I R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  royal blazon surmounted by a crown  
 blazon of the City of London, consisting of a shield bearing the cross of St. George (patron saint of England) with a sword (emblem of the martyrdom of St. Paul, patron saint of London) in the first quarter of the shield  
Orders conceived and thought fit, aswell by the Lord Maior of the City of London and the Aldermen his Brethren, as by the Iustices of Peace in the county of Middlesex, the Borough of southwark, and County of Surrey to be observed within their several limits respectively, in the time of the infection of the Plague,( if it shall so please Almighty God) for suppression and prevention of the dispersing thereof, according to the Statute in that behalf made in Parliament in the first year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King james.  
INPRIMIS, that in every parish of the said city, and Borough within four miles of the same, there be appointed according to the Statute, Examiners, Searchers, Watchmen, and Buriers of the dead, who vpon oath to them given, shall discharge their duties as they shall bee directed in that behalf. The charge of the allowance to them to be made, to bee born by the party, whose house is or shall be visited( if he be able), if not, then by the parish, or by an equal taxation thereof to be made and subscribed by the Alderman of the ward within the city, or liberties thereof, and Borough of southwark, and by the two next Iustices of Peace, out of the city. provided always, that where any Parish is so situated as one parte thereof is within the said City, and liberties therof, or Borough of Southwark, and the other parte in either of the said counties, that there the said Taxes to be made, and the said Examiners, Searchers, Watchmen and Buriers to be appointed by the said Lord Maior, Aldermen and Iustices respectively within their several limits.  
Item the Examiners are to learn out and inquire what houses in every parish be visited, as well before death as after: before death, by taking knowledge of every one that is sick, and of what disease so near as he can be informed: and after death, by the report of the searchers: and he is to make known to the next Constable what persons are indeed, or suspected to be sick of the Plague, and to give present notice to the same Constable of any such infected house, as well before death as after.  
Item that Watchmen are to attend the outward doors of every house visited, day and night, by standing near unto the doors in readiness, as well to give warning to any that shall approach the house, as to provide necessaries for them within and shut up.  
Item precise order to be taken that the Searchers, Keepers and Buriers, are not to pass the streets without holding a read rod or wand of three foot in length in their hands, open and evident to be seen, and are not to go into any other house than into their own, or into that whereunto they are directed or sent for: but to forbear and abstain from company, especially when they haue been lately used in any such business or attendance.  
Item if any the persons aforesaid, shall bee found to offend contrary to these directions, any the said Aldermen or Iustices vpon notice thereof, shall punish the party offending with imprisonment, and by withholding his allowance, or otherwise as they shall think fit. And it is likewise left to their discretions how to punish and proceed against any person or persons, thought meet for any of these employments, and yet refusing the same.  
Item the Constables are to see every house visited, shut up, and to bee attended with watchmen, which may keep them in, and minister necessaries unto them, at their own charges( if they be able) or at the common charge( if they be unable) the shutting up to be for the space of four weekes after all be whole.  
Item a weekly tax is to be made in every parish visited, if in the city or Borough, then under the hand of the Alder-man of the ward where the place is visited, if in either of the Counties, then under the hands of some of the Iustices next to the place visited, who, if there be cause may extend the tax into other parishes also, and may give warrant of distress against them which shall refuse to pay, and for want of distress to commit the offenders to prison.  
Item that none be removed out of the house, where he falleth sick of the infrection, into any other house in the City, Borough or counties, except it be unto some such house, as the owner of the said visited house, holdeth in his own hands, and occupieth by his own seruants, from and out of the city, to the pest house: and so as security be given to the parish, whither such remove is made, that the attendance and charge about the said visited persons, shall be observed and discharged in all the particularities before expressed without any cost of that parish, to the which any such remove shall fortune to be made. And it shal be lawful to any person that hath two pouses, to remove either his sound or his infected people to his spare house( at his chosce) so as if he sand away first his sound he may not after sand thither the sick, nor again unto the sick, the sound. And that the sound, which he sendeth, be for one week at the least shut up and secluded from company for fear of some infections, at first not appearing.  
Item that the statute be duly and severely executed against such as do go abroad out of a visited house with sores on them, or without sores, as the statute doth distinguish the same,( that is to say) those with sores on them, so offending, to be punished as felons, and without sores offending, to be punished by whipping.  
Item that the burial of the dead by this visitation be at most convenient houres, always either before sun rising or after sun setting with the privity of the Churchwardens, or Constable, and not otherwise: and that no neighbours, nor friends, be suffered to accompany the coarse to Church, or to enter the house visited to that end, nor the same coarse be suffered to be brought within the church, nor any clothes, stuff, bedding, or garments be suffered to be carried or convyed out of any infected house, And that the criers and carriers abroad of Bedding or old apparel to be sold or pawned, be utterly prohibited& restrained. And no Brokers of Bedding or of old apparel, be permitted to make any outward show or hang forth on their stalls, shop boards or windows towards any street, lane, common way, or passage any old bedding or apparel to be sold.  
Item that all plays, Fensings, Bearebaitings, Games, singing of Ballets, Bucklerplay, and such like causes of assemblies of people vpon needless occasions be utterly prohibited.  
Item that the sweeping and filth of houses be not suffered to be laid in heaps in the streets, but to be carried away by the Scauengers, or Rakers from the kitchen to the cart, as heretofore hath been used, to avoid annoyance and infection, especially of visited houses.  
Item that the statute be duly and severely executed against such as do go abroad out of a visited house with sores on them, or without sores, as the statute doth distinguish the same,( that is to say) those with sores on them, so offending, to be punished as felons, and without sores offending, to be punished by whipping.  
Item that the burial of the dead by this visitsation be at most convenient houres, always either before sun rising or after sun setting with the privity of the Churchwardens, or Constable, and not otherwise: and that no neighbours, nor friends, be suffered to accompany the coarse to Church, or to enter the house visited to that end, nor the same coarse be suffered to be brought within the church, nor any clothes, stuff, bedding, or garments be suffered to be cartied or convyed out of any infected house, And that the criers and carriers abroad of Bedding or old apparel to be sold or pawned, be utterly prohibited& restrained. And no Brokers of Bedding or of old apparel, be permitted to make any outward show or hang forth on their stalls, shop boards or windows towards any street, lane, common way, or passage any old bedding or apparel to be sold.  
Item that all plays, Fensings, Bearebaitings, Games, singing of Ballets, Bucklerplay, and such like causes of assemblies of people vpon needless occasions be utterly prohibited.  
Item that the sweeping and filth of houses be not suffered to be laid in heaps in the streets, but to be carried away by the Scauengers, or Rakers from the kitchen to the cart, as heretofore hath been used, to avoid annoyance and infection, especially of visited houses.  
Item that neither hogs, Dogs, or cats, be suffered to be, or stray in the streets, or lanes, of the city or subutbes, nor places near adjoining. But that the hogs be impounded till the owners of them conform themselves to better order, and the dogges to be killed by some appointed for that purpose.  
Item if any person visited do fortune by negligent looking unto, or by other means, to come or bee conveyed from a place infected to any other place, the parish from whence such party hath come or been conveyed, vpon notice thereof given shall at their charge cause the said party to visited and escaped, to be carried and brought back again, and the parties in this case offending to be punished at the discretion of the Alderman of the ward and the Iustices of Peace respectively, and the house of the receiver of such visited person to be shut up.  
Item that every house visited be marked with a read cross of a foot long on the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual printed words( that is to say) Lord haue mercy vpon us, to be set over the same door, there to continue, till lawful opening of the same house.  
Item that if any persons trusted or charged in this business, or offending against any the foresaid Orders and Articles, be complained of to the Alderman of the ward within the city or Borough, or to any Iustice of P●ace within the said Counties for remissness, partiality, stubbornenes, or other misbehauing themselves, and the same appear to be true, present order be taken, that according to the quality of the offence, such persons be bound over with sureties to appear at the next Sessions there to be proceeded against, for the example of others.  
Item that the Lord Maior, every Alderman and their Deputies, and the Iustices of Peace within their limits respectively, do once every Fortnight, or oftener, if need be, call every Examiner to account for the due execution of his charge, and duty in this business.  
Finally to the end all persons, whom these Orders, or any of them do or may in any sort concern, may for their better observation thereof, take due notice of the same: It is thought fit, and so ordered that the said Orders be Printed, openly read, and published in every Parish Church, at the most convenient time of the greatest assemblies there.   
God save the King.  

Imprinted at London by John Windet, Printer to the honourable city of London. 1608