MOst Reverend Father in God, Our Right Trusty and Entirely Be­loved Counsellor, We greet you well. The continuance of this extreme hard Weather, exciting Our gracious compassion towards the poorer sort of Our Subjects, so much the more as that We find in Our Cities of London and Westminster, and in the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality, that the very great number of such as by rea­son of the Weather cannot Work at their Trades and usual Employ­ments, hath in a manner exhausted all Provisions and Charities that have been hitherto made for them; We have therefore thought it necessary at this time heartily to re­commend unto you, and We do hereby expresly will and require you to take care, that as soon as it is possible a Collection be made of the Alms and Benevolence of all charitable and well disposed People within your Diocess of Canterbury; And that all the Moneys that shall be so Collected, being returned to your hands, be by you di­stributed (taking along with you the Notices that Our Right Trusty and Welbeloved Counsellor the Bishop of London will be able to give you, he having already distri­buted great Sums of Money upon this Charity) among such Poor as live within Our Cities of London and Westminster, and the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality; And that among them a special regard be had (as We have already directed the said Bi­shop of London) to poor Seamen, Watermen, and indigent House-keepers. We doubt not but upon this occasion you will call earnestly upon the Clergy of your Dio­cess, to do their part herein, with a Diligence and Zeal suitable to the Charity of the Work, and the great Exigency of the Time. And so We bid you very heartily fare­wel.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the second day of February 1683, in the Six and Thirtieth Year of Our Reign.