THe kinges most excellent Maiestie, hauing of late season vnderstanding and knowledge, by diuerse and sundry consultacions of the Lordes, and others of his priuie counsaill, how necessary and beneficiall, it should be for the wealth of his hole Realme, to haue his Coyne reduced to finenes▪ whiche hath bene made bace from the beginning of the latter Warres in the time of his maiesties father, of most famous memory, and so remai­ned by continuance of the like: hath had a greate, godly, and earnest de­sire, daily increasing in his maiesties most noble and godly harte, to be­ginne and attempt some towardenes, to so greate a benefite, and so to procede and achieue, with asmuche his owne maiesties losse therin as possible were fitte for hym to susteine. Wherefore, of a moste godly minde towardes his people, and a most feruent desire, to begin to do this notable greate benefite, for the whiche all good subiectes, hath of late, as it were with groninges longed, his Maiesty, with the aduise of his counsaill, who, with greate reasons, were perswaded to aduise his maiestie therto, caused his determi­nation, to be published by a proclamation bearing date▪ the last day of Aprill last, that from the last daie of August nexte following, the shilling coyned and set furth by his maiesty, shoulde be curraunt for. ix. d. sterf. and no more, and the grote for. iii. d. as further appereth by the same proclamation, without the whi­che meanes, his maiesty coulde neuer possible attempt or come nere to set furthe and make the Coyne of fine siluer according to his good desire, and as in dede ordinarely, his maiesty from the beginning of the consultacion hath ment, and doth certainely meane. Yet neuerthelesse, suche is the malice and naughty na­ture of a certain kinde of people, that liue onely for themselfes, & as it semeth by their doinges, neither res­pect God, King, the suertye of his maiesties Croune, nor any other Christian creature, but goyng about to eate and deuoure, aswell thestate of Nobilitie▪ as the lower sorte, beyng Seruing men, Artificers, Han­dicraftes, poore Husbondemen, laborers and such like, and further maliciously ouerwharting and hinde­ring all good purposes of the kinges maiestie, and his counsaill, trauailing to do to the common wealthe good, and especially, when they perceaue any thing purposed, to amend the vnreasonable prices of victu­all, and suche necessary thinges for mens sustenance, that as it is come to his Maiesties knowledge, and his counsaill, by the information of diuerse credible persons from sundry partes of this his Realme, since the aforesaide proclamation was published, whiche was the very ordinarye and necessary beginning of a manifest amendement of the coine, the prices of victualles, Wares & such like thinges, be purposely in­haunced beyond all expectacion, and the gratious meaning of the kinges Maiestie, and his counsaill vt­terly peruerted, and sinisterly abused, thesame most manifestly comming of the deuelishe▪ malice, and sli­ght of the foresaide kinde of naughty people, iniurious to the whole common wealth: which thinges con­sidered, his Maiesty hauing the Swearde not in vaine committed to him of God, and with the same as a minister of the almighty, the very indignacion and plages from heauen to fall where his Swearde shall strike, cannot, ne may not, without thoffence of God, se and suffer suche lewde persones as wilfully be the causers hereof remaine vnpunished to their owne dampnations, and the distruccion of others. Wherfore his Maieste, meaning not in ire▪ or passion, to execute his indignation, but iustly and with good grounde, hathe firste by the aduise of his counsaill, thought mete to admonishe all kinde of people in their degrees, and to let theym clerely vnderstand his pleasure and determinacion in this behalfe, so as whosoeuer shal offend, thesame shall not faile of sharpe and due puishment for their offences.

And therefore first of all, to all suche, as either wilfully or ignorantly, hath mistaken his Maiestes good meaning vpon the former proclamatiō, for the abacing of money, his Maiestie declareth his good and gracious meaning, and determinate purpose, by the aduise of his counsaill, to be therby to amend his coine, & to reduce it to finenes of siluer, although thesame shalbe most of al, without al comparison to his maiestes losse and detrimēt, and yet to the benefite of his subiectes & the honor of the realme. And next to suche Fermours▪ Grasiers, and Shepe Masters, which by vnreasonable and fraudulent ingrossing of Fermes, Graine, Victuall, aswell Butter and Chese, as other grosser thinges, as Woolle and suche like, Wood, Cole, and other thinges pertaining to the dayly sustenance of man, and enhaunsing the prices of thesame, and by manifest decaiyng of tounes and tillage, excessiue increasing of shepe, contrary to diuers good lawes and statutes of this realme prouided for these caces, not vnknowen to the offendors therin Whiche kinde of persones in dede his maiesty and his counsaill iudgeth to be the principall occasions of these almost vncausable dearthes. His maiestie pronounceth & threatneth, that if they furthewth seace not their gredy, vnlaufull, and vnnaturall practizes, colored with craftes and subtelties to auoyde and deceaue the meaning of the lawes and all honesty, they shal suffre with his extreme indignation the Iu­stice of his lawes to the vttermost, to the terror of al suche as being thus often gentely admonished haue neuer amended.

Thus muche doth his maieste in this behalf, partely of clemency of nature, admonish, that would haue no cause to exercise extremitie: partely (if the naughtines of his subiecte, shal geue him cause) yet by this admonitiō the punishmēt shalbe more iust and necessary. And although his maiesty considereth howe conueniēt it is for his office, hauing indifferent charge and care ouer all maner his subiectes, not onely to reprehend the faultes of Offendors, but also to punishe them seuerely, yet because of late yeres, the lower sorte of people, lacking in dede in that parte, all maner of reason, and beyng like to those sicke madmen that either will haue no Phisicke, or els will be their owne Phisitions, haue presumpteously taken vpon them thoffice of his maiesty, both in reprehending of their superiors, and attempting redres of thinges after their own phantasies, with force, and contrary to the due obedience of good Subiectes towardes god and man. Therfore also his maiestie, likewise pronounceth and declareth vnto them, and euery of them, that if they shal excede their duties either in reprehending or attempting any maner of re­medie or redresse, otherwise then shall stand with the lawes and order of the realme: His Maiesty wil not faile but minister vnto them sharp terror of his swearde and Lawes, whiche, as they be well prouided of late for suche offendors, so shal they not lacke diligent and due execution.

God saue the King