300 The Period of Constitution Making
ous attempts to curb and manipulate the Council; or, for
some occasions. It would be more correct to say, when the
baronial faction dominating Parliament sought to attack
the barons In the Council. It emerged without having
succumbed to Parliament's attacks, but It had undergone
some Important changes. The history of the Council
during this period may be approached by noting what
were Parliament's purposes regarding it. The most
important was to gain control over its personnel. The
formal appointing power lay with the king, under the
advice of the lords and prelates; but the Commons tried
to specify the qualifications of councillors, wished to
be informed of names In advance of appointment, and
tried to make sure that its expressed preferences should
be regarded after the dissolution of Parliament. There
was also an attempt to make the Council a, smaller and
more definite body than it had been. Parliament's idea
seems to have been that It should consist of the Chan-
cellor, the Treasurer, the Keeper of the Privy Seal, a few *
prelates, earls, and barons, and a sprinkling of knights.
When this Influence was uppermost, the Council had a
membership of from twelve to fifteen; but whenever Rich-
ard was able to assert his will It swelled out into larger
numbers with the royal appointment of favourites, lesser
officials, "evil counsellors" of the traditional type. It
was believed, moreover, by Parliament that frequent
changes were helpful, and there were some rather un-
successful attempts to have yearly Councils. In the
second place, Parliament tried various regulative mea-
sures. With a small and certain membership and all the
members sharing In the work with substantial equality,
it seemed proper that all should be placed upon a definite
salary basis, that salaries be paid by the year or the day,
and that annuities be done away with. Parliament also
undertook to dictate what business the Council should do
and how it should do it; and In this connection came
those attempts, already noticed,1 to limit the Council's
1 See above, pp. 220, 221,