FIrst of all it is knowen that the ho­nour and reputacion of the singuler wealth that this Realme was wont to haue aboue at other Realmes, was partely in that it had no currant mo­nies but golde and syluer, whereas contrary all other countreys, as Almayn, Fraunce, Spaine, Flaunders, Scotland, and the rest of Christendom haue hadde, and styll haue certayne base monies, nowe of late dayes, by turnyng of fine monies into base, muche decayed and dayly growen into infamie and reproche, and therfore is thought ne­cessary to be recouered. Wherin lyke as her Ma­iestie for her part meaneth to be at great charges, so euery good Englishe subiecte ought to be con­tent, though it seme some smal losse at the fyrst.

Also by continuing of the base monies, diuers persons both in forreine partes, and within the Realme, haue counterfayted from tyme to tyme no smal quantitie, and brought to porte townes, and vttered the same at the fyrste after the rate of xii. pence a Teston, and after that, for .vi. pence: where the same was not in dede worth much a­boue two pence: And caried out of the Realme for those base monies, the riche commodities of the same, as Wolle, Cloth, Lead, Tinne, Leather, Tallowe, yea and all kynde of victual, as Corne, Malt, Beere, Butter, Cheese, and suche lyke, so as counterfaicters and suche lyke haue for small summe of monies counterfaicted, caried out sixe times the value in commodities of the Realme.

By the meanes also that these base monies were currant, diuers subtyll people haue chaun­ged [Page] the same for the golde and fine syluer monies of this Realne, and haue transported and caryed out the same golde & syluer, so as although there hath ben coyned both in the later end of the raign of kyng Edward, & in the tyme of Quene Mary, & nowe also sence the Quenes Maiesties raigne, great quantities of golde and syluer, yet to part therof is sene cōmonly currant: but as it may be thought, some part therof is caryed hence, & some percase by the wyser sort of people, kepte in store, as it were to be wyshed that the whole were.

Also by continuaunce of this sorte of base mo­nies, although almyghtie God hath geuen nowe of late yeares plentyfull increase by the earth, for the which he is to be thanked, without any uche plages of scarcitie as in our forefathers tyme hath ben read, when many hundrethes and thou­sandes of people haue dyed for famine, yet the prices of all thynges growyng or commyng from the earth, hath inmeasurably and dayly rysen, as all maner of grayne, fruite, cattell, bestiall, vict­tuell, wolle, leather, and such lyke, and no remedy could be deuysed to amende the same, but to cause that the same base monies shuld be currant for no more then they were in iust value. For euery man of the least vnderstandyng, by one meanes or o­ther knew that a Testō was not worth six pence, nor the peece of two pence was woorth so much, & therfore no man woulde geue gladly that thing which was and euer had ben worth sixe pence, for a Teston, but would rather require two Testons: & so a thyng being worth sixe pence, was bought and solde eyther for two Testons, or one and a [Page] halfe, which was in reckenyng .xii. pence, or .ix. pence, and nowe euery Teston being brought to the iust value, it must nedes folowe that one shal bye of another hereafter that for .iiii. pence half­peny, whiche was wont to coste .vi. pence. And when the Teston shalbe brought into fine syluer. then shall all men be as desyrous to sell any ware for suche fine monies, as they haue of late ben loth and vnwyllynge to sell anye thynge for the base monies, except they myght haue had twyce as much of the base monies, as they were wonte to haue of the fine, or els that for necessitie they were dryuen to sell the same.

By this meanes also now that the base monies are brought to the iust value, and that euery man shall haue fine monies for them, all poore people that lyued of theyr hand labour, as well artificers in cities or townes, as labourers in husbandrye, or men that toke dayetall wages, eyther by land, by sea, or by freshe waters, and all meane gentle­men that liued but vpon pensions and stipendes, and all souldiours and seruyng men, that lyued vpon solde and wages, shall haue theyr pencions, stipendes, soldes, and wages, now payde in good and fine monies, & therwith shal bye more neces­saries for theyr sustentacion, then coulde afore be bought: who surely hauyng heretofore after the rate of .xx.s. xxvi.s. viii.d. .v. nobles .xl.s. iiii. markes .v. markes .iiii. poundes .v. poundes .xx. nobles, & so vpward by the yere payde to them in these base monies, could not haue so much victu­al, apparel, weapon, armure, horses, or such lyke, with the said stipend, by more then a fourth part, as they shall now haue, because indede the saide [Page] base monies were of thēselues no more worth.

By this reformacion also of base monies, shall necessarely folowe a more profitable accoumpte betwixt the monies of this Realme, and of other countries, and thereby the accoumpte which by marchauntes is called the eschaunge, shall also aryse in estimation of the monies of Englande in suche sorte as in former tymes hath ben, and the forreine commodities thereby also be bought for easyer pryses, to the benefite of all suche as shall vse the same.

So as the matter well considered, the greatest numbre, and specially the poorest shall haue most commoditie hereby, yea and such others as haue moste gayned by excessiue prices, shall haue also, (yf they wyll consider them selues) no small pro­fyte and helpe. And fynally, no maner of person in the whole Realme shall haue after one to two monethes hurt hereby, except onely the traytour which hath lyued by counterfaictyng. And ther­fore it is to be allowed and imbraced of al people, and euerye man to thinke, that although at the first he maye suppose that he hath lesse monie in his purse, yet shall he haue for the same metal, as much as that was worth, eyther in ware, or at her Maiesties mint in fine monies. And when soeuer he shal vtter that base monies, whiche at the tyme of the Proclamation he hadde, the next that he shall gette, eyther be his hande labour, or for his wages, shalbe eyther fine monies, or such as he may haue as much fine monies in the mint for it. And consequently euery man ought to thanke almyghtye God, that he may liue to se the honour of his countrey thus partely recouered: [Page] Syiuer to come in place of copper, pryces of thynges amende, all people to be more hable to lyue of theyr wages, euery mans purse of coffer made free from the priuie thefe, whiche was the counterfaytour. And fynally, the treasure of this Realme to be of syluer and golde, as was wonte in our forefathers time, and not of brasse and cop­per, besydes manye other greate commodities that hereof muste needes ensue, whiche but for length myght be declared, and for all the same, no losse to any, otherwise but in opinion at the be­gynnyng, not much vnlyke to them, that beyng sicke receiue a medicine, and in the takyng feele some bytternes, but yet thereby recouer health and strength, and saue theyr lyues.

And because it is sene by experience, that ma­ny tymes when good thynges be deuysed and at­tempted, the Deuyll sleapeth not, to hynder the same, but causeth them either to be defeated, or to be defamyd and mistaken: Therefore it is meete that no maner of person gyue any credite to such as shall caste abrode any mistrust of amendment of the money, or shall pretende thys decree to bee greater or more burdenous then it is. For truely this amendement is so fully purposed by her Maiestie, as beside that, experience shal trie it with­in one moneth or .vi. weekes, within which times necessarie thinges for the mint must be prouyded. It is sene, that her Maiestie may refourme these monyes, according to her proclamation, without anye suche great losse as myght moue her to for­beare it: and on the other syde, the monyes bee so iustly valued, as in dede the base Testons beynge [Page] set at .ii.d. farthyng, and her Maiestie geuyng at her minte, for euery pounde of them .xx.s. & .iii.d. in rewarde, shall thereby gyue rather more than they shalbe worth beynge melted, than lesse.

So that her Maiestie, who since she came to this Croune, neuer gained any thing by any coy­nage, nor yet euer coyned any maner of base mo­nies for this Realme, will not now determine to lease the honour & fame that she shal with small losse or gayne recouer by this noble acte, to bene­fite her Realme and people.

And as to the opinion of the burden of the losse, where y ^e base Testons be valued but at .ii.d farthing, whereby such as haue them shall seme to haue the greatest losse, it is to be well and rea­sonably construed and taken of all men, for that there hath not by good accompt which hath bene made and well proued, bene aboue a sixth parte compared to the other base monies of the same sort of Testons coined in y ^e mints of this Realme. And at the coynage of y ^e same base Testons now valued at two pence farthing, which was done in the time of the warres heretofore, there were set therto certayn markes, as a Lion, a rose, a floure deluce, or a harp, called the priuie markes of such as weare then masters of the mint, which also be specified in the Proclamation. For the better vn­derstanding wherof, here be in the ende of this de­claration set certayne stampes or printes, of eue­ry kinde of the same base Testons with their said seueral markes, to thintent that euery person lo­king & beholding the same printes, may the better iudge and discerne the same from the other, that [Page] be valued at .iiii. pence halfpenye, although if the same be well considered, the colour of the sayde base Teston wyll shewe the basenes thereof: And because her Maiestie meaneth to ease her Sub­iectes as muche as possible may be, she is pleased to cōmaunde her officers in her mint, that where there be many counterfaict Testons, which were made by coūterfaictours, when the Testons were at the value of .xii. pence a peece, and synce also that thei wer decreed to .vi. pence, and by estima­tion were so made, as they dyd contayne aboute two pence farthinge or there aboutes in syluer: they shall doe their indeuour to receaue and trye such counterfaites, and shal geue to the Subiects eyther for euery such counterfaict two pence far­thing, or so muche good fine monies, as the same counterfaictes shall contayne in siluer, whereby the people shalbe releued of such losse in som part for counterfaictes, as in no Realme any Prynce either hath or ought to do. And for this and for al the rest of the commodities hereof likely to insue: her Maiestie trusteth her mooste honorable good meaning shalbe imbrased of all her good louinge Subiectes, and euery person with good will, wil yelde to beare a smal burden for a time, to auoide a perpetuall and endlesse oppressyon, not onely of them selues and their posteritie, but also of the whole common weale.

Yeuen vnder the Quenes Maiesties Signet at her honour of Hampton court the xxix. of Sep­tember the second yeare of her Maiesties raigne, M.D.LX▪

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