IAMES, By the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ire­land, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all and singuler Archbishops, Bishops, Archdeacons, Deanes, and their Officials, Parsons, Vicars, Curats, and to all spirituall persons: And also to all Iustices of Peace, Maiors, Sheriffes, Bayliffes, Constables, Churchwardens and Headboroughs: And to all Officers of Cities, Boroughes, and Townes corporate: And to all other our Officers, Ministers, and Subiects whatsoeuer they be, aswell within Liberties, as without, to whome these presents shall come, gréeting.

WHEREAS wee are credibly giuen to vnderstand by a Certificate vnder the hands of our Right trusty and welbeloued Robert Lord Willoughby, sir Peregrine Bartie, sir William Armyne, and sir Iohn Hatchet Knights, Henry Hale, and Thomas Butler Esquiors, Iustices of the Peace within our County of Lincolne: That our poore Subiect Henry Thomson of Edenham in our said Coun­ty Minister, hath alwaies béene a man of honest life and conuersation, and very diligent and watchfull in the place whereunto it pleased God to call him, who for the space of Twenty yeares and vpwards very zealously and industri­ously preached the word of God vnto the people, and prooued a carefull Pastor ouer the Flocke committed to his charge, freely feeding them with that Spirituall foode wherewith God had indued him, to their good, and his great comfort, but hée is now fallen into great want and pouerty by reason of many crosses, and losses, wherewith it hath pleased God to visite him, as with sicknes, suertiship, and such like: but especially by reason of a lamentable and fearefull Fier, happening on the Eight and Twentith day of December, in the yeare of our Lord God 1610, which consumed and burnt in the night time his Barne (beeing twenty yards long, and one and twenty foote wide,) full of Corne, together also with a Stable thereunto adioyning, and many other necessaries, which Barne will not be re­paired for a Hundred Pounds, besides the losse of all his Corne and other goods, to the vtter vndooing of our sayd poore Subiect, who hath consumed that small remainder of his estate, in the time of his sickenesse, which hath continu­ed euer since this lamentable accident, whereby hee was not able to séeke for any reliefe vntill this present, And now béeing destitute of all Spirituall promotion, is no way able to sustaine his poore Wife, and Children, who liue in great want, and héereafter are like to perish for want of things necessary, vnlesse the charitable beneuolence of our louing and well disposed Subiects be somewhat bountifully extended towards them in this their great extreamitie.

KNOWE yée therfore, that we (tendering the lamentable and distressed estate of our sayd poore Subiect) Of our especiall Grace & Princely compassion, haue giuen and granted, and by these our Letters Patents doe giue and graunt vnto our sayd poore Subiect Henry Thomson, & to his Deputie or deputies the bearer or bearers hereof, full [...]ower, licence, and authority to aske, gather, receaue, & take the Almes and charitable beneuolence of all our louing subiects whatsoeuer inhabiting within our Counties of Lincolne, Leicester, and Northampton, with our Citties [...]f Lincolne and Peterborough: And in all other Citties, Townes corporate, priuiledged places, Parishes, Vil­ [...]ages, and in all other places whatsoeuer within our sayd Counties, and not elsewhere, for and towards the new [...]lding of his said Barne, the recouery of his losses, and the reliefe and maintenance of himselfe, his poore Wife, [...]d Children.

WHEREFORE wée will and commaund you and euery of you, that at such time and times as the sayd Henry Thomson, or his Deputy or Deputies y^e bearer or bearers hereof, shall come & repaire to any your Churches, [...]happels, or other places to aske, and receaue the gratuities and charitable beneuolence of our sayd Subiects, [...]etly to permit and suffer them so to do, without any manner your lets or contradictions. And you the said Parsons, [...]ars, and Curats, for the better stirring vp of a charitable deuotion, deliberatly to publish & declare the Tenor of [...]se our Letters Patents vnto our said subiects, Exhorting and perswading them to extend their liberall contri­ [...]tions in so good and charitable a déede. Any Statute, Law, Ordinance, or prouision heretofore made to the con­ [...]ry in any wise notwithstanding.

IN witnesse whereof we haue caused these our Letters to be made Patents for the space of One whole yeare next [...]er the date hereof to endure. Witnesse our selfe at Westminster the Eleuenth day of Februarie, in the Tenth [...]e of our Raigne of England, France, and Ireland; & of Scotland the Sixe and Fortieth.

God saue the King.