exaction of benevolence concern benevolence note the exaction under the good  name of benevolence begin in this manner when king Edward the four have a  subsidy grant to he in the Edward by parliament because he can have no more by  parliament and without a parliament he can not have any subsidy to be levy of  the land and good of the subject he invent this shift or device in which three  thing be to be observe the cause the invention the success the duke of  Burgundy who have marry Margaret the sister of Edward the four solicit king  Edward to join in war with he against the French king to which the king easy  consent because he seek revenge against the French king for aid the earl of  Warwick queen Margaret and prince Edward and their party and therefore to make  war against the French king be the cause the invention be the king call before  he at several time a great number of the wealthy of his subject to declare to  they his necessity and his purpose to levy war for the honour and safety of  the kingdom and demand of each of they a certain sum of money and the king  treat with they with such great grace and clemency and with such gentle prayer  to assist he in his necessity for the honour of the realm that they very free  yield to his request for the honour and safety of the realm among the rest  there be a widow of a very good estate of who the king mere ask what she will  Willing give he for the maintenance of his war by my faith quoth she for your  lovely countenance sake you shall have twenty pound which be more then the  king expect the king thank her and vouchsafe to kiss her upon which she  present swear he shall have twenty pound more the success and event be that  whereas the king call this a benevolence to please the people yet many of the  people do much grudge at it and call it a malevolence primo Edward in the  oration of the duke of Buckingham in guild hall in London he inveigh among  other thing against this taxation under the name of benevolence Richard cap  the subject of the realm shall not be charge with such charge or imposition  call benevolence which tend to the subversion of the law and destruction of  commonalty as appear in the preamble where any such charge and that such  exaction before take under the name of benevolence shall not be draw into  example to make such or the like charge but shall be damn and annul for ever  but it appear by the preamble that this be against the will and liberty of the  subject but a freewill offer be not restrain a Henry the king declare in  parliament that he have just cause of war against the French king which for  the cause there show be approve and for that he desire a benevolence towards  the maintenance of it and every one promise his help hand the which the king  great commend and to the intent that the poor sort may be spare he demand it  by way of a benevolence accord to the example of Edward the four and publish  that he will by their open hand measure their benevolent heart and he who give  but a little accord to his gift by this mean he collect great sum of money  with some grudge for the extremity show by the commissioner Henry cap a Act be  make for levy of that benevolence accord to their assent but only of such as  assent a Henry a Commission to levy what be grant by Henry note that Henry a  Commission under the great seal call a Commission of anticipation to collect  the subsidy before the day a Henry for war with France a benevolence levy by  Commission with great curse and imprecation against the Council and with  success for it be to levy a six part of the valve in money or plate against  the good will of the subject a Henry another benevolence levy by Commission  for maintenance of war against France with ill success for it be exact of the  subject against his good will but if the subject of their free will without  any compulsion will give to the king for public use any sum of money this be  not prohibit by any statute and the statute Henry cap prove this where the  Parliamentcompels they who have free grant any thing to the king for public  use to pay it Feb a Elizabeth it be resolve by all the justice and baron that  a free grant to the queen without coercion be lawful and accord they grant to  the queen quoth notam be because c