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, Archdeacon's, Deans, and their Officials, Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and to all spiritual persons. And also to all justies of Peace, Mayor, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables, Church wardens and Dead boroughes: 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 their presents shall come, greeting:  
WHEREAS we are credibl● given to understand, aswell by the humble supplication and petition of our poor distressed Subject Robert Law, Vicar of the Mother Church of Saint Maries, in our Borough of Huntingdon, and County of Huntingdon, together with a Certificate from our true and loyal Subjects the Bailiffs and Burgesses thereof, and Thomas Beard Doctor of Divinity, and one of our chaplains, As also by another Certificate under the hands of our right trusty and well-beloved Oliver Lord Saint john, Thomas Maples Esquire, our high Sheriff for our Counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge, Sir Oliver Cromwell, & Sir Robert Pain Knights, Edward Germin Doctor of Divinity, Robert Awdley, and Thomas Hetly Esquires, justices of the Peace within our foresaid County of Huntingdon, That our said poor Subject Robert Law, having all his life time been a painful and industrious person in his calling, and a man of honest use and conversation, is now fallen into great want and poverty, by reason of a lamentable and scarefull Fire happening on the Frist day of july last passed about midnight, which consumed and burnt down to the ground not only his dwelling House lately built, together with all his Householdstuff therein being sulle furnished, and all his Books and Writings of good moment, with great store of Timber ready squared, which he had provided for the building of other Houses, Amounting in all the whole loss to the value of Two hundreth pounds and upwards: but also the whole Town and people in their Beds was in great danger to have been consumed, had not the Country Shepherds discovered the same and raised the Town, to the utter undoing of our said poor Subject, who before this untimely accident lived well, but hath now lost in a moment that little estate which with great care and travel all his life time he had saved together to relieve himself, his poor Wife and Children in his latter days, who being now near upon Threescore years and sickly, is not able to take that pains in his vocation for his living as heretofore. And therefore be hath most humbly besought Us to commiserate his poor estate, and to commend his wants unto the charitable consideration of all our loving & welsisposed Subjects within certain Counties hereafter mentioned, not doubting but that all good Christians well weighing with themselves the uncertainty of man's estate in this world 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 poor afflicted 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 and granted, and by these our Letters Patents, do give and grant unto our said poor Subject Robert Law, and to his Deputy and Deputies, the bearer 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 Middlesex, Essex, Bedford, Buckingham, Northampton, Leicester, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincoln, York, Nottingham, and Derby, with our Cities of Peterborough, Norwich, Lincoln, and York with our University of Cambridge, and Isle of Ely, with our Town and County of Kingston upon Hull, and our Town of No●tingham. And in all Towns Curporate, Privileged places, Parishes, Villages, and in all other places whatsoever within our said Counties and not else where, for and towards the new building of his said House, the rerovery of his loss, and the relief and comfort of our said poor Subject, his Wife, and five Children.  
WHEREFORE we will and Command you and every of you, that at such time and times, as the said Robert Law, 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 and charitable benevolence of our said Subjects, quietly to permit and suffer them so to do, without any manner your lets or contradictions, And you the said Parsons, Vicars, and 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 m●de (as aforesaid) to collect and gather the Alms and charitable benenolence of all our loving Subjects, aswell Strangers as others and what shall be by you so gathered to deliver it to the bearer or bearsts of these our Letters Patents and to no other person, when as thereunto you shallbe 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 you or any of you, that the said Robert Law, 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 peace next after the date hereof to endure.  
Witues ourself at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of january, in the eighteen year of our Reign of England, France, and Ireland: And of Scotland the Four and Fiftieth. 1620. ❀ Steward. ❀ God save the King▪   

Printed by Roger Wood, and Thomas Symcocke.   

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