These things haue mooued the kings most excel|lent maiest [...]e to call this his high court of parle|ment, both for the remedie of mischéefs which be in the common law, as recoueries, forren vouchers & corrupt trials, and for making and ordering of new statutes, which maie be to the high aduancement of the common-wealth. Wherefore he willeth his com|mons to repaire to the common house, and there to elect them a speaker, or their common mouth, and to certifie the lord chancellor of the same, who should thereof make report to the kings most noble grace, and should declare his pleasure when he would haue him presented to his person. This was the cause of the parlement, as he said. But suerlie of these things no word was spoken in the whole parlement, and in effect no good act made, except the grant of a great subsidie were one. But according to this instruction the commons departed to the common house, & chose for their speaker sir Thomas More knight, & presen|ted him on the saturday after in the parlement cham|ber,The oration of sir Tho|mas More speaker for commons. where he (according to the old vsage) disabled himselfe both in wit, learning, & discretion, to speake before the king, and brought in for his purpose how one Phormio desired Haniball to come to his rea|ding, which thereto assented, and when Haniball was come he began to read De remilitari, that is, of cheualrie. When Haniball perceiued him, he called him arrogant foole: bicause he would presume to teach him which was maister of cheualrie, in the feats of warre. So the speaker said, if he should speake before the king, of learning and ordering of a common-wealth and such other like, the king so well learned and of such prudence and experience might saie to him as Haniball said to Phormio. Where|fore he desired his grace that the commons might choose an other speaker.

The cardinall answered, that the king knew his wit, learning, and discretion by long experience in his seruice: wherefore he thought that the commons had chosen him as the most meetest of all; and so he did admit him. Then sir Thomas Moore gaue to the king his most humble thanks, and desired of him two petitions: the one, if he should be sent from the commons to the king on message and mistake their intent, that he might with the kings pleasure re|sort againe vnto the commons for the knowledge of their true meaning. The other was, if in communi|cation and reasoning, any man in the common house should speake more largelie than of dutie he ought to doo, that all such offenses should be pardoned, and that to be entered of record. Which two petitions were granted; and so thus began the parlement and con|tinued as you shall heare.]

Compare 1577 edition: 1 This yeare was the citie and the whole Ile of the Rhodes conquered by the Turke, and all the christi|ans displaced: whereof Guicciardin hath discour|sed as followeth. Abr. Fl. ex Guic. pag i. [...] Rhodes tak [...] by Soliman Ottoman. ¶ The end of this yeare (saith he) was made no lesse wretched and vnhappie, than slan|derous to all christian princes for the losse of the Ile of Rhodes: which Soliman Ottoman tooke by vio|lence, notwithstanding it was defended by the knights of Rhodes, called in other times more anci|ent the knights of saint Iohn of Ierusalem. And abiding in that place since they were chased out of Ierusalem, notwithstanding they laie betweene two so mightie princes as the Turke & the Soloan; yet their valour had preserued it of long time, and to the right woorthie glorie of the [...] [...]der, they had remai|ned as an assured rampie [...] christian religion in those seas: & yet they were not without their impu|tations & notes of infamie, for that hauing a continu|all custome for the better defending of [...] shoares, to spoile the vessels of the infidels, the [...] [...]ere thought sometimes to make pillage of christia [...] ships.