The order of the firste prefermẽt of grace for Laye Bretherne.
“Fforasmoche as yt is moste expedyent that no man occupie,” etc., etc. This licence is similar to the last one excepting that it provides that the person admitted being made a brother, though no free man, should have a time given to him in which to practise the art of Surgery on approval.
The Order of the Admissyon of Maisters of Surgery and of the Anatamye to be confyrmed for ever before they have the Seale of the Busshop wch maketh up the hole confyrmac͠on of a master of Surgery & of Anathomye.
The order of the admissyon of a Mr of Surgerye.
We Thomas Knot Mr Thomas Gayle John Smythe and Thomˀs ffishe Governors Thomas Vycary George Hollande George Geen and Richard fferes Mrs and examyners of the Company of Barbours and Surgeons of London wth the rest of the whole assistaunce of the same Companye To all men to whome this wryting shall come greting. We certifye youe by this Lrẽ that whereas or welbeloved in Christe T. A. ys not onely a man of honest fame and good behaveor but is also expert connynge and well exercysed in the arte of Surgery as his well defycell[186] cures and prosperous successe wch can not be dooen wtout maturate judgement and Learninge dothe make thereof moste certayne trueth and be assure witnes. ffurther more we are assured by the experyence we have of the man that he is not onely substancyally well exercysed in the curing of infyrmities belonging to Surgery of the p̃ts of mans bodye comonly called the Anathomye: Wherfore we aswell in the behalf equyte reason and conscyence as also for the preferm̃et of Learning knowledge and experyence doo thinke yt meete convenyent and reasonnable to constitute the same T. A. bothe A Maister of Surgery and also of the Anathomye and willeth him so to be taken for ever hereafter and to have auctorytie to exercyse & occupye as well the one as the other wheresoever he shall come wtin this Realme or ellswhere of the premisses In Witnes wherof we have caused this Lrẽ to be sealed wt the great comon seale of our Hall the xxiijth daye of July Ao dñi 1556.
27th August, 1557. The same daye It Wase ffurder ordered and agreed that all men of the saide Companye and fellowshypp usinge the mystere and crafte of Surgerye maye take unto hys or yr Apprentice anye person or persons althoweth[187] he or they be not lerned in the Latin Tonge, anye Acte here to fore made to the contrarye not with standinge.
The same day it was ordered that the two Masters of Anatomy should have the keys and custody of the “Lyberary and of the Instr̃ments” therein, and that the Wardens of the Yeomanry were to keep the Instruments clean.
Attendance by the members on the Surgical side was compulsory at the Anatomy lectures, and 27th August, 1557, is an order of Court that Robert Mudsley (Master in 1572 and 1580) “hath lycence to be absent from all lecture dayes wthoute paymẽte any fyne for by cawse he hath gyven over the exercysynge of the arte of Surgery and doth occupy only a sylk shoppe and shave.”
A little later on, William Cawsey had licence to be absent from the lectures on payment of a yearly fine of 3s. 4d., and there are scores of similar exemptions in the books.
1st March, 1558. Jasper the Cutter for the Stoane had Lycence by the Mr and govˀnors that he shall worcke and set forth his sygne and he payde for hys fyne xs and yf that he do not go ovˀ in to his owne cuntrye before whytsontide nexte after folowyng he hath promysed that he wylbe a brother of this howse but as yet he ys not admytted a brother.