¶ The Copie of the Kynges Maiesties letters Patentes for the Printynge of this and the lytle Cathechisme.
The King's Sovereign Title
The chapter opens with Edward VI's full royal title, establishing his authority as king and supreme head of the Church.
Edward the Sixth, by the grace of God, King of England,1 France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and of the Church of England and also of Ireland, the supreme head on earth.2
Greeting to All Subjects
The king greets all printers, booksellers, officers, and subjects, signaling the official nature of the decree.
To all manner of printers, booksellers, and our other officers, ministers, and subjects: greeting.
The Grant of Printing Privilege
The king grants John Day the exclusive privilege to print the Catechism and ABC primer, overriding any previous grants.
We want you to understand that, of our special grace, we have granted and given privilege and license, and by this document do grant and give privilege and license to our well-beloved subject John Day, Printer of our City of London, and to his factors and assignees, to print, or cause to be printed, both this Catechism in English, which we have had set forth for the better instruction of youth to be taught in English schools, and also an A.3 B.4 C.5 with the Brief Catechism, already printed, any other privilege to the contrary notwithstanding.6
Exclusive Rights and Penalties
The king confirms Day's monopoly and imposes a forfeiture for any unauthorized printing or purchase.
And furthermore, we are pleased that the same John Day, his agents and assigns, shall have the exclusive right to print these Catechisms from time to time, as compensation for his effort, trouble, and expenses to be incurred for that purpose.7 We strictly forbid by this decree all our subjects, individually and collectively—printers, booksellers, and all other persons within our realms and dominions, whoever they are—to print or have printed within any of our dominions these Catechisms or any of them, except only the said John Day and his assigns; and also forbid them to buy any other editions than those printed by the said John Day and his assigns, under penalty of our high displeasure, and that every offender shall forfeit to us forty shillings for every such catechism printed or bought contrary to the true intent of this our present license and privilege, in addition to the forfeiture of all such catechisms to whoever shall bear the costs and sue for the said forfeiture on our behalf.8910
Command and Witness
The king commands all officers to assist John Day and closes with the dating clause and witness.
Therefore we will and command all our officers and ministers—as they value our favor and wish to avoid our displeasure and indignation for doing otherwise—that they and every one of them (if need requires) aid and assist the aforesaid John Day, his factors and assigns, in duly exercising and carrying out this our present license and privilege, with effect according to its true meaning. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patents.11 Witness ourself at Westminster, the 25th day of March, in the sixth year of our reign.12
Read the original English
EDWARDE the …irte by the grace of God King of England. Fraunce and Irelād, Defendour of the fayth, and of the church of England and also o… Ire land in earth the supreme hedde.
TO all maner of Printers, Bokesellers; and other our Officers, Ministers and Subiectes gretyng.
We do you to vnderstand, that of our grace especial, we haue graunted and geuen Priuiledge and lycence, and by these presentes doe grau…t, and geue priuiledge and licence to our welbeloued subiect Iohn Daye, of our Citie of London Printer, vnto his factours & assignes, to Print, or cause to be printed, as wel this Cathechisme i Englishe, whiche we haue caused to be setfourth for the better instruction of …outh, to be taughte in Englyshe Schooles, as also an A. B. C. with the B…ife Cathechisme, alredy printed, Any other priuiledge to the contrary in any wyse not withstandynge.
AND furthermore oure plesure is that the same Iohn Day, hys factonres & assygnes, shall and may haue the onelye pryntynge from time to tyme of the same Cathechismes in recompence of his industry paynes and charges to be sustayned in that behalfe. ¶ Streightly forbidding by these presents al and singulec, our subiects, aswel priuters as bokesellers, as al other parsos within our Realmes and dominions whatsoeuer they be, to prynt, or cause to be printed▪ within any our fair… dominions, these Cathechismes aforesa…d or anye of them, but only the said Iohn Day▪ and his assignes, neither to bie any other sortes of impressions then such as shal be printed by the said Iohn Day and his assignes, vpō paine of our high displesure, and that euery offēder therin shall forteit to our vse▪ xls▪ for euery such cathechisme, so prin ted, or bought, cōtrari to the true meaning of this our present licence and priueledge, ouer & besides al such cathechismes to be forfaited to whom soeuer shal sustein the charges and sue the said forfai ture in our behalfe.
¶ Willing therfore and cōmāding al our officers & ministers as they tender our fauour and wil auoid our dysplesure and indignaciō for the cōtrary, that thei and euery of thē (if nede shal require) do aide and assist the foresayd Iohn Day, his factours and assignes, in due exercising & execuciō of this our present licence & priueledge with the ffect accordynge to the true meanynge of the same. I… witnes wherof we caused these oure letters to be made patents. Witnes oureselfe at Westemynstre the, xxv, day of March the, vi…, yeare of oure …aygue,
Notes
- 1 ↩Source reading damaged as 'the …irte'; restored as 'the Sixth' (Early Modern 'sixte'), the only historically plausible ordinal for Edward VI in this letters-patent opening.
- 2 ↩Source reading damaged as 'o… Ire land'; restored as 'of Ireland', completing the standard Tudor style 'Church of England and also of Ireland'.
- 3 ↩Source is damaged: 'grau…t' read as 'graunt'; 'i Englishe' as 'in Englishe'; '…outh' as 'youth'. 'grace' here is the royal-favor formula of letters patent, not theological grace.
- 4 ↩Isolated 'B.' is almost certainly the middle letter of 'A.B.C.' split across sentence refs by source segmentation.
- 5 ↩Isolated 'C.' is almost certainly the final letter of 'A.B.C.' split across sentence refs by source segmentation.
- 6 ↩Source 'B…ife Cathechisme' reconstructed as 'Brief Catechism' (the little catechism named in the chapter title).
- 7 ↩Source 'factonres' corrected to 'factors' (cf. neighboring 'factours' in PonetCatechism.1.2.3).
- 8 ↩Restored damaged/OCR forms: 'singulec'→'singular'; 'priuters'→'printers'; 'parsos'→'persons'; 'aforesa…d'→'aforesaid'; 'bie'→'buy'; 'then'→'than'; 'offēder'→'offender'; 'forteit'/'forfaited'/'forfai ture'→'forfeit'/'forfeited'/'forfeiture'; 'prin ted'→'printed'; 'cōtrari'→'contrary'.
- 9 ↩Source 'xls' rendered as 'forty shillings' (xl s.); standard Tudor monetary abbreviation.
- 10 ↩Damaged span 'within any our fair… dominions' rendered as 'within any of our said dominions' on the usual letters-patent formula; reading uncertain.
- 11 ↩Source begins 'I… witnes wherof'; restored as the standard patent closing 'In witness whereof,' which fits the truncated reading and the following attestation clause.
- 12 ↩Source reads 'vi…, yeare of oure …aygue'; restored as 'sixth year of our reign' (Edward VI), matching the 1553 imprint and standard dating of these letters patent.
John Ponet's Short Catechisme (1553) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit