THE JOURNAL OF THE House of COMMONS.
A Journal of the Passages of the House of Commons in the Parliament holden at Westminster, Anno 43 Reginæ Eliz. Anno Domini 1601. which began there on Tuesday the 27th Day of October, and then and there continued until the Dissolution thereof, on
Saturday the 19th Day of December ensuing, Anno 44 Reginæ
ejusdem.
This large and copious Journal
containeth in it not only a number of excellent Passages concerning the Orders and Priviledge of
the House of Commons, which
are usually found in other Journals of the same
House; but also much matter touching the publick State, and that great grievance of the Realm
by reason of Patents of Priviledge or Monopolies, in the abdication or censure of which her
Majesty most graciously concurr'd with her Subjects: In which also a great number of Speeches
and other Passages which were not found in the
Original Journal-Book of the said House, are
supplied out of a Journal of the same House taken at this Parliament by one of the Members
thereof. But yet to avoid confusion, whatsoever
is here inserted out of the said private Journal,
is particularly distinguished from that which is
taken out of the above-mentioned Original Journal-Book of the House of Commons, by some
Animadversion or expression thereof both before
and after the inserting of it.
The tenth Parliament of our Sovereign Lady
Elizabeth by the Grace of God of England,
France and Ireland Queen, Defender of the
Faith, &c. begun at Westminster upon Tuesday
being the 27th day of October in the forty third
year of her Majesties Reign, upon which day
many of the Knights for the Shires, Citizens for
Cities, Burgesses for Boroughs, and Barons for
Ports returned into the same Parliament did
make their appearance at Westminster aforesaid
before the Right Honourable the Earl of Nottingham Lord Admiral and Lord Steward of her
Highnesses most Honourable Houshold, and did
then and there take the Oath according to the
Statute in that behalf made and provided, tendred by the said Earl, or by his Deputies, who
were Sir William Knolls Comptroller of her Majesties Houshold, Sir John Stanhop her Highness
Vice-Chamberlain, Sir Robert Cecill Principal Secretary, and John Herbert Esq; second Secretary.
After which all the said Lord Steward's Deputies and some others of the House of Commons
having gotten into the Upper House, and her
Majesty with divers of the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal being set, the greatest part of the residue of the Members of the said House of Commons had notice thereof about four of the Clock
in the Afternoon, being at that time still sitting
in the said House and expecting her Majesties
Pleasure to be sent for up unto the said Upper
House according to the antient usage and custom
of former Parliaments; And thereupon the said
residue repaired immediately unto the Door of
the said House, but could not be let in, the
Door being still kept shut, and so returned back
again unto their own House much discontented.
Shortly after which time the Right Honourable
Sir William Knolls, one of the Deputies aforesaid,
came down into the said House of Commons,
and so being there set with the said residue for
some little space of time, Mr Richard Lieffe, one
of the Barons returned into this present Parliament for the Port of Hastings in the County of
Sussex, stood up, and shewing unto the said
Comptroller the wrong done unto the greatest
part of the Members of this House, in their not
being suffered to come into the said Upper
House to hear her Majesties Pleasure signified by
the Mouth of the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
of England, humbly desired the said Comptroller
to be a means, that the effect thereof might be
imparted unto some of the Members of this House
for their better satisfactions. Which as his Honour did think very reasonable and meet to be
done at convenient time, so did he impute the
said fault wholly to the Gentleman-Usher of the
said Upper House. Which done, and the residue
of the said Deputies being shortly after come into the said House of Commons, and there sitting,
the said Mr Comptroller after some pause stood
up, and shewing unto this House that his place
was to break the silence of this House for that
time, and putting the House in mind to make
Choice of a Speaker according to her Majesties
Pleasure given unto them in that behalf, shewed
that in his opinion he thinketh Mr John Crooke,
Recorder of London, returned one of the Knights
for the City of London into this present Parliament, to be a very fit, able and sufficient Man
to supply the whole Charge of the said Office of
Speaker, being a Gentleman very Religious, very
Judicious, of a good Conscience, and well furnished with all other good parts; yet leaveth
nevertheless the further consideration thereof to
this House; and so did fit again. Which done,
and no one contrary Voice at all being delivered,
the said Mr Crooke after some large Pause first
taken stood up, and very Learnedly and Eloquently endeavoured to disable himself at large,
for the burthen of that charge, alledging his
great defects both of Nature and of Art fit to
supply that place, and shewing all full Complements for the same to abound in many other
Learned and grave Members of this House; in
the end prayed most humbly that they would
accept of his due excuse, and be pleased to proceed to a new Election; and did then sit down
again. Whereupon the said Mr Comptroller did
stand up, and said, that hearing no negative
Voice he took it for a due Election, and demanding the further opinion of this House therein, they all Answered Yea, and gave their Assents. Whereupon the said Mr Comptroller and
the Right Honourable Sir John Stanhap her Majesties Vice-Chamberlain immediately went to
the said Mr John Crooke, and did set him in the
Chair; which done, the said Mr Crooke after
some little pause did stand up, and yielding unto this whole House most humble thanks for
their great good opinion of him and loving favour towards him; and praying them to accept
of his willing mind and readiness, and to bear
with his unableness and wants in the service of
this House, referr'd himself to their good favours. And then the said Mr Comptroller signified further unto this House, that her Majesties
Pleasure was, that the Members of this House
having made choice of their Speaker should present him unto her Highness upon Friday next following in the Afternoon. And so then every
man departed and went his way.
On Friday the 30th day of October about one
of the Clock in the Afternoon the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of the House of Commons
with John Crooke Esq; Recorder of London, their
Speaker Elect, Assembled together in their own
House, and having stayed there a good while silent,
and attending her Majesties Pleasure to be sent for
to the Upper House, and hearing nothing thereof,
they did at length depart out of their own
House and went of themselves towards the said
Upper House there to be more near and ready to
come before her Highness at such time as she
should be pleased to send for them, which she
did accordingly after they had waited at the said
Upper House Door about half an hour; where
the Speaker aforesaid being presented unto her
Majesty, was, notwithstanding his excuse made
according to the usual form to the contrary, approved and allowed by her. And upon her said
Majesties granting of such Petitions of course
as the said Speaker did lastly make in the name of
the House of Commons, touching liberty of
Speech, free access to her Majesty, and freedom
from Arrests and Suits, he with the rest of the
said Commons House returned back to their own
House, the Serjeant of the said House carrying
the Mace before the said Speaker into the said
House.
Where the said Speaker after some good pause
of time did signify unto the Members of the said
House (being most of them set in their several
places) that her Majesties pleasure delivered by
the Lord Keeper was, that this Parliament should
be a short Parliament; And therefore she willed
that the Members of this House should not spend
the time in frivolous, vain and unnecessary Motions and Arguments, but only should bend all
their best endeavours and travails wholly in the
devising and making of the most necessary and
wholsome Laws for the good and benefit of the
Common-Wealth and the Realm. And further
shewed, that her Highness did purpose that the
Members of this House should have convenient
scope of time to repair home into their Countries before Christmas for her Majesties better
Service in their Countries; And declared withal,
that in regard of some matters of great importance her Highness had Adjourned this Court till
Thursday next at nine of the Clock in the Forenoon. Which done, the Members of this House
did forthwith rise and depart without reading
any Bill at all, by reason of the Adjournment,
taking the same to extend as well to this House
as to the said Upper House; but were mistaken,
as upon the next Morning further afterwards
appeared upon advertisement of the said Lord
Keeper to Mr. Speaker, that the said Adjournment did only tend to the said Upper House,
and not to this House.
Nota, that in the last foregoing Parliament
de Anno 39 & 40. Reginæ Eliz. Anno Domini
1597. The House of Commons upon a like mistake, which happened chiefly through the
negligence of Christopher Yelverton Serjeant at
Law their Speaker at that time, was Adjourned,
upon Thursday the 27th day of October unto Saturday following being the 5th day of November in Anno prædicto, where this said matter was
fully handled by a large Animadversion upon it,
ut vide ibidem.
Nota also, That the passages of these two
foregoing days are more orderly and copiously
set down in the Original Journal-Book of the
House of Commons than usual, and are therefore wholly inferted out of it, with the addition and alteration only of some few matters of
course.
On Saturday the 31th day of October Mr Francis
Bacon, returned into this present Parliament one
of the Burgesses for the Borough of Ipswich in
the County of Suffolk, and also for the Borough
of St. Albans in the County of Hartford, shewed
unto this House that he maketh choice to stand
for the said Borough of Ipswich. Whereupon it
was Ordered by this House, that a Warrant be
made to the Clerk of the Crown-Office in the
Chancery for the awarding of a new Writ for
returning of another Burgess for the said Borough of St Albans in lieu and stead of the said
Mr Francis Bacon.
Mr George Goring, one of the Burgesses for the
Borough of Lewes in the County of Sussex, shewed
on the behalf of Mr Goddard Pemberton returned
into this present Parliament a Burgess for the said
Borough of Lewes, and also for the Borough of
Peterborough in the County of Northampton, that
the said Mr. Pemberton maketh choice to stand
for the said Borough of Peterborough: It is thereupon Ordered by this House that a Warrant be
made to the Clerk of the Crown-Office in the
Chancery for the awarding of a new Writ for
the Chusing and returning of another Burgess for
the said Borough of Lewes in lieu and stead of the
said Mr Goddard Pemberton.
A Committee was appointed to travel in the
Examination of such Returns and matters of priviledge as shall happen questionable in this House
during this present Sessions of Parliament, and
to report their Proceedings therein unto this
House from time to time for the further resolution of this House to be had in the same accordingly, viz. All the Privy-Council being Members of this House, Mr Thomas Knivet, Mr Attornies of the Dutchy and Court of Wards, Sir
Francis Hastings, Sir Robert Wroth, Mr Michael
Stanhop, Mr Francis Bacon, Sir Edward Hobbie,
Mr Sollicitor, Mr George Moore, Mr Peake, Mr
Serjeant Heyle, Mr Leife, Mr Jerom Horsey, Mr
Henry Hubberd, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Robert
Knolls, Sir Edward Stafford, Mr Henry Maynard,
Mr Snigg, Mr Oldworth, Mr Boyse, Mr Wiseman,
Mr Lake, Mr John Hare, Mr Serjeant Harris,
Sir Richard Knightley, Mr Francis Fortescue, Mr.
Robert Wingfield and Mr. William Coke, who were
appointed to meet upon Thursday next in the
Afternoon in the Court of Wards; And the
Note of the Committees names was delivered
to Sir Edward Hobbie.
The Bill for the strengthening of certain
Grants made for the maintenance and Government of certain Hospitals in London, was read
the first time.
The Bill also against excessive and common
Drunkenness had its first reading.