HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE

ELizabeth by the grace of God, Queene of England, France, and Ireland defendor of the faith. &c.
To all and singuler, Archbishops, Bishops, Archdecons, Deanes, and their Officials, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and to all other spirituall perssons: and also to all Justices of the peace, Maiors, Shirifes, Balifes, Constables, Churchwardens, and Sidemen: Offi­cers, Ministers and all other our faithfull Subiects within the Realme of England, as well within liberties as without, to whom these presents shall come, greeting.

Know ye, that whereas the Prisoners in the custodye of the Marshall of the Marshalsey of our house, haue made to vs supplication that they haue not whereof to liue, neither any way be able to be comforted, but of such deuout men to God and faithfull in Christ as are wil­ling charitably to releeue them: we willing in this behalfe graciously to foresee their pouer­ty, taking it to be a charitable act that ther may be yerely charity, we haue assigned our faith­ful subiect Hugh Oliuer by himself & his sufficient deputy, iointly or seueally to aske, gather, receiue & take, the almes, charity & deuotion of our louing subiectes, inhabiting and dwelling within our County of Kent, with our Citties of Caunterbury and Rochester, and in our fiue Ports with, the members of the same, and in our Isles of Tennet & Sheppa: And the almes and gifts aforesaid so by him or his deputy gathered and receiued, wel and faithfully to bring into our Court: & yeeldan account therof, to our Warde or Keeyer or Clark of the same Prison. As also to arest & attach aswel al those which by our license as yet not obtained, do fame th̄e­selues collectors of the said almes, as also al those which by any our letters to th̄e therof made, do gather the like rewards ouer & aboue one yeer contrary to the tenor of the same our letters pattents. And those so arrested, to bring before our Marshall wheresoeuer he shall then be in England, or to the Prison of the Marshalsey of our house aforesaid lawfully to lead, there to remaine vntil they be punished according to the law in that behalfe.

Therefore we commaund you and euerye of you, that you gentlye receiue the aforesaide Hugh Oliuer or his sufficient deputy in this parte, to gather and receiue the almes and gifts aforesaid, not doing or suffering to be done him or his deputye, anyhurt damage, molestati­or greefe: and if auyiniurye shall be done him or his deputy, that you doe amende the same without delay.

Furthermore we commaund you the aforesaid Constables, Church wardens & officers, & & euery of you, that yot be counsailers & helpers for the executing & gathering of the premises. And also we commaund you the aforesaid Parsons, Vicars and Curats, that you publish in pour Churches in your Parishes, he tenor of these presents.

In witnes whereof, we haue caused these our letters to be made pattents for the space of one whole yeere to endure. Witnes George Carey Knight, Baron of Hunsdon, and great Marshal of our house aforesaid. At our Mannor of Castgreenwich the nine & twenteth day of September, in the eight and thirteth yeere of our raigne.

God saue the Queene.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this EEBO-TCP Phase II text, in whole or in part.