Permission from King John II Casimir for the city of Lwów to collect charges from foreign merchants

JOHN CASIMIR, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF POLAND, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia, Smolensk, and Chernihiv, and also hereditary King of the Swedes, Goths, and Vandals. We hereby announce to all and each of you whom it may concern. Although the concern of royal dignity, in which the Supreme Ruler of monarchs GOD has deigned to place Us, constantly urges Us and often reminds Us that We should in every way take care to remove all burdens from Our subjects in general and ensure them the good of peace and property, yet Our heart is inflamed with a warmer feeling toward the administration of that which concerns the honor and ornament of the Commonwealth in a special way, in which we ought to act with the greater zeal, the more clearly it is known to Us that the benefits and strengths of Our Kingdom are preserved in their inviolability. Indeed, it has reached the ears of Our royal majesty from Our City of Lwów that: merchants, both from the farthest lands and from other cities of Our Kingdom, arriving for trade in Lwów, which is considered a general trading depot for all of Ruthenia, constantly remain there, exposing their things and goods for sale without bearing any municipal burdens. Although by the laws of Our Kingdom (and especially by the constitutions enacted at the diets in the year fifteen hundred and eighty-two, the year fifteen hundred and eighty-one, the year fifteen hundred and eighty-eight, and the year sixteen hundred and eleven with the consent of all estates, as well as by the privilege for the City of Lwów graciously granted by the late King Sigismund Augustus, Our uncle and predecessor, regarding the bearing of burdens by visiting merchants in Warsaw on the sixteenth day of the month of September of the year of our Lord fifteen hundred and fifty-eight) it was solemnly ordered that merchants and others staying in cities subject to municipal law should satisfy all taxes and burdens of the cities; and although it is accepted by the custom of all other cities in the Kingdom based on common law that such people, enjoying the benefits of those cities, should also feel their burdens and bear them. We, therefore, considering that it is most fitting that the laws of Our Kingdom and the customs consistent with them should not suffer detriment in Our times, but rather be preserved inviolate, and even – as far as the consideration of the times allows – increased, we permit the aforementioned Our City of Lwów (so that from individual visiting merchants, without any exception, while preserving the rights of fairs, after the expiration of fourteen days, during which period of time, according to the laws of the Lwów staple, trade will be permitted without any fees, yet in accordance with the public constitution of the year fifteen hundred and sixty-five, those wishing to stay in Lwów with any goods whatsoever, either collect municipal charges, or on their account each year a certain sum of money proportional to the transported goods [collect], especially since the aforementioned Our City of Lwów bears no small ailments and hardships around the preservation of the rights of the staple and around protecting foreign merchants from various dangers and difficulties), if by coincidence visiting merchants, jointly or separately, openly or secretly, directly or indirectly, dare to act against the above in anything, or in any way oppose this royal rescript of Ours and public laws in this regard, [we impose] a penalty of one hundred Hungarian florins, which we impose by royal authority on those acting against this, so that whenever they act against this, they may know that each of them will irrevocably be subject to it. Of which we have decided and hereby allocate half to the benefit of Our royal treasury, and the remaining part to the needs of the said Our City of Lwów; wishing that such a penalty imposed from the goods and things of the said foreign and visiting merchants, whenever the need arises, be collected in full and used for the above purposes, regardless of whether the said merchants staying in the right of the Lwów staple for a long time with goods for greater profit have obtained from Our chancellery to the detriment of Our City of Lwów any letters, concessions or graces, privileges or indults, or any prohibitions at any time in any way, which by Our royal authority and the authority of the laws of Our Kingdom we want to have no power or meaning in this regard. For the greater faith and clearer testimony of all this, we have ordered and commanded this to be signed by Our hand and suspended with the seal of Our Kingdom. Given in Lwów on the Monday after the nearest feast of the Assumption of the Most Glorious, Most Holy Mary the Virgin, in the year of our Lord sixteen hundred and fifty-three, the fifth year of Our reign in Poland, and the sixth year in Sweden. [Under the fold:] Hieronim Pinocci, Secretary of His Royal Majesty, by his own hand. [Seal:] [Great Crown Seal in red wax, in a round bowl/case, suspended on a silk cord] [Verso:] Second rubric Lit. B. No. 27. 2. B. 27. [Chancellery inscriptions / regesta:] Chancellery of the Most Illustrious [...] Lord Stefan of Wielka Korycizna Koryciński [...] Chancellor [...] Privilege of fourteen days [...] to merchants [...] To bundle 293 29.

IOANNES CASIMIRUS DEI GRATIA REX POLONIAE MAGNUS DUX Lithuaniae, Russiae, Prussiae, Masoviae, Samogitiae, Livoniae, Smolensciae, Czerniechoviaeque; Nec non Suecorum, Gottorum Vandalorumque Haereditarius Rex. Significamus praesentibus literis Nostris quorum interest universis et singulis. Etsi sollicitudo Regiae dignitatis, in qua Nos Supremus ille Principum Arbiter DEUS dignatus est collocare, incessanter Nos urget, et frequenter admonet, utcunque esse sollicitos, ut a Nostris Subditis generaliter universis incommoda submoveamus, et pacis eis ac fortunarum Bonum impertiamus: ferventiori tamen affectu in illis exercendis Cor Nostrum accenditur, quae Reipublicae decus et ornamentum, quadam speciali ratione concernunt, ubi Nos tanto ardentius decet intendere, quanto Nobis constat evidentius in eorum integritate Regni Nostri commoda et nervos conservari. Sane ad Regij Nostri culminis audientiam pro parte Civitatis Nostrae Leopoldiensis perductum est, qualiter: Mercatores, tam ex extremis Regionibus, quam ex aliis Regni Nostri Civitatibus exercendorum mercimoniorum causa Leopolim, quae Generale Emporium totius Russiae habetur, venientes, ibidem continuo maneant, res et merces suas venum exponant, nulla Onera Civilia sustinentes. Quanquam Legibus Regni Nostri, (praesertim vero Constitutionibus in Comitiis Anno Millesimo Quingentesimo Octuagesimo Secundo, Anno Millesimo Quingentesimo Octuagesimo Primo, Anno Millesimo Quingentesimo Octuagesimo Octavo, et Anno Millesimo Sexcentesimo Undecimo, Omnium Ordinum consensu sancitis, nec non Privilegio Civitati Leopoldiensi per Divae memoriae Regem Sigismundum Augustum, Avunculum et Praedecessorem Nostrum, ratione ferendorum onerum, per Mercatores Aduenas, Varsaviae Die Decima Sexta Mensis Septembris Anno Christi Millesimo Quingentesimo Quinquagesimo Octavo benigne concesso) serio iniungatur, ut Mercatores, et alii in Civitatibus, sive Jure Civili commorantes omnibus Collectis et Oneribus Civitatum satisfaciant: Et quanquam omnium aliarum in Regno Civitatum consuetudine, publico Juri innixa receptum sit, ut eiusmodi homines earundem Civitatum commodis sentientes, sentiant etiam Onera ac sustineant. Nos igitur attendentes plurimum expedire ne Regni Nostri Leges, et iis conformes Consuetudines Nostris temporibus minuantur, sed potius illaesae conserventur, aut etiam quantum temporum ratio permittit augeantur, supradictae Civitati Nostrae Leopoldiensi permittimus, (Ita ut a singulis Mercatoribus advenis, nemine penitus excepto (Juribus tamen Nundinarum salvis) post elapsum quatuordecim dierum (in quo spatio iuxta Jura Depositorij Leopoldiensis absque ullis exactionibus Mercimonia, iuxta tamen Constitutionem publicam Anni Millesimi Quingentesimi Sexagesimi Quinti exercere licitum erit) Leopoli cum mercibus suis quibuscunque commorari volentibus aut Onera Civilia exigant, aut ratione eorundem singulis Annis summam aliquam pecuniariam proportione Mercimoniorum ferendorum praesertim cum memorata Civitas Nostra Leopoldiensis non mediocres molestias, et labores, circa conservanda Jura Depositorij, et circa tuendos, a diversis periculis, et difficultatibus Aduenas Mercatores sustineat), si forsitan Mercatores Aduenae coniunctim, vel divisim publice vel occulte, directe vel indirecte contra praemissa in aliquo facere, vel Regio huic Nostro Rescripto, et Legibus publicis, quomodolibet in hac parte obviare praesumpserint, poenam Centum Florenorum Ungaricalium, quam contra facientibus authoritate Regia imponimus, ut quoties contra fecerint eo ipso se noverint singuli irremissibiliter incursuros, Quorum medietatem Fisco Nostro Regali, residuam vero partem praedictae Civitatis Nostrae Leopoldiensis usibus applicari decrevimus, et praesentibus applicamus: volentes eiusmodi poenam comissam, de Bonis et Rebus predictorum Mercatorum extraneorum, et Aduenarum, toties quoties occurrerit integraliter exigi, et usibus praedictis assignari, non obstante si forsitan praefati Mercatores in Depositorio Leopoldiensi longo tempore maioris lucri causa cum Mercibus degentes, ex Cancellaria Nostra in praeiudicium Civitatis Nostrae Leopoldiensis, quas cunque Literas Concessiones seu Gratias, Privilegia, vel Indulta, aut Inhibitiones quasunque, quomodolibet aliquando impetraverint, quas et quae Authoritate Nostra Regia, et Authoritate Legum Regni Nostri quoad hoc nullius volumus esse roboris et momenti. In quorum omnium maiorem fidem et evidentius testimonium praesentes manu Nostra subscriptas, Sigilloque Regni Nostri appendi iussimus et mandavimus. Datum Leopoli Feria Secunda post Festum Assumptionis Gloriosissime, Beatissime Mariae Virginis in Caelum proxima. Anno Domini Millesimo Sexcentesimo Quinquagesimo Tertio. Regnorum Nostrorum Poloniae Quinto, Sueciae vero Sexto. Anno. [Sub plica:] Hieronymus Pinoccius Reg[iae] M[aiesta]tis secr[etarius] m[anu] p[ropria] [Pieczęć:] [Wielka pieczęć koronna w czerwonym wosku, w okrągłej misce/puszce, podwieszona na jedwabnym sznurze] [Verso:] Rubrica Secunda Lit. B. Nro 27. 2. B. 27. [Inskrypcje kancelaryjne / regesta:] Canc[ellaria] Illu[stri]ss[i]mi […] Domini Stephani de Wielkiekorycizna Korycinski […] Cancellarii […] Privilegium quatuordecim dierum […] mercatoribus […] Ad Fasc. 293 29.