I R  DIEV ET MON DROIT 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, Arch-deacons, Deans, and their Officials, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and to all spiritual persons. And also to all justices of Peace, Mayor, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables, Churchwardens and Headboroughes: And to all Officers of Cities, Boroughes, and Towns corporate: And to all other our Officers, Ministers and Subjects whatsoever they be, aswell within Liberties, as without, to whom these presents shall come, greeting:  
WHEREAS by our Letters Patents bearing date the seven and Twentieth day of March, in the Sixteenth year of our Reign of England, etc. upon a Certificate under the hands of our trusty and well-beloved Subject's Sir Edmond Bowyer, Sir Nicholas Carew, Sir Thomas Grimes, Sir Thomas Muschampe, Sir Francis Clarke, Sir George Paul, and Sir john Howland Knights, justices of the Peace within our County of Surrey, we did give and grant unto our poor distressed Subject Abraham Lambart of Woodside us the Parish of Croyden in our foresaid County, full power, licence and Authority, to ask, gather, receive and take the Alms & charitable benevolence of all our loving Sobiects within our County of Surrey and certain other Counties, for and in respect of his great losses sustained by Fire amounting to the value of Three hundred pounds, to the utter undoing of our said poor Subject, his Wife and six small Children, which Letters Patents are now determined and out of Date. Now forasmuch as it hath since appeared unto us by the humble supplication and petition of our said poor Subject Abraham Lambart being also confirmed by affidavit, that our said poor Subject by reason of the hurt and lameness which happened unto him by the said Fire, whereby be could not travel himself about his Collection, as also by the negligence & deceit of such as he put in trust he received little benefit by the said collection (as we graciously intended he should) whereby he is fallen into greater misery than before, being impotent and not able to labour for his living, nor to sustain his charge of Wife and Children, and also much indebted and behind hand, and in daily danger of imprisonment, in consideration whereof he hath most humbly besought us that we would be further pleased to renew our said Letters Patents for some other places, for him to seek some relief to preserve him and his from perishing, whose miserable & poor estate we much pity▪ & have thought good to commend the same unto the charitable consideration of all our loving and weldisposed Subjects within certain Counties hereafter mentioned, not doubting but that all good Christians well weighing the uncertainty of man's estate through these inevitable accidents, will be ready and willing as feeling members one of another's misery, to extend their charitable contributions towards the relief and Comfort of their distressed brother in this his great necessity, none knowing how soon nor whose chance may next happen into the like Calamity.  
KNOW ye therefore, that of Our especial Grace and Princely compassion, We have given & granted, and by these our Letters Patents do give and grant, unto our said poor Subject Abraham Lambart, and to his Deputy & Deputies, the bearers or bearers hereof, full power, licence, and Authority, to ask, gather, receive and take the Alms and charitable benevolence of all our loving Subjects whatsoever, Inhabiting within our Counties of Oxford, Buckingham, Hartford, Essex, Cambridge, Lincoln, Northampton, and Warwick, with our City and University of Oxford, and in our Cities of Lincoln, Peterborough and Couentrey, with our University of Cambridge, and Isle of Ely, And in all other Cities, Towns Corporate, Privileged places, Parishes, Villages, and in all other places whatsoever within our said Counties and not else where, for and towards the speedy relief and maintenance of our said po0re Subject his Wife and Children.  
WHEREFORE We will and Command you and every of you, that at such time and times as the said Abraham Lambart, or his Deputy or Deputies, the bearer or bearers hereof, shall come and repair to any your Churches, Chapels, or other places, to ask and receive the gratuities & charitable benenolence of our said Subjects, quietly to permit & suffer them so to do, without any manner your lets or contradictions. And you the said Parsons, Vicars, & Curates, for the better stirring up of a charitable devotion, deliberately to publish and declare the Tenor of these our Letters Patents unto our said Subjects upon some Sabaoth day, when as the same shall be tendered unto you. Exhorting and persuading them to extend their liberal contributions in so good and charitable a deed. And you the Churchwardens of every Parish, where such Collection is to be made (as aforesaid) to Collect & gather the Alms and charitable benevolence of all our loving Subjects, aswell Strangers as others, And what shall be by you so gathered, to deliver it to the bearer or bearers of these our Letters Patents, and to no other person, when as thereunto you shall be required. And lastly, whereas we are informed of the great abuse which is now crept in amongst these poor people, who sell their licences unto some other person, whereby men's charity goeth not the right way but unto such as deserve it least. That from henceforth our will and pleasure is, that if it may appear unto 〈◊〉 or any of you that the said Abraham Lambart hath contracted any bargain, or made or shall make sale of these our Letters Patents, whereby the benefit should pass from him to any other person, That thereupon these our Letters Patents shall be void and of none effect. 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 ninetéenth day of january, in the eighteen year of our Reign of England, France, and Ireland: And of Scotland they four and Fiftieth. 1620. ❀ Steward. ❀ God save the King▪   

Printed By Roger Wood, and Thomas Symcocke.   

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