The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
such manner and form as at any time or times heretofore themselves or
their predecessors by any name or names of corporation by under or by
force and virtue of any former charter or letters patent by them or
any of them given or granted or by any other lawful and reasonable
way or means have or ought to have received had taken or enjoyed the
same by way of tonnage quarterage poundage or otherwise, and also
all and every such fines amercements penalties sum and sums of money
as shall be by force and virtue of these our letters patent or any
their laws orders ordinances statutes or jurisdictions already made
or hereafter to be made for the good government of the said company
assessed or imposed upon any person or persons whatsoever ... [_and_]
to enter and distrain any the goods and chattels of the person or
persons so offending denying or withholding the same in any place
or places whatsoever where the same goods and chattels or any of
them shall or may be found ... and ... to sue for and recover the
same dues duties allowances fines amercements penalties impositions
sum and sums of money in any of our Court or Courts of Record....
And to the end that the secret of the said art or mystery and the
manner of our English building and new making of ships pinnaces and
other vessels should for more strength and safety of our realms and
kingdoms be kept secret to and within ourselves and our said realms
and dominions and altogether unknown to aliens and strangers of other
Nations, our will and pleasure is and we do by these presents for us
our heirs and successors straitly charge and command that no person
or persons whatsoever of the said art or mystery of Shipwrights do
at any time or times hereafter directly or indirectly by any ways
or means whatsoever presume or attempt to discover or make known
to any foreigner or stranger not being a natural born subject of
us our heirs or successors or not being naturalised or indenized
nor to any other person or persons not being free and sworn of and
to the said Corporation nor being a servant or apprentice to the
said art or mystery the secrets of the said trade art or mystery or
the special manner of our English building or new making of ships
pinnaces or other vessels as aforesaid, nor do take any alien or
stranger born being not naturalised or indenized to be his or their
apprentice or servant, upon pain of our high displeasure and of
such further punishment as by the laws and statutes of this realm
or the ordinances and laws so made or to be made by the said Master
Wardens and Assistants or the greater part of them as aforesaid
can or may be inflicted upon such offender or offenders for the
same. And to the end our will and pleasure herein may be the better
observed and performed and the offender punished we do further by
these presents give and grant [_power to_] impose upon every such
offender a reasonable fine according to the quality of his offence
at the discretion of the said Master Wardens and Assistants or the
more part of them, the same fine to be forfeited and paid by the
person or persons so offending to the sole benefit use and behoof of
the said Corporation for the better maintenance and upholding of the
same and relieving of the poor of the said Corporation. [_Power_] to
examine and punish by fine or such other correction as the quality
of the offence shall deserve and require every person which shall
unlawfully depart or go away from his work after he hath been hired
or agreed withal for wages before the time or times of his retainer
or retainers be expired, or shall be found to grow mutinous stubborn
or disobedient or in any way a provoker seducer or enticer of any
other to any mutiny or disobedience to the hurt injury or likelihood
of hurt or injury of the said Corporation or of the good government
and order therein or of any service whatsoever, and also to examine
hear and order all and every the complaints of or against any
shipwright or other workmen of the said Corporation art or profession
or of or against any of his or their journeymen apprentices or
servants. And of our more ample grace certain knowledge and mere
motion and for the better suppressing and reformation of the deceits
and abuses first above mentioned [_power given_] to and for the
said Master and Wardens or any two of them for the time being and
also to and for any two of the said Assistants or other two persons
being skilful or which hereafter shall be skilful in the said art or
mystery being thereunto deputed and authorised by writing under the
common seal of the said Master Wardens and Commonalty, first taking
his or their corporal oath or oaths upon the Evangelist ... for the
due execution of their said offices or places ... at all convenient
time or times, taking with them if need so require a constable or any
other his Majesty's officer or officers of the city town or place,
to search view and survey all manner of timber wood and other stuff
provided prepared and fitted for the building making or repairing of
any ships pinnaces or other vessels in any place or places whatsoever
within our realm of England and dominion of Wales or in either of
them, and also to search view and survey all and every the works
and workmanship of all and every person and persons whatsoever in
making working building or repairing ... any manner of ships pinnaces
boats or other vessels whatsoever within our said realm of England
and dominion of Wales or either of them, and that it shall and may
be lawful to and for the said Master and Wardens or any two of them
or their deputies so authorised as aforesaid all and singular ships
pinnaces boats and other vessels hereafter to be built to view search
and survey, and such of them whereof the timber work at the time
of such search shall not be fully finished and which at the time
of such search view or survey so to be made as aforesaid shall be
found to be so insufficiently falsely and deceitfully made wrought
or repaired as they must needs be by that means dangerous to such as
shall use or employ them, to arrest and stay until the same shall
be reformed amended repaired and made fit for navigation. And our
further will and pleasure is that if the said persons before by these
presents authorised to make such search as aforesaid or any of them
shall happen to find any sappy wood red wood or other insufficient
wood or timber to be put into any ships pinnaces or other vessels
or hewn wrought and fitted for that purpose, that then the said
persons or any of them shall forthwith charge and warn the makers
or owners of such ships pinnaces or other vessels forthwith to take
away the said sappy wood red wood and other insufficient wood and
timber and to supply the same with other sufficient timber and wood.
And if within convenient time after such charge and warning given
as is aforesaid the said sappy wood red wood and other insufficient
wood and timber be not taken away and the same supplied with other
good and sufficient timber and wood as is aforesaid, that then it
shall and may be lawful to and for the said Master and Wardens or
any two of them or any two of the said Assistants or any such deputy
or deputies as aforesaid to take and deface all such sappy wood and
red wood and all and singular such other timber and wood which upon
any such search and view and after convenient admonition and warning
given to take the same away and to supply it with better and more
sufficient wood and timber they shall find to be put in or apparently
intended to be put into any ship pinnace or other vessel or hewn
and cut out or wrought for that purpose, manifestly tending to the
prejudice and damage of us our heirs and successors or of any other
our loving subjects merchants and mariners whose goods and lives are
hazarded and often lost by reason of such ill stuff, the use of all
which sappy and red wood and other insufficient stuff we do hereby
for us our heirs and successors straitly prohibit and restrain to be
used or employed in any sort in or upon any ship or other vessel.
[_Power_] to impose and inflict such punishment upon every offender
in that behalf either by fine or imprisonment or both of them as
by the laws or statutes of this realm or by any laws or ordinances
to be made by the said Corporation as is aforesaid shall or may be
imposed or inflicted upon them for their offences in that behalf or
otherwise that the said Master and Wardens or any two of them or
such other person or persons so authorised as aforesaid and which
upon such search shall find any of the deceits and abuses aforesaid
shall complain thereof to some Justice or Justices of Peace within
that place or county where such deceits and abuses shall be found.
And we do ... straitly charge and command all and every our Justice
and Justices of the Peace whatsoever to whom any such complaint or
complaints shall so be made as is aforesaid that they and every of
them shall by all good and lawful ways and means examine and find out
the truth of the said complaints abuses and deceits, and if upon due
examination thereof they shall find that any such abuses and deceits
have been committed as aforesaid, that then they cause the party or
parties so offending to be indicted or otherwise punished for such
his and their abuses and deceits either before our Justices of Peace
in the county where the same abuses and deceits shall be committed
and found at their Sessions of the Peace or before the Justices of
Assize of the same county or before any other lawful judge or judges,
to the end that the said person or persons so offending may receive
such condign punishment as by the laws and statutes of this realm
can or may be inflicted upon him or them for his or their offence
or offences in that behalf. And ... we do ... straitly charge and
command the said Master Wardens and Assistants of the said art or
mystery and their successors for the time being that once in every
month at the least such search be made as is aforesaid, and that
the authority hereby in that behalf to them given be put in due
execution without any respect of persons or partiality whatsoever.
Provided always nevertheless and our will and pleasure is that
neither the Master nor Wardens of the said art or mystery for the
time being or any their deputy or deputies so authorised to search
as is aforesaid shall not by colour of these letters patent meddle
with or do anything to the hindrance stay or prevention of any ship
pinnace or other vessel that is or shall be at the time of such
their search as aforesaid ready to go forth for an intended voyage
or journey or the master owner mariners sailors or other officers of
the same, any thing in these presents to the contrary thereof in any
wise notwithstanding. [_Power_] to buy and provide in any the places
beyond the Seas all such timber planks masts deals spars and wood
and wooden stuff and also all pitch tar rosin and oil as they shall
think necessary and convenient for the building or repairing graving
or fitting of ships pinnaces or other vessels, and the same so bought
and provided shall and may from time to time for ever hereafter bring
or cause to be brought into this our realm of England and dominion of
Wales or any part or place thereof and the same discharge and lay on
land, paying to us our heirs and successors the full Custom poundage
and other duties due or which hereafter shall be due to us our heirs
or successors any law statute custom proclamation or any other matter
cause or thing to the contrary notwithstanding. And whereas for the
better maintenance of navigation and encouragement of our loving
subjects to increase shipping within this our realm there is and hath
been of ancient time an allowance given by us and our predecessors