A. D. 1554. 117 



' flialFwear filk in or upon his hat, bonnet, girdle, fcabbard,hofe, flioes, 



• or fpur-leather. fhall be imprifoned for three months, and forfeit Lio, 

 ' excepting magistrates of corporations, and perfons of higher rank. And 

 ' if any perfon knowing his fervant to offend againfl: this law, do not 



* put him forth of his fervice- within 14 days, or fhall retain hira again, 

 ' he (hall forfeit Lioo*.' [1,2 Phil, et Mar. c. 2.] 



By the encouragement of King Edward VI and others, the flrfl voy- 

 age for difcoveries northward was made (as we have feen) in the 

 Lafl year of that prince's life, and a beginning made for a trade to Pvuflia ; 

 but Edward dyin^ before he had executed a very ample charter to 

 thofe adventurers, it was on the faid firfi: and fecond year of Philip and 

 Mary, (6th of February) that the fir ft charter of incorporation was 

 granted to the Rtiflla company (as it has fuice been nfually called), but 

 then by the name of the merchants-advencurei"s, for the difcovery of 

 lands, countries, ifles, &c. not before known or frequented by any Eng- 

 lifh. The preamble to this charter, and the fubftance of the whole it 

 fets forth is, that the marquis of Yv'lnchefter, then lord high treafurer ; 

 the earl of Arundel, lord fleward of the queen's lioufehold ; the earl 

 of Bedford, lord privy feal ; the earl of Penibroke ; the lord Howard 

 of Effingham, lord high admiral, &:c. had already fitted out fliips for. 

 difcoveries of countries northward, north-eaflward, and north-weftward, . 

 not as vet frequented by other chriftian monarchs in friendfliip with us. . 

 To have one governor (the firft to be Sebaftian Cabot, during his life) - 

 and twenty-eight of the moft {;\d (fedate), difcreet, and honefl of the 

 faid fellowftip?, four of whom to be called confuls, and the other twen- 

 ty-four to be called afliftants : The governor and two confuls (or three 

 confuls in the governor's abfence) and twelve afllftants, to be the quo- 

 rum of a court. This corporation might purchafe lands to the yearly 

 value of L66 : 13:4. to have perpetual fucceflion; a common feal; 

 may plead and be impleaded ; may impofe mulds, forfeitures, &c. on 

 offenders againfl the company's privileges, and may admit perfons from 

 time to time to be free of the company — May make conquefts of- 

 lands of infidels fo to be difcovered by them. And "whereas one of the • 

 faid fhips (Chancellor's) fet forth laft year (1553), arrived fafe and win- 

 tered in the dominions of our coufin and brother Lord John Bazilowitz, 

 emperor of all Rulfia^ who entertained them honourably, &c. and 

 granted them letters to us, with licence freely to traffic in his country ^- 

 with other privileges under his fignet. — Wherefore we grant this corpo- 

 ration liberty to refort, not only to all parts of that emperor's domi- 

 nions, but to all other parts not known to our fubjeds, none of whom 

 but fuch as fhall be free of, or licenced by this company, fliall frequent 



* This ftatute, as deftruttive of the freedcm of trade, was repealed in the firft year of King Jamcs-I. 



