ABSTRACT
We greete you well. And have bene informed of your assemblyes together in companies after a verie disordered maner, which we be sorye to perceive especiallye in yow our loving subiects of that Shire who with the first professing christs doctrine in words doe now in deade shewe the contrarie fruits therof and forget the chief and principall Lesson of the Scriptures teaching you and your vocation which is obedience to us your Soveraigne Lorde. Obedience bringeth forth pacience and quiet sufferaunce which is most contrarie to these your unlawfull assemblies and tumults. It is not the parte of quiet and obedient subiects to assemble in nombres and so to make them selves as it were a party against us. We have always shewed our selves by the advice of our dearest uncle Edward duke of Sommerset Governor of our person and Protector of our realms dominions and subiects and the rest of our privie counsel most readie and willing to provide for your ease, quiet and comforte asmuche as ever prince hath bene for his subiccts, as the multitude of thinges reformed in the shorte time of our reigne well declarethe to the worlde. We have even now of late set forthe our proclamation for reformation of excesse in the price of victuals. We have sent out our commissioners with ample authoritie for reformation of inclosures, decayes of howses, takinge awaye of commons and sondrie other thinges which by this time might have bene in good towardnes to have reformed manye thinges if these your assemblies had not bene. And as we have begonne with these thinges so would we most gladlie have proceeded with the reformation of all other thinges as time and other circumstaunces would have suffered. Yow must consider that as we be by gods calling your Soveraigne Lorde and chief heade and Governor: so doe we by our counsel travail always for your defence at home and also abroade. And would to God that these assemblies so manie times made and renewed in this time by you and others our subiects had not bene a great hinderaunce to our proceadinges for the defence of the realme and other dominions against ours and your enemyes. And in the reformation of thinges if we and our counsell had bene voide of all other cares and busines, yet the same maye not be done neyther with our honor nor your suertie but with suche consideration of our whole common wealthe and of iustice as appertainethe. And where ye have made humble suit unto us for an heralde to be sent unto you to receave articles of suche things as yow find yourselves grieved withal, because we woulde for your more ease and the quiet of the realme avoide the delaie of sending to and fro and thinckinge your griefs to be of the same sorte and nature that your neighbors be, we have thought good to aunswer yow as ensuethe. First, touching the reducing
of Fermes and lands to their olde rents: albeit the matter be suche as maye not by us of our ordinarie power and by our laws be without Parlament redubbed, yet to make plaine apparaunce unto you that we tender your suits, we be pleased to extende in this case our authoritie Royall and absolute, and by the same will geve commaundement to our commissioners to travell with all men of all sorts within that our countye to reduce all Fermes and other landes to the same rents the same were leased for xl. yeres past: And to geve order that the rents shalbe paid at Michaelmas next after that rate. And suche as cannot be induced or will not presentlye obeye our commissioners in this redresse, we minde assuredlie at our next Parlament to see so reformed as shalbe to your reasonable satisfaction. For the prices of wolles, we will geve order presentlye that our said commissioners shall cause the clothiers to have wolles of all suche as have wolles to sell payinge onlye two parts of the price that the wolles were commonlye sold for in that shire this last yere. As where they were solde for 6.ld to pay only 4.ld. And for the other third parte, the owner and buyer to stande for our reformation to be made at the next Parlament. At which time we minde also to geve suche order in all the rest of your requestes, for landed men to a certain somme to be no clothiers nor Fermors, for the usinge of sondrie occupations by one man, a priest to have but one benefice, for pluralitie of Fermes, and the rest of those and anye other your articles as yow shall have good cause both to content your selves and to praye for us. And because we will have yow differed as little as possiblie may be, we will for the more spedye reformation of the premisses, cause our Parlament which is appointed to beginne the 4th of November nexte to be assembled one monethe rather [scribal error for earlier?]: So as you, like our good and loving subiects, withdrawe yourselves quietlie everie of you to your howses, applying your harvest and doing otherwise as becommethe good subiects in the meane time. And against the beginning of our said Parlament we would yow should make billes of your desires, appointing 4. or 6. persones of that Shire to present the same to our said uncle. And doubt not yow but yow (demeaninge your selves in the mean time as is afore said) shall receave suche reformation to all your comforts as ought to be to your reasonable satisfaction. Otherwise ye maye assure your selves we must (whereof we would be sorye) be constrained to see to the maintenaunce of our estate Royall and honor and to the common quiet of our Realme in other sorte. Yeven under our Signet at our Manor of Richmonde the 18th of Iulye the third yere of our reigne.
