attend, though they were to meet
always, and deliberate, in a separate chamber.

As the king could call the Parliament together at any time and place
he pleased, so he could suspend or terminate their sittings at any
time. He could intermit the action of a Parliament for a time, sending
the members to their homes until he should summon them again. This was
called a _prorogation_. Or he could dissolve the body entirely at any
time, and then require new elections for a new Parliament whenever he
wished to avail himself of the wisdom or aid of such a body again.

Thus every thing went on the supposition that the real responsibility
for the government was with the king. He was the monarch, and the real
sovereignty vested in him. He called his nobles, and a delegation from
the mass of the people, together, whenever he wanted their help, and
not otherwise. He was responsible, not to them nor to the people at
large, but to God only, for the acts of his administration. The duty
of Parliament was limited to that of aiding him in carrying out his
plans of government, and the people had nothing to do but to be
obedient, submissive, and loyal. These were, at any rate, the ideas of
the kings, and all the forms of the English Constitution and the
ancient phraseology in which the transactions are expressed,
correspond with them.

We can not give a better proof and illustration of what has been said
than by transcribing the substance of one of King James's messages to
his Parliament, delivered about the close of his life, and, of course,
at the period of which we are writing. It was as follows:

"My Lords spiritual and temporal, and you the Commons: In my last
Parliament I made long discourses, especially to them of the
Lower House. I did open the true thought of my heart. But I may
say with our Savior, 'I have piped to you and ye have not danced;
I have mourned to you and you have not lamented;' so all my
sayings turned to me again without any success. And now, to tell
the reasons of your calling and of this meeting, apply it to
yourselves, and spend not the time in long speeches. Consider
that the Parliament is a thing composed of a head and a body; the
monarch and the two estates. It was, first, a monarchy; then,
after, a Parliament. There are no Parliaments but in monarchical
governments; for in Venice, the Netherlands, and other free
governments there are none. T