Page:History of england froude.djvu/450

428 the nation, after grave remonstrance, which was only received with insults, exorcised the chimera with a few resolute words for ever. The Parliament, in asserting the freedom of England, carefully chose their language. They did not pass a new law, but they passed an Act declaratory merely of the law which already existed; and which they were vindicating against illegal encroachment. 'Whereas,' says the Statute of Appeals, 'by divers sundry old authentic histories and chronicles, it is manifestly declared and expressed that this realm of England is an empire, and so hath been accepted in the world; governed by one supreme head and king, having the dignity and royal estate of the imperial crown of the same; unto whom a body politic compact of all sorts and degrees of people, divided in terms by names of spiritualty and temporalty, be bound and ought to bear, next to God, a natural and humble obedience: he being also institute and furnished by the goodness and sufferance of Almighty God with plenary, whole, and entire power, pre-eminence and authority, prerogative and jurisdiction, to render and yield justice and final determination to all manner of folk resident or subject within this his realm, without restraint or provocation to any foreign prince or potentate of the world: the body spiritual whereof having power when any cause of the law divine happened to come in question, or of spiritual learning, [such cause being] declared, interpret, and shewed by that part of the body politic called the spiritualty, now usually called the English Church;