nce of the commons, part of which ought still
to remain in the treasury, and render it unnecessary to burthen anew the
exhausted people. To this Scrope, lord steward of the household,
protesting that he knew not of any such promise, made answer by order of
the king, that, "saving the honour and reverence of our lord the king,
and the lords there present, the commons did not speak truth in
asserting that part of the last subsidy should be still in the treasury;
it being notorious that every penny had gone into the hands of Walworth
and Philpot, appointed and sworn treasurers in the last parliament, to
receive and expend it upon the purposes of the war, for which they had
in effect disbursed the whole." Not satisfied with this general
justification, the commons pressed for an account of the expenditure.
Scrope was again commissioned to answer, that, "though it had never been
seen that of a subsidy or other grant made to the king in parliament or
out of parliament by the commons any account had afterwards been
rendered to the commons, or to any other except the king and his
officers, yet the king, to gratify them, of his own accord, without
doing it by way of right, would have Walworth along with certain persons
of the council exhibit to them in writing a clear account of the receipt
and expenditure, upon condition that this should never be used as a
precedent, nor inferred to be done otherwise than by the king's
spontaneous command." The commons were again urged to provide for the
public defence, being their own concern as much as that of the king. But
they merely shifted their ground and had recourse to other pretences.
They requested that five or six peers might come to them, in order to
discuss this question of subsidy. The lords entirely rejected this
proposal, and affirmed that such a proceeding had never been known
except in the three last parliaments; but allowed that it had been the
course to elect a committee of eight or ten from each house, to confer
easily and without noise together. The commons acceded to this, and a
committee of conference was appointed, though no result of their
discussion appears upon the roll.

Upon examining the accounts submitted to them, these sturdy commoners
raised a new objection. It appeared that large sums had been expended
upon garrisons in France and Ireland and other places beyond the
kingdom, of which they protested themselves not liable to bear the
charge. It was answered that