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HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE   royal blazon or coat of arms  
JAMES, By the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all and singular Archbishops, Bishops. Archdeacon's, Deans, and their Officials, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and to all spiritual persons: And also to all Justices of the Peace, majors, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables, Churchwardens, and Headboroughs: And to all Officers of Cities, Boroughs and Towns corporate: And to all other our Officers. Ministers, and Subjects whatsoever they be, as well within Liberties, as without, to whom these presents shall come, greeting.  
WHEREAS we are very credibly given to understand by the humble supplication and petition of our faithful and loing Subjects the Maior & Burgesses of the Burrow or Town of Yarmouth in the Isle of Wright in our County of Southampton, That our said Town is an ancient Burrough, and was sometimes so peopled and inhabited, as that it had in it three Churches, which Town in the beginning of the Reign of our noble Progenitor King Richard the second, was wholly burnt and made desolate by the French, and two of the said Churches and the body of the 3. Church utterly burnt, razed & defaced, so as there remained only the ruinated Chancel of one of the said Churches, which the late Inhabitants of the said Town have repaired and maintained for the exercise of divine service, and administration of the Sacraments. Now forasmuch as the opportunity of the place (by reason of the conveniency of harbour and our Castle there, together with our incoporating the same, and granting liberties thereunto) hath induced many to resort unto, build, and devil in the said Town, whereby the said Chancel is not of sufficient greatness and capacity to contain the present Inhabitants who resort thither to divine service, and the estate of the said Town and the Inhabitants thereof is not such, as that they are able to build a Church fit and decent for those who do already reside there, much less for those who in future times are hoped to resort thither.  
KNOW ye therefore, that we tendering the good of the said Town and Inhabitants thereof, and favouring their honest and religious save concerning the enlarging and re-edifying of their Church (holding it one of our chiefest cares, and a special part of our duty to give way and furtherance to so good and charitable a work, whereby not only a competent and convenient place for preaching the word, and other divine exercises may be prepared, but also that Trade and Traffic for the benefit of the said Inhabitants and other our loving Subjects, may hereafter be there increased.) Of our especial Grace and Princely compassion have given and granted, and by these our letters Patents do give and grant unto our said loving Subjects the Mayor and Burgesses of our said Town of Yarmouth and their Successors, and to their Deputy the bearer hereof, full power, licence, and authority to ask, gather receive, and take the charitable devotion and liberal contribution whatsoever of all our loving Subjects aswell spiritual as temporal within our Cities of London and Westminister, & Suburbs thereof, and in our Counties of Southampton, Dorset, Wilteshire, Somerset, & Devon, with our Cities of Winchester, Salisbury, Bristol, Bath, and Exeter, together also with the Town of Poole, the Isle of Wight, and Town of Southampton: And in all other Cities, Towns corporate, privilege places, Parishes, Villages, and in all other places & liberties Whatsoever within our say't Cities and Counties, and every of them, and not elsehwere, for and towards the new building and recdifying of the said Church of Yarmouth.  
WHERHFORE we will and command you and every of you, that at such tune and times as said Mayor and Burgesses or their Deputy the bearer hereof, shall come and repair to any your Churches or other places, to ask, and receive the gratitutes and charitable benevolence of well disposed persons, quietly to permit and suffer them so to dee, without any manner your i●●s & contradictions. And you the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates, for the better stirring up of a charitable benevolence, deliberately to publish and declare the Tenor of these our letters Patents unto our said Subjects,, Exhorting and charitably moving and persuading them to extend their liberal contributions in so good and charitable a deed. Any Statute, Law, Ordinance, or Provision heretofore made, to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.  
IN witness whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patents for the space of Our whole year next after the date hereof of endure  
Witness ourself at Westminster the Fourth day of September in the ninth year of our Reign of England, France and Ireland; and of Scotland the Five and Fortieth. Steward. 
 God save the King.   

Printed by Thomas Purfoot.