Meaning and Intent hereof, upon Pain to Pay and Forfeit for every Offence by Him, Her, or Them Committed contrary hereunto, the like Summ of Forty Shillings.

And for the better Prevention of the said Mischiefs for the future, it is hereby further Enacted and Ordained, That no Keeper or Keepers of any Tavern, Inn, Ale-house, Coffee-house, or other Publick or Private-House whatsoever, within this City, or the Liberties thereof, shall permit or suffer any such Hawker, or wandring Pedler, or Petty Chapman, in His, Her or Their House or Houses, Shop or Shops, or other Place or Places belonging to Him, Her, or Them, to sell or expose to Sale any Small Wares, or other Goods or Merchandizes, contrary to the True Intent and Meaning of this present Law. And that in Case any such Keeper of any Tavern, Inn, Ale-house, Coffee-hose, or other Publick or Private House within this City or the Liberties thereof, shall offend therein, That then, and in every such Case, every such Person and Persons, so offending, shall for every such Offence, Lose, Forfeit and Pay the Summ of Forty Shillings of lawful English Money.

And it is hereby further Enacted and Ordained by the Authority aforesaid, That all and every the Forfeitures, Penalties, Summ and Summs of Money so Forfeited, and to be Paid by Force and Virtue of this present Act, as aforesaid, shall and may be sued for, and recovered by Action or Actions of Debt, to be brought and Prosecuted in the Name of the Chamberlain of this City, for the Time being, in any Their Majesties Courts of Record within this City, where Actions of Debt may be brought; and that the Summ or Summs so recovered (the Costs of such Suit being first deducted) shall be disposed of as followeth, viz. One Moiety to the use of the Mayor and Commonalty, and Citizens of this City, and the other Moiety to Him or Them that shall or will first discover and sue for the same, according to the Ancient Custom of this City in that Behalf.

Provided always nevertheless, That this present Act, or any thing therein contained, shall not extend to, or be construed, or taken to hinder or prevent any Maker or Makers of any Stuffs, Silks, Wares or Goods whatsoever, from carrying or causing to be carried Abroad any such Goods by Him or Them so made, to sell or expose to Sale to any the Inhabitants, Freemen of this City or Liberties thereof, exercising the Trade of Selling or Uttering by Retail or Wholesale such respective Goods and Wares, who shall or may buy the same to sell again, any thing in this present Act contained to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

Provided also, That no Person shall be Sued or Prosecuted for any Penalty imposed by this Act, unless such Suit or Prosecution shall be Commenced within the space of One Month next after such Offence committed, any thing in this Act to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

Fish, Fruit, Gazettes, and Books, are Excepted out of this Act.

EDward the Third, by the Grace of God, King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, &c. To all whom these Presents shall come, send Greeting, Know ye, That whereas, amongst other Liberties granted to the Citizens of Our City of London, by the Charters of Our Progenitors, sometime Kings of England, which we have confirmed, and by our Letters Patents it hath been granted unto them, that all Merchants Strangers coming into England shall remain at Board with the Free Hosts of the City aforesaid, and of other Cities and Towns in England, without keeping any Houses or Societies by themselves: And that there shall not be any Brokers of any Merchandizes for the future, unless chosen thereunto by the Merchants, in the Mysteries in which the said Brokers exercise their Offices, and thereupon do take their Oaths before the Mayor of the said City: And also, That the Merchants who are not Free of the said City, may not sell by Retail any Wine or other Merchandizes within the said City or Liberties thereof; as in the said Charters and Confirmation thereof may more fully appear. And now our Well-beloved and Faithful Subjects, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of our said City of London, beseeching Us by their Humble Petition exhibited to Us and our Council in the last Parliament, in these Words, viz. To our Lord the King, and his good Council, Your Liege Subjects, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the City of London, Sheweth, That whereas they have often sued (in divers Parliaments) to have Consideration, how that they are Impoverished and Undone, by Reason that the Liberties by Your Majesty and Your Noble Progenitors to them Granted, are Restrained, and in great Part taken away: And whereas, at the last Parliament holden at Westminster, it was answered to them, That they should declare Grievances specially, and they should have good Remedy; of which Grievances, amongst divers others, these be, That any Stranger might dwell in the said City, and keep a House, and be a Broker, and sell and buy all manner of Merchandizes by Retail, and one Stranger to sell unto another to sell again, to the great Enhancing the Prices of Merchandizes, and a Cause to make them remain there more than Forty Days: Whereas, in Time past, no Merchant Stranger might do any such Thing, contrary to the Franchises of the said City before these Times had and used. By which Grievances the Merchants of the said City are greatly Impoverished, and the Navy Impaired, and the Secrets of the Land by the said Strangers discovered to our Enemies by Spies and other Strangers into these Houses received. May it therefore Please your Majesty, and Council in this present Parliament, to Ordain, That the said Merchants Strangers may be Restrained in the Points aforesaid: And that the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the said City, may enjoy the said Franchises, any Law or Custom, heretofore made unto the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

We, for the great Affection which we have and bear to the said Citizens, and being willing Graciously to provide for the Peace and Profit of the said Citizens in that Behalf, with the Assent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament Assembled, have Granted for Us and Our Heirs, to the said Maior, Aldermen and Commonalty, and their Successors, upon Condition, That they put the said City under good Government, to Our Honour, and Profit of our Realm of England, and rightly Govern the same; That no Foreigner, for the future, shall sell any Merchandizes by Retail within the said City or Suburbs thereof, any Statute or Ordinance to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. Saving to the Merchants of Almain, their Liberties by Us and Our Progenitors to them Granted and Confirmed. In Witness whereof, We gave caused these Our Letters to be made Patents. Witness My Self at Westminster, the 4th of December, in the 50th Year of Our Reign of England, and France the 37th.

WHEREAS the said Citizens by their Petition exhibited to Us in Parliament, did set forth, That altho' they for a long Time