ed them, that the queen, by a message
delivered by Lord Burleigh, had expressed her displeasure that the
commons should presume to touch on her prerogative. If there were any
abuses, she said, either in imposing purveyance, or in the practice of
the court of exchequer, her majesty was both able and willing to provide
due reformation; but would not permit the parliament to intermeddle in
these matters.[**]

* D'Ewes, p. 434.

** D'Ewes, p. 440.

The commons, alarmed at this intelligence, appointed another committee
to attend the queen, and endeavor to satisfy her of their humble
and dutiful intentions. Elizabeth gave a gracious reception to the
committee: she expressed her great "inestimable loving care" towards her
loving subjects; which, she said, was greater than of her own self, or
even than any of them could have of themselves. She told them, that
she had already given orders for an inquiry into the abuses attending
purveyance, but the dangers of the Spanish invasion had retarded the
progress of the design; that she had as much skill, will, and power
to rule her household as any subjects whatsoever to govern theirs, and
needed as little the assistance of her neighbors; that the exchequer was
her chamber, consequently more near to her than even her house' bold,
and therefore the less proper for them to intermeddle with; and that
she would of herself, with advice of her council and the judges, redress
every grievance in these matters, but would not permit the commons, by
laws moved without her privity, to bereave her of the honor attending
these regulations.[*] The issue of this matter was the same that
attended all contests between Elizabeth and her parliaments.[**] She
seems even to have been more imperious, in this particular, than her
predecessors; at least her more remote ones: for they often permitted
the abuses of purveyance[***] [31]to be redressed by law.[****] Edward
III., a very arbitrary prince, allowed ten several statutes to be
enacted for that purpose.

* D'Ewes, p. 444.

** Si rixa est, ubi tu pulsus, ego vapulo tantum. Juv.

*** See note EE, at the end of the volume.

**** See the statutes under the head of Purveyance.

In so great awe did the commons stand of every courtier, as well as of
the crown, that they durst use no freedom of speech which they thought
would give the least offence to any of them. Sir Edward Hobby showed in
the house his extreme grief, tha