None of the Acts of the two Sessions of Parliament, the one holden in 14 & 15 Hen. VIII. and the other in 21 Hen. VIII. 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. VIII. 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 VIII; 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 ꝑlecte & ad plenum intellecte ꝑ d̵c̃um Dñum Regem ex assensu & auctoritate ꝑlmenti 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 Dñs Rex per literas suas patentes sub Magno Sigillo suo sigillat̃, actum predictum ratificavit, et actui illo assensum suum regium dedit, ꝓut per easdem literas patentes cujus tenor sequitur in hec verba, magis aꝑte constat.
The Ratification of the Act restraining the Payment of Annates to the See of Rome.
34.“Rex Ōbꝫ ad quos, &c. Sal̵tem. Inspeximus quendam actum editum in plm̃to nostro inchoato tertio die Novembr̃ anno regni ñri vicesimo primo & abinde ꝑ diversas ꝓrogac͠oes & adhuc continuat̃; cujus quidem actus tenor sequitur in hec verba. Forasmuch [repeating the Act verbatim from Beginning to End] in any Manner wise. Sciatis q̃d nos Deum p͛ oculis habentes, ac commodum ꝓficuum & utilitatem regni ñri & subditoꝝ nr̃oꝝ ꝓut cura regali astringimur intime considerantes, actum predict̃ ac omnia & singula in eodem content̃ et superius specificat̃ ꝓ nobis heredibꝫ & successoribꝫ ñris Ratificavimꝰ acceptavimus approbavimus & confirmavimus, ac per presentes ratificamꝰ acceptamꝰ approbamꝰ et confirmamꝰ, & actui illo regium nr̃m assensum damus: Necnon actum illum ac omnes et singulas clausulas et sentencias in eodem content̃ pro communi utilitate et proficuum regni nr̃i observari obediri ac in executionem poni & demandari volumus decernimus declaramus et precipimus, ꝑ presentes ratum & gratum h̴entes et h̴itur̃ totum & quicquid in eodem actu continetur. In cujus rei, &c. T. R. apud Westm̄ nono die Julii anno regni nr̃i vicesimo quinto.”
As before observed, neither the original Act nor the Ratification appear in the Parliament Office.
In the 25th Year of Hen. VIII. 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 desire͏́” 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. VIII. No. 33. except the Date of the Letters Patent, which is “7 April, 25 Hen. VIII.” a few Days after the rising of the Parliament; and then, “Rex Ōibꝫ, &c. Inspeximus, &c. [Reciting the Act verbatim] Sciatis quod nos Statutum predictum pro communi utilitate regni nr̃i & subditoꝝ ñroꝝ fore considerantes, ac ad humilem peticionem tocius communitatis dicti ñri plm̃ti processur̃, ad quem subditoꝝ ñroꝝ petic͠oem graciose moti & inclinati sumus, Statutum predictum & omnia & singula in eodem content̃, excepta illa clausula quod statutum illud non incipiet caꝑe effectum ante festum nativitatis Sc̃i Joh̴is Bap̃te ꝓx futur̃, ratificavimus acceptavimus approbavimus et confirmavimus, ac ꝑ presentes literas ñras patentes ratificamus acceptamus approbamus & confirmamus: Ac statutum illud & omnia & singula in eodem specificat̃, except̃ p͛except̃, juxta auctoritatem nobis in quadam provisione eidem Statuto annex̃ concessam, volumus declaramus & firmiter injungendo mandamus in executionem poni & demandari immediate post diem dat̃ present̃: Ita quod, immediate post diem dat̃ presenciū, Statutum illud incipiet capere effectum et in õibꝫ reputabitur in effectu; et qd̵ debite utetur obedietur et observabitur juxta tenorem ejusdem; aliqua clausula ꝓvisionis in eodem Statuto content̃ sive eidem annex̃ in contrarium, in aliquo non obstante. In cujus Rei Testimonium has literas ñras fieri fecimus patentes in rotulo dc̃i ꝑl̵m̄ti nr̃i juxta tenorem & provisionem statuti predicti irrotuland̵. Teste me ip̃o apud Westm̄ septimo die Aprilis anno regni ñri vicesimo quinto.” 26 H. VIII. Journal wanting.The Instrument of Ratification does not appear at the Parliament Office.
Many Instances occur, in the Acts 26 Hen. VIII., 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.
