252 HUME. 



HENRY III. 



" I reckon not among the violations of the great charter 



arbitrary 

 some practices A Exertions of Prerogative, which Henry's 



without producing any discontents 

 necessities oblig'd him to practice, and which A were uniformly 



continued 



practiced by all his successors till the last century. As the par- 



that -flQmctinws- in a manner somewhat 



liament often refusd him supplies, and A often in a very, rude 

 and indecent-flftftfmep, he obliged his opulent subjects, parti- 

 cularly the citizens of London, to grant him loans of money : 



want of economy 



and it is natural to imagine, that the same rtcccasities- which 

 reduced him to the necessity of borrowing him from 

 obliged him to borrow, would prevent -bt being very regular 

 He demanded benevolences, or pretended voluntary 



their contributions from his nobility & prelates. 



in 4ke payment of his dob to A He was the first King of 



England since the Conquest who could be fairly said to 



also 

 lye under the restraint of law : and he was A the first who 



practicd the dispensing power, and employed the famous 



Patents 



clause oinon obstante in his grants and char tors. The Princes 

 notwithstanding the great power of the monarchs, 



both of the Saxon & Norman line own country 



of Wales ^ still preserved authority in their mountains ; and 



had often -bad been constraind to pay tribute 

 tho' they sontinuod to do- homage to the crown of England, 



in subordination or even in peace 

 they were with difficulty retaind in subjection, and almost 



throughout 



4ft- every reign since the conquest had infested the English 



inroads 

 frontiers with petty incursions and sudden -inourciono, which 



-dooopvod to be mentioned merited to have place 

 seldom merited to have placo in a general history." 



" The behaviour , of John show'd him not unworthy of 

 generous courteous never 



this A treatment. His present abject fortune * made him 

 never forget a moment that he was a King. More sensible 



Edward's 

 to hio the Princco generosity than to his own calamities, he 



