Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/309

Rh drawn out of Britain (which cauſed our enemies to make an inſult) and the Britiſh parliament begged hard to have them return, the Roman ſenate’s anſwer was, that they were otherwiſe engaged; and they muſt help themſelves as they could, which made them betake themſelves to the Saxons. A very fair anſwer to a nation that was diſabled and diſarmed, after their Kings and parliaments had been only tax-gatherers to the Romans for ſeveral hundreds of years; as, if you have no true Lord Mayor, you muſt fill have pageants, and ſomewhat that keeps up the ſhow.

after theſe early times, we have ſomewhat in King the Confeſſor’s laws, which all ſucceeding Kings have been ſworn to, which I will try what to make of. It is a yearly folkmote upon the kalends of May. I do not know readily what that yearly folkmote is, becauſe thoſe laws of the Confeſſor ſay that King  invented it; Quod Arthurus Rex inclytus Britonum invenit. Then I am ſure the original name of it was not folkmote. So we will mind the name no more, but come to the thing.

, in the moſt learned gloſſary that ever was written, I will not except Mr. ’s