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authority of the bye laws which was at stake, and it was 
considered important to prove the antiquity of the Corporation, 
but we are astonished to find the naive confession made that 
though “there are many ancient grants and charters before that 
of Elizabeth they are engrossed in such a hand and manner that 
nobody in Bath can read or understand them,” and the grant of 
the Free School by Edward VI. to the Mayor of Bath was the 
only evidence proposed to be brought forward to prove that the 
City of Bath was a Corporation before the Elizabethan Charter. 
Mr. Pratt was clearly of opinion they must rely upon the Charter 
_ of Queen Elizabeth, not only because express reference is made 
in the document to that Charter, but because the bye laws made 
by a select body cannot be supported by the Common Law power 
of making bye laws, which is vested in the whole body, and adds, 
“Tt seems very extraordinary that this ancient city should be 
under any difficulty to prove themselves a Corporation by pre- 
scription.” Mr. Pratt adds, “I dare say, if the records at the 
_ Rolls Chapel and elsewhere here in town were to be searched the 
city might easily furnish herself with sufficient evidence of this 
fact.” Without some such Mr. Pratt considered it would be 
hazardous to go to trial, because though the grant of the Free 
School might be sufficient to prove them a Corporation before 
Queen Elizabeth, yet it might not be enough to prove them a 
Corporation by prescription, and he thought it would be very 
easy to show returns of Members of Parliament of much greater 
antiquity than the time of Edward VI., and if the archives were 
inspected something would certainly be found to make out this 
city to be a very ancient Corporation. 
It was apparently beyond their feeble powers to carry out the 
last suggestion. The city charters remained undeciphered, but 
_ the Tower was ransacked and the Rolls Chapel hunted through. 
The Parliamentary returns of Edward I., Edward II., Edward IIL, 
Edward IV. 1 and 2, 4 and 5 P. and M. were copied and these 
copies produced at the trial. It was pointed out that the last 

