334 Constitutional History. [chap.
citizens of York1 ; and he had taken precautions to prevent
Buckingham, whose head-quarters were at Brecon, from cross-
ing the Severn. On the 23rd from Leicester he proclaimed
pardon to the commons, and set a price on the heads of the
Bncking- leaders2. When the duke arrived at Weobly he found that the
ham taken t
and be- game was lost, and fled in disguise. He was taken, brought
to the king at Salisbury on November 2, and beheaded forth-
Executions. with3. The three bishops escaped to the continent. Many of
the minor conspirators were taken and put to death, among
them Sir- Thomas Saint Leger, the king’s brother-in-law, who
had married the duchess of Exeter. The attempt of Henry
of Richmond to land at Plymouth was delayed by weather,
Great danger until the chances of success were over. The extent of the
avoided. _ . . _ _ _ . . 1
danger may be estimated by the great exertions which
Richard made to obviate it, and by the fact that the ex-
pense of the army which he had on foot made a very heavy
drain on the great treasure that Edward IV had left behind
him.
Richard's After Christmas Richard held his first parliament ; it as-
parliament, ι-∣ι ,1 _ τ ɪ
January, εembled on the 23rd 01 January4: preparations had been
ɪ484' made for an earlier meeting, but this had been prevented
by the outbreak of the revolt5. Two dukes, seven earls,
two viscounts, and twenty-six barons were summoned. The
ɪ On the ɪɪth of October Ttichard wrote from Lincoln announcing
Buckingham’s treason and asking for men ; Davies, York Records,
PP- 177-181.
2 The proclamations against the rebels are dated Oct. 23; Rot. Rat.
p. 31 ; Rymer, xii. 204.
3 Cont. Croyl. p. 568. Lord Stanley was appointed constable in his
place Nov. 18, and Dec. 16; Rot. Pat. pp. 16, 36: Sir William Stanley
justice of North Wales, Nov. 12 ; and the earl of Northumberland great
chamberlain, Nov. 12 ; ib.
* Rot. ParI. vi. 237 ; Cont. CroyI. p. 570.
5 On the 22nd of September summons was issued for Nov. 6; Wake,
State of the Church, p. 382. On the 24th of October the election of
members of parliament was held at York; Davies, pp. ι8ι, 182. As the
chancellor’s speech prepared for the occasion has for its text a portion of
the gospel for S. Martin’s day, there can be little doubt that the parlia-
ment was to have been opened on that day. See Nichols, Grants of
Edward V, p. liv. Another summons was issued Dec. 9; Wake, p. 382.
The election for the parliament of January 1484 was held at York on the
ι6th of January, the members started on the 24th, and returned Eebruary
26; Davies, pp. 184, 185.
XVIII.]
Declaration of Diehard’s title.
235
chancellor preached on the text ‘ We have many members in
one body,’ and especially exhorted the estates to search dili-
gently for the piece of silver that was lost, to secure that
perfection in government which was the one thing wanted to
make England safe and happy. On the 26th Vfilliam Catesby,
one of Richard’s most unscrupulous servants, was presented
and approved as speaker1. One of the first matters which Proceedings
ɪx ɪ ... touching the
was discussed was the king’s title. The bill which was in- king’s title,
troduced on the subject rehearsed the proceedings by which
Richard had been induced to assume the crown, and contained
a copy of the petition of invitation, all the statements of which
it was proposed to ratify, enrol, record, approve, and authorise,
in such a way as to give them the force of an act of the full
parliament. The title of the king was, the bill continues, Complete-
perfect in itself, as grounded on the law of God and nature, his right
i ° . . alleged,
the customs of the realm and the opinion of the wise ; yet, in
condescension to the ignorance of the people, and because they
are of such nature and disposition that the declaration of any
truth or right made by the three estates of the realm in
parliament, and by authority of the same, ‘ maketh before all
other things most faith and certainty,’ it is decreed that
Richard is king as well by right of consanguinity and in-
heritance as by lawful election, consecration and coronation.
The crown is accordingly secured to him and the heirs of his
body. The bill, having been introduced before the lords in the
king’s presence, was carried dawn to the commons, and received
their approval, after which, with the assent of the lords, all
the statements contained in it were pronounced to be true and
undoubted, and the king gave his assent2. By such an extra-
ordinary and clumsy expedient was the action of the June
council made the law of the land, and the parliament bound
to the truth of certain historical statements which many of
the members, if not all, must have known to be false.
Next in importance as a matter of deliberation was the Punishment
. , a ., . , . ,1 1 , ,, . , Oftherecent
punishment of the conspirators 111 the late revolt. An act offenders,
of attainder was passed against the duke of Buckingham, the
1 liot. Parl. vɪ. 238. 2 lb. vi. 240-242.