s own hand, "Otherwise satisfied." Bacon, p. 630.

The power of the kings of England had always been somewhat irregular
or discretionary; but was scarcely ever so absolute during any former
reign, at least after the establishment of the Great Charter, as during
that of Henry Besides the advantages derived from the personal character
of the man, full of vigor, industry, and severity, deliberate in all
projects, steady in every purpose, and attended with caution as well as
good fortune in every enterprise; he came to the throne after long and
bloody civil wars, which had destroyed all the great nobility, who alone
could resist the encroachments of his authority; the people were
tired with discord and intestine convulsions, and willing to submit to
usurpations, and even to injuries, rather than plunge themselves anew
into like miseries: the fruitless efforts made against him served
always, as is usual, to confirm his authority: as he ruled by a faction,
and the lesser faction, all those on whom he conferred offices, sensible
that they owed every thing to his protection, were willing to support
his power, though at the expense of justice and national privileges.
These seem the chief causes which at this time bestowed on the crown so
considerable an addition of prerogative, and rendered the present reign
a kind of epoch in the English constitution.

This prince, though he exalted his prerogative above law is celebrated
by his historian for many good laws, which he made be enacted for the
government of his subjects. Several considerable regulations, indeed,
are found among the statutes of this reign, both with regard to the
police of the kingdom, and its commerce: but the former are generally
contrived with much better judgment than the latter. The more simple
ideas of order and equity are sufficient to guide a legislator in every
thing that regards the internal administration of justice: but the
principles of commerce are much more complicated, and require long
experience and deep reflection to be well understood in any state. The
real consequence of a law or practice is there often contrary to first
appearances. No wonder that during the reign of Henry VII.[*,] these
matters were frequently mistaken; and it may safely be affirmed, that
even in the age of Lord Bacon, very imperfect and erroneous ideas were
formed on that subject.

Early in Henry's reign, the authority of the star chamber, which was
before founded on common