¶ The Copy of the commandment General by the Abbot of evil profits.  
 depiction of a cleric   

MYsaduysed for fault of reason and discretion, by the Emperor of all evil grace and mischief, King of lewd governance & necessity, Duke of folly and negligence, County of beggary and lechery, Prince of peril and pain, Marquis of danger and disloyalty, Baron of espies in forests, high ways, & other places murderous, And chief capitain of all caultelty & deceit.  

Salutation.  
TO all and every our subjects of our uncredable & cursed nation, unlucky, lousy, unfortunable, unwitty, bandy beggars, hedge creepers, falsefiers of letters and seals, contrefaysers of salts, coiners of money, liars, mockers, staff trayners, stealing pardoners, purse pickers, pike locks, bearers of false relics & seals, heretics, charmours, sorcyers, and other such like keepers of familiar spirits, thieves murderers, enpoysoners, cut purses, church thieves, maintainers of tidings and lies, tellers of tales, pykers of males, flatterers, draw latches, and other of such and like order: As toothdrawers, tryaclours, leches, gluttons, swearers, scald scurvy scabbed heads/ stinking knaves, bawds, ruffians, hazarders, whoremongers, horse corsers, carders, dicers, priests whores, blasphemers, for swearers, usurers, traitors, & other such like/ as false flattering friars/ loud lousy liars/ fools, fantastykes, and furious people, merchants, monks, canons, scomlers in vain, hangmen, fleers of horses, galowclappers, vagabonds, beters of father and mother, gloutes and gluttons, and to all other such our unnoble subjects and liege men inhabiting within this our noble realm & Isle of Knavery, & to all other our subiecctes inhabiting within corners, cottages, bawdy stinking lanes & alleys, & other such like, being unfortunate to be hanged, scourged, burned, or drowned, and to each of them after their merit or degree, Be it known to your weak wit and understanding, that after the disposition of the weather, and the judgement prognosticate by our maladuysed Astrologians, so wise instruct and expert that oft times they know not what day it is when they rise, nor what hour it is when they go to bed/ and after the constellation of one of the seven planets, which is unknown which of them it may be: have said & affirmed upon pain of their cursed & meschant lives (which peradventure shall be brief unto them of their great dishonour and shame) that about the beginning of the month of May about midnight, shall be upon us an Eclipse of the son. By occasion whereof, in the summer ensuing may engender, breed, and increase among us many & great multitude of divers small & little beasts & bestylons, whose names among us & you be not unknown/ and be called maternally Lice, Flees, and nyttes/ which beasts so named as we be advised shall breed, increase, and grow among us in great number and multitude/ and also with them shall breed and increase other beasts and worms/ but not so nigh enjoining us. As flies, flying hearts, hornets, beetles, pysmers, and other such little worms or beasts/ which little beasts or worms shall bear no danger of venom. ¶ Also with these little beasts after the constellation before specified, shall increase an other sort or manner of beasts which shall & will be prejudicial and hurtful to you, if strong defence be not had to the contrary. As wasps, lezardes, toads, serpents, adders, & snakes, & other like venomous beasts.  
¶ Therefore saying and considering these occasions afore pronosticate: we straightly command upon pain of the punishment of the beasts aforesaid, as lice, flees, & nyttes, each of you our said subjects aswell men as women, that ye may provide abundance and not over measure/ for we find by the wise instruction of our unexpert Astrologians and prognosticators aforesaid, that by occasion of this constellation above, may be withdrawn out of you our natural subjects and people, all health and good natural disposition/ from the which as we trust our lord shall preserve you. For if ye continue still as ye be, as one findeth you, so shall he leave you, never to thrive.  
¶ Furtthermore our unwise Astrologyans and prognosticators above rehearsed, plainly do say and affirm, that if these little worms and beasts aforesaid, as lice, flees, and nyttes, be and may inhabit, increase, & breed among you and in your array, as doublets, shirts, hosen, & such other your garments, and therein well fed, lodged, and kept, in great multitude and quantity innumerable, that that shall be unto you as good as if ye took every day a purgation or letting of blood/ for they will eat and withdraw all your good blood from you, and none shall remain but the bad/ of the which might grow great inconvenience in hurting your corporal health in divers manners/ as frounceling of your skins, small scrapes and scratchynges/ scald scurvy and scabbed heads, & other semblables, as stinking odours, impostumes, and other wheels, carnels, and cancres/ and all such other and like adventures, as much now as hereafter/ as we hope that suddenly shall fall upon you the constellation afore rehearsed.  
¶ wherefore saying and considering these occasions, whereof as we perceive ye have no care, as of your honour, health, & other goodness to you convenient: we will and command upon the pain aforesaid, that each of you/ as well men as women behave themself to provide in the way and manner aforesaid, or else the week shall beat the strong.  
¶ And also be it provided, that if chanced ye could not inhabit & lodge all these little beasts before specified within all your garments, as hose, shirts, doublets, heads, and coats, we effectually ordain, establish, and enact (and that upon our great displeasure) that ye lodge and inhabit them in manner of garnison within your beds, houses, and in all other your dwelling places, in so great multitude and plenty, that they may put out your eyes/ which we pray god may be.  
And as concerning the other beasts before named, as serpents, adders, toads, lezardes, & other such being prejudicial, in that case we will & command that ye do after your fantastic folly & will, that is to say, to take them or leave them/ as it pleaseth you.  
¶ Also we command again upon the pains aforesaid to you our subjects specified, & to all other to whom this dignity belongeth, that during the time, ye be not so bold to pair or cut your nails as ye have used to do in times passed.  
¶ And we by our disordinate council of fools idiots, lunatics, fantastikes, & melancolous people, have enacted these contempts aforesaid to the contrary not withstanding.  
¶ wherefore we command upon the pains rehearsed, to all our head officers, as common beggars, vagabonds/ stealing pardoners/ to the drawers, blind harpers, bearers of false seals, outlaws, pillory knights hedge creepers and all and every our natural officers so loitering and running over & in our lands, lordships, & countries, that this present commandment general plainly may be cried, & with high voice published & declared to man & woman, dog and cat, with great solemnity, in such purport and effect that may come in easily at their ears & run fast out of their arses, which by lycklyhood may well be/ & no man to the contrary withstanding/ for it pleaseth us so, & so is our will to be done.  
¶ In presence and witness of the lord and capitain of misorder, the Provost of evil proof, the Esquire Snyveler, Gautier the scabbed, Philip the halter, & many other/ as Roger outlaw, Thomas pillory, & such other our officers of our noble Court testifiers.  
finished in our Palais & Abbay environed with all mischief, the xi day of August, & of our reign. M.    

¶ Newly imprinted at London in Southwark by me Peter Treveries.