The assistance of John Stockdale Hardy, Esq. F. S. A. of Leicester, has been of much importance, as on searching among the records of that Corporation he not only discovered several illustrations of the Royal Visits, which had escaped my researches when compiling the History of that County, but the entire Gests of the Progresses of 1612, 1614, and 1616, which no other authority had furnished. Edmond Turnor, Esq. M. A. F. R. S. and S. A. of Stoke Rochford, has kindly supplied some links in the chain of the Progress in Lincolnshire; in which I have also been honoured by the revision of Earl Brownlow.

My very old and esteemed friend, William Bray, Esq. F.S.A. the Historian of Surrey; Robert Surtees, Esq. F. S. A. the Historian of Durham; the Rev. James Raine, the Historian of North Durham; and Robert Benson, Esq. the future Historian of Salisbury, have each procured for me original documents. The Rev. Joseph Hunter, F. S. A. the Historian of Hallamshire and Doncaster, has bestowed some very useful information; and George Ormerod, Esq. LL. D. F. R. S. and S. A. the Historian of Cheshire, most kindly compiled the entire narrative of the King's Progress through that County in 1617.

Dr. Bandinel, the principal conservator of the Bodleian Library, has communicated, from a roll of extraordinary length in his own possession, some valuable particulars of the Royal Visits to York. Dr. Bliss, the second librarian of that noble collection, and Henry Ellis, Esq. of the British Museum, F. R. S. Sec. S. A. have rendered me efficient assistance.

To the obliging attention of Mr. Archdeacon Wrangham I have been frequently indebted. Among a valuable collection of early tracts, he possesses several which are re-printed in these pages. A printed work of another Venerable Dignitary, the Glossary of Mr. Archdeacon Nares, has been my constant reference in the notes attached to the Masques and Tracts.

The indefatigable John Philip Wood, Esq. Auditor of the Excise at Edinburgh, favoured me with most of the biographical notes to the writers in the Muses' Welcome, 1617; and another resident in that city, James Maidment, Esq. has suggested some useful hints.

To my Roxburghian friend, Joseph Haslewood, Esq. F.S. A. my warmest thanks are due, for his great assistance on subjects of dramatic or bibliographical curiosity. Troublesome as my frequent applications to that gentleman must have been, they have seldom been answered without advantage, and never but with the most obliging and encouraging cordiality.

Thomas Jolley, Esq. claims my thanks for his liberal loan of some of the

London Pageants.

To Henry Woodthorpe, Esq. LL. D. Town-clerk of London, and his assistant, Mr. Firth, I am obliged for the various extracts from the City records; to Henry Rivington, Esq. for those from the Stationers' Company; to John Baker, Esq. of Southampton, L. D. W. Collins, Esq. of Exeter, H. Enfield, Esq. of Nottinghain, W. E. Tallents, Esq. of Newark, and several other gentlemen, for the provincial records. I beg also to present my thanks for various kind and useful communications to E. H. Barker, Esq. of Thetford, Sir William Betham, Ulster King-at-Arms, Mr. William Brooke, of Lincoln, James Brown, Esq. of Saint Alban's, Isaac D'Israeli, Esq. F. S. A., Francis Freeling, Esq., the late Matthew Gregson, Esq. F. S. A. John Matthew Gutch, Esq. of Bristol, Edmund Lodge, Esq. F. S. A. Norroy King-at-Arms, N. H. Nicolas, Esq. F. S. A., Mr. J. Raw of Ipswich, T. R. Weeton, Esq. of Leigh near Bolton-le-moors, George Wilbraham, Esq., and Mr. Shirley Woolmer of Exeter.

Any further introduction to the subjects embraced in this Work I consider unnecessary. A tolerably correct idea of the whole will be attained by turning over the first or General Index, in which an analytical arrangement has been in a great degree adopted. The present, however, is perhaps the best place for the following particulars:

The right to Purveyance, or Pre-emption as it was called, was a prerogative enjoyed by the Crown, of buying up provisions and other necessaries for the use of the Royal Household at an appraised valuation, in preference to all other purchasers, and even without the owner's consent. The carriages and horses of the subject were also liable to be impressed on the King's business, in the conveyance of timber, baggage, or provisions, however inconvenient it might be to the proprietor, on paying him a fixed price. There were, of course, constant complaints; and we find that directly after King James's Accession, he was petitioned to "looke to thy Takers and Officers of thy House" (see p. *127). The following document on the subject bears date early in the reign:

“Whereas wee are informed that, since the tyme of his Majestie's Progresse there hath bene divers abuses comytted by the disorderlie proceedings of such as be the Cartakers, in taxinge and overburdeninge the contrey with greater number

of Carts then hath bene convenient for the remove of his Majestie from place to place, to the great trouble and prejudice of the poore inhabitants,-wee have thought fytt, knowinge how tenderlye his Majestie respects the goode and quiett of all his lovynge subjects, to intreate you, which be the Lyftenants, to call the high and petty Constables of every Hundreth before you, and dewlie to examyne whether any such disorder hath bene or noe, and thereuppon to give us knowledge, so as yf there be cause wee may take present order for reformacon hereafter. And soe, not doubtinge of your carefull proceedings herein, wee bydd you hartylie farewell. The Court, Woodstocke, this xiith of Septemb. 1603. "Your lovinge freinds, W. KNOWLYS. E. WOTTON. RO. VERNON. [Two other signatures are not legible].

"For the better manifestinge of the aforesaid abuses, wee think yt fytt that the Constables do deliver unto you not onely the nomber of Carts chardged withyn their severall devicons for every remove, butt also howe many of those Carts soe chardged dyd eyther serve or pay mony, and then to what person the same mony was payed, and in what sorte and by whome the rest of the Carts were dyscharged 1."

By an entry in the records of the Board of Green Cloth, dated 10 Jan. 1604, it appears that, " In his Majesty's late Progress to Wilton, wood was ordered to be felled in his Majesty's own woods in the New Forest and Dunswood, which might furnish the expenses of his Majesty's howse with wood and cole during his stay in those parts; by virtue of which order and warrant there was much wood fallen and a good proportion of coles made out of the same, and spent for his Majesty's service and the service of the Prince in the time of his Highness' abode at Wilton, Moteson 2, Collingborne 3, and Wallope 4."

On the 16th of June 1604, the Commons determined on a representation to the King of the grievances arising from Purveyors; and Sir Francis Bacon made a long Speech on the subject to the King in the Withdrawing-chamber at White

' Communicated by William Bray, Esq. F. S. A. to whose Essay on the subject of Purveyance in the eighth volume of Archæologia the present pages are also indebted.

* Motteston, in the Isle of Wight, was at this time, and for three centuries, the residence of the family of Cheke, of which was Sir John, the tutor to King Edward the Sixth.

Two parishes in Wiltshire bear the names of Collingbourne King's or Collingbourne Ducis; but I can find no account of any seat at either of them.

✦ Wallop in Hampshire, from whence the noble family of Portsmouth; but of any house there I find nothing.

hall. After a proeme, in which he soothes the Royal ear with that flattery and those learned allusions which were so acceptable to the Monarch, he tells him that, "there was no greivance in his Kingdom so general, so continual, so sensible, and so bitter to the common subject, as that which he was then speaking of; that they do not pretend to derogate from his prerogative, nor to question any of his regalities or rights; they only seek a reformation of abuses and restoration of the laws to which they were born. He complains that, the Purveyors take in kind what they ought not to take; they take in quantity a far greater proportion than cometh to the King's use; and they take in an unlawful manner. They extort money in gross, or in annual stipends, to be freed from their oppression. They take trees, which by law they cannot do; timber trees which are the beauty, countenance, and shelter of men's houses, that are a loss which men cannot repaire or recover. If a gentleman is too hard for them whilst at home, they will watch him out, and cut the tree before he can stop it. When a poor man hath his goods taken away from him at an under value, and cometh to receive his money, he shall have twelve pence in the pound deducted; nay, they take double poundage, once when the debenture is made, and again when the money

is paid.

"As to the second point, he tells the King that there is no pound of profit to him but begetteth three pound damages on the subjects, besides the discontent; and, to avoid a discovery, they never register and attest what is taken, as they are required by law to do.

"As to the third, by law they ought to take as they can agree with the subject; by abuse they take at an enforced price. By law they ought to make but one apprisement by neighbours in the country; by abuse they make a second apprisement at the Court-gate; and when the subject's cattle come up many miles, lean and out of plight by reason of great travel, they prise them anew at an abated price. By law they ought to take between sun and sun; by abuse they take by twilight and in the night. By law they ought not to take in the highwayes, by abuse they take in the ways. This abuse of Purveyance, if it be not the most heinous abuse, yet it is the most common and general abuse of all others in the Kingdom."

This representation, together with a case which was solemnly resolved by all the Judges and Barons of the Exchequer, produced a Proclamation against this and other abuses of Purveyance.

It was about the same time that the number of Carts used in Progresses was reduced from 600 to 220. Two pence a mile was paid for them, and they were not to go more than twelve miles a day, unless on occasions of great necessity. The proportions to be furnished by eight several Counties were as follow; on

There occurs, however, a letter dated 1606, alleging that the King's Cartakers oppressed those who brought provisions to London, requiring 40s. a year and 4s. quarterage of the owners of such carts to be exempt from being pressed into the King's service.

In the case of Richards, anno 3 Jac. Purveyance was allowed by the Judges in the Star-chamber to be a Royal prerogative, but they denied that timber could be cut, or fruit-trees transplanted. This Richards, on being examined, made a curious confession of the rogueries practised by him and his brethren. He mentioned several kinds; they charged ten times the quantity wanted, sold the overplus, and shared the money. They went to the most remote places to make their Purveyance, in order to induce the people to come to a composition. They conspired with the High-constables to charge more than enough, and took half the money of them, but gave receipts for the whole, the Constables taking the rest. The Clerk of the Market set the prices below the value, and shared the gain. This confession did not save him. He had also extorted money under pretence of having a grant for compounding fines on penal statutes, and was sentenced to stand in the pillory in Westminster, Cheapside, three market Towns in Dorsetshire, and three in Somersetshire; to lose one ear at Dorchester, the other at Wells; to ride on a horse with his face to the tail, and papers pinned on him expressing his crime; to pay one hundred pounds fine, and to be imprisoned during the King's pleasure.

'From the Introduction to Manning and Bray's History of Surrey, p. lxiv, where the proportions furnished by the Hundreds of that County at each remove are printed at length.