FOR that the printing, importing, and dispersing of Popish and seditious Bookes and Pamphlets, and seditious Puritanicall Bookes and Pamphlets, scandalous to Our person, or State, such as haue beene lately vented by some Puritanicall spirits, is growen so common, and practised so licentiously, both to the traduting of Re­ligion, and the State, as that great inconueniencies may grow there­by, if they be not preuented and punished: Therefore, We doe strait­ly charge and command, That from hencefoorth no person or per­sons Whatsoeuer, presume to print any Booke or Pamphlet, touching, or concerning matters of Religion, Church gouernment, or State, within any Our owne Dominions, which shall not first be perused, corrected, and allowed, vnder the hand of the Lord Archbishop of Canterburie, the Lord Arch­bishop of Yorke, the Bishop of London, the Vicechancelour of one of the Vniuersities, of Oxford, or Cambridge, for the time being, or one of them, or of some other learned person or persons, to that purpose appointed by them, or one of them; And that no Merchant, or other person whatsoeuer, from hencefoorth presume to import, or bring into this Kingdome any such Booke or Pamphlet, and set, or offer the same to sale, or otherwise dispose thereof, before the same be first perused and allowed by the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterburie, Lord Arch-Bishop of Yorke, or Bishop of London, for the time being, or by some other learned person or pesons, to that purpose appointed by them, or one of them, who shall testifie their allowance thereof, vnder his or their hands: And that no Booke-binder, or Booke-seller, or other person whatsoeuer, shall from hencefoorth presume to sell, or offer to sell, or otherwise disperse or dis­pose any such Booke or Pamphlet, not so perused and allowed, vpon paine of Our high dis­pleasure and such other seuere punishment, as by Our Lawes, or by Our Prerogatiue Roy­all, can, or may be inflicted vpon them for such their contempt. And We doe straitly charge and command all Maiors, Iustices of the Peace, Shiriffes, and all other Our officers and mini­sters whatsoeuer, and all other Our louing Subiects, whom it shall, or may appertaine, and especially the Master and Wardens of the Company of Stationers of London, that from time to time they doe their vtmost endeauors, for the due obseruance of the Premisses, and for the dis­couery and searching out of all Offences and Offenders against this Our Royall command.

Giuen at Our Court at Nottingham the fifteenth day of August, in the two and twentieth yeere of Our Reigne of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland.

God saue the King.