Compare 1577 edition: 1 Now bicause the house should not be troubled with multitude of vnlearned cõ|moners, whose propertie is to vnderstand little reason, and yet to conceiue well of their owne dooings: there was a certeine order taken, what maner of ecclesiasticall persons, and what number and sort of tem|porall men should be called vnto the same, and how they should be chosen by voices of EEBO page image 39 free holders, that being as atturnies for their countries, that which they confessed or denied, should bind the residue of the realme to receiue it as a law. This coun|sell is called a parlement, by the French word, for so the Frenchmen call their pub|like assemblies.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The maner of the parlement in England.The maner of their consulting heere in England in their said assemblies of parle|ment is on this wise. Whereas they haue to intreat of matters touching the com|moditie both of the prince and of the peo|ple, that euerie man may haue free libertie to vtter what he thinketh, they are ap|pointed to sit in seuerall chambers, the king, the bishops, and lords of the realme sit in one chamber to conferre togither by themselues; and the commoners called knights for the shires, citizens of cities, and burgesses of good townes in another. These choose some wise, eloquent, and lear|ned man to be their prolocutor or speaker (as they terme him) who propoundeth those things vnto them that are to be tal|ked of, and asketh euerie mans opinion concerning the conclusion thereof. In like sort, when any thing is agreed vpon, and decreed by them in this place (which they call the lower house in respect of their e|state) he declareth it againe to the lords that sit in the other chamber called the higher house, demanding likewise their iudgements touching the same. For no|thing is ratified there, except it be agreed vpon by the consent of the more part of both those houses. Now when they haue said their minds, and yeelded their confir|mation therevnto, the finall ratification is referred to the prince; so that if he thinke good that it shall passe for a law, he confir|meth also by the mouth of the lord Chan|celor of the realme, who is prolocutor to the lords alwaies by the custome of that house.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The same order is vsed also by the bi|shops and spiritualtie in their conuocati|on houses. For the bishops sit in one place by themselues as in the higher house, and the deanes, archdeacons, and other procu|rators of the spiritualtie in an other, as in the lower house, whose prolocutor decla|reth to the bishops what is agreed vpon by them. Then the archbishop (by consent of the more part of them that are assem|bled in both those conuocation houses) ra|tifieth and pronounceth their decrees for lawes, remitting (notwithstanding) the fi|nall ratification of them to the temporall houses.