(36) The words of the Charter 12-14 (Stubbs, 290) are: “Nullum scutagium vel auxilium ponatur in regno nostro, nisi per commune consilium regni nostri, nisi ad corpus nostrum redimendum, etc..... Et ad habendum commune consilium regni, de auxilio assidendo aliter quam in tribus casibus prædictis, vel de scutagio assidendo, summoneri faciemus archiepiscopos, episcopos, abbates, comites, et majores barones, sigillatim per litteras nostras; et præterea faciemus summoneri in generali, per vicecomites et ballivos nostros, omnes illos qui de nobis tenent in capite.” This is exactly like the entry in the Chronicle (1123), describing the summoning of a Witenagemót by Henry the First: “Da sone Þæræfter sende se kyng hise write ofer eal Englalande, and bed hise biscopes and hise abbates and hise Þeignes ealle Þet hi scolden cumen to his gewitenemot on Candelmesse deig to Gleawceastre him togeanes; and hi swa diden.”
(37) These first glimmerings of parliamentary representation were carefully traced out by Hallam (Middle Ages, ii. 146-152). They can now be more fully studied in the work of Professor Stubbs. On the summons in 1213 of four men for each shire besides “milites et barones” (“quatuor discretos homines de comitatu tuo illuc venire facias”), the Professor remarks (278): “It is the first writ in which the ‘four discreet men’ of the county appear as representatives; the first instance of the summoning of the folkmoot to a general assembly by the machinery already used for judicial purposes.”
(38) On this subject the eighth chapter of Sir Francis Palgrave’s English Commonwealth should be studied.
(39) For the whole career of Simon I must again refer generally to Pauli and Blaauw. The great writ itself, dated at Worcester, December 14th, 1264, will be found in Rymer’s Fœdera, i. 449. It has often been noticed how small is the number of Earls and other lay Barons, and how unusually large the number of churchmen, who are summoned to this Parliament. The whole list will be found in Rymer. The parts of the writ which concern us stand thus:
“Item mandatum est singulis vicecomitibus per Angliam; quod venire faciant duos milites de legalioribus, probioribus et discretioribus militibus singulorum comitatuum, ad Regem London’ in octab’ prædictis, in formâ supradictâ.