THe continuall new Buildings, and addition and increase of Buildings in and neere about the City of London is growen to that excesse, and doeth draw together such an ouerflow of people, specially of the meaner sort, as can hardly be either sed and susteined, or preser­ued in health or gouerned, which doth not onely threaten, but hath already bred & brought forth at diuers times dearth of Victuals, infection of Plague, and minifold disorders, which his Ma­iestie in his Royall wisedome before this time foreseeing, hath since his happy comming to the Crowne, by two seueral Proclamations, The one in the second yeere of his highnesse Raigne con­cerning building with Bricke, the other in the fift yere of his Raigne cōcerning building vpon New foundations, (wherein neuerthelesse the former ordinance touching Bricke buildings is continued) sought to giue remedy and prouision for the same; But such hath bene & is the couetous desire of gaine & priuate benefit arising of such Buildings, ioyned with a neg­lect of Iustices & Officers in executing his Maiesties said Proclamations, as many persons haue presumed & aduentured to offend against them, both to the continuance and increase of the former euils and inconueniences, and to the manisest ill example of contempt and disobedience in a case so notorious, and in the view of the whole kingdome: His Maiestie neuer­thelesse not forgetting (though vpon so iust cause of indignation) his accustomed clemencie, hath thought good to make a difference between the offenders and their cases, and for such as haue offended in not building with Bricke, in as much as the offenders were in great multitude, and might haue some colour of necessity, or pretended impossibility, though vniustly, as themselues must needs confesse, if they looke abroad, & see what is done in other well polliced Cities of Europe, His high­nesse gaue order that after some exemplar censure of a few Offenders by sentence in the Star-chamber, the residue should be admitted to composition, according to his Maiesties Commission of grace for that purpose granted, wherein his Maiesties expresse pleasure was, That the Fines should be so milde and moderate as might make the Offenders themselues sensible of his Maiesties Ienitie & gracious disposition, and might make all others perceiue, That it was not his Maiesties profit that was sought, but onely the repressing of the inconuenience, and the preseruing of the authority of his Maiesties Royall com­mandements for the publique good, from contempt. But for the second for of offenders, which haue erected new founda­tions where no Buildings were before, which had no maner of circumstance to extenuate their offence, but many to aggra­uate the same, being against a Proclamation so lately published, and so straitly penned, & immediatly after a seucre sentence in the Star-chamber, his Maiestie hath directed that all such Offenders, (the number of which cannot be many being within the compasse of one yere) shalbe proceeded within in the Star-chamber. But as his Maiestie doth not thinke fit to admit at all to grace that kind of Offenders, so his Highnesse doth publish and declare, That for the other point of Bricke building, no man do hereafter expect any the like fauour of Composition, as his Maiestie was pleased onely at this time for the auoyding of rigor and extremitie to grant & extend: But his Maiesties wil and pleasure is, That his said ordinance be hereafter strait­ly obserued, and mainteined, and the offenders against the same with all seueritie punished. And to the end to remoue & take away all colour of pretended necessity in that point, His Maiestie is graciously pleased that his former Proclamations be explained & qualified in maner and forme following, That is to say, That if any person that shall hereafter erect any buil­ding vpon ad old foundation within the precincts limitted in the Proclamation published in the fift yeere of his Highnesse raigne, shal make it appeare, That either the quantitie of the ground whereupon the old Foundation standeth, is of too smal a proportion to receiue a Bricke building, or that the house is situate in so obscure or meane a Lane of Alley, as is not fit for such a Building, or that the trade of such person as intendeth such building, is the trade of a retayling shopkeeper, & of such a nature as his shop and building cannot with any conuenience be built with Bricke, and thereupon shall obtaine certificate vnder the hands of the Lord Maior, the Recorder, and the Alderman of the Ward, if the building be within the City or the Liberties thereof, and vnder the hands of two Iustices of the Peace, whereof one to be of the Quorum, if it be out of the City and Liberties, And shall further vpon the said Certificate, procure a Licence vnder the hands of any foure of his Maiesties Priuie Councell, whereof the Lord Chancellour, Lord Treasourer, Lord priuie Scale, and Chancellour of the Exchequer for the time being, to be two in allowance of the same, That in such case such person so building, shall not be deemed and ta­ken for an offender against his Maiesties Proclamations, any thing in the said Proclamations, or either of them to the con­trary hereof in any wise notwithstanding.

Giuen at our Mannour of Tuddington the 25. day of Iuly in the sixt yeere of our Raigne of Great Britaine, France and Ireland.

God saue the King.