sisted their enemies, and constrained them to return whence they came; by which means the rest of the Britons, many years after, lived in peace, and without any annoyance, save that the Picts sometimes in small numbers made incursions into the land, foraging the borders, and taking booties of cattle there.

After this peace in Britain, there ensued exceeding great plenty of grain, and other fruits of the earth, which the Britons abused, mispending them riotously in gluttony and drunkenness, Thus dissolute living, cruelty, pride, and all kinds of vices, the true causes of the change and ruin of kingdoms and commonwealths, reigned as well among the clergy as the laity, both whom God severely punished, by sending among them a grievous plague, which, in a short time, wasted so many of them, that the living were scarce sufficient in number to bury the dead. Howbeit, the infection once ceasing, the Britons fell to their old disorders, drawing thereby a greater plague upon them, even to the utter subversion, and, in a manner, rooting out of their name and nation, as it afterwards happened. For the Scots and Picts, knowing how small a number of the Britons remained to withstand their attempts, the greater and better part being already destroyed, either by the sea, the sword, famine, or pestilence, entered boldly into the heart of the island, spoiled the people of their wealth, burnt their cities, made themselves slaves, and in a short time over-ran a great part of the land.

Thus, about five hundred years after the Romans first entrance, and four hundred and forty-six after the birth of our Saviour Christ, the island of Britain, which had been, not only a principal member of the empire, but, also, the seat of the empire itself, and the seminary of soldiers sent out into most parts of the world, was now, in the time of Theodosius, the younger, bereaved of the greatest part of its ancient inhabitants, and left as a prey to barbarous nations,

VOX REGIS, See Vol. I. p. 13.

[N. B. The date of the following Direction having been accidentally overlooked, it is here added at the end of her Reign.]

THE

SUMMARIE OF CERTAINE REASONS,

WHICH HAVE

MOVED QUENE ELIZABETH

TO PROCEDE IN

REFORMATIONS OF HER BASE AND COURSE MONIES,

And to reduce them to their Values, in sorte, as they may be turned to fine Monies.

Appointed to be declared by her Majestie, by Order of her Proclamation, in her Citie of London. Black Letter, Octavo, containing six Pages.

FIRST

IRST of all it is knowen, that the honour and reputation of the singuler wealth, that this realm was wont to have above all other realms, was partely in that it had no currant monies but golde and silver; whereas contrary all other countreys, as Almayn, Fraunce, Spaine, Flaunders, Scotland, and the rest of Christendom have hadde, and still have certain base monies now of late dayes, by turning of fine monies into base, muche decayed, and dayly growen into infamie and reproche, and therfore is thought necessary to be recovered; wherin, lyke as her Majestie, for her part, meaneth to be at great charges, so every good Englishe subiecte ought to be content, though it seme some smal losse at the first.

Also, by continuing of the base monies, divers persons, both in forreine partes, and within the realm, have counterfaicted, from tyme to tyme, no small quantitie, and brought to porte-townes, and uttered the same at the fyrste after the rate of xii pence a teston, and after that for vi pence, where the same was not in dede worth above two-pence; and caried out of the realm, for those base monies, the riche commodities of the same, as wolle, cloth, lead, tinne, leather, tallowe: yea, and all kinde of victual, as corne, malt, beere, butter, cheese, and such lyke, so as counterfaicters, and such like, have, for smal summe of monies counterfaicted, caried out six times the value in commodities of the realm.

By the means also that these base monies were currant, divers subtyll people have chaunged the same for the golde and fine sylver monies of this realm, and have transported and caryed out the same golde and sylver, so as although there hath ben coyned both in the later end of the raigne of Kyng Edward, and in the tyme of Quene Mary, and now also sence the Quenes Maiesties raigne, great quantities of golde and sylver, yet no part thereof is sene commonly currant; but, as it may be thought, some part thereof is caryed hence, and some, percase,

by the wyser sort of people, kepte in store, as it were to be wyshed that the whole were.

Also by continuance of this sort of base monies, although Almyghtie God hath gyven, now of late yeares, plentifull increase by the earth, for the which he is to be thanked, without any such plages of scarcitie, as in our forefathers tyme hath bene read, when many hundrethes and thousandes of people have dyed for famine; yet the prices of all thynges growing, or commyng from the earth, hath inmeasurably and dayly risen, as all maner of grayne, fruite, cattell, bestiall, victuel, wolle, leather, and such like, and no remedy could be deuysed to amend the same, but to cause that the same base monies shuld be currant for no more than they were in iust value. For every man, of the least understanding, by one means or other, knew that a teston was not worth six-pence, nor the peece of two-pence was worth so much, and therefore no man woulde gyve gladly that thing which was and ever had ben worth six-pence, for a teston, but woulde rather require two testons: and so a thyng, being worth six-pence, was bought and sold eyther for two testons, or one and a halfe, which was in reckenyng xii or ix pence, and now every teston being brought to the just value, it must needs follow, that one shall buy of another hereafter that for iiii pence halfpeny, which was wont to cost vi pence. And, when the teston shall be brought into fine sylver, then shall all men be as desyrous to sell any ware for suche fine monies, as they have of late ben loth and unwyllynge to sell any thyng for the base monies, except they might have had twyce as much of the base monies, as they were wont to have of the fine, or els that for necessitie they were dryuen to sell the same.

By this meanes also, now that the base monies are brought to the just value, and that every man shall have fine monies for them, all poor people that lyved of theyr hand labour, aswell artificers in cities or townes, as labourers in husbandrye, or men that toke dayetall wages, eyther by land, by sea, or by freshe waters, and all meane gentlemen that lyved but upon pensions and stipendes, and all soldiours and scruyng men, that lyved upon solde and wages, shall have theyr pensions, stipendes, soldes, and wages, now payde in good and fine monies, and therewith shall bye more necessaries for theyr sustentacion, then could afore be bought; who surely hauyng heretofore after the rate of xxs. xxvis. viiid. v nobles, xl. s. iv marks, v marks, iv pounds, v pounds, xx nobles, and so upward, by the yere payde to them in these base monies, could not have so much victual, apparel, weapon, armure, horses, or such lyke, with the saide stipend, by more than a fourth part, as they shall now have, because in dede the saide base monies were of themselves no more worth.

By this reformation also of base monies shall necessarely folowe a more profitable accoumpte betwixt the monies of this realm, and of other countries, and thereby the accoumpte, which, by merchauntes, is called the Eschaunge, shall also aryse in estimation of the monies of Englande, in suche sorte, as in former tymes hath ben, and the forreine commodities thereby also be bought for easyer pryses, to the benefit of all such as shall use the same.

So as, the matter well considered, the greatest numbre, and especially the poorest, shall have most commoditie hereby; yea, and such others as have moste gayned by excessive prices, shall have also (if they will consider themselues) no small profyte and helpe; and, fynally, no manner of person in the whole realm shall have, after one or two monethes, hurt hereby, except onely the traytour which hath lyved by counterfaicting. And, therefore it is to be allowed and imbraced of all people, and every man to thinke, that, although at the first he may suppose that he hath lesse monie in his purse, yet shall he have, for the same metal, as much as that was worth, eyther in ware, or at her Maiesties mint, in fine monies. And, whensoeuer he shall utter that base monies, which, at the tyme of the proclamation, he hadde, the nexte that he shall gette, eyther by his hand labour, or for his wages, shalbe eyther fine monies, or such as he may have as much fine monies in the mint for it. And, consequently, every man ought to thank Almyghtye God, that he may lyve to see the honour of his countrey thus partely recouered: sylver to come in place of copper, pryces of thynges amende, all people to be more able to lyve of theyr wages, every mans purse, or coffer, made free from the privie thefe, which was the counterfaictour. And, fynally, the treasure of this realm to be of sylver and golde, as was wonte in our forefathers tyme, and not of brasse and copper, besides many other great commodities that hereof must needs ensue, which, but for length, might be declar ed; and, for all the same, no losse to any, otherwise, but in opinion at the begynnyng, not much unlyke to them, that, being sicke, receive a medicine, and, in the takyng, feele some bitterness, but yet, thereby, recover health and strength, and save theyr lives.

And, because it is sene by experience, that many tymes, when good thynges be deuysed and attempted, the deuyl sleapeth not to hinder the same, but causeth them eyther to be defeated, or to be defamed and mistaken: Therefore it is meete, that no manner of person gyve any credite to such as shall caste abrode any mistrust or amendment of the money, or shall pretend this decree to be greater, or more burdenous than it is. For, truely, this amendment is so fully purposed by her Maiestie, as besyde that, experience shall trie it within one moneth, or vi weekes, within which tymes, necessarie thynges for the mint must be prouided. It is senc, that her Maiestie may refourme these monies according to her proclamation, without any such great losse as might move her to forbeare it: And, on the other syde, the monies be so justly valued, as, indede, the base testons being set at iid. farthyng, and her Maiestie giving at her mint, for euery pound of them, xxs. and iii. d. in rewarde, shall, thereby, gyve rather more than they shall be worth, beynge melted, than lesse.

So that her Maiestie, who, since she came to this croune, never gayned any thing by any coynage, nor yet ever coyned any manner of base monies for this realm, will not now determine to lease the honour and fame that she shall, with small losse or gayne, recouer, by this noble acte, to benefit her realme and people.

And, as to the opinion of the burden of the losse, where the base testons be valued but at ii d. farthyng, whereby such as have them

shall seme to have the greatest losse, it is to be well and reasonably construed and taken of all men, for that there hath not, by good accoumpte, which hath bene made and well proved, bene above a sixth parte compared to the other base monies of the same sort of testons coyned in the mints of this realm, and at the coynage of the same base testons, now valued at two pence farthyng, which was done in the tyme of the wars heretofore, there were set thereto certaine marks, as a lion, a rose, a flour de luce, or a harp, called the privy marks of such as were then masters of the mint, which also be specified in the proclamation. For the better understanding whereof, here be, in the end of this declaration, set certaine stamps or prints, of every kind of the same base testons, with their saide several marks, to the intent, that every person, looking and beholding the same prints, may the better judge and discerne the same from the other, that be valued at iiii pence halfpeny, although if the same be well considered, the colour of the saide base teston will shew the baseness thereof. And, because her Majestie meaneth to ease her subjects as much as possible may be, she is pleased to commaund her officers in her mint, that where there be many counterfaict testons, which were made by counterfaictours, when the testons were at the value of xii pence a piece, and since also that they were decreed to vi pence, and, by estimation, were so made, as they did contayn about two pence farthyng, or thereabouts, in sylver: they shall do their indeavour to receave and trye such counterfaicts, and shall gyve to the subjects, eyther for every such counterfaict two pence farthyng, or so much good fine monies, as the same counterfaicts shall contayn in sylver, whereby the people shall be relieved of such losse in some parte for counterfaicts, as, in no realm, any prince eyther hath or ought to do. And, for this, and for all the commodities hereof likely to ensue, her Majesty trusteth her most honourable good meaning shall be embrased of all her good loving subjects, and every person with good will yield to bear a small burden for a tyme, to avoid a perpetual and endless oppression, not only of themselves and their posterity, but also of the whole commonweal.

Given under the Queen's Maiesty's signet at her Honour of HamptonCourt, the 29th of September, the Second Year of her Majesty's Reign, MDLX.

N. B. The stamps, or prints, of the base testons, which were printed at the end of the declaration, are now omitted, because there has been no such coyn in use these many years, and therefore it would have been of no use to have printed them.