The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol. I., Part B.: From Henry III. to Richard III.
David Hume · en
“As it is a most equitable rule,” says he, in his preamble to this writ,
“that what concerns all should be approved of by all; and common dangers
be repelled by united efforts;” [*] a noble principle, which may seem to
indicate a liberal mind in the king, and which laid the foundation of a
free and an equitable government.
After the election of these deputies by the aldermen and common council,
they gave sureties for their attendance before the king and parliament:
their charges were respectively borne by the borough which sent them;
and they had so little idea of appearing as legislators,--a character
extremely wide of their low rank and condition,[**]--that no
intelligence could be more disagreeable to any borough, than to find
that they must elect, or to any individual than that he was elected, to
a trust from which no profit or honor could possibly be derived.[***]
They composed not, properly speaking, any essential part of the
parliament: they sat apart both from the barons and knights,[****] who
disdained to mix with such mean personages: after they had given
their consent to the taxes required of them, their business being then
finished, they separated, even though the parliament still continued
to sit, and to canvass the national business.[*****] And as they all
consisted of men who were real burgesses of the place from which they
were sent, the sheriff, when he found no person of abilities or wealth
sufficient for the office, often used the freedom of omitting particular
boroughs in his returns; and as he received the thanks of the people for
this indulgence, he gave no displeasure to the court, who levied on all
the boroughs, without distinction, the tax agreed to by the majority of
deputies.[******]
* Brady of Boroughs, p. 25, 33, from the records. The writs
of the parliament immediately preceding, remain: and the
return of knights is there required, but not a word of the
boroughs: a demonstration that this was the very year in
which they commenced. In the year immediately preceding, the
taxes were levied by a seeming free consent of each
particular borough, beginning with London. Brady of
Boroughs, p. 31, 32, 33, from the records. Also his Answer
to Petyt, p. 40, 41.
** Reiiquia Spel. p. 64. Prynne’s Pref. to Cotton’s Abridg.
and the Abridg. passim.
*** Brady of Boroughs, p. 59, 60.
**** Brady of Boroughs, p. 37, 38, from the records, and
Append. p. 19. Also his Append, to his Answer to Petyt,
Record. And his gloss. in verb. Communitas regn. p. 33.
***** Ryley’s Placit. Parl. p. 241, 242, etc. Cotton’s
Abridg. p. 14.