The name is absent

120               Constitutional History.            [chap.

struggle; Bedford’s health and strength were rapidly giving
way. The death of his wife in November 1432 broke the
strongest link that bound him to duke Philip, and a new
marriage which he concluded early in 1433 with the sister of
the count of S. Pol, instead of adding to the number of Iiis
allies, weakened his hold on Burgundy. Negotiations were set
on foot for a general pacification, Gloucester spent a month on
the continent, trying his hand at diplomacy¹, and immediately
on his return summoned the parliament to meet in July. In
the interval Bedford and Burgundy met at S. Omer, and the
coolness between them became a quarrel; although they had
still so great interests in common that they could not afford to
break up their alliance. At the end of June Bedford visited
England once more, and he was present at the beginning of the
session². Whether he had seen or heard anything that led him
to suspect his brother’s friendship, it is not so easy to say ; but
on the sixth day of the parliament he announced that he had
come home to defend himself against false accusations. It had
been asserted, as he understood, that the losses which the king
had sustained in France were caused by his neglect; he prayed
that his accusers might be made to stand forth and prove the
charges³. After mature deliberation the chancellor answered
him : no such charges had reached the ears of the king, the
duke of Gloucester, or the council. The king retained full
confidence in him as his faithful liegeman and dearest uncle,
and thanked him for his great services and for coming home at
last. A sudden alarm of plague broke up the session in
August, to be resumed in October ⁴ ; but the effect of Bedford’s
ʌisit on the administration was already apparent ; lord Crom-
well, before the prorogation, was appointed treasurer of the
kingdom⁵, and in the interim prepared an elaborate statement
of the national accounts. Money was so scarce that the parlia-

ɪ April 22 to May 23 ; Rymer, x. 548, 54g.

^a Parliament opened July 8 ; Roger Hunt was the speaker; Rot. Parl.
iv. 419, 420 ; Stow, p. 373 ; Fabyan, p. 607. Bedford reached London
June 23; Clir. Lend. p. 120.                       ³ Rot. Parl iv. 420.

ⁱ TJie paɪliaɪnent was prorogued Aug. 13, to meet again Oct. 13 ; Rot.
Parl. iv. 420.

⁵ Aug. и ; Ordinances, h. 175,

ment authorised, him to stay all regular payments until he had
£2 ooo in hand for petty expenses. Cromwell’s statement of Lord
the national finances ¹ was brought up on the 18th of October, flɪɪaneɪai
and was alarming if not appalling. The ancient ordinary
revenue of the crown, which in the gross amounted to £23,000,
was reduced by fixed charges to £8,990 ; the duchy of
Lancaster furnished £2,408 clear, the indirect taxes on wine,
and other merchandise, brought in an estimated sum of
£26,966 more. The government of Ireland just paid its
expenses ; the duchy of Guienne, the remnant of the great
inheritance of Queen Eleanor, furnished only £77 os. 8∣rf. : the
expenses of Calais, £9,064 15s. 6d., exceeded the whole of the
ordinary revenue of the crown. The sum available for ad-
ministration, £38,364, was altogether insufficient to meet the
expenditure, which was estimated at £56,878, and there were
debts to the amount of £164,814 ιι.s. ι∣d. It is probable
that the accounts of the kingdom had been in much worse
order under Edward III and Eichard II, but the general state
of things had never been less hopeful. All expenses were
increasing, all sources of supply were diminishing. But there
could not have been much maladministration ; a single annual
giant of a fifteenth would be sufficient to balance revenue and
expenditure and would leave something to pay off the debt.

There was reason for careful economy ; Bedford determined to Bedford’s
make an effort to secure so much at least, and the discussion of economise?
public business was resumed on the 3rd of November². On
that day the commons, after praying that a proclamation might
be issued for the suppression of riotous assemblies, which were
taking place in several parts of England, requested that the
duke of Bedford would make, and the duke of Gloucester and
the council would renew, the promise of concord and mutual Declaration
co-operation which had been offered in the last parliament. ° ^conoord∙
This was done, and the two houses followed the example³. On
the 24th the speaker addressed the king in a long speech,

¹ Iiot. Parl. ɪv. 432-439.

^z A very peremptory summons ¾as issued on Nov. ɪ for the immediate
attendance of several lay lords and abbots ; Lords’ Keport, iv. 887.

^s Kot. Patl. iv. 42x, 422.

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