28 Constitutional History. [chap.
War in
Wales.
Supply of
money.
reached Leith as a victorious invader, but returned home
without gaining his object. In September he heard that
Owen Glendower was at war with lord Grey of Buthyn, and
he had to make an expedition to AVales in the autumn. The
money for the Scottish expedition was provided by the con-
tributions of the lords, granted in a great council on the 9tl1
of February, the prelates giving a tenth and the lords tem-
poral giving an aid under specified conditions1 ; but the king
had no success in his attempt to borrow from the Londoners;
and at Christmas the emperor of Constantinople2, to whom
Eichard had made large promises, arrived to claim the fulfil-
ment. A truce had been patched up with France, bu⅛ peace
Wasnottobelooked for. New allies must be sought; a pro-
ject of marriage was started, to secure the alliance of the new
king of the Romans, who had supplanted Wenzel as Henry had
supplanted Richard ; and there could be no marriage without
money.
Complaints
of the want
of money.
Although on the view of the whole year Henry’s position
had become stronger, the dangers ahead were greater. The
clergy, although the king had surrendered the alien monas-
teries and had not pressed the demand for money, were
clamouring against the AVycliffites; the Percies, who were
bearing the burden of defence on both the Scottish and the
Welsh marches, were discovering that the change of ruler was
bringing them more cost than honour. Money was wanted
everywhere and for every one. Henry knew that, when once
the financial alarm began to spread, constitutional difficulties
would arise. He had already too few friends, and ministers of
scarcely average experience. The parliament must meet again.
It had already been summoned to assemble at York in October
1400; but the day was postponed and the place changed. It
1 The great council was held on 9th of February by writ under the
Privy Seal; Kymer, viii. 125, 153 ; Ordinances of the Pnvy Council, i.
102-106. According to the annalist the clergy were asked by letter for a
tenth, which it was thought uncivil to refuse; Ann. Henr. p. 332. The
commons were not asked; Adam of Usk, p. 43. M∣. Wylie gives the
revenue as £109,249 16s. 2∖d.1 and the expenditure, £109,006 ɪɪs. 8J<Z. ;
p. 61.
't Ann. Henr. p. 334; Adam of Usk, p. 55.
XV∏I∙]
Parliament of 1401.
29
met at Westminster on tlɪe 20tI1 of January, 14011, and SatNewpariia-
1 1 ment called,
Uiitiltlie IOthofMarch. January
gir William Thirning, the chief justice, who made the opening 14°''
speech, had no easy task. The financial report, which had been statement
laid before the council showed that, besides the expenses of the laid befoɪe
ιιι 1 ∏ » . 1 „ . the parlιa-
royal household, more than ài 30,000 was required ɪor the ment,
defence and administration of the realm. The £350,000, at
which Richard’s accumulations were estimated, had disappeared,
and the king had already incurred a debt of £16,0003. No
fio∙ures, however, were laid before the commons ; the expenses
of the coronation, the suppression of the conspiracy, the ex-
peditions to Scotland and Wales, the defence of Calais and
Guienne, were dwelt upon, and the commons in particular -were
urged to give more attention than was usually given to public
business, and less to matters of private interest. The result of
this exhortation was a long and specially important session.
30G. The commons, although they may, in the first instance, τhe com-
o 'j , *, mons seize
have required a spur, now saw their advantage at once. Ittheiroppor-
was not the weakness of the king’s title, as has sometimes been
said, but their knowledge of his necessities that gave them
their vantage-ground. With the utmost apparent loyalty and
with no little liberality they began to put in form the claims
which they conceived themselves to possess. They chose as
speaker Sir Arnold Savage4, one of the members for Kent, a
1 Lords’ Ilcport, iv. 770-775 ; Rot. Pail. iii. 454.
ɑ 2 The estimate is printed in the Ordinances of the Privy Council, i. 154,
ii. 56 ; but the document is mutilated. Among the items are Calais
^13.32O 6s. Sd. ; Ireland £5333 6s. Sd. ; Guienne £10,000; Queen
Isabeila £8242 oʃ. jod. ; the last loan £16,000; the wardrobe £16,000;
annuities and grants £24,000 ; all together, including lost items, but not
including the Iiousehold, £130,908 14s. 2d. These items agree with the
particulars of Thirning’s Speech ; Rot. Parl. iii. 454. See above, p. 28,n.ι.
On the amount of treasure left by Richard see Chronique de Ia
Irahison, p. 263. Fabyan, p. 569, from the Polychronicon, estimates it at
*70° 000 ; the Chronique at 900,000 nobles, or £300,000.
Rot. Parl. iii. 455; Otterbourne, ρ. 232. fQui tam diserte, tam
γ0quenter, tam gratiose, declaravit Communitatis neg∩tia, praecipue ne
e cetero taxis gravarentur aut talliagiis, quod Iaudem ab univerεis
proɪneruit ea die;’ Ann. Henr. p. 335. Sir Arnold Savage, of Bobbing
jθ∣r Sittingbourne, had been sheriff of Kent in 9 Rich. II, and gone with
ʊ m of Gaunt to Castille. He was constable OfQueenborough castle in
З93 and died in 1410 ; Hasted’s Kent, ii. 635, 636.