368 Tb;e Period of Constitution Making

conscious of itself, developed its powers, and became a
source of initiative and authority.

5. Form and Composition of Parliament from 1265
to the Middle of the Fourteenth Century. — The period
from Simon de Montfort's Parliament of 1265 to the end
of the century was a critical and experimental time in the
life of the young institution.- It might be more truly
said that there was no new institution until £2£^ or there-
abouts; there was no thought of it as such in the minds
of the men of that generation. They knew only of
s, the questio^^

j^^^
in which the """""" **"

To show how no one was thinking of a new assembly
of any definite form and at the same time to see the active
use of the new practices, one needs only to glance at this
period. In Ma^jrfjL2§5» justjafter^thej^ at

and not more than tjrojnontl^^

ended, the king summoned, in^addi-

tion^tojhejbgronage, from eachj^^

two of your more discreet canons for the said day and place,
who are to have full power to deal with us in your stead along
with the aforesaid prelates and magnates in regard to the
business stated, and to d&JILZ2urjl^^

"" *"—

In the ass^Wjjrf^Js^, the first of Edward I.'s reign, I
were present the three elements necessary to a Parlia-
ment in the later sense: thegregi.cQuncil,
of Jbhejshires, repi^sen/taii^s^fJi^

The purpose of this assembly was mainly to
giance to thenewjsoy ereign , not yet returned from the
Holy LandrBut^aTfew matters incident to the new reign
were dealt with tentatively. Again in the first assembly
of 12^5 the sam^lhree elements were gathered and it is
notable for instituting the " ancient0 custom on wool,
* Stubbs, Select Charters, pp. 406, 407.