WHereas this present Parliament was begun and held at Westminster on the Eight day of May, in the Thirteenth year of His Majesties Reign, and hath been since by several Prorogations and Adjourn­ments continued, and was lately Prorogued until the Fourth day of February next; The Kings most Excellent Majesty taking into His serious Consideration, the many Inconveniencies arising by the over-long continuance of one and the same Parliament, doth (by this His Royal Proclamation) Publish and Declare His Royal Will and Plea­sure to Dissolve this present Parliament, and doth hereby Dissolve the same according­ly. And the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Knights, Citizens and Burgesses of this present Parliament, are Discharged from their Meeting upon the said Fourth day of February: And to the intent His Majesties Loyal Sub­jects of this His Realm, may perceive the Confidence His Majesty hath in their good Affections, and how willing and desirous His Majesty is to meet His Peo­ple, and have their Advice by their Representatives in Parliament, His Majesty is hereby pleased Graciously to Declare, That He will forthwith cause Writs in due Form of Law to be Issued for the Calling of a New Parliament; which shall begin, and be holden at Westminster, on Thursday the Sixth day of March next, when His Majesty doth expect such Laws will be Enacted, and such Order taken, by the Consent and Advice of His Parliament, as will tend to the Securing the True Protestant Religion, and the Peaceable and Happy Government of this His Kingdom.

Given at Our Court At Whitehall, the Twenty fourth day of January 1678. In the Thirtieth year of Our Reign.

God save the King.