APPENDIX. E.
I.
1. The Six Volumes printed by an Order of the House of Lords of Great Britain, 9 March 1767, and intituled, Rotuli Parliamentorum ut et Petitiones et Placita in Parliamento, contain various Parliamentary Matters from 6 Edw. I. to 19 Hen. VII. Original Petitions in Parliament from the Time of Edw. I, Entries of Record of Rolls and Proceedings in Parliament in the Time of Edw. I. and II, and Rolls of Parliament from 4 & 5 Edw. II, to the End of the Reign of Edward IV, are still preserved in the Tower of London, among which are many Matters not noticed in those printed Volumes. Previous to Edward III. the Contents of the Rolls are miscellaneous and irregular. From 13 Edw. III. to the End of the Reign of Edw. IV. the Contents of them are generally, but not universally, uniform, and may be thus described. They begin by stating the Time of the Opening of each Session, the declaring the Causes for which the Parliament was summoned, and the Appointment of Receivers and Triers of Petitions.—The Grants of Aids and Subsidies to the King, and the other Proceedings in the several Matters before Parliament, are entered as they took place. All the Petitions of the Commons, relating to Public Matters, and sometimes those of the Clergy separately, with the Answers thereto, are entered at large, as also all the Petitions or Bills presented by private Persons, and the Answers thereto: Many of these Petitions or Bills in the Time of Hen. VI. and Edward IV. are drawn up in the complete Form of Acts.—The Rolls conclude with the Account of the Petitions, or Bills and Answers being read at the Close of the Session, and of the Leave given to the Great Men and Commons to depart.
On the Roll of 35 Edw. I. of which the Entry is preserved in the Vetus Codex in the Tower of London, the earliest existing Record occurs of a Commission granted by the King, for beginning the Business of Parliament in his Absence. It is in the following Form:
“EDWARD par la grace de Dieu Roi Denglet͛re, Seignr Dirlaunde & Ducs Daquitaine a touz noz foialx & loialx Prelatz, Contes, Barons, Procurours, & autres q̃ sont venuz a Cardoill ꝑ nr̃e somonse pr estre illueq̃s a nr̃e Parlement a ces Oytaves de la Seynt Hilleyre, Saluz. Nous feisoms assav͛ a voꝰ toutz q̃ noꝰ enveoms a Cardoill noz foialx & loialx Waut͛ ꝑ meisme la grace Evesqꝫ de Cestre nr̃e Tresorier, & Henri de Lacy Conte de Nicole nr̃e chier cousyn, pr monstrer a voꝰ aucunes bosoignes touchantz noꝰ & nr̃e Roialme, qant a la jornee de y cestz Vendredi Samedi & Dimegne; & por treiter ovesqꝫ voꝰ & voꝰ dire nr̃e volunte sur meismes les busoignes, sicōme noꝰ lour avons enchargez; & voꝰ mandoms qe as ditz Evesqꝫ & Conte de ce qil voꝰ endirront de ꝑ noꝰ creez fiablement, & si avant cōme voꝰ ferriez a noꝰ meismes si noꝰ y feussiens en ꝓpre ꝑsone. Don̄ souz nr̃e pive Seal a Lanrecost le xix jour de Janeuoir Lan de nr̃e regne xxxv.”
The next known existing Record of a similar Commission is found on the Parliament Roll in the Tower, 13 Edw. III. Part II. The following is a Copy of the Commencement of that Roll, and of the Royal Commission entered thereon, for the beginning and continuing of Parliament.
“Les Remembrances du ꝑlement somons a Westmonstier as oyetaves de la Seint Hillarie lan du regne nr̃e Seignur le Roi Edward la tierce ap͛s le conquest treszisme.
