Page:The Statutes of the Realm Vol 1 (1101-1377).pdf/73

 Rh None of the Acts of the two Sessions of Parliament, the one holden in 14 & 15 Hen. . and the other in 21 Hen. . are to be found in the Parliament Office; nor is any Notice taken, in any of the Calendars or Indexes there, of any Acts passed in either of those Years: Nor is there any Journal of the House of Lords for those Years. The Acts, however, are entered on the respective Rolls of each Year in Chancery. Several Acts on the Roll of the Session 14 & 15 Hen. . want the Form of the Royal Assent at the End of the Act; but this is supplied by the very full and explicit Conclusion of the Roll, which states the Royal Assent being given at the End of the Parliament to all the Public Acts, which were read “per initia” for that Purpose.

The two last Articles on the Roll in Chancery, of the 23d Year, No. 33. and 34; No. 33. entitled, “An Act concerning Restraint of Payment of Annates to the See of Rome;” No. 34. entitled “The Ratification of the Act restraining the Payment of Annates to the See of Rome;” are wanting at the Parliament Office. Some remarkable Circumstances respecting these two Articles, and also one in the 25th Year, shall here be stated.

The first of these, No.33. is not inserted in the old Editions among the Statutes 23 Henry ; but is printed in Pickering’s Statutes, vol. iv. pa. 247—251; and Ruffhead’s Appendix, pa. 117, as Cap. 20 of that Year. It contains, towards the Conclusion of it, a Proviso that the King may, at any Time on this Side the Beginning of the next Parliament, “by his Letters Patents under his Great Seal, to be made and to be entered of Record in the Roll of this present Parliament,” have Power to declare whether the Act shall take place as a Statute or not. After the Ingrossment of the Act on the Roll are added, very unusually, the Forms written on the Bill to signify the several Assents of the two Houses; viz. “Soit baille aux Communs.” “A cest Bille les Communs ont assentus.” In a different Hand writing, and apparently written some short Time afterwards, the usual Form of the Royal Assent is added;—“Cui quidem Bille 🇵🇪lecte & ad plenum intellecte 🇵🇪 um Dum Regem ex assensu & auctoritate lmenti predicti taliter responsum est; Le Roy le volt.”—Then follows on the Roll. “Memorandum quod nono die Julii, anno regni Regis Henrici octavi vicesimo quinto, Idem Ds Rex per literas suas patentes sub Magno Sigillo suo sigilla, actum predictum ratificavit, et actui illo assensum suum regium dedit, ut per easdem literas patentes cujus tenor sequitur in hec verba, magis a🇵🇪te constat. “Rex b ad quos, &c. Satem. Inspeximus quendam actum editum in plto nostro inchoato tertio die Novemb anno regni ri vicesimo primo & abinde 🇵🇪 diversas rogaes & adhuc continua; cujus quidem actus tenor sequitur in hec verba. Forasmuch [repeating the Act verbatim from Beginning to End] in any Manner wise. Sciatis d nos Deum oculis habentes, ac commodum ficuum & utilitatem regni ri & subdito no ut cura regali astringimur intime considerantes, actum predic ac omnia & singula in eodem conten et superius specifica  nobis heredib & successorib ris Ratificavim acceptavimus approbavimus & confirmavimus, ac per presentes ratificam acceptam approbam et confirmam, & actui illo regium nm assensum damus: Necnon actum illum ac omnes et singulas clausulas et sentencias in eodem conten pro communi utilitate et proficuum regni ni observari obediri ac in executionem poni & demandari volumus decernimus declaramus et precipimus, 🇵🇪 presentes ratum & gratum entes et itu totum & quicquid in eodem actu continetur. In cujus rei, &c. T. R. apud West nono die Julii anno regni ni vicesimo quinto.”

As before observed, neither the original Act nor the Ratification appear in the Parliament Office.

In the 25th Year of Hen. . the Act printed in all Editions as Cap. 21. of that Year, intituled in the modern Editions, “The Act concerning Peter Pence and Dispensations” contains a Power to the King to declare the Time when the Act shall commence, “by Letters to be enrolled in the Parliament Roll,” and also, a Power to annul the Act by like Letters Patents. In the original at the Parliament Office, these Provisions are contained in a Schedule annexed to the Act; they are not printed in any Edition of the Statutes previous to Cay’s, in which and subsequent Editions they are numbered as Sections 28, and 29 at the Conclusion of the Act. The Words “Soit fait come il est desire&#x34F;&#x301;” are written at the Top of the Act; but in the Roll in Chancery, No. 27, the Act is introduced and concluded by the usual Forms of a Publick Act, and the Answer is Le Roy le veult; after which is entered a Memorandum similar to that annexed to 23 Hen. . No. 33. except the Date of the Letters Patent, which is “7 April, 25 Hen. .” a few Days after the rising of the Parliament; and then, “Rex ib, &c. Inspeximus, &c. [Reciting the Act verbatim] Sciatis quod nos Statutum predictum pro communi utilitate regni ni & subdito ro fore considerantes, ac ad humilem peticionem tocius communitatis dicti ri plti processu, ad quem subdito ro petiem graciose moti & inclinati sumus, Statutum predictum & omnia & singula in eodem conten, excepta illa clausula quod statutum illud non incipiet ca🇵🇪e effectum ante festum nativitatis Si Jois Bate x futu, ratificavimus acceptavimus approbavimus et confirmavimus, ac 🇵🇪 presentes literas ras patentes ratificamus acceptamus approbamus & confirmamus: Ac statutum illud & omnia & singula in eodem specifica, excep excep, juxta auctoritatem nobis in quadam provisione eidem Statuto anne concessam, volumus declaramus & firmiter injungendo mandamus in executionem poni & demandari immediate post diem da presen: Ita quod, immediate post diem da presenci, Statutum illud incipiet capere effectum et in ib reputabitur in effectu; et q debite utetur obedietur et observabitur juxta tenorem ejusdem; aliqua clausula visionis in eodem Statuto conten sive eidem anne in contrarium, in aliquo non obstante. In cujus Rei Testimonium has literas ras fieri fecimus patentes in rotulo di ti ni juxta tenorem & provisionem statuti predicti irrotulan. Teste me io apud West septimo die Aprilis anno regni ri vicesimo quinto.” The Instrument of Ratification does not appear at the Parliament Office.

Many Instances occur, in the Acts 26 Hen. ., where no Form whatever of Royal Assent appears on the Instruments at the Parliament Office, but the regular Forms appear on the Roll in Chancery. Several Instances also occur where the Form of the Royal Assent is different on the Roll to that which appears at the Parliament Office.