Rare royal decree on marine insurance addressed to the Council of Brabant, replacing the decree of 27 October 1570. In 1569 the Duke of Alfa took a radical measure by banning all marine insurance. "This "provisional" decree of 31 March 1569 was abolished by an ordinance of 27 October 1570 of Philips II. Marine insurances were again allowed. ... Ships could only leave the port with the permission of an officer after an inspection of their armament. This decree also charged that all policies should contain a detailed report of the goods on board. ... Diego Gonzalez Gante was appointed to inspect these contracts. He also had to prepare an new instruction. This decree contained as well a formulary of an marine insurance. After a petition of the merchants and Nations of Antwerp, a new ordinance was promulgated three months later, on 20 January 1571. This decree provided that only ten percent remained to the own risk of the insurance taker. The goods, the name of the vessel and the captain had to be mentioned in the insurance policy. To prevent fraud, Diego Gonzalez Gante was also appointed to control everything. An insurance policy which was not recorded by him was to be declared null and void. Not only in Antwerp, but also in Bruges, Amsterdam and Middelburg people under his authority had full powers to verify this" (Huybrechts). This decree also prohibited life assurance.
With three lines underscored, otherwise a very good copy and wholly untrimmed. USTC 401508 (6 copies); Voet 1981 (4 copies, incl. 3 the same); WorldCat (3 the same copies); cf. M. Huybrechts (ed.), Marine insurance at the turn of the millennium II (2000), p. 18.