Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/110

Rh Order in council touching the plague, addressed to the archbishop of York :—

"After or very harty co$\overline{m}$enda$\overline{c}$ons to yor Lpp. The lamentable informa$\overline{c}$ons wch wee daily receave of the great spreading of the contagion of the plague through the kingdome doe contynually sollicite us to thinke of all possible meanes for prevention of the same. And finding that the frequent assembling of the people in places infected doth so much the more dispense the infec$\overline{c}$on; wee by the King's commandmt have thought fitt to pray & require yor Lpp. to take order within yor Province of Yorke, that the several Bpps doe give charge within their Diocese, and doe signify e to their church wardens, that in such parishes wch are, or shall fall out to bee, infected, during the tyme that the infeccon shall last, they doe abstaine from assembling together in the churches for celebration of the ffast, lately proclaimed by his Matys authoritye, but that they doe cause those of the parishes infected to be exhorted to observe the said ffast and other devotions accompanying the same privatly in their houses. And that the churchwardens be further carefull in the publicke assemblies wch shalbe made for the said ffast in the parishes clear from infeccon not to admitt any of the parishes infected to their said publick assemblies, wch might else prove a likely meanes to pass the contagion to the places wch yet remain cleare. And so wee "bid yor Lpp. very hartily farewell, ffrom Oxford the 5th of August, 1625.


 * yor Lpps. very loving ffriends,
 * G. Cant, Jo. Lincoln, C.S., James Ley, H. Mandeville,
 * Arundell & Surrey, Pembroke, Montgomery, Hollande,
 * E. Conwey,
 * T. Edmondes,        Hum. May.

(Addressed) To the most rev'end flfather in God o*" very good lord the lo. Archbishop of York his grace."

This order was received by the archbishop at Bishopthorpe on the 17th of the same month, and shortly afterwards forwarded to the bishop of Chester with the following letter:

"Salutem in Christo, I send yor lop hereinclosed the copie of a l're wch I lately received from the ll. & others of his Matys most hono'able privie counsell; according to the contents whereof I praie & require yor