¶ An act for the abstinence from flesh.  
ALbeit the kings Subiectes now having a more perfit and clear light of the Gospel and true word of God through the infinite clemencte and mercy of almighty God by the hands of the kings majesty and his most noble father of famous memory promulgate, shewed, declared and opened, and thereby perceiving that one day or one kind of meate of itself is not more holy, more pure or more clean then an other, for that all daies and all meats be of their nature of one equal purity, cleans and holynes, and that all men should by them live to the glory of God, and at all times, and for all meets give thankes unto him, of which meats none can defile Christen men or make them unclean at any time, to whom all meats be lawful and pure, so that they be not used in disobedience or 'vice: yet for asmuch as diverse of the kings su●iectes turning their knowledge therein to satis●ie their sensuality, where they should thereby increase in virtue, haue of late time, more then in times paste, broken and contemned such absti●ence, which hath ben used in this realm vpon the fridays and saturdays, the ymbring dayes and other dayes commonly called vigilles, and in the time commonly called lent and other accustumed times: The kings majesty considering that due and godly abstinence is a mean to virtue and to subdue mennes bodies to their soul and spirit, and considering also specially that Fishers, and men using the trade of living by fishing in the Sea, may thereby the rather be set on work, and that by eating of fish, much flesh shall be saved and increased, and also for diuetse other considerations and commodities of this realm, doth ordeigne and enact with thassent of the lords Spiritual and temporal& commons in this present parliament assembled, and by thaucthoritie of the same, that al maner of Statutes, laws, constitutions and usages, concerning any maner of fasting or abstinence from any kind of meats heretofore in this realm made or used, shall from the first day of may next ensuing, lese their force and strength,& be void& of none effec●. And also that no person or persons of what estate, degree or condition he or she be, shall at any time after the said first day of May in the year of our Lord God. M.D.xlix. wyllinglie& wyttingly eat any maner of flesh, after what maner of kind or sort it shal be ordered, dressed or used, vpon any friday, or Saturdaye, or the ymbryng dayes or in any day in the time commonly called Lent, nor at any such other day as is, or shal be at any time here after commonly accepted,& reputed as a fish day within this realm of England, wherein it hath ben commonly used for to eat fish& not flesh, vpon pain that every person eating any maner of flesh vpon any of the said dates or times prohibited by this act, to forsayte for the saw first offence ten shillings of lawful money of England, and also to suffer enprisonment by the space of ten dayes, and during the time of his or her said imprisonment, to abstain from eating of any maner of flesh.  
AND if any person after he shall be lawfully convict of any offence contrary to this act, do efesones offend contrary to this act, and be therof lawfully convict, that then every person so offending the second time, shall for his second offence forfeit twenty shillings of lawful money of england, and also suffer imprisonment by the space of twenty dayes, and during the time of his or hir said imprisonment, to abstain from eating of any m●●er of flesh, and so like pain and imprisonment as often as he or she afterward shall offend.  
AND furthermore, it is ordained and enacted by thaucthoritie aforesaid, that Iustices of gaole de livery or Iustices of peace, in all and singular Counties, cities, towns corporate, and other places within this realm of England and other the kings dominions, shal haue full power and authority to inquire, hear, and determine, all and all maner offences that shal be committed or done, contrary to this act, in like maner and form as they may inquire, hear,& determine any trespass or other offence against the kings peace committed or done within the limits or place where they then shal be Iustices of gaole delivery or Iustices of peace: And the moiety of every such forfeiture shalbe to our sovereign Lord the king, his heirs and successoures, and shalbe extreated into the court of the exchequer, in like maner and form as fines for any trespass or other offence committed against the kings peace ought or should be extreated: And tother moiety of the said forfeiture, shal be to him that will sue for the same, by bill, plaint, information or otherwise in any of the kings courts of record, in which no essoing, protection or wager of lawe shalbe allowed.  
PROVIDED always, and be it ordeigned& enacted by thaucthoritie aforesaid, that this act or any thing therein contained shall not in any wise extend to any person or persons that heretofore hath or hereafter shall haue obtained any licence of our souereygne Lord the king, his heirs or successors, nor to any person being in great age,& in debility, and weakness thereby, nor to any person being sick or notably hurt, without fraud or couine, during the tymne of his or her said sickness, nor to any woman being with child, or liynge in chyldebed for eating of such one kind of flesh as she shall haue great lust unto, nor to any person being in prison for any other offence then for any offence contrary to this act, neither to any that is or hereafter shal be the kings highness lieutenant, deputy or captain of any his majesties army, hold, or fortress, but the same themselves may eat flesh, and licence and permit their Souldiers to do the same in times prohibited, vpon the want and lack of other kind of vital, neither shall extend to saint Laurence even, saint marks day or any other day or even being abrogat, neither to any such as heretofore haue obtained any licence in due form of the archbishop of Cantorburie.  
AND further be it enacted, by thaucthoritie aforesaid that all Archebyshops, Byshops, Archedeacons and their officers, or thofficers of any of them, shall haue power to inquire of thoffenders in the premises, and present the same to such from time to time, as by virtue of this act haue authority to hear and determine the same.  
PROVIDED always and be it enacted, that no maner of person or persons be impeached, molested or troubled, or shall incur any pain, penalty or forfeiture for any offence contrary to the act before rehearsed, committed or done, except he or they be accused, conuented or indicted of& for the said offence according to the tenor of this statute with in three months next after the committing of the said offence.  
God save the king.   

Excusum Londini, in aedibus Richardi Graftoni Regi● Impressoris  
Cum privilegio ad imprimendum solum.