The king was displeased with this freedom; the commons very humbly craved pardon.

He was not satisfied unless they would name the mover of the petitions.
It happened to be one Haxey, whom the parliament, in order to make atonement, condemned for this offence to die the death of a traitor.
But the king, at the desire of the archbishop of Canterbury and the prelates, pardoned him.

When a parliament in those times, not agitated by any faction, and being at entire freedom, could be guilty of such monstrous extravagance, it is easy to judge what might be expected from them in more trying situations.

See Cotton's Abridg.p.361, 362.] [Footnote 16: NOTE P, p.312.To show how little credit is to be given to this charge against Richard, we may observe, that a law in the 13th Edward III.

had been enacted against the continuance of sheriffs for more than one year.