Decree of King Sigismund II Augustus against the customs collector Melchior Kośla in favor of Lwów

[recto] SIGISMUND AUGUSTUS BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF POLAND, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, etc., Lord and Heir. We make known by the tenor of this letter to all whom it may concern. Whereas, on the date falling by virtue of our decree letter, the representative of the honorable: mayor, councilors, reeve, jurors, and the entire commonalty of Our City of Lwów summoned the noble Melchior Kośla, then, at the time of the filing of the case, collector of Sandomierz, Lublin, and Lwów customs, declaring on behalf of his principals the readiness to receive from the said Melchior Kośla a corporal oath, according to the provision of our earlier decree, that on the part of his principals, the burghers of Lwów, no privilege of freedom of that city had been presented to him, nor was he aware of any such privilege of freedom; and due to the non-appearance of the said Melchior Kośla, summoned more than the usual four times by the voice of the land bailiff, who did not appear nor take the oath according to the provision of our decree, he demanded that the aforementioned Melchior Kośla be judicially sentenced by us to the amount of three thousand marks of money of the number and coinage of our Kingdom, and that the letters of the privilege of freedom and immunity, by virtue of which our burghers of Lwów are exempt from paying customs duties in all places in the Kingdom and our possessions, be preserved in due force. WE, together with Our Advisors and Experts in Law, by reason of the non-appearance of Melchior Kośla, have sentenced and hereby do sentence the same to the sum of three thousand marks of money to be paid to the mayor, councilors, reeve, jurors, and our burghers of Lwów. And for this reason, we resolve that the same mayor, councilors, reeve, jurors, and our burghers of Lwów are to be preserved in their rights and freedoms, by virtue of which they are exempt from paying customs duties in all places in the Kingdom and our domains, and we hereby preserve them by means of this our decree. In witness whereof, our seal has been appended hereto. Given in Warsaw on Tuesday after the nearest Sunday of Reminiscere, in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Five Hundred and Seventy-First, and the forty-second of our reign. [Chancery note on the left:] Walenty Dębieński / Scribe of the Chancery of the Kingdom of Poland [Chancery note on the right:] Relation of the Illustrious Walenty Dembiński of Dębian, Chancellor of the Kingdom of Poland [verso] [Modern note in red ink:] Second rubric / Letter B, number 25. [Archival notes from the 16th–18th centuries:] 1571. / Bundle 281 / Year Ser. 62. / Decree of Sigismund Augustus against Melchior Kośla, customs collector, regarding the freedom of Lwów burghers from all customs of the Kingdom. 1571. / area No. 700 / 4 [Ink stamp:] Central State Historical Archives of the USSR in Lwów

[recto] SIGISMVNDVS AVGVSTVS DEI gratia REX POLONIAE, magnus DVX Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masouiae, Samogitiae etc[etera] dominus et haeres. Significamus tenore praesentium, quoru[m] interest vniuersis. Posteaq[uam] in termino eo ex literis decreti nostri proueniente, plenipotens famatorum Proconsulis, Consulum, Aduocati, Scabinorum, totiusq[ue] communitatis Ciuitatis nostrae Leopolien[sis], indixisset se aduersus Nobilem Melchiorem Kosla tanquam pro tempore cau[sa]e institutae Theloneorum Sandomirien[sis], Lublinen[sis] et Leopolien[sis] Exactorem, offerens se nomine principalium suorum, paratum fore, suscipere ab ipso Melchiore Kosla iuramentum corporale, secundum praescriptum decreti nostri prioris, quod ex parte principalium illius Ciuium Leopolien[sium] non commonstratum esset eisdem priuilegium libertatis ciuitatis illius, nec de eiusmodi priuilegio libertatis ipsi quicquam constabat, atq[ue] in contumaciam ipsius Melchioris Kosla vltra solitum quater voce Ministerialis terrestris clamati, non comparentis, neque ex praescripto decreti nostri iusiurandum praestantis, expeteret memoratum Melchiorem Kosla, in summa trium millium marcarum pecuniae, numeri et monetae Regni nostri, a nobis iudicialiter condemnari, literasq[ue] priuilegii libertatis et immunitatis, qua Ciues nostri Leopolien[ses] a theloneis soluendis vbique locorum in Regno et dominijs nostris exempti sunt, in debito robore conseruari. NOS cum Consiliariis et Iurisperitis nostris, in contumaciam Melchioris Kosla, eundem in summa trium millium marcarum pecuniarum Proconsuli, Consulibus, Aduocato, Scabinis, Ciuibusque nostris Leopolien[sibus] soluendarum condemnavimus, condemnamusque praesentibus. Ex eaque ratione decernimus, eosdem Proconsulem, Consules, Aduocatum, Scabinos et ciues nostros Leopolien[ses] in iuribus et libertatibus suis, quibus a theloneis soluendis vbique locorum in Regno et dominijs nostris exempti sunt, conseruandos fore, conseruamusque praesentibus, hoc n[ost]ro decreto mediante. In cuius rei fidem sigillum nostrum praesentibus est appensum. Datum Warschauiae feria tertia post Dominicam Reminiscere proxima, Anno Domini Millesimo Quingentesimo Septuagesimo primo, Regni vero nostri Quadragesimo secundo. [Nota kancelaryjna po lewej:] Valenty Dambye[n]ski / R[egni] P[oloniae] C[ancellariae] S[criba?] [Nota kancelaryjna po prawej:] Relatio Magnifici Valentini Dembienski de Dembiany R[egni] P[oloniae] Cancellarii [verso] [Nota nowożytna czerwonym atramentem:] Rubrica Secunda / Litt: B. Nro. 25. [Noty archiwalne z XVI–XVIII w.:] 1571. / Fasc: 281 / Anno Ser. 62. / Decretum Sigismundi Aug[usti] contra Melchiorem Kosla Thelonearium [Theloneatorem?] super libertate Civium Leopolien[sium] ab Omnibus Regni Theloneis. 1571. / area N. 700 / 4 [Pieczątka tuszowa:] ЦДІА СРСР у м. Львові