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Of his precepts, and slugly not to sleepe
In shame of sinne: that our verry foo
Might be to us convers, and turned so.
For in the Proverbs is a text to this purpose
Plaine inough without any glose:

When mens weyes please unto our Lord,
It shall convert and bring to accord
Mans enemies unto peace verray,

In unitie, to live to Goddis pay,

With unitie, peace, rest and charitie.

Hee that was here cladde in humanitie,

That came from heaven, and styed up with our nature,

Or hee ascended, he yave to us cure,

And left with us peace, ageyne striffe and debate,

Mote give us peace, so well irradicate

Here in this world: that after all this feste

Wee may have peace in the land of beheste,
Jerusalem, which of peace is the sight,
With his brightnes of eternall light,
There glorified in rest with his tuition,
The Deitie to see with full fruition:
Hee second person in divinenesse is,

Who us assume, and bring us to the blis. Amen.

Here endeth the true processe of the Libel of English policie, exhorting all England to keepe the sea environ : shewing what profit and salvation, with worship commeth thereof to the reigne of England.

GOE furth Libelle, and meekely shew thy face;
Appearing ever with humble countenance:
And pray my Lords to take in grace,

In opposaile and cherishing the advance.
To hardines if that not variance

Thou hast fro trought by full experience

Authors and reasons: if ought faile in substance
Remit to hem that yafe thee this science;
That seth it is soth in verry fayth,

That the wise Lord Baron of Hungerford
Hath thee overseene, and verely he saith
That thou art true, and thus hee doeth record,
Next the Gospel: God wotte it was his worde,
When hee thee redde all over in a night.

Goe forth trew booke, and Christ defend thy right.
Explicit libellus de Politia conservativa maris.

A large Charter granted by K. Edward the 4 in the second yere of his reigne, to the marchants of England resident especially in the Netherland, for their chusing of a master and governor among themselves, which governement was first appointed unto one William Obray with expresse mention, what authoritie he should have.

EDWARD by the grace of God king of France, & of England, & lord of Ireland, to al those which shal see or heare these letters, sendeth greeting, & good wil. Know ye, that whereas we have understood, as well by the report of our loving and faithfull Counsellors, as by the common complaint and report of all men, that many vexations, griefs, debates, discords, annoyes, dissentions, & damages, have heretofore bene done, moved, committed, and happened, and do daily fal out and happen among the common marchants & mariners, our subjects of our realmes of France & England, & our lordships of Ireland and Wales, & of other our dominions, seigneuries, and territories, because that good discretion and authority hath not bin observed among our saide subjects, which abide, frequent, converse, remain, inhabit, & passe, aswel by sea as by land, into ye parts of Brabant, Flanders, Henault, Holland, Zeland, and divers other countreis & seigneuries belonging aswell to the high and mighty prince, our most deere and loving cousin ye Duke of Burgoine, of Brabant, earle of Flanders, &c. as being in the obedience & dominion of other lords, which are in friendship, alliance, & good wil with us and that it is to be doubted that through the saide inconvenience and occasion, many discommodities may ensue & fal out in time to come (which God forbid) unles we should provide convenient remedie in this behalfe for our subjects aforesaid: wherefore we desiring most effectually and heartily to avoide the mischiefe of the saide inconveniences & to provide convenient remedy for the same, to the end that the said common marchants and mariners and others our subjects of our said realms & dominions, which at this present & hereafter shal haunt and frequent ye said countreis, may be justly & lawfully ruled, governed, and intreated by right & equity in the countreis aforesaid, and that equity, reason, & justice may be ministred unto them and every of them, according as the cases shal

require, we being wel assured and having ful confidence, in the discretion, faithfulnes, wisdome, experience, & good diligence of our most deare & wellbeloved subject Will. Obray our servant, & in regard of the good, faithfull, and acceptable services, which he hath done us in our realm & among our subjects in times past, & hoping that he wil do also hereafter, we have made, ordained, constituted, committed, and established, and by the tenour of these presents, of our special grace, ful power, & authority royall, we ordaine, appoint, commit, and establish, (during our pleasure) to be governor, judge, warden of justice, and the appurtenances & appendances therof, which we have or may have over our said common subjects the marchants travailing hereafter as wel by sea as by land, and abiding in the said countries of Brabant, Flanders, Henault, Holland, Zeland, and other countreis beyond the sea, as is aforesaide, together with the wages, rights, profits, and emoluments heretofore accustomed, & as the said Will. Obray at other times hath had and received of our said subjects, when he had, used, and exercised the said office of governor, and also with other such rights and profits, as hereafter shal more plainly be declared. And furthermore for our parts we have given him, and by these presents do give him, as much as in us lieth, during our pleasure, ful power, authority, and special commandement, to governe, rule, and cause to be governed and ruled with good justice by himselfe, or by his sufficient lieuetenants or deputies, all and every our foresaid subjects the common marchants & mariners comming, remaining, frequenting, passing, & repairing from henceforth into the said countreis of Brabant, Flanders, Henault, Holland, Zeland, and other countreyes beyond the sea, as it is said, and to keep and cause to be kept, to exercise and maintein, for us and in our place, the said office of governour, and to doe all such things which a faithfull governour ought to do, and to take knowledge and administration of the causes of the said common marchants and mariners, our subjects, and of every of them, and of their causes and quarels moved, or hereafter to be moved in the countreis aforesaid, within the limits & borders therof, and to doe them full & speedy justice. And to reforme, cause reformation, governe, appease, and pacifie all contentions, discords, question or debates between those our said subjects

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moved, or to be moved: and to right, redresse, repaire, restore, and amend all transgressions, domages, enterprises, outrages, violences and injuries committed, or to be committed and likewise to require, to aske, demand, and receive, restitutions, reparations, restaurations, and amends of our said subjects the common marchants & mariners, or of their factors in the countreis aforesaid. And that, whensoever and as often as it shal please the said governor or his deputies, they may in some convenient and honest place within the said countreis make cause to be made, somon, and hold in our jurisdictions, courts, and assemblies: and in our said name take administration and knowledge of causes, as it is aforesaide, and to hold and keepe pleas, for and in our behalfe, and to make agreements, mediatours, and umpires, to judge, to make decrees, and to minister justice, to ordaine, appoint, censure, and constraine our saide subjects to sweare and take all kind of oathes, which order of justice and custome require and affoorde, and to enjoy our authoritie, and to use, execute and accomplish, by way of equitie and justice, and to doe, or cause to be done all execution and exercise of law and justice; and to ordain, appoint, & establish sixe sergeants or under, to doe the executions & arrests of our said court, by the commandement of the said governour or of his deputies, or at the request of the partie or otherwise, according as the case shall require by their advise, and to discharge and displace the said sergeants, as shall seeme good unto him, as often and whensoever as it shall please him, and change them, and appoint and set others in their roomes, and to require returne and answere of the court, whensoever need shal be, of all causes, quarels, and businesses in regard of the said office belonging unto us and to our said subjects the common marchants and mariners at all times, and as often as the case shall permit and require and generally and specially to doe as much for us and in our stead, in the cases before mentioned, and which hereafter shalbe declared, as we could doe or cause to be done, could say or require, if we were there present in our owne person. Moreover wee will, and by the tenour of these presents wee give and graunt unto the saide governour, and to our saide subjects the common marchants and mariners, that as oft and whensoever it please them, they may meet and assemble in

some honest and convenient place, and by the consent of the saide governour to choose and appoynt among them at their pleasure, freely and without danger, certaine sufficient and fit persons to the number of twelve or under, which we wil have to be named Justicers, unto the which Justicers so elected by the saide governour and our saide subjects, as it is said, and to everie of them, we give and graunt especiall power and authoritie to sitte and assist in court, with the said governour or his lieutenants, for their aide and assistance, and to heare the griefs, complaints, and demands of our said subjects their suites, pleas, and the state of their causes and quarels whatsoever moved or to be moved unto the ende of their cause, and at the request of the saide governour, his lieutenants, or any of them, to say, propound, and plainely to expresse and declare their opinions, according to right and conscience, upon the causes brought before them and by the parties uttered and declared, and well, lawfully, and faithfully to counsell and advise the saide governour or his lieutenants, to order and censure, judge and determine, and ende the same justly and equally, according as the case shall permit and require. And furthermore we wil, that all just and reasonable statutes, lawes, ordinances, decrees, and constitutions made and established, or to be made and established, in the countreys aforesaide, by the consent of the said governour, and of the said Justicers, shalbe corrected, amended, and made, as they shall see to bee expedient in this behalfe, for the better government of the estate of the common marchants and mariners our saide subjects, and shalbe held as ratified, firme, acceptable and approved; and from henceforth we accept, admit, allow and approve them for ratified and confirmed, there to be firmely and inviolably observed, kept and obeyed. And also, of our farther favour and grace wee will and we grant, that by the consent of our said governour, our said subjects the common marchants and mariners may make and set downe in the said countreis, by their common consent, as often as they shall thinke good for their better government and estate, such just and reasonable lawes, statutes, ordinances, decrees, constitutions, and customes, as they shal thinke expedient in this behalfe: which we command to be kept as ratified, confirmed, allowed, & approved, available, and established. Provided alwaies, that they do not nor seeke any thing

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