By the queen  
A Proclamation against the sowing of woad.  
FOrasmuch as the queens majesty by many means understandeth, and specially by complaint of great numbers of her people in counties using clothing and tillage, and sustained by food coming of dairies,( things necessary to be maintained in her realm, above any other new devise,) that a late attempt of breaking up & tilling of very fertile grounds to sow woad, is vpon a late private and inordinate gain practised, to the manifest grief of her people in diuers places where the same is used: And that the excessive gain found thereby, without regard to the public weal, is like both to continue and increase this attempt, to the great damage of the common weal: Therefore, until there may be a further consideration had, how the same may be suffered with some toleration & measure, in places convenient for the same, & not so manifestly hurtful as now it is: Her majesty by aduise of her counsel willeth and commandeth, that no maner of person or persons of what degree soever the same be, shal directly or indirectly after the publication hereof, break up, or cause to be broken up, any maner of ground of what nature soever it be, for the use or purpose to sow or plant woad in, neither that any person do continue any ground already broken up for that purpose to the use of woad, lying within four miles of any market town, or other town occupying the common trade of clothing, or of any city within this realm, or within eight miles of any house of her majesties reserved for her access, vpon pain that whosoever shall attempt any thing to the contrary hereof, the persons so doing, and the workmen that therein shal be employed, shalbe committed to the next common prison by the next Iustices of peace, and there to continue, until certificate be made thereof to her majesties privy counsel by such as shall commit them, so as order may be taken for further punishment of the persons offending, according to the quality of the offence.  
And furthermore her majesty willeth, that all persons that haue heretofore broken up, and employed their grounds to the use of woad, shal before the feast of Christmas next, certify the sheriff of the county, or( in places exempted) the principal officers, what quantity of grounds, and of what nature the same were, and how the same were used before the conversion of them to woad, and in what parishes they do lye. In which certificate it shalbe contained, how near any of the said grounds lye to any of her majesties houses above mentioned, or to any Cities or clothing towns, vpon pain of imprisonment of the parties that shall make default of such certificate. And further, that they shall make certificate thereof into her Highnesse Exchequer before the first day of hilary term next, vpon pain of fine and imprisonment, as hereafter shall seem convenient to her majesty by aduise of her counsel.  
given at her majesties manor of Richmond, the fourteenth day of October, in the seven and twentieth year of her Highnesse reign. 
 God save the queen.   

❧ Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, Printer to the queens most excellent majesty.