COMMENDAMS. 335 



question being put in this manner ; Whether, if at 

 any time, in a case depending before the judges, his 

 majesty conceived it to concern him either in power 

 or profit, and thereupon required to consult with 

 them, and that they should stay proceedings in the 

 mean time, they ought not to stay accordingly ? 

 They all, the lord chief justice only excepted, 

 yielded that they would, and acknowledged it to be 

 their duties so to do; only the lord chief justice of 

 the king s bench said for answer, that when the case 

 should be, he would do that which should be fit for 

 a judge to do. And the lord chief justice of the 

 common pleas, who had assented with the rest, added, 

 that he would ever trust the justice of his majesty s 

 commandment. After this was put to a point, his 

 majesty thought fit, in respect of the farther day of 

 argument, appointed the Saturday following for the 

 Commendams, to know from his judges what he 

 might expect from them concerning the same. 

 Whereupon the lord of Canterbury breaking the 

 case into some questions, his majesty did require his 

 judges to deal plainly with him, whether they 

 meant in their argument to touch the general power 

 of granting Commendams, yea or no ? Whereupon 

 all the said judges did promise and assure his ma 

 jesty, that in the argument of the said case of Com 

 mendams, they would speak nothing which should 

 weaken or draw into doubt his majesty s preroga 

 tive for granting of them ; but intended particularly 

 to insist upon the points of &quot; lapse&quot; and other judicial 

 points of this case, which they conceived to be of a 



