Procedure: variant preambles

[Lambeth MS: Vernacular Preamble]†

[H]ere begynnis the actis maid in diverse parliamentis of ane excellent prince Jamys the first be the grace of God king of Scottis

The actis of the first parliament.†

In the parliament of ane excellent prince James the first be the grace of [God king of] Scottis haldin at Perth the xxvj day of the moneth of Maii with continuation of dais folowande the yere of God M iiijc and xxiiij yere and of his regne the xxj yere, to the artikillis put be the king and his consale to the determinacion of certane personis chosin therto be the thre estatis of the realme it was ansuerit and ordanit and decretit in maner and forme as folowis.

[Group D and Group E MSS: Latin Preamble (Drummond [A])]†

Acta† parliamenti tenti apud Perth' xxvjto die mensis Maii anno Domini Mmo quadringentesimo xxiiijto.† Convocatis tribus regni statibus et ibidem congregatis electe fuerunt certe persone ad articulos datos per dominum regem determinandos,† data ceteris licencia recedendi.

[Group C MSS: Royal Letter of 1426, containing acts sent to the localities (Advocates 2)]†

James be the grace of God king of Scottis, to just[ic]is, shereffis, aldermen and thar baylzheis and till other lell our legis and subiectis all and sindry to the knawlage of the quhilkis thir present letteris may to cum, gretyng. Vyt ye that in oure parlyament at Perth' dyuerse tymis† halding of the consell and the expresse consent of the thre estatis of oure kynryk, throu the autoryte of oure kyngdome thar undir vrytting statutis vare made and formyt of the quhilkis forsuth statutis the tenoure followys [in wlgar tunge]†. . . .

[The acts of the parliaments of 1424-1426 are placed here by the Group C MSS]

. . . Quarfor to you we bid and commandis that ther forsaide statutis in our next court within your balyeris to be haldin† and in other placis quhar oftast hapins congregatioun of pepil opinly you ger be rede and cryit and alsua in the court of prelatis, erlis, barounis and of al other hafand courtis the quhilkis we will that be yow the copy be gevin of ther statutis sa that thai haf na mater thain til excuse of the ignorans of thaim. Commandand mar atour and straitly muniand that alswell ye as our other subjectis and liegismen ther forsaid statutis in al thar poyntis and articulis unmoffabily ye and thai kep and obserf undir all payn the quhilk aw or may cum therof or folow. Gevin undir the vitnes of our gret seill at Edinburgh' the xx day of Aprill the yer of our Lorde M CCCC xxvj and of oure kinrik the xxj yer.

  1. See above Jam1/1-7 for details of the MSS that contain the May 1424 acts. Main MS: Lambeth MS, f.192r-195r. The acts are also found in whole or in part in: Advocates 1, f.113v-118r; Advocates 2, f.134v-137r; Drummond MS, (two versions)[A] f.223r-226v, [B] f.226v-229v; PA5/6(2), f.1r-v (only acts 1424/27-29 survive); Colville MS, [A] f.256v-260r, [B] f.260r-v (f.261-264 lost); PA5/6(1) [A], f.8v-11v [B], f.11v-12r; EUL MS 207, f.82r-86r; Malcolm MS, f.137r-140r; Fort Augustus MS, [A] f.191v-193v, [B] f.194r-196r; 1566 printed acts, f.2r-5v. Rubrics vary from MS to MS and probably have no relation to any original MSS. Only those provided by Lambeth are noted. Back
  2. This vernacular preamble is only found in Lambeth Palace MS 167, f.192. It is similar to other vernacular preambles made in the early part of James I's reign, and may be an authentic copy from the parliamentary papers that are Lambeth's source. It's failure to mention the 'licencia recedendi', sets it apart from the rest of the Group D MSS. Back
  3. Rubrics here and elsewhere will probably arise from the author of the Lambeth MS or a source other than the lost original register. Back
  4. Drummond MS, [A] f.223r. The same preamble, with only minor variations, is found in the Colville MS, EUL MS 207, PA5/6(1) [A], Malcolm MS and 1566 printed acts. Back
  5. Malcolm begins, 'Parliamentum Jacobi primi regis Scotorum tentum . . .'. 1566 acts begin, 'Acta parliamenti Jacobi primi regis Scotorum tenti . . .'. Back
  6. PA5/6(1) [A], EUL MS 207 add 'et regni domini nostri regis Jacobi primi anno decimo nono'. Back
  7. Remainder absent in Malcolm. Back
  8. Advocates 1, f.134v, 142r and Advocates 2, f.113v, 120r. The versions of the acts of the parliaments between 1424 and 1426 found in the group C MSS all owe their origins to royal letters sent out to the localities after 1426 containing the acts. The acts in these 'published' versions were not specifically dated or separated under the respective parliaments that had created them. Evidence for this letter is found in the preamble and concluding material found in Advocates 1 and Advocates 2, as well as the table of headings found in the Cockburn MS. Further details are found in I. E. O'Brien, 'The Scottish parliament in the 15th and 16th centuries' (University of Glasgow Ph.D. thesis, 1980), 5-8. Back
  9. Namely between 1424 and 1426. Back
  10. Final phrase in Advocates 2 only. Back
  11. Advocates 1 omits the first part of the sentence. The preceding folio may have been lost. Back