Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/190

 182 THE GREAT STATUTE OF PRAEMUNIRE April as he called them, of Quare impedit and Praemunire facias. He was listened to politely ; but the king brusquely refused to do away with the two writs, and said that as statutes were established in parliament, they could not be revoked without its consent. The next parliament, however, would be asked to consider the matter. 1 Accordingly one of the reasons officially given for the summons of parliament in the following November was the desirability of finding some compromise about provisors whereby the pope and the king might each have what pertained to him. 2 According to Walsingham, the king and John of Gaunt seemed disposed to give way to the pope ; but the knights refused to agree to the repeal of the statute, 3 and the commons would do no more than allow the king, with the advice and assent of the lords, to relax the enforcement of the statute until the nextr parliament, when, as they expressly stated, they would be free if they wished to restore it to full vigour. 4 Consequently, when parliament again met, in January 1393, it was officially announced that remedy touching the statute of provisors was to be considered, with a view to avoiding the disputes that might easily arise between the Crown and the papacy. 5 This time the commons were more tractable. . They agreed that the king, with the consent of the lords and the council, might take the whole matter into his own hands, giving him power to modify the statute and to make ordinance respecting it. At the next parliament everything done was to be reported to the commons, that they might, if it pleased God, agree thereto. 6 1 Cont, Polychron. ix. 247 seqq. ; Walsingham, op. cit. ii. 200 seqq. ; cf. Cat. of Papal Letters, iv. 278, 279. It must be remembered that the statutes of 1353 and 1365 were not yet termed ' statutes of praemunire ', and when the abbot spoke of the ' statute of praemunire facias ' he meant the writ from which they afterwards derived their title. a Rot. Parl. iii. 284. 3 Walsingham, ii. 203. 4 ' Fait a remembrier touchant 1'Estatut de Provisours, qe les Communes. . . s'assenterent en plein Parlement, qe notre dit Seigneur le Roi, par advys et assent des Seigneurs, purra faire tielle soefferance tochant le dit Estatut come lui semblera resonable et profitable tan q'al proschein Parlement, par issint qe le dit Estatut ne soit repellez en null article d'icelle. . . . Et en outre, qe les ditz Communes se purront desagreer a dit proschein Parlement a tielle soefferance pluis outre, et pleinemeht resorter al dit Estatut si lour aemblera a faire, ove protestation qe cest assent, q'est une novellerie et n'ad mye este fait devant ces heures, ne soit trait en ensample n'en consequence en temps a venir ' : Rot. Parl. iii. 285. 6 Ibid. p. 300. ' Fait a remembrier touchant 1' Estatut des Provisours, Qe les Communes. . s'accorderent et assenterent en plein Parlement, Qe. . . le Roi, par bone deliberation et assent des Seigneurs et de son sage Conseill, preigne toute la matire a luy, et q'il eit plein poair et auctorite de modifier le dit Estatut, et ent ordeiner, par deliberation et assent sus ditz, en manere come luy semblera meutz a 1'honour de Dieu et de Seinte Esglise, et salvation de les droitz de sa Corone et de 1'estat et profit de sa Terre : et de mettre en execution qan qe serra ensy ordeine. Et qe au proschein Parlement toutes les choses sus dites soient pleinement monstrez as ditz Communes, aufyn q'ils purront alors par bon avisement agreer, si Dieu plest, a ycelles ' : ibid. p. 301.