Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/310

264 ’s, ſays thus under the word Gemotum ; “A wittenagemote was the ſame thing amongſt the Engliſh Saxons, as now at this day a parliament is amongſt us, and a wittenagemote differed little from a folkmote, only that this laſt was annual, and chiefly ſat about the ſtanding affairs of the nation.” The other was called at the King’s pleaſure upon emergencies of the ſtate, and for the ſake of making laws.

let us ſee what the learned antiquary ſays concerning folkmotes by themſelves in the ſame place, p. 315. “In a folkmote once every year at the beginning of the kalends of May (as in a yearly parliament) there met together the princes of the realm, as well biſhops as