WILLIAM the Third, 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 all other Spiritual Persons; and also to all justices of the Peace, Mayor, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables, Churchwardens, Chapelwardens, Headboroughs, Collectors for the Poor, and their Overseers; and also to all Officers of Cities, Boroughs, and Towns Corporate; and to all other Our Officers, Ministers and Subjects whatsoever they be, as well within Liberties as without, to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.  
WHEREAS it has been humbly represented to Us, by the Sieur Henry Arnault, and others employed by the Vaudois, Inhabitants of the Valleys on this side of the River Cluson, That they being Subjects of France before the late War, have since the Conclusion of the Peace, through Popish Cruelty, been Excluded and Banished from their Native Country, without any present hope of Return, but by Renouncing their Holy Religion, which, through the Singular Goodness of God, both they and their Brethren the Vaudois of Piedmont on the other side of the said River, have hitherto kept undefiled: Being thus separated from their said Brethren, and driven to seek a place of habitation for themselves and their Families, to the Number of about Three thousand five hundred Souls, destitute and bereft of all means of Subsistence, they must have Perished but for the exemplary Charity of the Protestant Cantons of Switzerland, by whom they have been Fed and Clothed for these Five Months last passed, notwithstanding another great Charge they are at for the Maintaining of Eight thousand Poor French Refugees, who, by reason of the Scarcity there, are likewise obliged to seek a Retreat elsewhere; But that now the said Vaudois, and the said French Refugees, having obtained some Waste Lands to Inhabit in the Countries of some of the Protestant Princes in Germany, which Lands they are obliged forthwith to Plant, and to bring into Tillage, and being not able to do this of themselves in their extreme Poverty, nor even to Subsist while they are doing it, have therefore humbly Implored Our Royal Compassion, of which We take them to be very great Objects; and therefore have thought fit to grant them Our Letters Patents, for the Gathering of the Alms of all Our Loving Subjects, whose hearts God shall move to Contribute to the Relief of their Pressing Necessity and Misery.  
KNOW YE THEREFORE, That of Our especial Grace and Princely Compassion, We have Given and Granted, and by These Our Letters Patents under Our Great Seal of England, do Give and Grant unto the said Distressed Protestants, and to their Agents who shall be Lawfully Authorized on their behalf, full Power, Licence and Authority, to Ask, Gather, Receive and Take (according to the Rules Specified in these Presents) the Alms and Charitable Benevolence of all Our Loving Subjects, not only Householders, but also Servants, Strangers and others, within all and every the Counties, Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate, Privileged Places, Parishes, Chapelries, Towns, Villages, Hamlets, and all other Places whatsoever, in Our Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed.  
WHEREFORE We Require and Command all and Singular the Archbishops and Bishops of all the Provinces and Dioceses within Our Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales, (unto whose Paternal Care and Inspection We chief recommend the effectual Execution of these Our Letters Patents) that they and every of them, do give a particular Recommendation and Command to all the Parsons, Vicars and Curates of all and every the Parishes and other Places, as well within Liberties as without, within their respective Dioceses, for the Advancement of this so Pious and Charitable a Work.  
AND Our further Will and Pleasure is, That the said Archbishops and Bishops do Require their respective Archdeacon's, that within Ten Days after the true Copies of these Our Letters Patents shall be delivered to them, to cause the same to be delivered by their respective Apparitors to the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates, of all and every the Parishes and other the Places, as well within Liberties, as without, within the respective Archdeaconries to which they belong, for which the said Apparitors to be allowed out of every Brief so delivered Four Pence only. And the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates, upon the Fifth Day of April, appointed for a Day of General Fasting and Humiliation, or upon the Sixteenth Day of the said Month of April, being the Sunday next after Easter-day, shall Deliberately and Affectionately Publish and Declare the Tenor of the same unto Our said Loving Subjects, and earnestly Persuade, Exhort, and Stir them up to Contribute Freely and Cheerfully towards the Relief of these Distressed Christians. And the Churchwardens are also hereby required on the Weekdays next following the said Fast day, or the said Sixteenth Day of April, to go from House to House, to Ask and Receive from all the Parishioners, as well Masters, Mistresses and Servants, as others in their Families, their Christian and Charitable Contributions, and to take the Names in Writing of all such as shall Contribute thereunto, and the Sum or Sums by them respectively given. And after such Collection made, they are in the presence of the respective Inhabitants, on the next Lord's Day following, to Subscribe the whole Sums upon the said Briefs under their Hands, and also to Enter them into Books of Accounts for the said Parishes and Chapelries respectively, and the Places where, and the Times when such Sums were Collected; and they are also to Deliver the same to the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates respectively. And the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates, are to send the said Moneys, together with the said Briefs, unto their respective Archdeacon's; or if the Parish be exempt, to the Archdeacon within the Compass of whose Archdeaconry the said Parish lies; And the said several Archdeacon's, to the respective Bishops of the several Dioceses, as herein after is Declared and Directed. And for the better performance of this so Pious and Charitable a Work, the said Parsons, Vicars and Curates respectively, are required, where conveniently they may, to Accompany the Churchwardens in Ask and Receiving the Contributions, or procure some other of the Chief of the Inhabitants in the said Parishes respectively to do the same.  
AND Our further Will and Pleasure is, and We do hereby, for the better Advancement of these Our Pious Intentions, Will, Require and Command the Bishops, and all other Dignitaries of the Church, that they make their Contributions distinctly, to be Returned in the several Provinces to the respective Archbishops of the same. And also that all Our Loving Subjects of this Kingdom, of what Dignity, Degree or Quality whatsoever, may manifest their Zeal in so good a Work, We do Recommend it to all Heads and Governors of Colleges and Halls in both Our Universities, and also to the judges and Officers of all and every Our respective Courts at Westminster, and the Professors of the Law both Common and Civil, and to all Students of the several Inns of Court and Chancery, by their several Bodies and Societies, that they and every of them will Contribute their Free and Charitable Benevolence herein.  
AND LASTLY, Our Will and Pleasure is, That the Churchwardens of every Parish where these Our Letters Patents shall be Read, do Collect the Charity of each Parishioner in manner aforesaid, and do Pay the same within Ten Days unto the Parson, Vicar or Curate of their respective Parishes; which said Parson, Vicar or Curate, shall, after the Receipt of the said Money, make Return thereof, together with the Printed Briefs, to his respective Archdeacon, as aforesaid, at his the said Archdeacon's Visitation after the Feast of Easter next ensuing; and where there is no incumbent, the Collector or Collectors shall Pay the said Money to the respective Archdeacon's, as aforesaid; and the Archdeacon's of the several Archdeaconries shall Return the said Collections within Ten Days next after the Receipt thereof, unto the Chancellors, Commissaries or Officials of their respective Dioceses: And the said Chancellors, Commissaries or Officials, shall Return them, within a Month next following, into the Chamber of Our City of London: From whence We do hereby Authorise and Appoint the most Reverend Father in God the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, The Lord High Chancellor of England, The Lord Archbishop of York, The Lord Precedent of Our Council, The Lord Privy Seal, The Duke of Somerset, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, The Duke of Ormond, Chancellor of the University of Oxford, The Duke of Devonshire, Lord Steward of Our Household, The Lords Commissioners of Our Treasury, The Earl of Stamford, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, The Right Reverend Fathers in God, the Lords Bishops of London, Winchester, Litchfield Our Lord Almoner, Rochester, Sarum and Ely, The Lord Chief justice Holt, The Lord Chief justice Treby, The Lord Chief Baron Ward, James Vernon Esq Our Principal Secretary of State, Our Attorney General, Our Solicitor General, The Lord Mayor, Sheriffs and Aldermen of Our City of London for the time being, The Vice Chancellors of both Our Universities for the time being, The Dean of Canterbury, The Dean of St. Paul's, The Dean of York, Dr. Godolphin, Dr. Stanley, Dr. Younger, Residentiaries of St. Paul's, Dr. Willis Prebendary of Westminster, Dr. Freeman Dean of Peterborough and Rector of St. Paul Covent Garden, Dr. Wake Rector of St. James' Westminster, Dr. Haley Rector of St. Giles' in the Fields, Dr. Lancaster Vicar of St. Martin's in the Fields, Dr. Maningham Rector of St. Andrew's Holbourn, Dr. Hody Rector of St. Michael Royal, Dr. Izham Rector of St. Bottolph's Bishopsgate, Mr. Bradford Rector of St. Marry le Bow, Mr. Fleetwood Rector of St. Austin's, Dr. Oxenden Dean of the Arches, Sir Charles Hedges, Dr. Newton Chancellor of London: And they, or any Five or more of them, are to Dispose of such Sums as shall be Collected, either in Whole or in Part, according to the Accounts and Memorials which shall be sent by Mr. Philippe d' Hervart Our Envoy Extraordinary in Switzerland, and George Stepney Esq Our Envoy Extraordinary at the Court of Brandenburg, whom We have expressly Charged to take Care of the Settlement of the Vaudois and French Refugees, in the Dominions of those Princes who shall Receive them, and Grant them Lands, and to whom We have sent Positive Orders not to Distribute any thing, but according to the Establishments which shall be Signed by the Ministers and Captains of the Vaudois, and the French Committees that shall be Appointed in those Places; to the end all the Moneys may be Employed to the best Uses, and given only to such as are in a Body or Society, whereby the Memory and Name of the Vaudois may be ever Preserved, and to Contribute to the Settlement of the Poor French Protestants who shall be obliged to leave Switzerland. And We do hereby Direct and Command, That the said several Archdeacon's, shall and do make Returns to their respective Bishops, and those respective Bishops, unto the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, of what Sums they have Received at the time when they shall Pay them to the Chancellors, Commissaries or Officials; and that their respective Accounts be Stated in Words at length, and not in Figures only, and Subscribed with their own Hands. IN WITNESS whereof, We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patents, to continue for one whole Year from the Date hereof, and no longer. WITNESS Ourselves at Westminster, the Twelfth Day of March, in the Eleventh Year of Our Reign.  
GOD SAVE THE KING.   

London, Printed by Charles Bill, and the Executrix of Thomas Newcomb deceased, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1699.