¶ Statutys for the ordering of Purueytours or Achatours for the kings most honourable household.  

IT is ordained anno xith. E. iij. that no purveyor nor Achatour shall or may take for the king by any commission or without any Corn/ Hey/ beasts/ carriages/ nor any other goods of any archbishop/ bishop abboties priors/ abessys/ pryoressis/ persons/ vicairs/ or of any other folks of holy church again their will.   

¶ Anno primo Ricardi scdi.  
¶ And it is ordained if any of the said purveyors/ or Achatours so do. Than they shall pay triple damages to be recovered in an action of Trespass by any of the said archbishops/ bishops/ & other before named so wronged.   

¶ Anno xxv. E. iij. Ca xv.  
¶ It is ordained that the said purveyors nor Achatours shall take any Sheep of the people betwixt Ester and midsummer/ nor till the time of clipping be done nomo than shallbe necessary for the kings household and so after/ and if they do they shallbe punished as robbers & felons.   

¶ Anno twenty-three. Henrici sexti. rehearsing the statutes following.  
¶ It is ordained that according to the Statute made the xxvi. year of king Ewarde the third: that purveyances shallbe made for the king and the queens households/ and that ready payment shallbe made in hand after the prices in the marketties about.  
And that the heinous names of the purveyors should be changed and named achatours.  
¶ And if they can not agree with the seller of any victual: than the prizes which shall be for the said two households shall be made by the view: witnessing and appreysement of the lords/ or their baillyfs and constables and iiij. provable men of every town/ & that by endenture to be made betwixt the said achatours/ & the said lords or bailifs or constables/ or the said iiij. men containing the quantity of their prizes/ and the price of the same s●●ppoynted.  
¶ And that such prizes shallbe take and mad● in covenable & easy manner without dures the … manasses/ or other villainy and that to be done in places where greatest plenty is and shallbe and time convenient.  
¶ And that no more be taken than shalb● nede●ul in his season.  
¶ And that the number of Achatour● be made as ●ewe as may be to serve.  
¶ And that the same Achatours be chosen sufficient to answer to the king & to his people.  
¶ And that none of them shall have deputy.  
¶ Also that commissions of them shallbe ensealed with the kings great seal and every half year to be restored into the Chancery and other new Commyssions to be made. And that in the said Commyssions shallbe contained the manner & matter of their taking and buying.  
¶ Also that no person shallbe bound to obey the Achatours of any other lords: nor the said achatours for the king & the queen again their will. but if they make ready payment in hand: as before is said.  
¶ Also it is ordained that the Pryses and takings of all manner corn & for the said two households shall be measured by measure according to the said standard by strykyng● and not by heap.  
¶ And that for the carriages of the said Corn & for all other manner of prizes and achaties to be made for the said ij. households ready payment shall be made in hand.  
¶ And that no more of carriage be not had than shallbe needful in that behalf.  
¶ And if any Achatour make any prizes/ & achaties or taking of carriage in other manner than is comprised in their commission: he or they so doing shallbe aiuged as felons and have judgement and execution according.  
¶ Also it is ordained in the said parliament that no Achatour of victual nor taker of carriage: take/ nor receive of no manner person gift nor charge nor grieve any person because of any such prizes achaties or caryagys' for hatred/ envy/ evil will/ or procurement and if he or they so do/ and thereof be attaint at the suit of the party they shall yield to the party triple damages/ and shall have the Inprysonement by the space of two years/ and shall be ransomed at the kings will/ and after shall abjure the kings court.  
¶ And if the party will not sue: who so ever will sue for the king shall have the third penny for his suit. And nevertheless the said Achatours and takers shall have the penance aforesaid in this present article.  
¶ And that every achatour upon his account shall make plain declaration and severally show all manner prizes and achates and of every town & person.  
¶ King henry the vj. considering the premisses the said twenty-three. year o● his reigle at his parliament holden at westm the xxv. day of severere the same year hath ordained and commanded by authority of his said parliament: That the said statutes afore rehearsed shallbe for ever duly observed and kept and put in execution. And over that by the same authority that every purveyor and Achatour before they have any commission shallbe sworn in the chancery that they shall no thing take of the people contrary to the said ordinances.  
¶ And over that hath ordained by the authority aforesaid because poor folks be not of power no: dare not make resistance again the purveyors and achatours/ nor dare not sue them by the law though they do contrary to the said statutes: That the appreysours and also all the town and Towns ajoining if need be: shall endeavour them with all their power to resist and withstand the said Achatours and purveyors which doth contrary to the said statutes and asmuch as in them is to execute the said statutes upon the said purveyors if they be required.  
¶ And that any person grieved of his goods contrary to the said statutes may choose to have an action of debt again the said appreysours Town or Towns & every of them which do not their devoir/ or make not resistance again the said purveyors or achatours in form aforesaid when they shall be required. Or else again the said purveyors or achatours/ and every of them to recover the triple value of his goods so unlawfully taken. And over that his costs/ and damages trebled.  
¶ And if any purveyor or other officer of our sovereign lord the King make to be troubled/ or vexed in marchaise or else where any of the people by any evil suggestion/ cause feigned imagined or colour upon them for and because the execution of the said statutes shall forfeit xx. li. to be paid to the party grieved beyond his costs and damages in that behalf sustained: and that he may have an action of debt and that every issue tryable in that action shallbe tried in the same county where the said prizes were made.  
¶ And that the defendants in that action/ & in all the said cases be not admitted to wage their law  
¶ And they shallbe put to answer without fourching and that essoin/ aid of the king nor part to any of them be allowed.  
¶ And that the Sergeant of the chatery shall satisfy all the damages/ debts/ & execucions which shall be recovered again every purveyor & achatour ●●der him in all the cases aforesaid. In case the purveyor/ or achatour be not sufficient to satisfy.  
¶ And that the plainty playntif shall have a scire facias to have execution again the said Sergeant in that case.  
¶ And that the said ordinances be sent to the justices of peace in every shire to proclaim them every year and to inform the people of the same    
¶ Finis.  

 printer's device of Richard Pynson (1492-1530) consisting of Pynson's monogram on a shield upheld by a boy and girl and surmounted by a helmet and surrounded by a border with the Virgin and a saint in the lower left - and right-hand corners, respectively 
R P   depiction of Pynson's initials, consisting of a conjoined 'R' and 'P' 
Richard Pynson  
O BEATA M MEMEN●