Transcript

[fol. 99r] To the Q. most Excellent Majestie &c.

Wheras your excellent highnes, of grett zele to Religion & native pittie to all strangers, hath permitted to suche as reppaire for reffuge or traffick to these your hignes domyinions, suche assured protectyon, as may be dowted whither the'xample be of gretter justice, or of more comfort. Butt in regard of these gelowsyes risen in all estates, presaigeng som mete fere to be had, there may rise an humble care in your good subjects, lest the contynuall reparie of somani strangers planted along the coste side, & in the bowelles of the Land, might ether for their nomber be dangerows, but by their proffession infective, or by their malice undermynders of the publick qwyett of the state, seing somani suborned & desgised men to swarme every where, deserving for the weightiness therof to have grett consyderatyon had of them. And yett though the nomber were not expressive, th'occasyon (be it humbly spoken) expresse a depe necessity to have them surveyed, aswell for due satisfactyon to your highnes, as grett contentment to your subjects, in beholding this your gracyows & loving care of them, in every noble actyon of yowres. Nott suffiseng that the townes be only wrytten to, as London & other places were somtymes for true certifficate of every nomber. for in these delyngs, unles speciall Comission be to speciall partyes, there is ever a negligent imperfectyon following, & the cheeff mistery unknowen. ytt asketh then (so plesing your highnes) an exacte booke, describeng every parte of your Reallme, aswell whatt nomber they be of, of whatt natyon, whatt faculty? of whatt increse in family & substance? & whatt finally they proffesse in fayth, when allso they cam & to whatt end? The which substancially deciphred, might appere from tyme to tyme, as a certayn monument satisfieng every dowtt, & most sure for your Majesties determinatyon in the rest. For yf the nomber were to grett; the same might be redressed accordingly; & if the remnant were throwly deciphred, it were a grett assuranc to the state. Again Religion shold be the more assured, & mani execrable sectes eschewed, which kindle men dangerowsly bothe against God & their Soveraigne, & this may crepe to far (I speke nott withowtt vehement motyon) in Libertynes, Anabaptistes, & others, wherof there is more than a suspicion allredy growen. Lastly their facultyes ones knowen, they might be devyded & dispersed to sondry partes according to [ deleted: them] the necessitye of them, to the ayd of the decayed townes in this Land, lest pestring in clusters, they pestred withall more necessary members of our own contrey, to whom the first parte is due, causing grudge & penurye, where this way thousands more might be noles beneficially disposed, then without prejudice to ani parte. The finall consyderatyon is that surveyeng every parte of their life & ha [fol. 99v] bility, your majesties strengthe & subsedy by them is the more certainly gessed att, the loytrer discoverd from the true laboring man, & itt makes a true difference of desgised personaigs, espialles, con- spirators, & suche like intollerable sort from the rest, the same movyng a terror to the gillty conscyens, eether to com in ani more, or to remayne here longer to be ciffted so nere. So as bothe directly & indirectly, suche a comission granted doth muche import your highnes state & the present tyme. To which charge yf your majestie will vowchesaffe to advance me ether for terme of life, or for som yeres, itt shold well appere (beside mi humble dutye) whatt diligens cowd worke to perfect it the more, asking only towards mi travayll & chargs (which certaynly wilbe grett in the whole circuite) butt ijd a pece every qwarter (for so often wold we renew our surveye) which som nether excedes, nor yett can be grevows to ani sort, the [ deleted: easelie] easelier payd, as a declaratyon of their more surety, this ones booked. And for that as the nomber encreseth or decreseth, the true certifficate might be still knowen, it might plese your highnes to ad unto this office, that every stranger coming into this Reallm, shold present hym self, his name, & condicyon furthwith to this Register or to his sufficyent depute where he arrives, & in departyng againe to repaire unto the said Register or his Depute, receving a Billett under a seale appointed to the office, as a signifficatyon that ether he hath a Passeport from your highnes so to do, or that according to the occasyons which calle hym away, he may applye his busynes abrode, wherby certaynly mani practises wold be discoverd, which your forein adversaryes do suttlye devise & the ille myndes of those that be att home be the better mett with; which concludes withall that this canott be called an Innovatyon that provydes for the saffetye of our Soveraigne & the State according to the season & cawse: nether is it ani breche of intercowrse, which sekes a playne sincere menyng in mennes delyngs: for so no good Lawe (whose beginnengs ar new) might be provyded, to represse the malice of ille persons, which invente new mischeffs daylye: And Conseqwently, for [mi] entercowrse, no Prince by the Civill Lawe is bownd [ deleted: more] to observe more, than proves proffitable in tyme to our people, muche les if it be prejudycall to his state & governement. And to this then be lawes of our owne to mayntayne & encoraige the grawnt of this survey, which in effect wold cesse grett grudge of the Comune people, & take awaye mani abuses of the strangers. Thus presentyng mi humble motyon to your highnes, a matter to satisfye yow mani wayes, gratefull to your subjects (for the whole Reallm desires it) & me shall your highnes rayse by so verteous a mene to do yow service with gretter hability, hoping that ether for those langaigs I have, or for mi simple experience of forein natyons, butt [fol. 100r] cheffly for mi humble & reverent zele to your highnes, that this office is nott fitter for ani than for me, besechyng God dayly uppon mi knees to preserve your majestie to his blessed will, & to kepe allwayes unto you that noble Lord of Burghley./ your majesties most humble [ ... ] & subject. W. Herllely.