De republica Anglorum The maner of gouernement or policie of the realme of England, compiled by the honorable man Thomas Smyth, Doctor of the ciuil lawes, knight, and principall secretarie vnto the two most worthie princes, King Edwarde the sixt, and Queene Elizabeth. Seene and allowed.

Of the name king & thadministration of England. CHAP. 9.

THat which we call in one syllable king, in english the olde english men and the Saxons from whom our tōgue is deriued to this day calleth in two syllabes cy∣ning, which whether it commeth of cen or ken which be∣tokeneth to know & vnderstād, or can, which betokeneth to be able or to haue power, I can not tell. The parti∣ciple absolute of thone we vse yet, as when we say a cū∣ning man, Vir prudens aut sciens: the verbe of thother as I can do this, possum hoc facere. By olde and auncient histories that I haue red, I do not vnderstand that our nation hath vsed any other generall authoritie in this realme neither Aristocraticall, nor Democraticall, but onely the royall and kingly maiestie which at the first was diuided into many and sundrie kinges, ech abso∣lutely

reigning in his countrie, not vnder the subiectiō of other, till by fighting thone with thother, the ouer∣commed alwayes falling to the augmentation of the vanquisher and ouercommer, at the last the realme of England grew into one Monarchie. Neither any one of those kinges, neither he who first had all, tooke any in∣uestiture at the hād of Themperour of Rome or of any other superiour or forraine prince, but helde of God to himselfe, and by his sword his people and crowne, ac∣knowledging no prince in earth his superiour, and so it is kept & holden at this day. Although king Iohn (by the rebellion of the nobilitie ayded with the daulphin of Fraunce his power) to appease the Pope who at that time possessing the consciences of his subiectes was thē also his enemy and his most greeuous torment (as some histories do write) did resigne the crowne to his legate Pandulphus, and tooke it againe from him as from the Pope by faith and homage, and a certaine tribute year∣ly. But that act being neither approoued by his people, nor established by act of parliament, was forthwith and euer sithens taken for nothing, either to binde the king, his successors or subiectes.