mensae junii Anno regni metuendissimi dni nr̄i regis Henrici octavi .xxii.  
A proclamation made and diuysed by the juuenis highnes▪ With the aduise of his most honourable counsel, for punisshinge of vagabonds and sturdy beggars.  
THe king our most dread sovereign lord, having always in his most blessed remembrance, as well the cure and charge of his dignity royal, as also the present estate of this his realm, and his subiectes of the same, considereth, that in all places thorough out this his realm of england, vagabonds and beggars, haue of long time increased and daily doth increase in great and excessive numbers, by the occasion of idleness, mother and roote of all vices: whereby haue insurged and sprung, and daily insurgeth and springeth continual thefts, mourdres, and other sundry heinous offences and great enormities to the high displeasure of god, the inquietation and damage of his true & faithful subiectes, and to the disturbance of the hoole common weal of this his said realm: And where as many and sundry good laws statutes and ordinances haue ben before this time devised and made, as well by his highness as also by diuers his most noble progenitors kings of england, for the most necessary and due reformation of the premisses: yet that not withstanding, the said numbers of vagabonds and beggars, be not seen in any parte, to be mynyshed / but daily to be augmented and increased in to great rowtes and companies. which his grace evidently perceiveth to happen, for as much as his said laws, statutes, and ordinances be not from time to time put in effectuell execution, according to his gracis expectation, pleasure, and commandement: His highnes therfore willing to declare to all his subiectes, his most godly and virtuous purpose, and perseverance in the persecution correction and reformation of that most damnable vice of idleness, chief subuerter and confounder of commune weals, eftsoons willeth and straightly commandeth all Iustices of the peas, maires, sheryffes, constables, bursholders, tethynge men, and other his ministers, as they will avoyde his high indignation and displeasure, that if they or any of them, shall after two dayes next ensuing after this proclamation publisshed. happen to finde any vagabund or mighty beggar( be it man or woman) out of the hundred where he or she was born, or out of the town or place, where he or she last dwelled in, and continued by the space of three yeres next before, and that vpon knowledge of the said proclamation, he or she hath not demanded a billet, to convey themself to the said hundred or owellynge place, and so be in their journey thetherwarde, within the said two daies, that than the said Iustices and ministers and every of them, shall cause the said vagabonds and beggars and every of them, to be stripped naked, from the priuey partes of their bodies upward( men and women of great age or seek, and women with child onely except) and being so naked, to be bound, and sharply beaten and scourged. And after that they be so beaten in form afore said, that there be delivered to them and every of them so whipped or scourged, a sedule or billet, the form whereof appeareth in the end of this present proclamation: And that the said sedule or billet be signed with the hand of the Iustice of peas, mayor, sheriff, constable, bursholder, tethinge man, or other minister, by whose commandement the said vagabund or beggar was whipped or scourged. And in case that any of them can not writ, than the same billet to be signed, by one of the best and most substantial inhabitants next adjoining. And if it happen the person beaten in form aforesaid, to be eftsoons founden in the said place, as a vagabund or beggar, that than he or she to be taken and eftsoons beaten & scourged as is afore said: And so from time to time, and as often as they shall happen to be taken out of the place to them limited, for their abode by the statute. ¶ More over, if any of the said vagabonds or mighty beggars, whipped in form aforesaid, do after the said whippinge, make their abode in any place longer than a dinner time, or the space of one night, until they be comme to the said place of their habitation appoynted being not verily seek or hurt) that than they shalbe eftsoons whipped, and ordered as is before written. Semblably if any vagabunde or mighty beggar being taken, will affirm that he was late whipped, and can not show forth a cedule or billet signed, as before is mentioned / he shall, not withstanding his said affirmacion, be stripped naked and seen by the Iustice, or some of the ministers before name. And if it may evidently appear unto them by the tokens on his body, that he hath ben al redy scourged or beaten, they shall than suffer him to depart without other harm, with a billet signed by them, mencionynge where, and at what time he was beaten. And if they finde no tokens or signs of skourgynge or beating on his body, than they to se him to be whipped or scourged, and further ordered as is before written. And more over, the juuenis highnes commandeth al Iustices of the peace, mayres, sheriffes, constables, bursholders, tethyngmen, and other his said ministers, that al vain pity and other excuses laid apart, they endeavour themselves with all their power, study, and diligence, to put this his said ordinance in effectuell execution, without any delay. And also that they endeavour themselves to keep their marches and serches, according to the laws and statutes of this realm, and according to the instructions before this time made and divised by his highnes and his honourable counsel, and by his grace to them sent, to be put in due execution: As they will answer to his highnes at their uttermost perils.  
God save the king.   

¶ The form and tenore of the sedule or billet above mentioned.  
〈◇〉 〈◇〉 the county of D. as a vagabunde, without a cedule or token of skourginge, and therfore whipped at C. afore●●●●… 〈◇〉 day of the month of 〈◇〉 the 〈◇〉 year of the reign of our sovereign lord king Henry the eight, in the pres●●●●… 〈◇〉 and other of the inhabitants of the same town.  
Tho. Bert●e●etus regin 〈…〉