rorogations for
nearly a year, met at Westminster on the 14th of February, when the
session was opened, by the duke of York, as king's commissioner. Kemp,
archbishop of Canterbury and chancellor of England, dying soon
afterwards, it was judged proper to acquaint the king at Windsor by a
deputation of twelve lords with this and other subjects concerning his
government. In fact, perhaps, this was a pretext chosen in order to
ascertain his real condition. These peers reported to the lords' house,
two days afterwards, that they had opened to his majesty the several
articles of their message, but "could get no answer ne sign for no
prayer ne desire," though they repeated their endeavours at three
different interviews. This report, with the instruction on which it was
founded, was, at their prayer, entered of record in parliament. Upon so
authentic a testimony of their sovereign's infirmity, the peers,
adjourning two days for solemnity or deliberation, "elected and
nominated Richard duke of York to be protector and defender of the realm
of England during the king's pleasure." The duke, protesting his
insufficiency, requested "that in this present parliament, and by
authority thereof, it be enacted that, of yourself and of your ful and
mere disposition, ye desire, name, and call me to the said name and
charge, and that of any presumption of myself I take them not upon me,
but only of the due and humble obeisance that I owe to do unto the king
our most dread and sovereign lord, and to you the peerage of this land,
in whom by the occasion of the infirmity of our said sovereign lord
resteth the exercise of his authority, whose noble commandments I am as
ready to perform and obey as any of his liegemen alive, and that, at
such time as it shall please our blessed Creator to restore his most
noble person to healthful disposition, it shall like you so to declare
and notify to his good grace." To this protestation the lords answered
that, for his and their discharge, an act of parliament should be made
conformably to that enacted in the king's infancy, since they were
compelled by an equal necessity again to choose and name a protector and
defender. And to the duke of York's request to be informed how far the
power and authority of his charge should extend, they replied that he
should be chief of the king's council, and "devised therefore to the
said duke a name different from other counsellors, not the name of
tutor, lieutenant, gover