C R  DIEV ET MON DROIT HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  royal blazon or coat of arms  
¶ By the King.  
CHARLES By the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.  
WHEREAS We are given to understand, by the Lords and others of Our Privy Counsel, that there are a great number of the Inhabitants of the Isle of Ree, together with their Wives and Children, professing the true Reformed Religion with us, who out of a just apprehension, and fear of the malice and cruelty of their enemies, practised against them in former times upon all occasions, have abandoned their own Country, their Houses and Estates, and other earthly Commodities, and have withdrawn themselves into this Our Realm, and under Our protection, for the security of their persons, and more free exercise of their Religion. And that very many of them are in great distress, especially occasioned through the suddenness of their leaving their own homes and livelyhoods; We being moved with a Princely and Pious compassion towards them, as fellow Members of the true Church, and with comfort remembering the charitable and hospitable refuge and relief, which Our Dominions have in former times afforded to all such Strangers, who have suffered for the profession of the Gospel, And that the religious practice of this Christian duty to others, will, by the blessing of God, be a means to preserve Us, and Our people from the like distresses, And taking notice that the Lords, and others of Our Privy Counsel for the inciting of the Charity of others, have rated themselves to such a proportion of bounty and relief to these distressed Strangers, as may give encouragement to so charitable a work, which example We earnestly desire, that all other of Our loving Subjects, according to their degrees, would cheerfully follow. KNOW ye therefore, That We, of Our Princely grace, do order and grant, that a Collection be made of the charitable devotion, and liberality of all Our loving Subjects throughout Our Realm of England, and Dominion of Wales, in all places whatsoever, aswell within liberties as without, towards the relief and succour of the said poor Inhabitants of the Isle of Ree, living dispersed and distressed in sundry parts of this Our Realm, as in Plymouth, Southampton Portsmouth, and in the City of London, and elsewhere to be executed and ordered in manner and form following: That is to say, We will, grant, appoint, and require, that Sir William Becher Knight, one of the Clerks of Our Privy Counsel, shall and may procure to be printed so many Briefs of these Our Letters Patents, as may suffice for the accomplishing and performance of this good work, and shall carry and show these Our Letters Patents, under Our great Seal, to the Lord Bishop of London, and shall also leave with him so many of these printed Briefs, as there be Churches of Chapels, wherein public or Divine service is usually said within the circuit or precinct of the several Provinces of Canterbury and York. And We require the said Lord Bishop of London to receive the said Briefs, and to send and distribute them with speed unto every Archbishop and Bishop within these Our Dominions, so many of the said Briefs, as are requisite within their several Dioceses, the said Briefs to be sent by the said Archbishops and Bishops to the Minister and Curate of every Parish Church and Chapel within their several Dioceses. And We also will and require every Minister or Curate of every Church or Chapel to whom such printed Briefs shall be delivered that without any long delay, upon some Sunday or Holy day, when the Parishioners be there fully assembled to hear Divine Service they publicly declare in their several Church or Chapel unto the Congregation there assembled, the tenor of these Briefs, with an especial exhortation unto them to yield their liberal and extraordinary Contribution to so charitable a work. And We also will and require you the Churchwardens and overseers of the poor, to make diligent Collection of the charitable devotion of the people within the said Church or Chapel so assembled, and that after Collection so made, you do publicly declare in that Church that whole sum of money so by you collected, and then procure the same sum to be set down on the backside of the said Brief under your hands, and the hand of the Minister of the said Church or Chapel; And than that you the said Churchwardens, or Overseers, or one of you, after the receipt of the money so collected, deliver the same together with the Brief unto such Minister of the Deanery, where the said Collection shall be made, as the Lord Bishop of the said Diocese shall assign or appoint to receive the same. And We do hereby require and authorise the Bishop of every Diocese to name and appoint one fit and able Minister in every Deanery to receive the said Collections accordingly. And We also require you the said Minister which shall be so appointed to receive the said money from the foresaid Overseers, that you receive the same with the aforesaid Brief, and that within ten days after the receipt thereof, you pay and deliver the same with the Brief, whereby the same hath been collected, unto the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, where such collection is made. And We also require you the Archbishops and Bishops of every Diocese respectively that you receive of the said Minister the said money with the Briefs, whereby the same hath been collected, and deliver over all the said Collections, which have been so made within the several Dioceses, to the Lord Bishop of London. And we likewise require you the Bishop of London, to transmit wihtout delay to the said Sir William Becher, or such as he shall appoint under his hand and seal, all the sums of money so collected within the several Dioceses, taking a receipt for the same under his hand. And We hereby require and command the said Sir William Becher, to distribute the same to the said poor distressed Strangers, according to such directions as from time to time the Lords and others of Our Privy Counsel shall give therein. All which for the furthering of the said charitable work without any diminution, We require to be performed by all the persons employed therein, without any deduction of charges, and to be justly and duly executed, 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 two years from the date hereof to continue.  
Witness Ourself at Westminster, the fourth day of january, in the third year of our Reign. 
 God save the King.   

❧ Imprinted at London by BONHAM NORTON, and JOHN BILL, Printers to the Kings most Excellent MAJESTY. ANNO 1627.