AS often as We call to minde the most ioyfull and iust Recognition made by the whole body of our Realme, in the first Session of our High Court of Parliament, of that blessing which it hath pleased God to reserue many yeeres in his Prouidence to our Person, and now in the fulnesse of the time of his Disposition, to bestow vpon Vs; Namely the blessed Vnion, or rather Reuniting of these two mightie, fa­mous, and ancient Kingdomes of England and Scotland, vnder one Imperiall Crowne: So often doe We thinke, that it is our duetie, to doe our vttermost endeuour, for the aduancement and perfection of that woorke, which is of his beginning, and whereof hee hath giuen so many palpable signes and Arguments, as hee that seeth them not, is blinde, and hee that impugneth them, doeth but endeuour to separate that, which God hath put together. For, to omit those things which are euident to sense, That the Isle within it selfe hath almost none but imaginarie bounds of separation without, but one common limit or rather Gard of the Ocean Sea, making the whole a little world within it selfe, the Nations an vniformitie of constitutions both of body and minde, especially in Martiall prowesses, A communitie of Language, the princi­pall meanes of Ciuil societie, An vnitie of Religion, the chiefest band of heartie Vnion, and the surest knot of lasting Peace: What can be a more expresse Testimonie of Gods authoritie of this worke, then that two mightie Nations, hauing bene euer from their first separation continually in blood each against other, should for so many yeres immediatly before our Succession, be at peace together, as it were to this end, That their memory being free from sence of the smart of former iniuries, their minds might, in the time of Gods appointment, more willingly come together, That it hath pleased him so to dispose, that this Vnion is not inforced by Conquest and violence, nor contracted by doubt­full and deceiuable points of transaction, but naturally deriued from the Right and Title of the pre­cedent Princes of both Kingdomes, concurring in our Person, alike lineally descended from the blood of both through the Sacred coniunction of Wedlocke, An Vnion which is the worke of God and Nature, and whereunto the workes of Force or Policie cannot attaine? Wee may addehere­unto that which We haue receiued from those that be skilfull in the Lawes of this Land, That im­mediatly [Page] vpon our Succession, diuers of the ancient Lawes of this Realme are Ipso facto expired, As namely, that of Escuage, and of the Naturalization of the Subiects, And that there is a greater affinitie and concurrence betweene most of the ancient Lawes of both Kingdomes, then is to be found betweene those of any other two Nations, As namely, in states of Inheritance and Free­hold, as Fee-simple, Fee-taile, Tenant for life, by Courtesie, Dower, and such like, In Cases of des­cents of Inheritance, In Tenures of Lands, as of Knights seruice, Socage, Franke Almoigne, Burgage, Villenage, and such like, In Writts and formes of Processe, In cases of Triall by Iu­ries, Grand Iuries; And lastly in Officers and Ministers of Iustice, As Sheriffes, Coroners, and such like, which We leaue to be further considered by the Commissioners of both Realmes.

All which being matter prepared onely by the Prouidence of Almightie God, and which by hu­mane Industrie could not haue bene so ordered; Wee, and all our Subiects ought first with reue­rence to acknowledge his Handie-worke therein, and to giue him our most humble thankes for the same, and then to further by our endeuours that, which his Wisedome doth by so many signes point out to be his Will: Whereof many particularities depending vpon the determinations of the States and Parliaments of both Realmes, We leaue them there to be discussed, according to the Commis­sions graunted by the seuerall Actes of both Parliaments. And some other things resting in Our owne Imperiall Power, as the Head of both, We are purposed towards the building of this excel­lent worke, to doe by Our selfe that, which iustly and safely Wee may by Our absolute power doe. And for a first stone of this worke, whereupon the rest may be layed, seeing there is vndoubtedly but one Head to both Peoples, which is Our selfe; And that vnfainedly We haue but one Heart and Minde to communicate equally to both States, as Lines issuing from one Center, Our Iustice, our Fauours, and whatsoeuer else dependeth vpon the Vnitie of Our Supreme power ouer both, (God hauing ministred to Vs so iust cause to imbrace them both with equall and indifferent Loue, in as much as Our Birth, and the first part of Our life hath been in the one, and the later part there­of is like to be for the most part in the other:) Wee thinke it vnreasonable, that the thing, which is by the worke of God and Nature so much in effect one, should not be one in name; Vnitie in name being so fit a meanes to imprint in the hearts of people, a Character and memoriall of that Vnitie, which ought to be amongst them indeede.

Wherefore Wee haue thought good to discontinue the diuided names of England and Scot­land out of our Regall Stile, and doe intend and resolue to take and assume vnto Vs in maner and forme hereafter expressed, The Name and Stile of KING OF GREAT BRITTAINE, including therein according to the trueth, the whole Island. Wherein no man can imagine Vs to be led by an humour of Vaineglory or Ambition, because wee should in that case, rather delight in a long enumeration of many Kingdomes and Seigniories, (whereof in Our Inheritance We haue plentie enough, if Wee thought there were glory in that kind of Stile) but onely that Wee vse it as a signification of that, which in part is already done, and a significant Prefiguration of that, which is to be done hereafter; Nor that We couet any new affected Name deuised at Our pleasure, but out of vndoubted knowledge doe vse the true and ancient Name, which God and Time haue imposed vpon this Isle, extant, and receiued in Histories, in all Mappes and Cartes, wherein this Isle is described, and in ordinary Letters to Our selfe from diuers Forraine Princes, warranted also by Authenticall Charters, Exemplifications vnder Seales, and other Records of great Antiquitie, gi­uing [Page] Vs president for our doing, not borowed out of Forraine Nations, but from the Actes of our Progenitors, Kings of this Realme of England, both before and since the Conquest, hauing not had so iust and great cause as We haue.

Vpon all which considerations We doe by these Presents, by force of our Kingly Power and Prerogatiue, assume to Our selfe by the cleerenesse of our Right, The Name and Stile of KING OF GREAT BRITTAINE, FRANCE, AND IRELAND, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, &c. as followeth in Our iust and lawfull Stile, And doe hereby pub­lish, promulge and declare the same, to the ende that in all Proclamations, Missiues forreine, and Domesticall, Treaties, Leagues, Dedicatories, Impressions, and in all other cases of like nature, the same may be vsed and obserued. And to the ende the same may be the sooner and more vniuer­sally diuulged both at Home and abroad: Our will and pleasure is, That the same Stile be from hencefoorth vsed vpon all Inscriptions vpon our currant Moneys and Coynes of Gold and Siluer hereafter to be Minted. And for that Wee doe not Innouate or assume to Vs any new thing, but declare that which is and hath bene euident to all; Our will and pleasure is, That in such Appel­lations or Nominations, as shall be hereafter made by force of these presents, the same shall bee ex­pressed in such and the same maner and forme, and after such computation, as if we had assumed and declared the same the first day of our Raigne of our Realme of England; Forbearing onely for the present that any thing herein conteined doe extend to any Legall proceeding, Instrument, or Assu­rance, vntill further Order be taken in that behalfe.

Giuen at our Pallace of Westminster the twentieth day of October, in the second yeere of our Raigne of England, France and Ireland, and of Scotland the eight and thirtieth.

God saue the King.