WYllyam Cecil knight, high Steward of the City of Westminster, and Ambrose Cave knight, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, two of the privy counsel to the queens most excellent Majesty: To the bailiff, Headboroughes, Constables, and other officers within the said City, or within the liberties of the duchy of Lancaster within the said City, greeting. Know ye that our said sovereign Lady the Queen, having compassion of the estate of that her City, because of the long visitation thereof with the plague, and being desirous that it might please almighty God to continue the inclination of his mercy towards the same, by ceasing of the infection thereof utterly, so as the assemblies of her justices and ministers, might return thither safely, to minister justice and law, and all others her good loving subjects to repair also thither, and receive comfort thereof, according to the necessity of their causes, and as heretofore hath been accustomed: Hath therefore thought meet and agreeable to the will of almighty God, to cause all manner of good orders that may be devised for this purpose, to be speedily and duly executed. For which purpose, by her majesties express commandment given to us, both by her gracious speech and letters: We to whom the governance of the said City under her Majesty doth belong, in the right of our said several offices above mentioned, do will and straightly command you, that you shall according to the good example of the orders devised by the right honourable the Lord Maior of the City of London, and the Aldermen of the same, publish this our order following, and the same cause to be duly observed and kept.  
first, we will and command you in the name of our said sovereign Lad the Queen, that all and every person, now keeping, or that hereafter shall keep any mansion house, Inn, lodging, or shop, within that City or liberties, being at this present, or that hereafter shallbe visited with the plague, or that hath been visited within twenty days before this present day: do forthwith after the publication hereof, shut up both their doors and windows towards the streets or common ways, by the space of forty days, than next ensuing, from the last time of the visitation or such sickness of any person within their said house or shop, and that neither the owner, master, or keeper of the same house or shop, nor any person belonging to the same house, at any time within the same space, go forth of the same, or procure or permit any person, being clean or whole, and not infected with the said contagious sickness, to resort or come into their house or shop, upon pain to be committed to the op●● stocks, and there to abide the space of seven days, or less, or more, as the Bailiff and Headboroughes and head Constables of the Paryshe shall think meet: and after that, to be committed to the comen jail, there to remain until the end of forty days, from the time of the first committing to the stocks, without bail or mainprize. And yet because Christian charity requireth, that if it shall happen that the keeper or owner of the house or shop, which shallbe thus shut up as afore is said, be so poor as the same cannot without some relief of other good people, abide in their houses, and sustain themselves and family with necessary victuell and fuel: Therefore the said officers aforesaid, with the Curate of every parish, and the Churchwardens of the same, shall cause a collection to be made every Sunday, or oftener, of the charity of all the inhabitants of the parish, and shall appoint and order certain honest charitable persons, with the said collections, to relieve the said poor infected persons, with such kind of victuell and fuel, as shallbe meet and requisite for the persons so shut up and forbidden to come abroad, during the foresaid space of forty days.  
AND further, where it is evidently known that in the said City of Westminster, there be greater numbers of people inhabiting, and as it were swarming in every room, than can reasonably have their sustentation by their honest labours or trade of living, by reason that for greediness and lucre▪ many owners or tenants of houses, do take in to them other inhabitants and families, to dwell in some part of their chambers, shops, cellars, or leanetooes, paying for the same also such excessive weakly, or other kind of rents, as they can not maintain themselves without seeking the same by sundry kinds of disorder. For remedy whereof, there hath been in that City ancient good orders and burges laws provided: Therefore it is ordered, that all manner of persons that dwell in any house, which hath served within these twelve months but for one household, shall suffer no persons, other than such as shallbe without fraud known to be part of their family, to dwell and abide, otherwise then gests do in Inns, or strangers do hire their lodgings for some small time, in any part of their said houses, after the ten of Apryll next: but that other the one or the other famylye shall remove from thence, and the whole house, with the chambers, shops, and cellars, shallbe occupied but with one ruler, master, or keeper, and one family thereto belonging, upon pain that whosoever shall do to the contrary, shallbe punished according to the ancient orders in that behalf heretofore devised. And if that shall not be seen sufficient, further remedy shallbe by order provided, as to such a case is requisite.  
From windsor the xii of March. 1563. 

W. Cecil.  
Amb. Caue.     

¶ Imprinted by Richard jug, Printer to the queens Majesty.  
Cum privilegio Regiae Maiestatis.