royal blazon or coat of arms 
I R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT 
JAMES, By the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, & Ireland, De●nder 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, & Headboroughes: And to all Officers of Cities, boroughs, 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 we are credibly certified by a Certificate under the hands of our trusty and well-beloved subjects Sir Fulke Grevill Knight, Chancellor of our Exchequer, Sir Thomas Leigh, sir Edward Devereux, and sir Thomas Holt Knights & Baronet's, sir Edward Grevill, sir Clement Fisher, sir Clement Throgmorton, sir Richard Verney, sir Thomas Lucy, sir Henry Dymocke, sir William Someruill, sir Thomas Bea●●on, and sir Henry Rainsford Knights, Thomas Spencer, Edward Boughton, Bartholomew Hales, john Repington, William Combe, and William Barnes Esquiors, justices of the Peace within our Counties of Warwick & Gloucester: That upon Saturday the ninth day of july in the year of our Lord God, One Thousand Six Hundred and Fourteen, there happened a sudden and te●●ible Fire within our Town of Stratford upon Avon within our County of Warwick, which within the space of less than two hours consumed & burned Fifty & Four dwelling houses, many of them being very fair houses, besides Barnes, Stables, & other houses of Office, together also with great store of Corn, Hay, Straw, Wood, & Timber therein, Amounting in all to the value of Eight Thousand Pounds & upwards The force of which Fire was so great (the wind sitting full upon the Town) that it dispersed into so many places thereof, whereby the whole Town was in very great danger to have been utterly consumed and burnt; by reason whereof, and of two several Fires happening in the said Town within these Twenty years, to the loss of Twenty Thousand Pounds more, not only our said poor Subjects who have now sustained this great loss, are utterly undone and like to perish, but also the rest of the Town is in great hazard to be overthrown & undone, the Inhabitants there being no ways able to relieve their distressed neighbours in this their great want & misery. AND whereas the said Town hath been a great Market Town whereunto great recourse of people was made, by reason of the wakely Market, Fairs, and other frequent meetings, which were there holden and appointed, and now being thus ruinated & decayed, it is in great hazard to be utterly overthrown, if either the resort thither be neglected, or course of travelers diverted, which for want of speedy reparation may be occasioned. And forasmuch as our said distressed Subjects the Inhabitants of the said Town are very ready & willing to the uttermost of their powers to réedifie & new build the say Town again, Yet finding the performance thereof far beyond their abilty, they have made their humble suit unto us, that we would be pleased to provide some convenient means that the said Town may be again réedified & repaired aswell for the relief of the distressed people within the same, as also for the restoring and continuing of the said Market, and have humbly besought Us to commend the same good & laudable deed and the charitable furtherance thereof, to the benevolence of all our loving Subjects, not doubting but that all good and well-disposed Christians will for common charity and love to their Country, and the rather for our Commendation hereof, be ready with all willingness to extend their charitable relief towards the comfort of so many distressed people and the speedy performing of so good and charitable a work.  
KNOW ye therefore, that we (tendering the lamentable estate and loesses of our said distressed Inhabitants, together with the humble suit of all our foresaid justices made unto Us on their behalfs) Of our especial Grace and Princely compassion, have given & granted, and by these our ●etters Patents do give and grant unto our foresaid trusty & well-beloved Subjects, Sir Richard Verney, sir Henry Rainsford Knights, Bartholomew Hales Esquior, and the Bailiff & Burgesses of the said Town of Stratford upon Avon, and to their Deputy & Deputies, the bearer or bearers hereof, full power, licence and authority, to ask, gather receive, & take the Alms & charitable benevolence of all our loving Subjects whatsoever Inhabiting within our Counties of Kent, Surr●y, Sussex, Southampton, Wiltes, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, & Cornwall, with our Citti●e of Canterbury, Rochester, & the Cinque Ports, and in our Cities of Chichester, & Winchester, with the Isle of Wight, and Town of Southampton, & in our Cities of Salisbury, Exeter, Bristol, Bath, & Wells, with our Town & County of Pool in our County of Dorset: 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 & towards the new building, re-edifying & erecting of the said Town of Stratford upon Avon, & the relief of all such our poor distressed subjects, their Wives & Children, as have sustained loss & decay by the misfortune of the said Fire.  
WHEREFORE we will & command you, and every of you, that at such time and times as the said Sir Richard Verney, sir Henry Rainsford, Bartholomew Hales, the Bailiff & Burgesses aforesaid or any of them, or their Deputy or Deputies, the bearer or bearers hereof, shall come & repair to any your Churches, Chapels, or other places to ask, and receive the gratuities & charitable benevolence 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, and Curates, for the better stirring by of a charitable devotion, deliberately to publish and declare the Tenor of these our Letters Patents unto our said Subjects, Exhorting and persuading them to extend their liberal contributions in so good & charitable a deed. And you the Churchwardens of every Parish where such Collection is to be made (as aforesaid) to collect and gather the Alms and charitable benevolence of all our loving Subjects, And what shall be by you so gathered, to endorse on the Backside hereof, and deliver the same to the bearer or bearers hereof, when as thereunto you shall be required. 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 eleventh day of May, in the Fourteenth year of our R●●gne of England, France, and Ireland● and of Scotland, the Nine and Fortieth.  
Steward.  
God save the King.   

Printed by Thomas Purfoot.