400 The Period of Constitution Making
realm and of the people, shall be treated, accorded, and
established in parliaments, by our lord the king, and by the
assent of the prelates, earls, and barons, and the common-
alty of the realm; according as it hath been heretofore accus-
tomed.1
There is no doubt that "parliament" here was used as
including knights and burgesses. Early in the next
reign, 1330, while local abuses were still grievous, and,
from the context of the clause, because of them, again is
found the enactment "that a parliament shall be holden^
every year once, or more often if need be."2 Then began^
the great drama of Edward III.'s reign, a war drama
from beginning to end, a reign of fifty years, during which
there was constant and unusual need of money. Taxes
must be negotiated through Parliament, and the letter of
the statutory requirement of 1330 was almost kept, for
there were forty-eight Parliaments in fifty years. The
late years of this reign and the whole of the following
were another period of factional strife, and there has
already been noted the importance in the history of the
commons of Richard II.'s intrigues with them against
the lords.3 Thus for a full century after 1295 there were
political reasons for many Parliaments—Parliaments
which contained commons as well as lords.4
1 A. and S., p. 97. Possibly it was the intention to express the same idea
earlier in Edward II.'s coronation oath. "Sir, do you grant to hold and
keep the laws and righteous customs which the community of your realm
shall have chosen (guas vulgus elegerit—les quiets la communaute de vostre
roiaume aura esleu), and will you defend and strengthen them to the honour
of God and to the utmost of your power? I grant and promise.'1 See
Maitland, C. H. E., pp. 99, 100.
2 A. and S., p. 101. This was confirmed in 1362: "For redress of divers
mischiefs and grievances which daily happen a Parliament shall be holden
every year, as another time was ordained by statute." Cited in Taswell-
Langrnead, English Constitutional History, p. 251.
* See above, pp. 388, 389.
^ "There were no parliaments in 1364, 1367, 1370, between 1373-6,
J3&7» I3&9, 1392, 1396, or between 1407-10. On the other hand in a con-
siderable number of years there were two parliaments, in 1340 there were
three, in 1328 four." Maitland, C. H. £., p. 178. In connection with
these very frequent Parliaments it must also be remembered that there
were no permanent taxes. Taxes were granted usually for a single occa-