Iane, by the grace of God quene of England, Fraunce and Ireland, defendor of the faith, & of the Church of Englande, & also of Irelande under Christ in earth the supreme head to al our most louing, faithfull, and obedient subiects, and to euery of them greting.

IAne by the grace of God Quene of England, Fraunce and Ireland, defendor of the faith, & of the Church of Englande, & also of Irelande vnder Christ in earth the supreme head. To al our most louing, faithfull, and obedient subiects, and to euery of them greting. Where our moste dere cousin Edwarde the vi. late King of Englande, Fraunce and Irelande, defendour of the faith, and in earth the supreme head vnder Christ of the Church of Englande and Irelande, by his letters patentes signed with his owne hand, and sealed with his great seale of Englande, bearing date the xxi. day of Iune, in the vii. yere of his reigne, in the presence of the most parte of his nobles, his counsailours▪ Iudges, and diuerse others graue, and sage personages for the profite and suretie of the whole realme therto assenting, and sub∣scribing their names to the same, hath by the same his Lettres Patentes recited, that forasmuch as the Imperiall croune of this realme, by an Acte made in the xxxv. yere of the reigne of the late King of woorthy memory King Henrie the viii. our progenitour, and great vncle, was for lacke of issue of his bodie lawfullie begotten, and for lacke of issue of the bodie of our saide late cosin King Edwarde the vi. by the same act limited, and appointed to remaine to the Ladie Marie, by the name of the la∣die Marie his eldest Daughter, and to the Heires of her bodie lawfully begotten, and for de∣fault of such issue, the remainder therof to the Ladie Elizabeth, by the name of the Ladie Elizabeth his seconde Daughter, and to the heires of her bodie lawefully begotten, with such condicions, as shoulde be limited, and appointed by the saied late King of woorthie memorie, King Henrie theight our progenitour, and great vncle by his letters patentes vnder his great Seale, or by his last wil in writing signed with his hande. And forasmuch as the saied limitation of Thimperial croune of this realme, being limited (as is aforesaied) to the said Ladie Marie, and Ladie Elizabeth being illegiti∣mate, and not lawfully begotten, for that that the mariage had betweene the saied late King, King Henrie theight our progenitour, and great vncle, and the Ladie Katherine mother to the saied La∣die Marie, & also the mariage had betwene the saied late king, King Henrie theight our progenitor and great vncle, and the ladie Anne mother to the saied ladie Elizabeth, were cleerely, and lawfully vndone by sentences of deuorces, according to the woorde of God, and the Ecclesiasticall lawes: And which saied seueral deuorcements haue beene seuerally ratified, & confirmed by auctoritie of parla∣ment, and especiallie in the xxviii. yere of the reigne of King Henrie theight our said progenitor, and great vncle, remaining in force, strength, and effect, wherby aswel the said Ladie Marie, as also the said Ladie Elizabeth, to all ententes, and purposes, are, and been cleerely disabled, to aske, claime, or chalenge the saied Imperiall croune, or any other of the honours, castelles, manours, Lordshippes, lands, tenements, or other hereditaments, as heire, or heires to our said late cosin king Edward the vi. or as heire, or heires to any other person, or persons whosoeuer, aswel for the cause before rehear∣sed, as also for that that the saied Lady Marie, and Lady Elizabeth were vnto our saied late cosin but of the halfe bloud, and therefore by the ancient lawes▪ statutes, and customes of this realme be not inheritable vnto our saied late Cosin, although they had beene borne in lawefull Matrimonie, as in dede they were not, as by the saied sentences of deuorce, and the saied statute of the xxviii. yere of the reigne of King Henrie the eight our saied progenitor and great Vncle, plainly appeareth.

And forasmuch also as it is to be thought, or at the least, much to be doubted, that if the saied la∣die

Marie, or ladie Elizabeth should hereafter haue, & enioy the said Imperial croune of this realm and should then happen to marry with any Stranger borne out of this realme, that then the same Stranger hauing the gouernmente and the Imperiall crowne in his handes, would adhere and practise, not onely to bring this noble free realme, into the tirannie and seruitude of the Bishoppe of Rome, but also to haue the lawes and customes of his or their own natiue countrey or countreys to be practised, and put in vre within this realme, rather then the laws, statutes, and customes here of long time vsed, wherupon the title of inheritance of all and singular the subiects of this realme dooe depend, to the peril of conscience, and the vtter subuersion of the common weale of this realme wherupon our saied late dere cosin weighing and considering with himselfe, what waies and mea∣nes were most conuenient to be had for the stay of the said succession in the saied Imperiall croune, if it should please God to call our said late cosin out of this transitory life, hauing no issue of his bo∣dy, and calling to his remembrance that wee and the Lady Katherine, and the Lady Mary our si∣sters, being the daughters of the lady Fraunces our naturall mother, and then and yet wife to our naturall & most louing father Henrie Duke of Suffolke, and the lady Margaret, daughter of the lady Elianour then deceassed sister to the said lady Fraunces, and the late wife of our cosin Henrie Erle of Comberland, were very nigh of his graces bloud, of the part of his fathers side our said pro∣genitour and great vncle, and being naturally borne here within the realme, and for the very good opinion our said late cosin had of our, and our said sisters and cosin Margarets good education, did therefore vpon good deliberation and aduise heerein had and taken, by his said Letters Patents de∣clare, ordre, assigne, limit, and appoinct, that if it should fortune himselfe our said late cosin king Ed∣ward the sixt to decease, hauing no issue of his body lawfully begotten, that then the saied Impe¦riall croune of England and Ireland, and the confines of the same, and his title to the croune of the realme of France, and all and singular honors, castles, prerogatiues, priuiledges, preheminences, aucthorities, iurisdictions, dominions, possessions, and hereditaments to our said late cosin King Edward the sixt, or to the said Imperiall croune belonging, or in any wise appertaining, should for lacke of such issue of his body remain, come, and be vnto the eldest sonne of the body of the said lady Fraunces lawfully begotten, being borne into the world in his life time, and to the heires ma∣les of the body of the same eldest sonne lawfully begotten, and so from sonne to sonne, as he should be of auncienty in birth, of the body of the said lady Fraunces lawfully begotten, being borne into the world in our said late cosins life time, and to the heires males of the body of euery such sonne lawfully begotten: and for default of such sonne borne into the world in his life time, of the body of the said lady Fraunces lawfully begotten, and for lack of heires males of euery such sonne lawfully begotten, that then the sayd Imperial croune, and all & singular other the premisses should remain, come, and be to vs, by the name of the lady Iane, eldest daughter of the said lady Fraunces, & to the heires males of our body lawfully begotten, and for lacke of such heire male of our body lawfully begotten, that then the sayd Imperial croune, and all other the premisses should remain, come, & be to the sayd lady Katherine our sayd second sister, and to the heires males of the body of the sayd lady Katherine lawfully begotten, with diuerse other remainders, as by the same letters patents more plainly & at large it may and doeth appere. Sithens the making of which letters patents, that is to say, on Thursday, which was the vi. day of this instant moneth of Iuly, it hath pleased God to cal to his infinite mercy our sayd most dere & entirely beloued cosin Edward the vi. whose soule God pardon, & forasmuch as he is now deceased, hauing no heires of his body begotten, & that also there remaineth at this present time no heires lawfully begotten of the body of our sayd progenitor, and great vncle king Henrie theight, and forasmuch also as the sayd lady Fraunces our sayd mother,

had no issue male begotten of her body, and borne into the worlde, in the life time of our cosin King Edward the sixth, so as the saied Imperiall croune, and other the premisses to the belon∣ging, or in any wise appertayning, now be, and remaine to vs in our actuall, and royall 〈◊〉〈◊〉, by auctority of the sayd letters patents: wee doe therefore by these present•• signifie vnto all our most louing, faithfull, and obedient subiects, that like as we for our part shall, by Goddes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shew our selfe a most gracious, and benigne Souuereine Queene, and Lady to all our good Sub∣iects in all their iust, and lawfull sutes, and causes, and to the vttermost of our power shal 〈…〉〈…〉 and maintaine Gods most holy word, christian policy, and the good laws, customes, and 〈…〉〈…〉 these our realmes & dominions: So we mistrust not, but they, and euery of them wil again for all their partes, at all times, and in all cases shew themselues vnto vs their naturall liege Queene, 〈…〉〈…〉, most faythfull, louing, and obedient subiects, according to their bounden duties, and 〈…〉〈…〉 whereby they shall please God, and doe the thing that shall tend to their own preseruation, and sureties: Willing, and commanding all men of all estates, degrees, and condicions, to see our peace, and accord kept, and to bee obedient to our Lawes, as they tender our fauor, and will answere for the contrary, at their extreme perils. In witnes whereof, wee haue caused these our letters to bee made patents. Witnesse our selfe at our Towre of London, the tenth day of Iulie, in the first yeere of our reigne.

God saue the Queene.

Londine aedibus 〈…〉〈…〉 Anno Domini MDLIII.

Cum priuilegio ad imprim•••…•••… 〈…〉〈…〉