The constitution of parliaments in England deduced from the time of King Edward the Second, illustrated by King Charles the Second in his Parliament summon'd the 18 of February 1660/1, and dissolved the 24 of January 1678/9 : with an appendix of its sessions / observed by Sr. John Pettus ... Knight.

A Corollary to this First Part.

I Have now shewn the General Warrants for Summoning a Parliament, and the particular Writs and Patents impowring those who are to sit in the Lords House; as also the Act of Prece∣dency to prevent Disorders of Places when they meet there, and given a touch of Proxies, and of the words Lords and Peers, and of other Acci∣dental Writs, and of the Returns of their Writs, and of some who sit there without Writs or Pa∣tents, and of others who are imployed there meerly by vertue of Patents. And of all these I have made some Discourses, as well to revive the notions of those who need no other information, as to inform others who have little knowledge there∣in, but what they gain from the short Memo∣rials of Writers, or from the imperfect Discourses which they glean from such as know some things in part, but have not the true Concatenation of the Grandeur of a Parliament.

These discourses (and those intended) will (I hope) contain the whole System of this Constitution. This part hath ap∣plied it self wholly to the Offices, Degrees and Qualities pertinent to the House of Lords in general; but as to the particular Persons owning those Offices, Degrees, and Qualities; I reserve them for the Subse∣quent Parts of this Treatise; that is after I have discours'd of the seven remaining Exemplar Writs in the Pawn, which par∣ticularly concerns the House of Commons.

Viz.

• To Cornwall.
• To Cambridge,
• To London,
• To Dover,
• To Lancaster,
• To Chester,
• To Carnarvan in Wales.

And also shewn the Writs or Precepts derivative of those seven Exemplars, and the manner of Elections and Returns of Writs and Precepts, the Discourse of which will comprehend all the County Shires, Cities and Burroughs; (which have po∣wer of Electing Members for Parliaments) I shall then shew you the Places adapted for both Houses to meet in; as also of the Members Summon'd and imployed in both Houses in this Parliament.

After these I shall speak of such Ceremo∣nies as are us'd before any Members be ad∣mitted into either Houses; and when they are fixt in both Houses, I shall give an ac∣count of the most material passages, as to the renewing of Writs for supply of Mem∣bers, and other distinct Operations consi∣dered as an House of Lords, or an House of Commons, and in their joynt Operations as Lords and Commons Assembled in Parlia∣ment, and then of their compleat Opera∣tions as an intire Parliament, consifting of the King and the three Estates, viz. the Lords Spiritual the Lords Tem∣poral, and the Commons; and this is more particularly evident, when by pas∣sing of Acts, the King confirms what those three Estates do joyntly Operate. And so I conclude with the Kings power of Summoning, Adjourning, Proroguing and and Dissolving of this and all other Parlia∣ments, and what is to be done with Re∣cords, Laws, &c. after Dissolution of any Parliament.

And because I could not well reduce the copious matters of so large a Subject into my Discourses, or observations, I shall hereafter add some Annotations, as Explanitories and Enlargements to many things which are necessary or convenient to be enlarged or explained.