Page:A History and Defence of Magna Charta.djvu/319

Rh laws of King, cap. v. it is not the gemot for the view of weapons or arms, which every freeman in England was charged with, and was bound to ſhew once every year, and, as was wiſely contrived, all in one. day throughout all England; but that day was not in our kalends of May, but the morrow after Candlemas, Craſtino Purificationis B. M. And therefore I cannot, for my life, make any thing elſe of an univerſal anniverſary full Folkmote, which is but ſemel in anno, ſcilicet in capite kal Maii, but a ſtationary parliament: eſpecially conſidering how they were, and what they did.

next thing to be conſidered, is the author or founder of this antient conſtitution, which we have in the aforeſaid chap. de greve, num. 35. amongſt the laws of good King.

“ law of the anniverſary Folkmote invented, who was heretofore the moſt renowned King of the Britons, and thereby he conſolidated and confederated together the whole realm of Britany for ever as one.”