[Page] FOrasmuch as it can not be but daungerous to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie, and her court nowe residyng in the Castel of Windsor, yf any com­mon resort should be suffred from or to the Citie of London, or the Suburbes of the same, where (by Gods sufferaunce) many places are infected with the plague: Therfore her Maiestie willeth and straightly commaundeth that no maner of persons shall come from the said Citie or Suburbes to Windsor, or to the Towne of Eton, or shall cause to be brought any apparel, stuffe, or wares frō thence directly or indirectly, mediatly or immediatly: neither that any person attendant or folowing her Maiesties Court ordinaryly or extraor­dinaryly, or dwelling or any wise belonging to the Townes of Windsor or Eton or any part therof, shall re­payre by land or by water to London or the Suburbes of the same, or to any parish neare London where any persons haue ben knowen to haue ben lately sicke of the plague, with any intent to returne agayne from thence within one moneth, otherwise then is hereafter specially mentioned & prouided, vpon payne to be im­prisoned without bayle for the same by the space of one moneth: or (if the qualitie of the partie shall so re­quire to be also whipped & punished like a common vacabonde. And because it can not presently be so proui­ded for, but that some persons shall of very necessitie haue cause to come from the sayd Citie or Suburbes to the Court or to the Townes of Windsor & Eton, & likewise some others to repayre to some partes of the said Citie or Suburbes not beyng infected: it is by her Maiestie thus prouided, That if any shall haue any such necessary cause to come from the Citie of London or Suburbes to the Court, the same person shal not enter into any maner house in Windsor or Eton, nor shall come within the vtter gates of the Court, vntyl he hath first resorted to the Maior of Windsor, or to the principal officers in Eton, & to him or them declared to whom he hath necessary cause to repayre in the Court. And thervpon the said Maior or officers shal cause the partie to stay abrode without entring into any house or company of any person, and shall certifie the lorde Ste­warde, the lorde Chamberlaine, the Uizechamberlayne, or one of them, or some of the principal officers of the Greenecloth (if the matter appertayne to the Queenes Maiesties housholde) or to some other of the lordes or others of her Maiesties priuie counsell, according to the qualitie of the matter, and of the persons with whom the partie hath to do in the Court. And by a warrant in writing signed with the handes of any of the sayd lordes, counsellers, or officers, certified to the sayde Maior or officers, the sayd person shalbe permit­ted to enter into some house, and afterwarde shall or may come to the Court with the sayde warrant to be first shewed to the Queenes Maiesties Porters, or otherwise without suche warrant and allowaunce the sayde person shalbe commaunded to returne without any lenger abyding, vpon payne aboue mentioned. And if the cause of the comming of the sayde persons to the Towne, shalbe for any matter belonging to any inhabitaunt of the Towne: in such case the sayde Maior and officers shall not in like maner suffer any such person to come into any house, nor to bryng any stuffe vntyll the name of the partie and his cause be decla­red by the sayde Maior or officers to the Constable of the Castell of Windsor, or to his Leefetenaunt, or to some of her Maiesties priuie counsell, or to the knight Marshall, or cheefe Porter of the Castell, and by them or some of them allowed by warrant in wrytyng, without which order and such allowaunce, no person shal­be suffred to remayne in any of the sayde Townes, but shall returne immediatly. And if any person shall haue necessary cause to depart from the sayde Townes or Court by land or by water to London or the Sub­urbes, with any minde to returne within one moneth, the same shall sue to haue, and shall first obtayne spe­ciall licence and warrant in writing for euery tyme of his departure fromsome of the foresayde principall officers of her Maiesties house, chamber, or some of her priuie counsell aboue mentioned: or els if the partie belong to the sayde Townes, then from the sayd Maior of Windsor, or the head officers of Eton: so as also the same persons haue the consent in writing of some of the officers and ministers aboue mentioned. And as for any Courriors, Postes, or messengers comming from London with letters to the Queenes Maiestie, [Page] or to any of the counsell[?]: they shall not enter into the Court without knowledge first geuen by the Porters to some of the counsell, & therupon the partie to enter, tary, or depart, as they shalbe specially commaunded, and not otherwise. And for the better execution hereof, her Maiestie willeth and requireth all the fore­sayde officers and ministers aboue mencioned to conferre together, and to instruct the sayd Maior of Wind­sor and officers of Eton, how and by what maner and fourme of warrantes (without fraude or couen) such only as haue necessarie causes belonging to the Queenes Maiestie, her lordes, counsellers, and others at­tending on her person or on her court, may be permitted to come from London or resort thither, and no other: vsing therein all circumspection conuenient and necessarie for such a cause of importaunce.

And further her Maiestie chargeth her knight Marshall and his ministers, to wayte dayly vpon the pas­sages in and to these Townes of Windsor and Eton leadyng to and from the sayde Citie with all diligence: and whomsoeuer they shal suppose to be goyng or ridyng with intention to resort to London, or commyng from thence, the same to arrest and stay, and examine whether they haue such warraunt, or haue obserued such orders as aboue is mentioned. And yf any person shalbe able to proue, that either the sayde Maior, principall officers in Eton, or that the knight Marshall or any of his ministers, shall neglect to do their dueties in the premises, the same being therof conuicted before her Maiesties priuie Counsel, or such as they shal appoint to examine the default, shalbe committed to prison for their offence, & there remayne the space of fourtie dayes, or for redemption of some part of their imprisonment, shall pay to the infourmer such fine as shalbe set by them before whom they shalbe conuicted, besydes such further punishment as vpon the greatnesse of the offence shalbe thought meete by her Maiesties priuie Counsell, or the Lorde Stewarde, or Lorde Chaumberlayne and Vize Chaumberlayne to be ordered. And this order her Maiestie wyll haue obserued vntyll the same shalbe reuoked by open Proclamation. For the speedy occasion wherof to be geuen by the ceassyng of the plague, Almightie God is to be with dayly prayers called vpon.

Geuen at our Castel of Windsor the thirde day of October, the eleuenth yere of our raigne. 1569.

God saue the Queene.