^0 tootuments relative to Parliament. 



To the EJitor cfthe Monthly Magazine. 

 SIR, 



AT a time when every (hiiiking man 

 ill Great Britain is convinced of 

 the imlispensable necessity of a Reform 

 <if Parliament, and wiien half the adnit 

 jiopnlation are sisninp; petitions to de- 

 mand it as their right, it would serve the 

 lMil)lic canse if yon wonid rIvc place, in 

 yonr miscellany, to some documents. 



Tvhich would instruct the petitioners in 

 the nature and foundation of their 

 claims. I n»ay assert, vvithoirt flattery, 

 ihat half the thinking people in England 

 read your pages; the importance, thcre- 

 iirc, of filling tlieni with sound iuforma- 

 evident. 1 am your devoted 



S. K. Williams. 

 ; Oct. 1816. 



tiun IS 



(lend, 



Bath 



ANTIQUITY OF PARLIAMENTS. 



••IIa\ing called together a general 

 assembly both of tiie clergy and i>co- 

 nle"—Ethelb(:rt, G0.3 ; 



"At which council were present, the 

 jirchbishops and bisliops of England, 

 Uuthred king of Mercia, Ivdmund king 

 of East Anglia, and of abbots, abl>csses, 

 duke.-!, earls, an<l great men of the whole 

 kingdom, and faitliful subjects a great 

 niultitiide, who all approved of this 

 loyal act, to which the dignified persons 

 sul)scribcd their names."— £</ie/K'o//; 



835. 



"King Sigebert growing incorrigible, 

 |lie great men and people of Wessex 

 mssenibled together in the b.ginning of 

 the second vciM- of his reign, and deposed 

 biiu with unanimous consent." 

 ■ "111 the reign ol Edward the elder 

 were assembled the bishops, abbots 

 ilic niithfnl snbjeets or vassals, the 

 reat men and people, in the kingdom ol 



iVessex." . . . ,, m , 



There is a provision m Magna I harta 

 on the subject of lepicsentalion, whUli 

 aecms to lie the origin of the sepanition 

 of Pailiameiit mto two houses. " It 

 inust be n-collcctcd, that during the 

 rei-ns of Stephen. J leniy II., and King 

 John tenants in capitc, or barons, were. 

 bv thQ splitting of the baronies into 

 smaller leiuuicies in chief, (who all liel.l 

 immediately of the eiown,) so nmlti- 

 olied, tliat a very iiregnlar represejsta- 

 lion of the kingdom irose. these lesser 

 barons havina; an equal share in the re- 

 presentation with the most potent." 



"And, lor the assessing ot seutage,we 

 shall cause to be summoned the arch- 

 hiriJwps, bi>Uups, abbots, carljj, ajid great 



? 



[Jan. 1, 



barons of the realm, singly, by our lefr 

 ters." — Magna Charta, sec. xvii. 



" And furthermore, we shall cause to 

 be summoned, in general, by our sheriff* 

 and bailiffs, all others who hold of ns in 

 chief, at a certain day ; that is to say, 

 forty days (before their meeting) at least, 

 to a certain plac(! ; and in all letters of 

 such summons \\c will declare the cans* 

 of such summons." — Magna Charta, 

 sec. xviii. 



" Furthermore we will and grant, that 

 all other cities and boroughs, and towns 

 and ports, shall have all their liberties 

 and free customs, and shall have th« 

 common council of the kingdom con- 

 cerning the assessment of their aids." — 

 Magna Charta, xvi. 



THFIK Dl'UATION. 



" For maintenance of the said article* 

 and statutes, and redress of divers mis*, 

 chiefs and grievances which daily hap- 

 pen, a Parliament shall be holden every 

 year— as at another time was ordained 

 by statute"— 36 Edu'. III. 



THEIR INVIOLAli'.MTY. 



"The election of members of Parli^ 

 ment ought to be free ; and that, for the 

 redress of all grietances, and for amend- 

 ing, strengthening, and preserving of the 

 laws, parliaments ought to be held fre- 

 quently." — Bill of Rights. 



TtlKTKII-NNIAL ACT. 



6th William and Mart/, c. 2. 



"Whereas by the ancient laws and sta- 

 tutes of this kingdom frequent parLia- 

 meiits ought to be held ; ami whereas fre- 

 quent and new parlianients tend very 

 much to the ha|)py union and good 

 agreement of the king and people, w^ 

 your Majesty's most loyal and obedient 

 .subjects, the lords s|)uitual and tem- 

 poral, and commons, in this present par- 

 liament assembled, do most humbly be- 

 seech your most excellent MajeslJe.% 

 that it may be declared and enacted in 

 this present Parliament ; and it i$ 

 hereby declared aii<l enacted by tho 

 King's and Queen's most excellent 

 Majesties, by and with the advice and 

 <onsent of the lords spiritual aud tem- 

 poral, and commons, in tliis presejit Par- 

 liament assembled, and by the authority 

 cf tlie same, that from henceforth a Pap- 

 liament should be holden once in thre« 

 years at the least. 



2. And be it further enacted, by th# 

 authority aforesaid. That within tJu-c« 

 years at the farthest, from and after th« 

 dissolution of this present Parliament* 

 and so fmin time to time, for ever lieie«' 

 al'tttr, witUin tbrco years at tlie fiutliest^ 



frout 



