Aurum Regina, To the reader
To all Ingenious Readers, eſpecially Profeſſors and Students of the Common Laws of England.
GENTLEMEN,
I Here preſent to your View, and candid Acceptation, a Compendious Tractate, and Chronological Collection of ſuch Records in the Tower of London, and Exchequer Court at Weſtminſter, which concern the antient Royal Prerogative, and Lega… Duty of QUEEN-GOLD, belonging time out of minde to all our QUEEN-CONSORTS both in England and Ireland, whereof there is rare or little mention in any printed Law-books, except Sir Edward Cooks Poſthumusa12 Reports p. 21, 22. Reports, andb4 Inſtitutes p. 3…7. Inſtitutes; wherein he hath over-much clipped this Gold Coine, and miſtaken or miſapplied ſome Records that concern it, as he hath done in ſundry other particulars I havecIn my Epiſtle to an exact Abridgement of the Records in the Tower. In my Brevia Parliamenta…ia part 1, 2, 3, 4. My Plea for the Lords. The Firſt and Second part of my Demurrer to the Jews Remitter into England. elſewhere diſcovered, to the miſleading of thoſe of his Profeſſion, and other Readers who through ignorance, lazineſs, or over-much credulity, vouch and cry up his miſquoted, miſtaken, or miſapplied Records and Antiquities, (which he had little leiſure to peruſe himſelf) as undoubted Verities, and infallible Oracles.
All the Records here cited I have carefully peruſed and examined with my own eyes, except only thoſe few I have quoted out of Mr. William Hakewils Treatiſe, W. B. and Mr. Attorney Herberts Collections of Queen-gold, the Rolls and Numbers whereof are either miſtaken in the years, or the Writs, Records themſelves miſlaid, or loſt, being not to be found at preſent, upon my ſearch after them in the ſeveral Treaſuries and Offices in the Exchequer; wherein I was much aſſiſted by Mr. Hall, Mr. Burnet, Mr. Fauconbridge, and other Clerks and Officers of that Court, who communicated their Notes of this Subject to me, and will be both enabled, encouraged by this Publication to a further Scrutiny after this Gold Ore, as well in the neglected Files of Writs, and Baggs of Accounts, as Rolls in their reſpective Offices, into every of which I had yet no leiſure exactly to ſearch.
My principal end (next to the diſcharge of my ſworn Duty to his MAJESTY, and Service to his Royal Conſort the QUEEN) in compiling and publiſhing theſe (as well as*An Exact Collection of the Records in the Tower. My …lea for the Lords and Houſe of Peers The 1, 2, 3, and 4 part of A brief Regiſter and Survey of Parliamentary Writs. The 2 …art of my Demurrer to the Jews long diſcontinued Remitter into England. The 1 …, & 3 T…e of my Chronological V…nd…cation, and Hiſtorical Collection of our Britiſh, Roman, Saxon, Da…iſh, Norman, Engliſh Kings Supreme … cleſlaſtical Iur…ſdiction, &c. former) Collections of Records, was to diſcover and communicate ſome over-long concealed Branches of the antient Common Law of England, (and more particularly thoſe relating to the Duty of Queen-gold) to the Students and Profeſſors thereof, unknown to the majority of them, being generally unacquainted with our beſt, antienteſt Records; wherein the moſt publick, uſefull Parts, Arteries of the Laws of this Realm, as the Summons, Acts, Proceedings, Judgements Pleas, Priviledges, Juriſdictions of our Engliſh and Iriſh Parliaments, and all other Courts, and Grand Officers whatſoever, Civil, Eccleſiaſtical, Naval, or Military; the Soveraign Rights, Titles of our Kings to the Crowns, and all Crown-Lands of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Normandy, Aquitain, Gaſcoign, Britany, the Iſles of Oleron, Jerſy, Gernſy, Alderny, Serke, Man, Angleſey, Scilley, Lundy, and to the Britiſh Ocean; the ſeveral Prerogatives, Royalties of our Kings, Queens, Princes of Wales, and Coun…y Palatines; the Militia and Defence of our Realms by Land or Sea▪ the Succeſſions, Endowments, Revenues, Priviledges, Salaries of our Archbiſhops, Biſhops, Abbots, Priors, Judges, Officers of all ſorts; the Charters, Foundations, Confirmations, Franchiſes of all kinds of Corporations; the Appropriations of Churches; the Creations, Pedigrees, Tenures, Lands, Services, Fairs, Markets, Parks, Chaces, Warrens, Royalties, Cuſtoms, Revenues of moſt of the Engliſh, Iriſh, Scotiſh Nobility and Gentry; the Bounds, Perambulations, Aſſarts, Deafforreſtations of all Foreſts, Chaces; the Mints, Stanneries, Mines, Coine, Trade, Exchanges, Merchandize, Government of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Iſles belonging to them; the Treaties, Leagues with Foreign Kings, States; ſundry rare excellent Writs, Prohibitions, Proclamations, Inquiſitions, Commiſſions, Charters, Letters of our Kings to Foreign Emperors, Kings, States, Popes, Cardinals, and their Letters, Bulls to them concerning State and Church affairs; Caſes, Appeals, and matters of Common, Martial, Marine Law, Law of Merchants concerning Repriſals, Depredations, Arms, Heraldry, and whatever elſe may conduce to make heroick ſtudious ſpirits accompliſhed Lawyers, Heralds, Hiſtorians, Stateſmen, are compriſed and rolled up in obſcurity in our over-much neglected Records; upon which account our Kings have had ſpecial care to preſerve them as ſacred, and their beſt, richeſt Treaſures, in the*Placita Parl. Anno 33 E. 1. Clauſ 33 E. 1. m. 3. Clauſ. 14 E. 2 m. 14. Pat. 16 E. 2. pars 1. m. 28. Clauſ. 11 E. 3. pars 1. m. 13. dorſo. Clauſ. 14 E. 3. pars 2 m 10. dorſo. Clauſ. 34 E. 3. m. 15. intus. Clauſ. 36 E. 3. m. 25. intus. Pat. 3 E 6. … die Maii. Pat An 9 Eliz. 8 die Junii. Pat An. 2 Jac. 30 Decemb. & 10 Jac 4 Julii. Tower of London and other places of greateſt ſecurity.
If theſe Collections ſhall excite any Gentlemen of my Profeſſion or others, to a more induſtrious ſearch, ſtudy of Records, or contribute any addition to the Dignity, Splendor, amplitude of our Common Laws, (the grand Supporters, Preſervers of the Crowns, Scepters, Royalties of our Kings and Queens, as well as of the Subjects Liberties, Properties, Lives) I ſhall repute my pains and coſt ſufficiently recompenced, and be thereby encouraged through Gods aſſiſtance, to voluminous publications of Records of another more general uſefull ſubject, wherein I am engaged, for the Honour of our Engliſh Kings, Kingdom, Church, Nation, Laws, againſt all Foreign and Domeſtick Uſurpations on, or Underminers of them.
From my Study in Lincolns-Inne March 25. 1668. William Prynne.