ABSTRACT
And to the lordes temporall, the said Aske declared, they had misused them selfes, in that thay, semblable, had not so providently ordered and declared to his said highnes the povertie of his realm, and that parte specialy, and wherin ther greves might insew, wherby al dangers might have been avoided; for insomuch as in the north partes, much of the relef of the comyns wais by sucur of abbeys, and that befor this last estatut thereof maid, the Kinges highnes had no money out of that sheyr, in a maner yerly, for his grace’s revenews ther yerly went to the finding of Berwyke. And that now the profites of abbeys suppressed, tenthes and furst frutes, went out of thos partes. By occasion wherof, within short space or [of] yeres, ther should be no money nor tresor in thos partes, nether the tenant to have to pay his rentes to the lord, nor the lord to have money to do the King service with all, for so much as in thos partes was nether the presence of his grace, execucion of his lawes, nor yet but little recours of merchaundisse, so that of necessite the said contrey should eyther patyssh [make terms] with the Skotes, or for of vary povertie enforced to make commocions or rebellions; and that the lordes knew the same to be trew and had not down ther dewtie, for that they had not declared the said povertie of the said contrey to the Kinges highnes, and the dangers that otherwise to his grace wuld insew, alleging the holl blame to them the nobilitie therin, with other lyke reasons.
