Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/213

 1922 THE GREAT STATUTE OF PRAEMUNIEE 205 whatsoever which touch the king, his crown, regality, or realm. 1 The pistol was ready primed, and first Wolsey and then the whole body of the clergy put up their hands when it was levelled at them. No other act would have served the king's ends so readily. It is doubtless true that on any conceivable interpretation of the statute the clergy might have contested Henry's allegation that they had broken it by recognizing Wolsey's legatine authority. But the grasp of the statute was wide who but the king's justices could say how wide ? terrible punishments (partly unknown) awaited those who fell into its clutches, and the clergy feared their fate too much to make a stand for their deserts. W. T. WATJGH. 1 ' Cum in statute in parliamento domini [Ricardi] regis Anglic secundi apud Win- toniam anno regni sui xvi tento edito inter cetera ordinatum sit et stabilitum quod si aliquis impetrauerit aut prosecutus fuerit seu impetrari vel prosequi fecerit in Curia Romana vel alibi aliquos processus sententias excommunicationum bullas instrumenta vel alia quecumque quae tangunt nos coronam regaliam seu regnum nostrum, et illi qui ea in dictum regnum nostrum detulerint aut ea receperint vel inde notificationem seu aliam executionem quamcunque infra idem regnum nostrum seu extra fecerint &c. : Natura Breuium, ed. 1529, clxxxiii.