent to it, a considerable weight was put
on his approbation. The matter was first laid before the upper house;
and several peers, rising up in their places, gave an account of what
they knew concerning Lord Seymour's conduct, and his criminal words or
actions.

{1549.} These narratives were received as undoubted evidence; and though
the prisoner had formerly engaged many friends and partisans among the
nobility, no one had either the courage or equity to move, that he
might be heard in his defence, that the testimony against him should be
delivered in a legal manner, and that he should be confronted with the
witnesses. A little more scruple was made in the house of commons:
there were even some members who objected against the whole method of
proceeding by bill of attainder passed in absence; and insisted, that a
formal trial should be given to every man before his condemnation. But
when a message was sent by the king, enjoining the house to proceed, and
offering that the same narratives should be laid before them which had
satisfied the peers, they were easily prevailed on to acquiesce.[*] The
bill passed in a full house. Near four hundred voted for it; not above
nine or ten against it.[**] The sentence was soon after executed, and
the prisoner was beheaded on Tower Hill. The warrant was signed by
Somerset, who was exposed to much blame, on account of the violence of
these proceedings. The attempts of the admiral seem chiefly to have
been levelled against his brother's usurped authority; and though his
ambitious, enterprising character, encouraged by a marriage with the
lady Elizabeth, might have endangered the public tranquillity, the
prudence of foreseeing evils at such a distance was deemed too great,
and the remedy was plainly illegal. It could only be said, that this
bill of attainder was somewhat more tolerable than the preceding ones,
to which the nation had been inured; for here, at least, some shadow of
evidence was produced.

* 2 and 3 Edward VI. c. 18.

** Burnet vol. ii. p. 99.

All the considerable business transacted th