Includes index.

Bibliography: p. 483-499.

The Crown -- The Tudor Dynasty -- The Nature of Kingship -- The Powers of the Crown -- The Royal Prerogative -- The Crown and Legislation -- Suppression of Rivals -- The Revenues of the Crown -- The Law of Treason -- Extension of Treasons -- Procedure in Treason Trials -- The Council -- Growth and Composition -- Business -- The Seals and the Secretary -- Financial Administration -- The Ancient Courts -- Conciliar Courts -- Star Chamber -- History -- Procedure and Business -- The Court of Requests -- Local Councils -- Ecclesiastical Courts -- The Ordinary Courts -- The High Commission -- Parliament -- The Nature of Parliament and Statute -- Composition -- Procedure -- Privileges -- Management -- Conflict -- The Church -- Grievances against the Clergy -- The Royal Supremacy -- Secularisation of Land -- Settlement of Religion -- The Catholic Threat -- The Puritan Movement -- Local Government.

Though the first edition of this book (1960) rapidly established itself as a sound collection of source material and a comprehensive analysis of the government of England in the sixteenth century, the astonishing amount of work done, by many hands including the author's, in the last twenty years has rendered a revision very necessary. The scope of these changes is indicated by the fact that in the list of books cited some 180 make a first appearance while some 70 have been discarded. In the upshot, no single section has remained unaltered and several (especially on the Church, on Parliament and on the Law) have had to be entirely rewritten. While there was room for the addition of only a few documents, they have been chosen with an eye to topics especially alive in the researches of the present day. One such issue -- patronage and faction -- while not amenable to documentation in a book of this kind has not been forgotten in the commentary.