But, while Parliament was neither packed nor terrorised to any great
extent, the harmony which prevailed between it and the King has
naturally led to the charge of servility. Insomuch as it was servile
at all, Parliament faithfully represented its constituents; but the
mere coincidence between the wishes of Henry and those of Parliament
is no proof of servility.[733] That accusation can only be (p. 262)
substantiated by showing that Parliament did, not what it wanted, but
what it did not want, out of deference to Henry. And that has never
been proved. It has never been shown that the nation resented the
statutes giving Henry's proclamations the force of laws, enabling him
to settle the succession by will, or any of the other acts usually
adduced to prove the subservience of Parliament. When Henry was dead,
Protector Somerset secured the repeal of most of these laws, but he
lost his head for his pains. There is, indeed, no escape from the
conclusion that the English people then approved of a dictatorship,
and that Parliament was acting deliberately and voluntarily when it
made Henry dictator. It made him dictator because it felt that he
would do what it wanted, and better with, than without, extraordinary
powers. The fact that Parliament rejected some of Henry's measures is
strong presumption that it could have rejected more, had it been so
minded. No projects were more dear to Henry's heart than the statutes
of Wills and of Uses, yet both were rejected twice at least in the
Parliament of 1529-36.[734]
[Footnote 733: "Parliament," says Brewer,
"faithfully reflected the King's wishes." It is
equally true to say that the King reflected the
wishes of Parliament; and the accusation of
servility is based on the assumption that
Parliament must either be in chronic opposition to
the Crown or servile. One of Brewer's reasons for
Henry's power is that he "required no grants of
money"! (_L. and P._, iv., Introd., p. dcxlv.).]
[Footnote 734: "Henry," writes Chapuys in 1532,
"has been trying to obtain from Parliament the
grant of a third of the feudal property of deceased
lords, but as yet has got nothing" (_L. and P._,
v., 805). Various other instances are mentioned in
the following pages, and they could doubtless be
multiplied if the Journals of the House of Commons
were extant for this period.]
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