2"<is.vi.i35.,JuLY3i.'58.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 



85 



cient interest to the readers of " N. & Q." as to 

 entitle them to preservation in its pages : — 



" To our trusty and welbeloved the May'r or Baylyves, 

 and to ther bretberen at Wells. 



"Elizabeth, &c. By the Quene. 



" Trustye and welbeloved we greet youe well. — Wheras 

 it come is to our knolege that since our p'clamacons for 

 the decrine of base moneys, ther arysethe some dj'ference 

 amongst sondrye our subjects being ignorant for the 

 knolege and discerninge of the base Festons of ij^ from 

 th'other of iiij*, and that the rather because suche marks 

 as wer at the first added to the said baseste Testons wer 

 cute, — We, to whome the weale and quietnesse of our 

 people j's moste tender, have by advyse of our Counsayle 

 publyshed and notyfyed dyvers good meanes as in suche 

 a case could be dyvysed for the inforraacon of oure people 

 in the knoledge of th'oue from th'other. And yet as we 

 p'cyve the ignorant sorte be not so fully instructed as 

 ■wer convenyante, And therfore we have erdeyned that 

 in sondrye places of our Kealme ther shuld be certeyne 

 trustye p'sons appojnited, not only to informe our people 

 tberin, but alsoe to stampe the saide Testons vryth seve- 

 raU stamps or pryuts. And consyderynge that that 

 Towne is populous, and that many of our subjectts re- 



sorte therto at sondrye tymes — We havyng 



and of our consyderaunte do ordej-ne that vppon receyte 

 of thes oure letters ye imedyately shall assemble your 

 bretheren together, And if ther be any Gentleman dwell- 

 vng in that Towne, or wythyn a niyle of the Towne, 

 beinge a Justice of Peace in anye parte theraboute. Ye 

 shall send for hym, and in your Hall or Talbothe, or 

 other coiiionplace of your Assemblyes by what name so- 

 ever it be called, in the open p'sents of them all, ye shall 

 reade this Letter, and then vnseale a Bagge whiche this 

 messenger shall delyver vnto you, conteynynge in it too 

 stampynge yrons and a round plate of Steele ; th'one of 

 yron conteynynge the printe of a Greyhownde, th'other a 

 PortcuUice : and beinge soe in open place consydered ye 

 shall, by th'assente of youre bretheren and such Justices 

 of the peace as ye shal ther call, yf any bee nygh at hand, 

 or by the more p'te of them, choose to youreself fowere 

 mo. of the wysest and meeteste p'sons of the Towne, 

 wherof the Justice of Peeace to bee one, to sytte wyth 

 youe for the execucyon of the contents folowinge : — Ye, 

 wyth the fower p'sons chosen, shall forthwythe sytte in 

 the open place 'forsaide, or att the Markett Crosse, call- 

 ynge to j-oue some Goldsiuythe of the beste knolege yee 

 can gette, or some other p'son havinge beste knolege in 

 the matter of moneys, and shall ther be ready to judge 

 and discerne of all man'r of Testons that anye oure sub- 

 jectts shal bring vnto youe whiche be of the value of ij<i 

 to be stryken wyth th'yron havinge the Greyhownde 



vppon the {_stc'] • of the Teston, whervppon the 



Kynge's face ys, behind the hedd over the showlders, 

 and th'other Testons of iiij** yee shall stryke wyth 

 th'other yron havinge the PortcuUice before th'face, and 

 80 f 'wyth redelyv'r the same moneys to the same p'sons 

 that dyd p'sent them vnto youe. And ye shall take good 

 regard that yn no wyse ye doe stampe any Teston valued 

 at ij*" wy'the tlie stampe of the PortcuUice. Yee shall alsoe 

 by auctorytye -herof swere the Goldesmith to judge and 

 discerne trewlye betwyxte th'one moneys and th'other, to 

 th'vttemioste of his knolege. And for the contynew- 

 ance of youre syttynge att one tyme, or for youre dayes 

 of syttynge. Wee do refarre that to youre discrestcyon, as 

 ye shall see cause gcvun vnto youe by confluence of our 

 people vnto youe wyth ther moneys, so as ye neither 

 sytte before nyne of the clocke iu the ibrenoone, nor after 

 three in the afternoone ; nether vppon anye holyedaye, 

 nor that fewer of youe aylte at one tyme than fower be- 



sydes the Goldesmythe, yf anye suche can be had ; and 



at every tyme when ye shall sitte and have done, ye 



shall, before j'ou dep'te, in open p'sents putte vppe the 



Yrons into the Bagge, and cause the same to be sealed 



' vppe wythe waxe, and wythe the scale of one of youre 



assistantce ; and 5'oureselfe ether to kepe the saide yrons 



vntill the next sittinge or ells to cause them to be safelye 



locked vppe in your chest wher youre Charters are, or 



suche lyke do remayue, in suche sorte as the same yrons 



be noe wyse vsed nor sene but in the open place when 



you shalbe assembled togethar for this purpose. And 



after one Monethe paste yf ye see noe more ned of the 



vse herof, ye shall cause them to be sealed ope and sent 



to oure Treasurer of oure Mynte by some trustye p'son — 



And soe not dontinge but ye wjdl have good regarde to 



our meenyngs. We pray youe vse suche expedycon and 



discrestion herein as to suche a case doth appetyne. And 



i to bestowe youre labours herein to the quyettinge of oure 



1 people, wythowte takynge anye thynge for the same. 



And before one Monethe shall pass, we truste to cause a 



; quantytye of fyne moneys to be sent into those p'ts for 



' the vse and comforte of your Subjectts. Yeven vnder oure 



{ Sygnet at oure honore of Hampton Courte the xvj"" daye 



[ of October in the second yeare of our Kaygne." 



, " To our lovinge freiuds, the Blayor and his bretheren or 

 j other Officers of the Towne of Welles. 



" After our moste hartye comendacOns. — Wheras vppon 

 the late decryinge of base moneyse, order was taken for 

 the avoydynge of contention, and to th'ende th'moste 

 symple myghte descerne the dyfference of the Testons 

 decried, that those nowe at iiij'' ob. shuld be marked 

 wyth a PortcuUice, and th'other at ij<' wythe a Grey- 

 hownde, And for this purpose yrons wer sent vnto youe 

 and dyvers other ptyes of the Kealme wythe charge to 

 use the advise of some skylfuU Goldsniyth or other of 

 Skyll in discerninge and markinge of those Testons valued 

 by p'claraaacon at ij'^, som of which are found to be 

 marked wythe the Portecullyce, and broughte owte of 

 sondrye ptes of the Realme to the Tower of London there 

 to be exchanged for iiij ob., whiche sorte of Ignorance or 

 rather greate negligence or deceyte may bred further 

 contensyon. And yt is not to be suffered. And as we 

 se no reson that the Queue's Blajesty shuld beare the 

 burden in the exchange in gevinge iiij ob. for the Testons 

 that mey be by sondry means know en to be ij'', so 

 thinke we yt wer better than this maner of markinge as 

 yt is vsed wer, lest consyderynge that before this order 

 was geven whiche was purposelye don to helpe the symple, 

 the dyfference of the Testons myght be well knowen as 

 well by the markes appoynted in the p'clamacon as the 

 lyvel coler of ye Testons, as by the lengthe of the necke 

 of the Kynge's picture beinge a specyall note to discerne 

 them of ij<' from the other; and therfore we wyll and 

 charge you to have specyall and earnest consideracon 

 hereof. And yf youe shall not be able of youre owne selves 

 or by the ayde of some others to knowe them from the 

 others whiche youe may ryghte doe wythe some leasur 

 rather than wyth haste to hynder soe goode a purpose. 

 Then we require you in the Queue's JIajestye's name to 

 forbeare to cause any more Testons to be m'rked, and 



rather to suffer them to passe wyth those not 



dyli'erence that are alreddy by dyvers meanes published 

 .... to be broughte as they be to the Tower wher they 

 may be more p'fyc'ly discerned, then thus vnder color of 

 her Majesty's marke vtterly and deceytfully to vtter 

 abrode Testons at better price than they be valued by 

 her Majesty's order and p'clamacon. And as we 

 nothinge doubt that youe doe kepe a certen note of the 

 some that you doe marke, soe we require you ernestly to 

 observe that order, soe as thene you may make a p'fycte 

 accomptc of the hole some that you shall have marked 



