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 mante of them, either haue not serued at all, or haue 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 fustly to be punished, and not to be relieued: some others are such as haue indeede serued, and fallen into sickensse, and therefore lienced 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 gracio pleasure is, for the vsage of the saide persons, both to punish the offendours, and to relieue the siche souldiours, and such as haue truely serued, and are licenced to departe to their Countryes: She commaundeth that such discretion be vsed berwixt 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 she we 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 she we 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 she we thier 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 conuentient 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 Proust-Marshals, and to giue directions to the Iustices of the Peace to assist the Prouoff-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 shall deserue.

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

God saue the Queene.