But the men at armes, they devoure and consume all their pulleine, so that they have scant the egges left to eat for special dainties. And if they fortune at any time to grow some what welthy in substance, so that any of them bee counted rich, hee is by and by charged to the Kings Subsidie more deepely then any of his neighbors, so that within short time he is made equall in poverty with the rest of his beggerly neighbours. And this, as I suppose, is the state of the comon and rascall people of that nation. But Gentlemen and Nobles are not so oppressed, and overcharged with exactions. But if any of them chaunce to be accused of any crime, though it be by his enemies, he is not ever wont to be cited or called

35 An Englishman s Privileges *5 before an ordinarie Judge: but many times it hath beene seene, that he hath in that behalfe beene talked with in the Kinges Chamber, or elsewhere in some private place, and sometimes onely by a Pursevant or Messenger: and immediately as soone as the Princes conscience hath, through the report of others, judged him guiltie, hee is without any fashion of judgement put in a Sacke, and in the night season by the Marshalls servants hurled into a River, and so drowned. After which sort you have heard of many moe put to death, then that have beene by ordinarie processe of the Lawe condemned. Howbeit the Princes pleasure, as say the Civill lawes, hath the force of a Lawe. Also, while you were abyding in Fraunce, and nigh to the same Kingdome, you hearde of other great enormyties like unto these, and some much worse then these detestable and damnable, done no otherwise but under the colour of that Lawe, which heere to rehearse would continue our talke too long a time. Now therefore, let us see, what the effecte of the Law politique and Regal, which some of your progenitors would have charged into this civill, hath wrought in the Realme of Englande ; that you, being instructed with the experience of both Lawes, may the better by their effectes judge whether of them ye ought rather to choose, seeing the Philosopher, as afore is rehersed, doth say, that contraries laid together do more perfectly appeare.