THe Kings most Excellent Majesty, out of His Princely and Christian care of His loving Subjects, that no good means of Providence may be neglected to stay the further spread­ing of the great Infection of the Plague, doth find it necessary to prevent all occasions of publick Concourse of His people for the present, till it shall please Almighty God of his goodness to cease the violence of the Contagion, which is very far dispersed into ma­ny parts of this Kingdom already: And therefore remembring that there are at hand Two Fairs of special note, unto which there is usually extraordinary resort out of all parts of the Kingdom; the one kept in Smithfield and Saint Bartholomews the Great, near the City of London, called Bartholomew Fair; and the other near Cambridge, called Sturbridge Fair; the holding whereof at the usual times, would in all likelihood be the occasion of further Danger and Infection to other parts of the Land, which yet, by Gods mercy, stand clear and free; Hath, with the Advice of His Privie Council, thought good by this open Declaration of His Pleasure and necessary Commandment, not onely to admonish and require all His loving Subjects to forbear to resort for this time to either of the said two Fairs, kept in Smithfield or Saint Bartholomew the Great, & at Sturbridge afore­said, or within the Liberties of the University and Town of Cambridge, or to any other Fairs within Fif­ty miles of the said City of London; but also to enjoyn the Lords of the said Fairs, and others interes­sed in them, or any of them, That they all forbear to hold the said Fairs, or any thing appertaining to them at the times accustomed, or at any other time, till by Gods goodness and mercy the Infection of the Plague shall cease, or be so much diminished, that His Majesty shall give Orver for holding them, upon pain of such punishment, as for a Contempt so much concerning the universal safety of His peo­ple, they shall be adjudged to deserve; which they must expect to be inflicted with all severity. And to that purpose doth hereby further Charge and Enjoyn under like Penalty, all Citizens and Inha­bitants of the said City of London, that none of them shall repair to any Fairs held within any part of this Kingdom, until it shall please God to cease the Infection now reigning amongst them: His Majesties intention being, and so hereby declaring Himself, That no Lord of any Fairs, or others interessed in the profits thereof, shall by this necessary and temporary restraint receive any prejudice in the Right of his or their Fairs, or Liberties thereunto belonging; Any thing before mentioned notwithstanding.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the 6 ^th day of August, 1666. In the Eighteenth year of Our Reign.

God save the King.