Page:An Essay Concerning Parliaments.djvu/18

 and receive Right by certain Uſages and holy Judgments. By this Eſtate were made many Ordinances by ſeveral Kings down to the King that is now; (which ſays the Margin was Edward the Firſt): which Ordinances are diſuſed by ſome that are not ſo wiſe, and for want that they are not put into Writing and publiſhed in Certain.

In this Paſſage the Two Times a Year ſeem to be Stationary; the Calling a Parliament Oftner than Two Times a Year if need were, is plainly intended for Contingencies of State, and when the Ardua Regni, or Extraordinary Affairs of the Nation require an Extraordinary Parliament. I ſay, and will make out to all the World, by Laws and Declarations of Parliament, that the King has a Power of calling Parliaments within the Law; But I never did, nor never will ſay to the end of my Life, that the King can hinder Parliaments Appointed by Law. Theſe Frequent Parliaments were to meet at London in Time of Peace. We ſee then what has interrupted our Parliaments both as to Time and Place. For London was after in the hands of the Dane, and Foreigners Wars and Tribulations came on.

But the beſt way is to let an Author explain himſelf, which the Mirror does in telling us likewiſe the Abuſions of the Law, or the Contrarieties and Repugnancies to Right, or as he calls it, the Fraud