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of it out by hym and his officers, as I myself saw upon
ye Act of 21 Jacobi, cap. (sic), and that very Roll of
2d Ric. 2d did playnly manifest;on ye people's part,
beecause wheresoever they have any the least share, as
well in dispensing as giving ye publique Treasure, the
Commons are most insupportably burthened, as all Republiques, and the present experience of our neyghbours
sufficiently assure us. For, if the beginning of those
great Gabelles,1 France (wthout hope of reliefe) gaspeth
under, were not 1356, whilst King John remayned prisoner heere, and the French governed by the three estates
first beegun, certaynly they were then setteled by
their auctority, which, about an hundred years after,
Charles ye VII., by the assistans of the souldiary ye
helped hym in the expulsion of ye English out of Normandy
and Guien, did first lay onely2 by regall power,
sweld now to that height, as what ye fermor pays the
King is far more then what he doth ye Landlord. God
of hys mercy avert England from succeeding them in
misery!
12.1641. Upon these considerations I was not wthout
apprehension what the issue of things might bee; but ye
many good lawes then past persuaded me it was to no
other intent then that was given (as one of them assured
me), might not goeinto private courtiers' purses, but spent
1 See Froissard, to. 1, cap. 155, p. 180;
Mat. Villani, lib. 6, cap. 18;
lib. 7, cap. 51 and 53 ; lib. 8, cap. 38. Sir Roger inserts the
following note
on the next page without reference, but it is evident that this is
the place to
which he had intended it to be added:1356, whilst King John
remayned
heere in prison. "II governamento del Eeame di Irancia, era
ridotto a tre Stati, cio e Prelati, Baroni, e Borghesi, i quali tenieno il
consiglio, et deliberavono
quello volieno che nel Eeame si faeesse, et il Delphino vi
consentiva.
... II Proposto di Parigi col favore del popolo ruppe quello
ordine;
e reco il governamento di Parigi alle mani de Borghesi,
schiudendone prima Baroni e poseia i Prelati, e- per essempio di costoro cosi
feciono 1'altre
ville di Picardia, e d'altre Provincie del Reame. Et qui commincib
1'odio
da gentili huomini al popolo."'Mat. Villani, Hist. lib. 8,
cap. 38.T.
D Comines, lib. 6, cap. 7 editionis Dionisii Sauvage, 1580, et in
aliis cap.
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