❧ The Copie of the Kings Maiesties Letters vnder his Signet, directed to the Right Honorable his
Maiesties Iudges of Assize: the right Worshipfull his Maiesties High Sheriffs, Maiors, and Iustices of Peace: And to all Bayliffes, chiefe Constables, and all other his Maiesties Officers and louing Subiects aswell Spirituall as Temporall, within his Highnes seuerall Counties, Corporations, and priuiledged places within his
Maiesties Realme of England.
Whereas We haue beene already pleased at the humble suit of the Maior & Citizens of our City of Lincolne, to grant vnto them license, aswel by our Letters Patents vnder our great Seale of England, as by our speciall Letters vnder our Signe Manuall, to leuie moneys by way of Collections, in sundry our Shires, for the scowring & making navigable of an ancient water-course called Fosse Dike, neere vnto our said Citty, whereby trade & cōmerce may be drawne to our said poore decayed Citty to the enriching therof, and of all the parts therunto adioyning. Wherupon some of those Counties, and particular persons vnto whom we addressed our Letters, haue (to our great contentment) freely and liberally contributed therunto. Forasmuch as the worke is now well aduanced, and that the moneys already collected (though carefully managed and employed to the best aduantage) will nothing neere counteruaile the charge thereof, as we are informed by our right trusty & right wel-beloued Cosen the Earle of Rutland, and diuers other personages of qualite of those parts. Wee hauing euer beene pleased to vouchsafe our Princely furtherance to publike workes, and more especially to this, to which we gaue beginning, and therfore cannot now but cherish the Progresse, & much tender the perfection therof, haue thought good to direct these our speciall Letters to you & euery of you respectiuely, requiring you that at the next Assizes to be held within your seuerall Circuits in our seuerall Counties, you our Iustices of Assize doe deale effectually with the High Sheriffes & Iustices of the Peace in each our said Counties, not only themselues to contribute liberally to so worthy a worke, but by their examples & best endeauours to excite the Gentry & all other louing Subiects throughout all Citties, Corporations, priuiledged & other places within our said seuerall Counties, freely to extend their bounty to the finishing o [...] the same. And further our pleasure is, because we would haue you put a difference betwene these our Letters Patents which this bearer will shew you, and such Briefes as are ordinarily granted for losse by fire & other casualties, that you our High Sheriffes and Iustices of the Peace of the said seuerall Counties, doe not onely take such course as in your discretions you shall thinke fit for the raising of those moneys to some proportion answerable to our expectation, & the greatnes of the worke, but also giue order to all the Constables, Headboroughs, & other our inferior Officers & Ministers in your Precincts, for [...]he speedy leuying of the said contributions to the best ease & benefit of the said Cittizens; And likewise that the money so leuyed, be deliuered to Robert Morecroft Alderman of our Citty of Lincolne, or his Deputy or Deputies, of whom we expect particular accompt of the same. And lastly, we expect your and euerie of your best care & diligence in this businesse, the successe wherof we much affect, and will not faile to retaine a gratious remembrance of what futherance soeuer we shall vnderstand you haue giuen it.
WHEREAS Wee haue héertofore been truely certified aswell by diuers Petitions exhibited vnto Vs by our true & Loyall Subiects the Maior & Citizens of our poore decayed Citty of Lincolne, as also by a Certificate from our right trusty & wel-beloued Cosen Francis Earle of Rutland, and diuers others Knights Baronets, Knights, & Esquiors, Iustices of the Peace within our County of Lincolne: That it was a thing most néedfull, conuenient & commodious, for to open, scowre & clense the old Draine [...] called Fosse, first made by our Noble Progenitor Henry the first, for the bringing of trafficke & Marchandize to our sayd Citty, the which now is stopped vp & not nauigable for vesse;ls of any burthen, wherby our said Citty is much impouerished, [...]y [...]ated a decayed, and become so poore for want of trading there againe, as vnlesse the same be foorthwith restored and continued, that ancient Citty in short time is like to be utterly subuerted & ouerthrowne. Vpon consideration whereof, wee did héertofore in our Princely care for the good of our said Citty and futherance of this worthy & commendable act, give order to the Lords of our Priuy Counsell to send their Letters to the Nobility & Gentry of our said County of Lincolne, for the collecting & gathering of such sums of money within the said County as then was thought fit, towards the opening & scowring of the said Draine, but finding the charge of the worke to be far greater then could bée raysed in that manner, the same beeing estimated by men experienced in those affayres, to amount to the Sum of Thrée Thousand Pounds, Wée then sent our own Letters vnder our Priuy Signet, to the Nobility & Gentry within our Counties of Yorke, & Nottingham, for like contrbution to be made on this behalfe: After all which the said Citty being in y e way of our Progresse towards Scotland, Our selfe was an Eye-witnesse of the ruynes & decayes therof, and being then more fully enformed & assured of the vndoubted benefit which by this good worke was likely to redound, aswell to the Citty & Counties neerunto adioyning, as also to the publique good of the Common-wealth, Wée were then graciously pleased vpon further Petition made vnto Vs, to grant our Letters Patents vnder our great Seale of England, dated the Twelueth day of July in the fiftéenth yéere of our Raign of England, &c. for a Collection to be made within Eight Counties of this our Realme, with speciall request & desire to all Archbishops, Earles, Bishops, Barons, Baronets, Knights, and Gentlemen, not onely themselues to be bountifull & liberall in their contributions, but also to the vttermost of their power to moue all other eurlouing subiects according to their ability to doe the like. NOW for as much as wee haue been lately certified aswell by a Certificate from our foresaid right trusty and wel-beloued Cosen Francis Earle of Rutland, as also by another Certificate from diuers Justices of Peace néere vnto our foresaid Citty of Lincolne, that the Cittizens there haue of themselues to the vttermost of their ability, with the helpe of the foresaid contributions (wherwith Wée were much contented) disbursed about this good worke the Sum of One Thousand Marks, which hath well aduanced the same and brought it into a good forwardnes, yet Wée are informed that vnlesse some further course bee forthwith taken for present supply of moneys to procéed therin, the foresaid worke now standeth at a stay & must shortly perish, and the charge & cost already bestowed bée vtterly lost, notwithstanding our great care & desire we haue had from the beginning of the prosperity of this businesse, to which we gaue beginning, and cannot now but much cherish & tender the progresse & perfection therof; And therefore Wée haue thought good not only to renew our foresaid Letters Patents for a generall Collection to be made throughout our Realme of England, where no former Collection hath béene, but also to direct our Letters Signe Manuall to all our Judges of Assize, requiring them & euery of them within their seuerall Circuits, aswell to deale effectually with our high Sheriffes & Justices of Peace; not only themselues to contriibute liberally héerein, but by their examples & best indeauours to excite the Gentry, and all other our louing Subiects within any Citty, Towne corporate, priuiledged or other places whatsoeuer throughout our Realme of England, to extend their liberall contribution in like maner towards the finishing of this good worke. And also to take further order y t Constables, Headboroughs & other inferiour Officers & Ministers within their precincts or Parishes, shall make spéedy Collection of euery Inhabitant or other sufficient person within their Parish, and to deliuer the Sum & Sums of money so collected, vnto our true & faithfull Subiect Robert Morecroft Alderman of our said Citty of Lincolne, or his Deputy or Deputies the bearer or bearers héerof of whom we expect a particular Accompt. And Wée will & command all Parsons, Vicars, & Curats, for the better stirring vp of a charitable deuotion, deliberately to publish & declare the Tenor of these our Letters Patents, or Briefe thereof, vnto our said Subiects, Exhorting & perswading them to extend their liberall contributions in so good and charitable a worke. And lastly Wée will you & euery of you that are appointed Collectors heerein, that there be a sufficient booke kept by you, wherin you shall set downe euery particular Sum & Sums by you collected of any Nobleman, Knight, or man of worth & quality, or in any Church or ciuill society that giue & contribute héereunto, whereby we may be certified how much our said Subiects shall regard our pleasure & request in this behalfe. Any Statute, Law Ordinance, or prouision héertofore made to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. IN witnesse whereof, wée haue caused these our Letters to bée made Patents for the space of One whole yeare next after the date heerof to endure.
Printed by Thomas Purfoot.