by my late respected friend, Dr. Maton (3,) that, he well remembered, when he first viewed the windows in the younger period of his life, seeing, amongst the ornamented panes of glass, one, or more, decorated with the wool-sack.

It is now time to enter on the few recorded particulars of the memorials of John Halle. In the 22d year of Henry, the Sixth, 1444, it appears by the Leger of the Corporation of Salisbury, that John Halle contributed six shillings towards raising the sum of 407. (equal, probably, to 4007. of the present day,) being the proportion of a general subsidy to the King, which seems to have been affixed as the payment of the City of Salisbury. The occasion of this subsidy is not recorded, as I can find, by Historians; but that the King stood in need of money at that particular crisis is very probable. The finances of England and France were then much weakened by an expensive war, and both sides were equally desirous of rest, which was obtained by a successful negotiation held at Tours for a truce. Henry found it necessary then, it is probable, to wind up the heavy expenses of the past war; which had, not unlikely, been defrayed by means of loans from the wealthy merchants; and, in addition to such emergency, he had another call on him, at this time, for extraordinary expenses. William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, was sent to France, as the head of the Embassy, for the purpose of bringing about, if not a final peace, at least a truce for some lengthened period. He failed in the former, but succeeded in negotiating a truce for three

years. The wily Earl of Suffolk (united in policy with the ambitious Cardinal Beaufort, and well judging, that he should have his support) not content with the success of his embassy, sought also, though unauthorised by his Sovereign, to provide him a Queen, and entered into, on his part, a treaty for marriage with Margaret of Anjou, daughter of Reni, titular King of Sicily, Naples, and Jerusalem, who, with all these pompous titles, was the poorest Prince in Christendom. The result was, that this political faction carried their point against the influence of the Duke of Gloucester, the King's Uncle, and also the fact, that the King was pre-engaged to marry the daughter of the Earl of Armagnac. By this measure they contemplated, by the aid of a spirited Queen, (entitled to them for her elevation,) to maintain their political ascendancy, and to rule as weak a Sovereign as ever sat on a throne. She not only brought no dower, but the King of France, her uncle, stipulated, that Henry should surrender all the places which he held in Anjou, and Main, to the Duke of Anjou, and his brother, Charles, Earl of Main, who was King Charles's favourite, and prime minister. Thus was this weak King plucked, and gulled, on all sides, and, in defiance of his already plighted vows, instigated to marry a virago to rule him! This marriage could not but be productive of great expenses, and, united to those already caused by a bitter war, rendered it necessary, no doubt, to call on his subjects for a forced aid, to which the City of Salisbury contributed its portion.

In the 24th year of Henry, the Sixth, 1446, it is recorded, that John Halle was admitted a Member of the Corporation, being elected one of the Common Council, or junior members, who were then forty-eight in number. He appears to have arisen rapidly in the Corporation, as we may well suppose of so worthy a man; since, in the 26th year of Henry, the Sixth, 1448, he was elected one of the twentyfour, or Aldermen; and, in the following year, I find, that he contributed the sum of 17. 6s. 8d. towards raising the sum of 661. (equivalent to that of 6607. at the present day,) as a subsidy for the King. In that year the truce with France expired, and a most calamitous war succeeded, which was attended with the loss to England of the whole of Normandy. The alteration of the times from a state of peace to one of war, it is most probable, rendered it necessary to raise this subsidy.

In the 29th year of Henry, the Sixth, 1451, John Halle was, for the first time, chosen Mayor for the goodlie Citie of Salisburie, and we cannot but opine, that he passed through his arduous office with ability, and judgment, ever remembering to temper justice with mercy; but much higher honours awaited him. So esteemed was he by his fellow-citizens, that, in the 31st year of Henry, the Sixth, 1453, he was, on the 25th of February, elected (together with William Hore, Senior, Citizen, and Merchant,) as a Burgess for the City to serve in a Parliament to be held at "Redyng” on the sixth of March following. This Parliament, probably,

met; but, in the course of the year, the King being dangerously ill, it was adjourned, and directed to meet at Westminster on the 14th of February in the following year, 1454; and, from

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Westmynstre," on the 18th of April following, the King signed a Mandate directed to the Mayor, and Bailiffs, of the City, and enjoining them to pay to the Burgesses, John Halle and William Hore, the sum of 327. 12s. “ pro expensis suis veniendo ad parliamentum predictum, ibidem morando, et exinde ad propria redeundo, videlicet, pro centum sexaginta et tribus diebus, utroque predictorum, Johannis et Willi, capiente per diem duos solidos:" that is, "for their expenses in coming to the aforesaid Parliament, in staying there, and in returning from thence to their own homes; namely, for one hundred and sixty-three days, each of the forementioned, John, and William, receiving two shillings per day."

In the middle-ages the Knights for Counties were accustomed to receive 4s. per day for their attendance on their parliamentary duties, and the Burgesses of Cities, and Boroughs, 2s. per day for the like attendance. These respective sums are equivalent to those of 40s. and 20s. at the present time. At that early period the seat of Parliament was not fixed, as at the present day (4). The Senate was, occasionally, convened at Reading, York, and other places besides Westminster; and it is observed by Prynne, in his "Register of Parliamentary Writs," that these wages had no other origin than that principle of natural equity, and justice, "qui sentit

commodum, debet sentire et onus:" that is, "he, who feels the advantage, ought also to feel the burden." The attendance of Parliament, in those early days, was accompanied with great inconvenience. In those days there were no turnpike roads-no rapidly-moving carriagesno quick, and regular, conveyance of letters; and even London itself had few amusements to offer, save those of an occasional tournament, and the yet more barbarous disports of the Bear Garden ;-there were no operas-no theatresno exhibitions of the arts-no literary societiesno meetings of the Beau Monde-but the general blank, and cheerless gloom, was broken in on alone by the wrangling discord of factious parties in the Senate. Separated by distance, and the perils of the road, each man was, for a time, banished, as it were, from the social intercourse of his family, and his only comfort was-to think of his "dear Margery at home" (p. 200). From these circumstances, in those early times, when (before the discovery of the Spanish Mines, and the invention of the Bank Note) money was, commercially speaking, dear, it was not esteemed a dishonour, that a Member of Parliament should receive wages; but, however reasonable the thing, yet, in some instances, the burden was felt to be so heavy, that boroughs petitioned to be excused the privilege of the return of Members to the Senate. By agreement between the member and his constituents the monied payment was sometimes dispensed with; " and the editor of Glanville's Reports' has given in the preface, (p. 23,) the copy of a curious agreement