Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/206

 198 THE GREAT STATUTE OF PRAEMUNIRE April and liberties of the church. 1 The king was therefore begged to ordain and declare, by authority of the parliament then sitting, that the statute did not apply to anything done or procured in any courts within the realm, against whose encroachments on Crown rights the king had sufficient safeguard, before ever the statute was made, in writs of prohibition and attachment. The archbishop of York, who was asked to co-operate, drew up a peti- tion in English, which was also presented to the king. Henry said that owing to the near approach of Christmas he could not at present discuss the matter fully with his council, but promised that until the next parliament no writ of praemunire should issue unless the king and his great council had considered the purpose for which it was required. The clergy, however, failed to secure a pronouncement in the sense desired. The matter was brought before parliament without effect in 1444, 2 and three years later a long petition in English was presented to Henry VI on behalf of all the clergy of England. 3 It goes into greater detail than the petition of 1439, emphasizing in particular the words ' such ' (tieux) and ' in the wise aforesaid ' (come (Levant est dit), which I have discussed above, and arguing from them that when the statute speaks of the court of Rome and elsewhere, it must mean ' elsewhere with- out the realm '. 4 Historically, the clergy were doubtless right ; but they apparently did not dispute that the statute covered all 1 ' Suppliaunt humblement Henry archevesque de Canterbirs, et touts ses freres evesques d'Engleterre, que come par le statut fait al parlement tenuz a Westmonster le xvi an du roy Richard le secunde, nadgairs roy d'Engleter, entre aultres divers punishmentz et processes par breves le roy appelles " Praemuniri facias " soient ordines, et purveues vers ceux, que suont en le court de Rome, ou aylours vers ascun liege nostre seigneur le roy, dascun chose, que soit encontre le roy et sa corone, come en le dit estatut pluis a plein est contenuz. Le quel estatut en les parols contenuz en ycell est obscure, et autrement entenduz as plusieurs que 1'entent des faiseurs d'icell y fuist al temps del confection de mesme le statut, ascuns intendantes que les paroles de mesme le statut et les punishementz contenuz en ycell, auxi ben averoit relation a eux, que pursuont en ascun court christiane, ou en courtes temporall des seigneurs, et autres, que ount contrepalesez [sic] et courtes franchesez. . . dedeinz mesme le royalme, come a ceux, que suont en le court de Rome, come devant est dit, que seroit trop dure, et final destruction de tout le jurisdiction espirituel, et toutes autres courtes et fraunchesez. . . e[t] centre foy et conscience, et en graunt emblemishe- ment del estat et libertes de seint eglise, par le graunt chartre d'Engleterre et par nostre seigneur le roy et plusieurs ses progenitours devant en divers parlementz grauntes, et confirmes, sil serroit issint suffrees entenduz ou adjuges' : Wilkins, iii. 534. 2 Ibid. pp. 540 seq. 3 Ibid. pp. 555 seqq. 4 ' It was ordeyned. . . that noo man sholde purchase, nor pursue, ner make to be purchased or pursued in the said court of Rome, or other places, ony sute [sic, ? such], processe, sentences, or cursyng instruments, bull, or any other things whatsomeever they be, touching the king his regalie, or his reme of Englande in the wise aforsaid ; the which words, that is to say, ony such processe, sentences of cursing, and also the wordes in the wise aforesaid, owen to be nooted, forasmuch as afore in the sugges- tion was it not spoken, but of processe, sentences of cursyng, and censures maad, and yeven be the pope, and of England, and may not therfor resonably be extended ferther ' : ibid. p. 555.