77.

[406] See the series of the statutes of _Provisors_ and _Praemunire_, and
the renewals of the same (against presentations to benefices by the Pope
and appeals to the Court of Rome), 25 Ed. III. st. 6; 27 Ed. III. st. 2;
3 Rich. II. chap. 3; 12 Rich. II. chap. 15; 13 Rich. II. st. 2, chap. 2;
16 Rich. II. chap. 5. All have for their object to restrict the action
of the Holy See in England, conformably to the desire of the Commons,
who protest against these appeals to the Roman Court, the consequences
of which are "to undo and adnul the laws of the realm" (25 Ed. III.
1350-1), and who also protest against "the Court of Rome which ought to
be the fountain-head, root, and source of holiness," and which from
coveteousness has assumed the right of presenting to numberless
benefices in England, so much so that the taxes collected for the Pope
on this account "amount to five times as much as what the king gets from
all his kingdom each year." Good Parliament of 1376, "Rotuli
Parliamentorum," vol. ii. p. 337; see below, p. 419.

[407] Year 1340, 14 Ed. III., "Rotuli Parliamentorum," vol. ii. p. 104.

[408] "Sicut lex justissima, provida circumspectione sacrorum principum
stabilita, hortatur et statuit ut quod omnes tangit ab omnibus
approbetur...." Rymer, "Foedera," 1705, vol. ii. p. 689. This Roman
maxim was known and appealed to, but not acted upon in France. See
Commines, "Memoires," book v. chap. xix.

[409] "For some folks," says he, "might say and make the people believe
things that were not true." By some folks, "acuns gentz," he means Bohun
and Bigod. Proclamation of 1297, in Rymer, "Foedera", 1705, vol. ii.
p. 783.

[410] Rymer, "Foedera," 1705, vol. ii. p. 783, year 1297; original in
French.

[411] "Monsieur Thomas de Hungerford, chivaler, qui avoit les paroles
pour les Communes d'Engleterre en cest Parlement." Parliament of 1376-7,
51 Ed. III. "Rotuli," vol. ii. p. 374.

[412] Examples: that the deputies of the counties "soient esluz par
commune election de les meillours gentz des dity countees et nemye
certifiez par le viscont (sheriff) soul, saunz due election." Good
Parliament of 1376.--Petition that the sheriffs shall not be able to
stand for the counties while they continue in office, 1372, 46 Ed. III.,
"Rotuli Parliamentorum," vol. ii. p. 310; that no representative "ne
soit viscont ou autre ministre," 13 Ed. III., year 1339.--Petition of
the members of Parliament to be allowed to return and consult