ough imperfectly, justified by the
conduct of Edward III. He took no steps of moment without consulting his
parliament, and obtaining their approbation, which he afterwards pleaded
as a reason for their supporting his measures.[*] The parliament,
therefore, rose into greater consideration during his reign, and
acquired more regular authority, than in any former time; and even the
house of commons, which, during turbulent and factious periods, was
naturally depressed by the greater power of the crown and barons, began
to appear of some weight in the constitution. In the latter years of
Edward, the king's ministers were impeached in parliament, particularly
Lord Latimer, who fell a sacrifice to the Authority of the commons;[**]
and they even obliged the king to banish his mistress by their
remonstrances. Some attention was also paid to the election of their
members; and lawyers in particular, who were at that time men of a
character somewhat inferior, were totally excluded the house during
several parliaments.[***]

One of the most popular laws enacted by any prince, was the statute
which passed in the twenty-fifth of this reign,[****] and which
limited the cases of high treason, before vague and uncertain, to three
principal heads--conspiring the death of the king, levying war against
him, and adhering to his enemies and the judges were prohibited, if any
other cases should occur, from inflicting the penalty of treason without
an application to parliament. The bounds of treason were indeed so
much limited by this statute, which still remains in force without
any alteration, that the lawyers were obliged to enlarge them, and to
explain a conspiracy for levying war against the king, to be equivalent
to a conspiracy against his life; and this interpretation, seemingly
forced, has, from the necessity of the case, been tacitly acquiesced in.

* Cotton's Abridg. p. 108, 120.

** Cotton's Abridg. p. 122.

*** Cotton's Abridg. p. 18.

**** Chap. 2.

It was also ordained that a parliament should be held once a year, or
oftener, if need be; a law which, like many others, was never observed
and lost its authority by disuse.[*]

Edward granted above twenty parliamentary confirmations of the Great
Charter; and these concessions are commonly appealed to as proofs of
his great indulgence to the people, and his tender regard for their
liberties. But the contrary presumption is more natural. If the maxims
of