❧ By the Queene.

THe Queenes Maiesty vnderstanding of the common wandring abroad of a great mul­titude of her people, whereof the most part pretend, that they haue serued in the warres of late on the other side of the Seas, though in trueth it is knowen, that very manie of them, either haue not serued at all, or haue not bene licenced to depart from the places of their seruice, as they ought to haue beene, but haue runne away from their seruice, and therefore they are iustly to be punished, and not to be relieued: some others are such as haue indeede serued, and fallen into sickenesse, and therefore licenced to departe to­wardes their Countries, from whence they were leuied, and doe deserue reliefe, To the intent all her Maiesties Officers of Iustice in euery place, where these sorts of peo­ple shall resort, may knowe, what her Maiesties most gracious pleasure is, for the vsage of the saide persons, both to punish the offendours, and to relieue the sicke souldiours, and such as haue truely serued, and are licenced to departe to their Countryes: She commaundeth that such discretion be vsed betwixt the vnlawfull vagarant persons, and the souldiours now lawfully dismissed from their seruices, that all such vagarant persons, as neyther haue beene brought to sickenesse nor lamenesse by the saide late seruice, and that shall not be able to shewe sufficient pasport for their dismis­sion, shall be taken and apprehended, wheresoeuer they may be found, as persons vagabonds, and so to be punished. And if any of them shall alleadge, that they haue bene in her Maiesties pay on the other side the Seas, and cannot shewe suf­ficient pasport from the Lord Generall, or some of the principall Officers of the armie, then to be taken and committed to prison, and to be indited as felons, and to suffer for the same, as souldiours being in her Maiesties pay, that haue runne away, and left the seruice traiterously. And for the rest that haue serued as souldiours, and can shewe their law­full pasports, they ought to be relieued by some charitable meanes, to conduct them into their Countrey, with commen­dation of publique Letters from the Iustices of the Peace where they shall be found, to all other Ministers both spiri­tuall and temporall, both to graunt them reasonable reliefe and ayde for their passage, and to bee particularly relieued by the Parishes or Hundreds, from whence they were leuied during the time of their infirmities and sickenesse, as in conscience they ought, and so to be placed with their former Masters, as by her Maiesties late directions to the Coun­ties hath bene ordered and appoynted: And neuerthelesse, with speciall paynes to be added to the same Letters of com­mendations of Pasports, that if they shall bee found to wander abroad out of the ordinary wayes mentioned in their Pasports, that then, they are to be punished as vagabonds.

And her Maiestie letteth it to be knowen, that order is giuen by her, that her Treasorer of warres hath and shal make payment (in euery Port where any such shall arriue comming with lawfull Pasport) of such summes of money, as shall be conuenient to conduct them to the places from which they were leuied. And that all Officers of Ports shall be allowed by the sayd Treasorer any such summes of money, as by them shall be payde to any such lawfull souldiers. And furthermore, for the repressing of the great number of mightie & hable vagarant persons now wandring abroad vnder pretence of begging as souldiers, although in deed they are known to commit open robberies vpon her Maiesties poore subiects and trauaillers by the way: Her Maiestie straightly chargeth all her Lieutenantes of euery Countie within the Realme (hauing sufficient warrant by their Commission to execute Martiall Law vpon such offenders against the publike peace and state of the Realme) to appoynt some speciall persons within their iurisdictions to trauell within the Counties as Prouost-Marshals, and to giue directions to the Iustices of the Peace to assist the Prouost-Marshall, for the apprehension of all such notable offenders, and to commit them to prison, and thereupon to be executed, as by the Lawes of the Realme they [...]hall deserue.

Giuen at our Mannor of Richmond, the fift day of Nouember and in the three and thirtieth yeere of our raigne.

God saue the Queene.

on, there is manifest proofe in that a number of men of wealth in our realme professing contrary religiō, are knowen not to be impeached for the same, either in their liues, landes, or goodes, or in their liberties, but onely by payment of a pecuniary summe, as a penalty for the time that they do refuse to come to Church, which is a most manifest course to falsifie the slande­rous speeches and Libelles of the Fugitiues abroade. Yet now it is certainely vnderstoode, that these heads of these dennes & receptacles, which are by the traitours called Seminaries, and Colleges of Iesuits, haue very lately assured the King of Spaine, that though heretofore he had no good successe with his great forces, against our Realme, yet if now he will once againe renewe his warre this next yeere, there shall be found ready secretely within our Dominions, many thousands as they make their accompt for their purpose; of able people that will be ready to assist such power as he shall set on land, and by their vaine vaunting, they do tempt the King hereto, who otherwise ought in wisdome, & by his late experience conceive no hope of any safe landing here: showing to him in Spaine, by the special information of a Scholeman named Parsons, arroga­ting to himselfe the name of the King Catholikes Confessour, and to the Pope at Rome, by another Scholler called Allen, now for his treasons, honoured with a Cardinalles Hatte, certaine skrolles or beadrolles of names, of men dwelling in sun­dry partes of our Countries, as they haue imagined them, but specially in the maritimes, with assurance, that these their Seedmen named Seminaries, Priests, & Iesuites are in the sundry parts of the Realme secretly harbored, hauing a great part of them bene sent within these x. or xii. moneths, and shall be ready to continue their reconciled people in their lewde constancie to serue their purpose both with their forces, and with other trayterous enterprises when the Spanish power shall be ready to land, vpon which their impudent assertions to the Pope, and to the King of Spaine (though they knowe a great part thereof to be false) they haue now very lately aduertised into diuers partes by their secret messengers, whereof some are also very lately taken, and haue confessed the same, that the King vpon their informations and requestes hath promised to imploy all his forces that he can, by sea this next yere, to attempt once againe the inuasion of this realme: Wherewith because some of his wisest counsellers doubt that he shall not preuaile, therefore hee is otherwise perswaded, that if that his purpose shall not take place here, yet the same may be well imployed against France or the Lowe Countries, or against some part of Scotland, into which Realme there hath also some number of the like brood bene lately sent.

2 Wherefore considering that these the intentions of the King of Spaine, are to vs in this sort made very manifest, And although we doubt not, but almightie God, the defender of all iust causes, will (as alway hitherto he hath) make the same boyde: Yet it is our dutie as being the supreme Gouernor vnder his Almightie hand, to vse al such iust & reasonable meanes as are giuen to vs, and therewith to concurre or rather attend vpon his most gracious sauour by the helpe of our faithfull subiects, both to encrease our forces to the vttermost of their powers, and by execution of Lawes, and by all other politike or­dinances to impeach the foresayd practises of these seditions and treasons.

3 And before al other things, we do first require of the Ecclesiastical state, that the like diligence be vsed by the godly Mi­nisters of the Church, by their diligent teaching & example of life, to retaine our people stedfastly in the profession of the Gos­pell, and in their duties to almightie God and vs, as it is seene a fewe Capitall heads of treasons are continually occupied with their Seminaries, in withdrawing of a multitude of ignorants to their enchantments.

4 And secondly, for hauing of sufficient forces in readinesse by Sea, we hope by Gods goodnesse, and with the help of our good Subiects, to haue as great, or greater strength on the Seas then at any time we haue had, to withstand these puffed vaunts from Spaine: And for our forces by land, our trust is, that seeing we haue distributed our whole realme into seueral charges of Lieutenancies, that they by themselues where they may be personally present, & otherwise by their Deputies, & assistants of other our Ministers, will now after the generall Musters which haue bene by our special order lately taken, consider of all things requisite to performe, and make perfect all defects that shall appeare necessarie, to make all the bands both of horsemen and footemen fully furnished with armour, weapons, and munition, and with all other things requisite for their conduction to the places of seruice, and there also to continue as time shall require to defende their Countrey. And so we doe most earnestly require and charge all maner of our Subiects, with their handes, purses, and aduises, yea all and euery person of euery estate, with their prayers to God, to moue him to assist this so naturall, honorable, and profitable a ser­uice being only for defence of their naturall Countrey, their wiues, families, children, lands, goods, liberties, and their po­sterities against rauening strangers, wilfull destroyers of their Natiue countrey and monstrous traytours.

5 And lastly, to withstand & prouide speedy remedy against the other fraudulent attempts of the Seminaries, Iesuites, and Traitors, without the which (as it appeareth) the forces should not be nowe vsed, the same being wrought onely by falsehoode, by hypocrisie, and by vnderminings of our good Subiects vnder a false colour and face of holines, to make brea­thes in mens and womens consciences, and so to traine them to their Treasons, and that with such a secrecie by the harbo­ring of the sayd traiterous messengers in obscure places, as without very diligent and continuall search to be made, and se­uere orders executed, the same will remaine and spred it selfe as a secret infection of treasons in the bowels of our Realme, most dangerous, yea, most reprochfull to be suffered in any well ordered common weale: Therefore we haue determined by aduise of our Counsell, to haue speedily certaine Commissioners, men of honesty, fidelitie, and good reputation to be appoin­ted [Page]in euery Shire, Citie, and Port townes within our Realme, to enquire by all good meanes what persons are by their behauiours or otherwise worthy to be suspected to be any such persons, as haue bene sent, or that are imployed in any such perswading of our people or of any residing within our Realme to treason, or to moue any to relinquish their allegeance to vs, or to acknowledge any kinde of obedience to the Pope, or to the King of Spaine, and also of all other persons that haue bene thereto induced, and that haue thereto yeelded. And further to proceede in the execution of such their Commission as they shall be more perticularly directed by instructions annexed to their sayd Commission.

6 And furthermore, because it is certainely knowen & proued by common experience, vpon the apprehension of sundry of the sayde trayterous persons sent into the Realme, that they doe come into the same by secrete Creekes, and landing places, disguised, both in their names and persons. Some in apparell, as Souldiers, Mariners, or Merchants, pretending that they haue bene heretofore taken prisoners, and put into Gallies, and deliuered. Some come in as gentlemen with contrary names, in comely apparell, as though they had trauailed into Forreine countreys for knowledge: And generally all, or the most part, as soone as they are crept in, are cloathed like gentlemen in apparel, and many as gallants, yea in all colours, and with feathers, and such like disguising themselues, and many of them in their behauior as Russians, farre off to be thought, or suspected to be Friers, Priests, Iesuits, or Popish schollers. And of these many doe attempt to resort into the Vniuersi­ties and houses of Law from whence in former times they departed: many into seruices of Noble men, Ladies and gentle­men, with such like fraudulent deuises to couer themselues from all apprehension, or suspicion: and yet in processe of time, they do at length so insinuate themselues to get themselus credite with hypocrisies, as they insect both the Masters and Families, and consequently aduenture also yea secretly to vse their offices of priesthood and reconcilements: Whereby al such as do retayne them are worthie to be suspected, and may be charged by law to their great danger.

7 For auoyding wherof, and either to discouer these venemous vipers, or to chase them away out of the Realme from the infecting of many more, we do order and straightly charge and command all maner of persons of what degree soeuer they be without any exception, Spirituall, or Temporall, Nobleman, Gentleman, Lord, Lady, Master or Mistresse, or owner whatsoeuer of any house, familie, lodging, yea the verie Officers of our owne houshold, and Gouernours of any societies, to make a present due and particular Inquisition of all maner of persons that haue bene admitted, or suffered to haue vsual resort, diet, lodging, residence in their houses, or in any place by their appointment, at any time within the space of one whole yeere now past, and ended at Michaelmas last: Or that from thenceforth haue, or shalbe admitted, or suffered so to resort, eate, lodge, reside or attend: And by such Inquisition and examination, to be duely and particularly informed of what con­dition and countrie any such person is, and by what kind of meanes he hath heretofore liued, and where he hath spent his time for the space of one whole yere before. And likewise to know whether he hath vsed, & doth vse to repaire to the Church at vsuall times to diuine seruice, according to the lawes of the Realme. And to cause those Inquisitions, with their answeres to be put into writing particularly, and the same to keepe in a maner of a Register or Kalender to be shewed when they shalbe demanded, that vpon cause of suspition of any such person, the same may be further tried by the Commissioners of those pla­ces, whether the same persons so examined be loyal subiects or no. And if any such shalbe found vnwilling to answere to such Inquisition, or shall be found by his doubtfull answere not likely to be an obedient subiect, the same person shall bee stayd by the housholder, or him that ought to haue examined him and shall be sent to any of the Commissioners aboue mentioned next adioyning. And if any person hauing gouernment or commandement ouer any such seruant, or resiant, shall be found not to haue performed the points of the foresaid Inquisition as is aboue limitted, the same shall bee called to appeare before the sayd Commissioners, or before our priuie Counsell, if the qualitie of the person shall so require, and shall be further vsed and ordered for such default, as the said Commissioners, or our Counsel shal haue iust cause to deale with such a person. And finally, we doe admonish and straitly charge and command all persons that haue had any intelligence, with any such so sent or come from beyond the seas to such purposes, to detect them to the Commissioners in that behalfe to bee assigned as afore­sayd, within xx. dayes after the publication hereof, in the Shire, Towne, or Citie, or Port, within the precincts of the same Commission, vpon payne that the offenders therein, shalbe punished as abettors & mainteiners of traytors. Wherein we are resolutely determined to suffer no fauor to be vsed for any respect of any persons, qualities, or degrees, nor shal allow, or suffer to be allowed any excuse of negligence for not detection, or for not due examination of the qualities of such dangerous per­sons according to the order hereafore prescribed, being no wise contrary, but agreeable to the most ancient lawes, and good vsages of our Realme, deuised for the good order of all maner of Subiects in euery precinct of any Leete to be forthcomming to answere for their behauior towards the dignitie of our Crowne, and the common peace of our Realme.

Giuen at our Mannor of Richmond the xviii. of October, 1591. in this xxxiii. yeere of our raigne.

God saue the Queene.