LETTERS FROM STEPHENS. 25 



To the Marquis of Buckingham. 



Our very good Lord, 



We thought it our duty to impart to his majesty, by your 

 lordship, one particular of parliament business, which we 

 hold it our part to relate, though it be too high for us to 

 give our opinion of it. 



The officers that make out the writs of parliament ad 

 dressed themselves to me, the Chancellor, to know whether 

 they should make such a writ of summons to the Prince, 

 giving me to understand, that there were some precedents 

 of it, which I, the Chancellor, communicated with the rest 

 of the committees for parliament business, in w T hose assist 

 ance I find so much strength, that I am not willing to do 

 any thing without them. Whereupon we (according to his 

 majesty s prudent and constant rule, for observing in what 

 reigns the precedents were) upon diligent search have found 

 as folio weth. 



That King Edward I. called his eldest son, Prince Ed 

 ward, to his parliament in the thirtieth year of his reign, 

 the Prince then being about the age of eighteen years ; and 

 to another parliament in the four and thirtieth year of his 

 reign. 



Edward III. called the Black Prince, his eldest son, to 

 his parliament in the five and twentieth, eight and twentieth, 

 and two and fortieth years of his reign. 



Henry IV. called Prince Henry to his parliaments in the 

 first, third, eighth, and eleventh years of his reign, the 

 Prince being under age in the three first parliaments : and 

 we find in particular, that the eighth year, the Prince sat in 

 the upper-house in days of business and recommended a 

 bill to the lords. 



King Edward IV. called Prince Edward, his son, to his 

 parliament, in anno 22 of his reign, being within age. 



King Henry VII. called Prince Arthur to his parliament 

 in the seventh year of his reign, being within age. 



Of King Edward VI. we find nothing; his years were 

 tender, and he was not created Prince of Wales. 



And for Prince Henry, he was created Prince of Wales 

 during the last parliament at which he lived. 



We have thought it our duty to relate to his majesty 

 what we have found; and, withal, that the writs of sum 

 mons to the Prince are not much differing from the writs 

 to the peers ; for they run in Jide et ligeancid, and some 

 times in Jide et homagio in quibiis nobis tenemini, and after 



