474 Constitutional History. [chap.
Joint de-
liberations
of lords and
commons.
explained by the chancellor 1 ; in 1382 the bishop of Hereford
laid before lords and commons together ‘in more especial
manner’ the occasions of summons2; in 1377 Bichard Ie
Scrope, Steward of the household, repeated the charge to the
commons in the presence of the king and the bishops3 ; and in
1401 Sir Arnold Savage4, when admitted as speaker, repeated
to the king and lords the matter of the opening speech, tto
assure his own memory, in brief words, clearly and in accord-
ance with its essence.’ When the matter of the questions was
then ascertained, the commons might ask for the nomination of
a committee of lords to confer with them: in 1377 we have
seen them naming the Iordswhose advice they desired ; in 1381
the lords insisted that the commons should report their advice
to them and not they to the commons; in 1378 the lords pro-
posed a conference by a joint committee ; and in 1383 the king
chose the committee5. In 1402 Henry IV made it a matter
of favour to allow the communication0; but after his con-
cession made, in 1407, that the money grants should be reported
to him by the speaker of the commons, the royal objections,
which no doubt arose from the wish to balance the two houses
against one another in order to obtain larger money grants,
were withdrawn. If no question arose upon the subject of the
opening speech, the commons sometimes returned an address
of thanks to the king for the information given them. This
may have been always done, but it is only now and then
mentioned in the rolls 7.
1 Rot, Parl. iɪɪ. 99, 160 : in all these points it is needless to give more
than a single illustration; the practice from the reign of Edward II to
that of Henry V varied so frequently that to attempt a complete classifi-
cation of instances would be to give an abstract of the whole of the Rolls
of parliament. See also above, p. 442, note 4.
2 Rot. Parl. iii. 133. 3 Rot. Part. iii. 5. 4 Rot. Parl. iii. 455.
s See above, vol. ii. pp. 623, 624.
6 See Rot. Parl. iii. 486. In 1404 Sir Arnold Savage asked that the
king would send eeɪtain lords to confer with the commons, and when that
was granted, that certain commons might go to confer with the lords ;
Rot. Parl. iii. 523.
7 In I401 the commons (under Arnold Savage) thanked the king for
the speech with which Sir William Thirning had opened parliament ;
Rot. Parl. 455. In 1402 there was an address a few days after the opening
of the session, chiefly of gratitude ; ib. p. 487.
XX.]
Money Grants.
475
437. Although the subjects of the royal questions and of the Money
conferences of the two houses would necessarily embrace all discusS
matters of policy and administration of which the crown re- pnvately,
quired or allowed itself to be advised, the most frequent and
most definite points discussed in them were supply and account.
On these points, when the king was present, generalities alone,
as a rule, were uttered ; it was only in some great strait or in
contemplation of some grand design that figures were men-
tioned. It would seem to have been usual for the king to send
a commissioner or two to discuss his necessities with both
houses ; just as he communicated with the clerical convocations
when he wanted a grant. Thus in 1308 we find Thomas of Financial
τ . 1 ττ 1 1 тч ∙ л statements
.Lancaster and Hugh Ie Despenser carrying a message from laid before
Edward II to the lords1; in 1343 and 1346 Bartholomewparkament'
Burghersh acted as the king’s envoy; and in 1372 Guy Brian
laid the king’s financial condition before the lords and commons
together2. But the most perfect illustration of this proceeding
is that of the year 1433, when lord Cromwell made the in-
teresting financial statement from which we learn so much of
the nature of the revenue3. On the 18th of October, 1433, Lor<1
Cromwell, being then treasurer, laid before the king a petition stɪɪni?
containing certain conditions on which he had undertaken the m ɪ433'
office : he explained that the royal revenue was insufficient by a
sum of £35,000 for the royal expenditure, but as this fact
could not be understood without an examination of the accounts
of the exchequer, he prayed that the lords might be charged to
examine the accounts and have the record enrolled, and to give
diligence that provision should be made for the king’s neces-
sities ; that he himself should be authorised to give a preference
in payment to the debts of the household, the wardrobe, and
necessary works ; that no grants should be made without in-
formation to be laid by the treasurer before the council, and
that he should in his office of treasurer act as freely as his
predecessors, receive the help of the lords, and incur no hin-
1 See above, vol. iɪ. p. 333.
2 See above, vol. iɪ. p. 444; Rot. Pari. Ü. 137, 157.
3 See above, p. 121.