royal blazon or coat of arms  
❧ By the King.  
THE spreading of the Infection in our city of London, and in the places next about it, doth give us just cause to be as provident as a careful Prince can bee, to take away all occasion of increasing the same. And if such directions as We gave, and our council, at our first approaching to the city, had been obeied, it is like that( with Gods favour) the sickness had neither grown to that height, nor spread so far as now it is. But that having been omitted by the negligence of such whom it most concerned to haue had it performed, The same care of our peoples welfare, moveth us as much as we may, to provide for the time to come. And forasmuch as there are at hand two notable fairs, unto which there is usually extraordinary resort out of all parts of the kingdom, one in Smithfield near our City of London, commonly called Bartlemew Faire, and the other near Cambridge commonly called Sturbridge Faire, which if they should be held at the usual times, would in all likelihood be the occasion both of the increase, and of dispersing of the Contagion into all the parts of our realm: We haue thought good by open declaration of our pleasure, not onely to admonish, and to require all our loving Subiects, to forbear to resort at this time to any of the said two fairs, of Bartlemew near London, and of Sturbridge, but also to enjoin to the Lords of the said fairs, and others interested therein, and of al other fairs within fifty miles of our City of London, that they shall not hold the said fairs, nor any thing appertaining to them, at the times accustomend, nor any time till they shall be licenced by us, vpon pain of such punishment, as for a contempt so much concerning the universal safety of our people, they shalbe adiudged to deserve, Which they shall be assured that Wee will cause to be inflicted vpon them with all severity. For such is our desire to prevent an universal Contagion among our people, which this Infection threateneth, as We will not spare any one who shal be cause of dispersing such an evil among them. And we do further charge and enjoin under like penalty, to all Citizens and inhabitants of our City of London, that none of them shall repair to any fairs held within any part of this realm, until it shall please God to cease the Infection now reigning amongst them.  
given at our Honour of Hampton Court the viij. day of August, in the first year of our reign of England, France and Ireland, and of Scotland, the seven and thirtieth. God save the King.   

❧ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent majesty. Anno 1603.