ol. Tl.] 
been approved by all that profeffe Chrif 
tianity, they have chofen out men of 
courage, feareing God, loveing truth, and 
hateing bribes, and fett them over thou- 
fands, over hundreds, over fifties, and 
over tenns, to adminifter juftice in all 
ordinary and comen caufes, betweene 
party and party, referveing to their owne 
judicature, all matters of great moment 
and difficulty. And this refervacion here 
in England yeu call the King’s preroga- 
tive, and your own bookes’ doc preve th 
fone of government was ufed here in 
England. 
The Kings themfelves ufed to age 
from country to country to adminifte 
jultice, and to that end the Chancelior Be 
Judges of the land attended the Kinge 
é& either with or neere him decided caules 
which might eafily be performed here in 
England before the heptarchie was united, 
and in Scotland alfoe till Scotts & Picts 
‘were made one nation. 
But when kingdomes grewe great, 
Princes became proude & waxed idle, 
and in their pride & lafineffe (which 
preatnes had begotten) they thought it 
better tolaye that burthen ae themfeives 
‘upon others, and foe fettled the Courts 
at Wefimr. as now they are, in which 
I may fitt ntyielfe and give judgements, 
(whatfoeuer hath been fayed to the con- 
trary by one in parliament) for judge- © 
ments are given in my name, & elpe- 
cially in the Chancery, all the’ Records 
to this day goe (Rege prefenie) jand foe 
likewife in our bench.. 
In the begineing alfo the parliament 
fate all tosether in one houle, & all 
caufes were handled in the King’s owne 
prefence, but afterwards when the Kings 
of this land grewe great & lazie, and 
the number of the Burgeffes increafeing, 
for more conveniencye of confultation, 
the Comons were fent to an other houfe 
where the Kinge is not present, becaufe 
he cannot” “divide his perfon. But no- 
theing can be concluded wthout him. 
And although (when the houfes. were all 
one) all was don and {poken in the King’s 
prefence & hearing, yet nowe the King 
may not knowe vee 1S don i in the lower 
houfe. 
Conftantine the Greate adminiftred 
juftice in ordinarie caufes by judges de- 
legate, yet he referved caufes of greateft 
Moment to himielfe, and when there 
grewe controyerfie betweene his Buthops 
or Judges, he was Judge himfelfe. 
All “Judges e but the King’s fha- 
dowe and renter, & all your breves 
are fent foorth in my name, and not in 
the Tudges, , 
Singular Speech of King Fames. 
967 
And then the Kinge fayed that the 
judgements of all the Gourts are his, & 
you ( {peakeing to the Judges) are but 
my deputies, tor I may {itt in the Chan- 
cery, or in our bench, are not the proces 
Tefte meipfo, & is not our bench Locus 
Regis, fo that I may fitt and judge there 
if I lift, you have nothing of your felves 
but what you have from me. - 
And though Iwill ever defend the 
lawes of my ‘realme, and will not bringe 
innovacions, yet for matter of goverie 
ment eosanued foe lenge in foe. many 
Kings and Queenes days, fhall not 1 
be as able to mainteyne my prerogative 
as my predeceffors have don, yes verely, 
& will do, in foe much as I -am anfwere- 
able to God for your doeings & you to 
me, it muft needs be that your judge- 
ments are myne, and what foeuer any in 
this land may doe: by authority from me, 
except it be-in @dminiftracion of the fa- 
craments or fuch like, I may doe 1t my- 
felfe. And albeyt my predeceffors haue 
not don it thefe many yeares, yet I pray’ 
you what fayeth your lawe, Nulluz2 tem- 
pus occurrit Regi, and what is all your 
lawe, but Voluntas Regis, and then the 
lawe fayeth, ius of interpretare culus 
eft condere. 
I fpeake not this for my felfe foe inh 
ee alfoe for my fonne hex e; wito is Prince 
Wales, and when I thinke fitt fhal 
be fent thither. And (turneing to the 
Prince) fayed, ‘This concerneth you, 
fir, and IT hope you will loofe nothinge 
that is yours, and if you will, oa 
father will not dureing his life. 
Ts it fitt, fayed the King, that in thofe 
countries bordering about the Prince's 
houfes, he, nor his Councell, fhould haue 
further jurifdicion than an ordinary 
Juftice of Peace, and that he fhould 
haue noe jurifdicicn in his owne houfe 
and ouer his heigh court at his gates, 
fhall he haue leffe than the meaneft prefi- 
dent that ever was. The people of thefe 
countries have obeyed | all the tyme of 6 
or 7 Kings, my predeceflors, and why 
thould not they oF now as well? T fee 
every fabject {tands upon his right, and 
chery Judge for his owne jurifdicion: 
And may not I aswel ftand for my right 
& jurifdicion to leave it to my fucceffor 
as I found it, your felves ({peaking to 
the judges) in a cafe the laft day which 
concerned the Lord of Cumberland, fay- 
ead that 80 yeares ufage was a good 
matter, but in this cafe 130 avayleth 
notheing. 
‘Then kneeled downe the Lord Coke, who 
fayed that whether the fewer fhires were 
Ho2 within 
