I R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT  English royal blazon surmounted by a crown and flanked by the English lion on one side and the Scottish unicorn on the other; the embellishment surrounding the blazon includes the Tudor rose, French fleur-de-lis, Scottish thistle, and Irish harp, all surmounted by crowns  
❧ The Copy of the King's majesties Letters under his Signet, directed to the Right Honourable his majesties judges of Assize: the right Worshipful his majesties High Sheriffs, Majors, and justices of Peace: And to all Bailiffs, chief Constables, and all other his majesties Officers and loving Subjects aswell Spiritual as Temporal, within his highness several Counties, Corporations, and privileged places within his majesties Realm of England.  
TRusty and well-beloved We greet you well:  
Whereas We have been already pleased at the humble suit of the Mayor & Citizens of our City of Lincoln, to grant unto them licence, aswell by our Letters Patents under our great Seal of England, as by our special Letters under our Sign Manual, to levy moneys by way of Collections, in sundry our Shires, for the scouring & making navigable of an ancient watercourse called Fosse Dike, near unto our said City, whereby trade & commerce may be drawn to our said poor decayed City to the enriching thereof, and of all the parts thereunto adjoining. Whereupon some of those Counties, and particular persons unto whom we addressed our Letters, have (to our great contentment) freely and liberally contributed thereunto. Forasmuch as the work is now well advanced, and that the moneys already collected (though carefully managed and employed to the best advantage) will nothing near countervail the charge thereof, as we are informed by our right trusty & right well-beloved cozen the Earl of Rutland, and divers other personages of quality of those parts. We having ever been pleased to vouchsafe our Princely furtherance to public works, and more especially to this, to which we gave beginning, and therefore cannot now but cherish the Progress, & much tender the perfection thereof, have thought good to direct these our special Letters to you & every of you respectively, requiring you that at the next Assizes to be held within your several Circuits in our several Counties, you our justices of Assize do deal effectually with the High Sheriffs & justices of the Peace in each our said Counties, not only themselves to contribute liberally to so worthy a work, but by their examples & best endeavours to excite the Gentry & all other loving Subjects throughout all Cities, Corporations, privileged & other places within our said several Counties, freely to extend their bounty to the finishing o● the same. And further our pleasure is, because we would have you put a difference between these our Letters Patents which this bearer will show you, and such Briefs as are ordinarily granted for loss by fire & other casualties, that you our High Sheriffs and justices of the Peace of the said several Counties, do not only take such course as in your discretions you shall think fit for the raising of those moneys to some proportion answerable to our expectation, & the greatness of the work, but also give order to all the Constables, Headboroughs, & other our inferior Officers & Ministers in your Precincts, for ●he speedy levying of the said contributions to the best ease & benefit of the said Citizens; And likewise that the money so levied, be delivered to Robert Morecroft Alderman of our City of Lincoln, or his Deputy or Deputies, of whom we expect particular account of the same. And lastly, we expect your and every of your best care & diligence in this business, the success whereof we much affect, and will not fail to retain a gracious remembrance of what futherance soever we shall understand you have given it.  

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 Peace, majors, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables, Churchwardens, & Headboroughs: And to all Officers of Cities, Boroughs, and Towns corporate: And to all other our Officers Ministers, & Subjects whatsoever they bèe, aswell within Liberties as without, to whom these presents shall come, grèeting.  
WHEREAS We have heretofore been truly certified aswell by divers Petitions exhibited unto Us by our true & Loyal Subjects the Mayor & Citizens of our poor decayed City of Lincoln, as also by a Certificate from our right trusty & well-beloved cozen Francis Earl of Rutland, and divers others Knights Baronet's, Knights, & Esquiors, justices of the Peace within our County of Lincoln: That it was a thing most needful, convenient & commodious, for to open, scour & cleanse the old drain 〈◊〉 called Fosse, first made by our Noble Progenitor Henry the first, for the bringing of traffic & Merchandise to our said City, the which now is stopped up & not navigable for vessels of any burden, whereby our said City is much impoverished, twi-gated a decayed, and become so poor for want of trading there again, as unless the same be forthwith restored and continued, that ancient City in short time is like to be utterly subverted & overthrown. Upon consideration whereof, we did heretofore in our Princely care for the good of our said City and futherance of this worthy & commendable act, give order to the Lords of our Privy Counsel to send their Letters to the Nobility & Gentry of our said County of Lincoln, for the collecting & gathering of such sums of money within the said County as then was thought fit, towards the opening & scouring of the said drain, but finding the charge of the work to be far greater than could be raised in that manner, the same being estimated by men experienced in those affairs, to amount to the Sum of Three Thousand Pounds, We then sent our own Letters under our Privy Signet, to the Nobility & Gentry within our Counties of York, & Nottingham, for like contrbution to be made on this behalf: After all which the said City being in the way of our Progress towards Scotland, Ourself was an eye-witness of the ruins & decays thereof, and being then more fully informed & assured of the undoubted benefit which by this good work was likely to redound, aswell to the City & Counties neerunto adjoining, as also to the public good of the Commonwealth, We were then graciously pleased upon further Petition made unto Us, to grant our Letters Patents under our great Seal of England, dated the twelfth day of July in the fifteenth year of our Reign of England, etc. for a Collection to be made within Eight Counties of this our Realm, with special request & desire to all Archbishops, Earls, Bishops, Barons, Baronet's, Knights, and Gentlemen, not only themselves to be bountiful & liberal in their contributions, but also to the uttermost of their power to move all other eurloving subjects according to their ability to do the like. NOW for as much as we have been lately certified aswell by a Certificate from our foresaid right trusty and well-beloved cozen Francis Earl of Rutland, as also by another Certificate from divers Justices of Peace near unto our foresaid City of Lincoln, that the Citizens there have of themselves to the uttermost of their ability, with the help of the foresaid contributions (wherewith We were much contented) disbursed about this good work the Sum of One Thousand Marks, which hath well advanced the same and brought it into a good forwardness, yet We are informed that unless some further course be forthwith taken for present supply of moneys to proceed therein, the foresaid work now standeth at a stay & must shortly perish, and the charge & cost already bestowed be utterly lost, notwithstanding our great care & desire we have had from the beginning of the prosperity of this business, to which we gave beginning, and cannot now but much cherish & tender the progress & perfection thereof; And therefore We have thought good not only to renew our foresaid Letters Patents for a general Collection to be made throughout our Realm of England, where no former Collection hath been, but also to direct our Letters Sign Manual to all our Judges of Assize, requiring them & every of them within their several Circuits, aswell to deal effectually with our high Sheriffs & Justices of Peace; not only themselves to contriibute liberally herein, but by their examples & best endeavours to excite the Gentry, and all other our loving Subjects within any City, Town corporate, privileged or other places whatsoever throughout our Realm of England, to extend their liberal contribution in like manner towards the finishing of this good work. And also to take further order that Constables, Headboroughs & other inferior Officers & Ministers within their precincts or Parishes, shall make speedy Collection of every Inhabitant or other sufficient person within their Parish, and to deliver the Sum & Sums of money so collected, unto our true & faithful Subject Robert Morecroft Alderman of our said City of Lincoln, or his Deputy or Deputies the bearer or bearers hereof of whom we expect a particular Account. And We will & command all Parsons, Vicars, & Curates, for the better stirring up of a charitable devotion, deliberately to publish & declare the Tenor of these our Letters Patents, or Brief thereof, unto our said Subjects, Exhorting & persuading them to extend their liberal contributions in so good and charitable a work. And lastly We will you & every of you that are appointed Collectors herein, that there be a sufficient book kept by you, wherein you shall set down every particular Sum & Sums by you collected of any Nobleman, Knight, or man of worth & quality, or in any Church or civil society that give & contribute hereunto, whereby we may be certified how much our said Subjects shall regard our pleasure & request in this behalf. 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 One whole year next after the date hereof to endure.  
Witness ourself at Westminster, the Nyneténth day of February, in the sixteenth year of our Reign of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the Two & Fiftieth.  oak leaves, badge of the House of Stuart Steward God save the King    

Printed by Thomas Purfoot.