"He confesseth that he bringeth in as his own speach that it was not amisse in regard of the comonwelth that he (meaning King R. 2) was deade, yet they who caused his death, &c., which he sayed of himselfe for preventing of civil warres in respect of 2 concurrents or competitors. Being demanded what was the reason why he sett forth the orations of the B. of Caunterbury and the erle of Derby, seing that they tend to greate ill and to thinges most unlawfull, sayth that there can be nothing done, be it never so ill or unlawfull, but must have a shadowe, and every councell must be according to the action. He sayth that he selected out this single historie for that Hall beginneth there, and Ascham his scoolemaster commende that historie if it were well penned, before any other; and being demanded wherfore then he followed not Hall in his historie, sayth that he followed him but suplied it out of other histories, and had an intention as he saith to have continued the historie. "And for the words spoken by King R. 2, that princes must not rule without limitation, &c., he affirmeth that to be a true opinion so it be rightlie understood, and that he intended that the same was not to be taken generally, but that princes were to be limitted by the lawe divine and the lawe of nature onlie; and being demaunded where he had the same, saith that it is about 3 yeres since the booke was written, and cannot remembere out of what author he toke it, but saith he fynd it in Bod. ... and in the body of the civill lawes, &c. "And being asked where he had this sentence, that othes are comonlie spurned aside when they ly in the way to honur or reveng, saith that the speach is of his own, as thinges done de facto et non de jure. Being demaunded wherfore he added that King Richard II borowed money by privy seales, sayth that he thinketh he had it out of Walsingham. "For benevolences he found the matter but doth not defende the woord. "Being asked where he found the description of the erle to be not negligent to uncover the heode, to bowe the body, to stretch forth the necke and arme, &c., he saith that he found in Hall and others that he was of popular behavior, but for the particulars he tooke the libertie of the best wrighters of histories of that kynd. "Also the descriptions of the erle in divers places of his historie he gathered out of his actions, and found the matter, not the verie forme of woordes, in any other, as farre as he can call to remembrance.[12] "Being demanded, seing he wrote of matters of state and historie, what menne of state or others he acquainted with his historie before he published it, aunswereth that he wrote of an historie about 300 yeres past, and therfore he acquainted no person therwith before he brought it to the printer.