History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth. Vol. IIIFroude, James Anthony
History
History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth. Vol. III
Froude, James Anthony
Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
"The king to the justices of the peace. Trusty and well-beloved, we
greet you well,[490] and cannot a little marvel to hear that,
notwithstanding our sundry advertisements lately made unto you for the
doing of your duties in such offices as in our commonwealth are
committed unto you, many things be nevertheless directed at will and
pleasure, than either upon any just contemplation of justice, or with
any regard to the good monitions which heretofore we have set forth for
the advancement of the same. Minding, therefore, yet once again, before
we shall correct the lewdness of the offenders with any extremity of
law, to give a more general admonition, to the intent no man shall have
colour by excuse of ignorance, we have thought meet to write these our
letters unto you, and by the same to desire and pray you, and yet,
nevertheless, to charge and command you, upon your duties or allegiance,
that for the repairing of all things negligently passed, and for the
avoiding of all such damages as may for lack thereof happen unto you,
you shall have special care and study to the due and just observation of
the points following:--
[Sidenote: The privy maintainers of the Papistical faction shall be
tried out and punished.]
"First, where we have with our great study, travail, and labour expelled
the usurped power of Rome, with all the branches and dependings upon the
same, our pleasure is that you shall have a principal regard that the
privy maintainers of that Papistical faction may be tried out and
brought to justice. For by sundry arguments it is manifest unto us that
there wanteth not a number that in that matter retain their old fond
fantasies and superstitions, muttering in corners, as they dare, to the
maintenance and upholding of them, what countenance soever they do shew
outwards for avoiding of danger of the law. These kind of men we would
have tried out, as the most cankered and venomous worms that be in our
commonwealth, both for that they be apparent enemies to God, and
manifest traitors to us and to our whole realm, workers of all mischief
and sedition within the same.
[Sidenote: The sturdy vagabonds shall be punished,]
"Secondly, you shall have special regard that all sturdy vagabonds and
valiant beggars may be punished according to the statute made for that
purpose. Your default in the execution whereof, proceeding upon an
inconsiderate pity to one evil person, without respect to the great
multitude that live in honest and lawful sort, hath bred no small
inconvenience in our commonwealth. And you shall also have special
regard that no man be suffered to use any unlawful games; but that every
man may be encouraged to use the longbow, as the law requireth.
[Sidenote: And even justice shall be administered between poor and
rich.]
[Sidenote: He requires them to obey, or his next advice will be of
another sort.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account