Editing Edward Coke (section)

====Solicitor General and Speaker====
[[File:Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury by John De Critz the Elder (2).jpg|thumb|right|[[Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury|Robert Cecil]], Coke's political ally who acted as a staunch defender of Elizabeth I|alt=A portrait of Robert Cecil, who is standing at a table wearing black robes. He has neck-length brown hair and a pointed goatee. He has gold lettering behind him, which reads "sero, sed serio".]]

The political "old guard" began to change around the time Coke became a Member of Parliament. The [[Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester|Earl of Leicester]] died in 1588, followed by [[Walter Mildmay|Sir Walter Mildmay]], the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], a year later, and [[Francis Walsingham|Sir Francis Walsingham]] a year after that.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|p=215}}</ref> In 1592 the [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales|Lord Chief Justice]] died and, according to custom the [[Attorney General for England and Wales|Attorney General]], [[John Popham (judge)|John Popham]], succeeded him, with the [[Solicitor-General for England and Wales|Solicitor General]], [[Thomas Egerton, 1st Viscount Brackley|Thomas Egerton]], succeeding Popham. This created a vacancy among the [[Law Officers of the Crown]], and thanks to the influence of the Cecil family, Coke became Solicitor General on 16 June 1592.<ref name="Boyer 2003 p. 216">{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|p=216}}</ref> This was likely a narrow victory owing to Coke's defence of unpopular clients; he was summoned before [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], who berated him until he cried before confirming him as Solicitor General.<ref name="Boyer 2003 p. 216"/>

Coke held the position only briefly; by the time he returned from a tour of Norfolk to discuss election strategy, he had been confirmed as [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] by the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|p=218}}</ref> having been proposed by [[Francis Knollys (the elder)|Francis Knollys]] and [[Thomas Heneage]] following his return to Parliament as MP for [[Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|Norfolk]].<ref name="Block 1929 p. 61">{{Harvnb|Block|1929|p=61}}</ref> Coke held the positions of Speaker and Solicitor-General at the same time, although he did not take up his post as Speaker until the state opening of Parliament on 19 February 1593 (despite being confirmed on 28 January 1593).<ref name="Block 1929 p. 61"/>

After "disabling" himself in the [[House of Lords]] (a ceremony in which the incoming Speaker apologised for his failings) Parliament was suspended until 24 February;<ref>{{Harvnb|Block|1929|p=62}}</ref> Coke returned two days later, having suffered from a stomach problem. The Parliament was intended to be a brief and simple one; with the [[Black Death]] resurgent throughout England and the threat of Spain on the horizon, the only matter was to impose certain taxes to fund the Queen's campaign against the Spanish, with no bills to be introduced. The taxes were paramount; subsidies collected in 1589 had been spent, and the war continued.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|pp=219, 221}}</ref>

The idea of a calm, swift Parliament foundered on the rocks of religious conflict. On 27 February [[James Morice]], a Puritan Member of Parliament, proposed two new bills: one against the bishops of the [[Church of England]], and the other against the [[Court of High Commission]]. Morice was placed under house arrest, and seven Members of Parliament were later arrested, but the bills remained in Parliament.<ref>{{Harvnb|Block|1929|p=64}}</ref> They were defended by Francis Knollys, one of the few remaining Puritan Members of Parliament, while other Puritans spat and coughed to drown out speeches by opponents.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|p=223}}</ref>

Coke and Cecil, the government's two strongest defenders in Parliament, made several efforts to put off or end the debate over the bills. Cecil first pointed out that the Queen had forbidden bills on religion; Parliament ignored him, and the bill went ahead. Coke, as Speaker of the House of Commons (whose job was to schedule any bills), conducted a delaying campaign, first suggesting that the bill was too long to be read in the morning and then that it be delegated to a committee; both suggestions were voted down by the Commons. Coke continued talking until the end of the Parliamentary day in a [[filibuster]] action, granting a day of delay for the government. Immediately afterwards, Coke was summoned by the Queen, who made it clear that any action on the bills would be considered evidence of disloyalty. The warning was accepted by the Commons, and no more action was taken on the two Puritan bills.<ref>{{Harvnb|Boyer|2003|pp=224–225}}</ref>