Hey and most mighty prince noble and worthy lords spirituelx and temporelx and worshipfull comunes, for so moche as a man hath thre things to governe, that is to say soule, body, and worldly goods, the which ought and shulde ben principaly reweled by thre sciences, that ben divinitie, fisyk, and lawe, the soule by divinitie, the body by fisyk, worldly goods by lawe, and those conynges should be used and practised principally by the most connyng men in the same sciences, and most approved in cases necessaries to encrese of virtue, long life, and gouds of fortune, to the worship of God and comyn profit.
But worthi soveraines hit is known to your hey discretion, meny uncunning and unaproved in the aforesaide science practiseth, and specialy in fysyk, so that in this realme is every man be he never so lewed taking upon him practice y suffered to use it to grete harm and slaughtre of many men, where if no man practiced therein but al only connynge men and approved sufficiently y learned in art, filosofye, and fysyk, as it is kept in other londes and roialmes ther shuld many man that dyeth for defaute of helpe lyve, and no man perish by unconning.
Wherefore pleseth to your excellents wysdomes that ought after your soule have no entendance to youre body for the causes abovesaid, to ordaine and make in statute perpetually to be straitly y used and kept. That no man of no manner, estate, degre, or condition, practice in fysyk fro this time forward, bot he have long time y used the scoles of fysyk, having letters testimonialx sufficianty of on of those degrees in the universite in which he took his degree in, under payne of long imprisonement and paying XL lb to the king, and that no woman use the practice of fysyk under the same payne, and that the sherreffs of every shire make inquisition in their tournes if there be any that forfaiteth agens this statuit under a payne reasonable, and thenne that they put this statute in execution without any favoure under the same payne; also lest that they the which ben able to practise in fisyk ben excluded fro practise, the which be not graduated. Pleseth to your hey prudency to send writtes to all the sherriffs of England, that every practysour in fisyk not graduated in the same science, that wole practise forth be wythin on of the universities of this lond by a certain day, that thay that ben able mowe aftre true and strayt examination be received to their degree, and that they that be not able to cese fro the practise into the time they ben able and approved, or for to never more entermete thereof, and that herto also be y set a peyne convenient.
Dorso.
Responsio hujus petitionis patet in rotulo parliamento dat. 2. dic maij anno regni regis Henr. 5ti. post conquestum nono.
Rot. Parl. 9. H. 5. p. 1. No. 11.
Lordinance encontre les entremettours de fysyk et de Surgerie.
Item pur ouster meschieves et perils qe longement ont continuez dedains le roialme entre les gentz par my ceux quont usez larts et le practik de fisik et surgerye pretendantz foi’ bien et sufficeaument apris de mesmes les arts on de verite non pas estes a grand deceite a le people. Si est ordeinez et assentuz en ceste parlement qe les seigneurs du counseil du roy pur le temps esteantz aient poair per anctoritie de mesme le parlement de faire et mettre tielle ordinaunce et punissement envers ceux persones qe desore evanant vorrant entremetter et user le practik des dits arts et ne sont my hables ne approves en ycelles come app’ent as mesmes les arts cesstasavoir ceux de fisyk en les universities et les surgeons entre les mestres de cell arte et ceo come semblera as ditz seigneurs les plus convenables et necessarie en le cas selonc lour bon advis et discretions pur le surete de le people.