is friends, it is more difficult
to form a judgment. The greatest part of these grievances imputed to
Richard, seems to be the exertion of arbitrary prerogatives; such as the
dispensing power,[*] levying purveyance,[**] employing the mareschal's
court,[***] extorting loans,[****] granting protections from
lawsuits;[*****] prerogatives, which, though often complained of, had
often been exercised by his predecessors, and still continued to be so
by his successors. But whether his irregular acts of this kind were more
frequent, and injudicious and violent than usual, or were only laid hold
of and exaggerated by the factions to which the weakness of his reign
had given birth, we are not able at this distance to determine with
certainty. There is, however, one circumstance in which his conduct is
visibly different from that of his grandfather: he is not accused of
having imposed one arbitrary tax, without consent of parliament, during
his whole reign;[******] scarcely a year passed during the reign of
Edward, which was free from complaints with regard to this dangerous
exertion of authority. But, perhaps, the ascendant which Edward had
acquired over the people, together with his great prudence, enabled
him to make a use very advantageous to his subjects of this and other
arbitrary prerogatives, and rendered them a smaller grievance in his
hands, than a less absolute authority in those of his grand son.

* Art 13,17,18.

** Art. 22.

*** Art 27.

**** Art, 14.

***** Art. 16.

****** We learn from Cotton (p. 362) that the king, by his
chancellor, told the commons, "that they were sunderly bound
to him, and namely, in forbearing to charge them with dismes
and fifteens, the which he meant _no more_ to charge
them in his own person," These words "no more" allude to the
practice of his predecessors; he had not himself imposed any
arbitrary taxes: even the parliament, in the articles of his
deposition, though they complain of heavy taxes, affirm not
that they were imposed illegally or by arbitrary will.

This is a point which it would be rash for us to decide positively on
either side; but it is certain, that a charge drawn up by the duke
of Lancaster, and assented to by a parliament, situated in those
circumstances, forms no manner of presumption with regard to the unusual
irregularity or violence of the king's conduct in this particular.[*]
[16]