WHEREAS the Lords and Gentlemen of the Kingdom of Scotland met at Whitehall at Our Desire, to advise Us what was to be done for Securing the Protestant Religion and Restoring the Laws and Liberties of that Kingdom, Have desired Us to call a Meeting of the Estates in March next, and in the mean while to take upon Us the Ad­ministration of publick Affairs, both Civil and Military, the disposal of the publick Revenue and Fortresses, and the doing every thing that is necessary for the preserving of the Peace,

WE being desirous to Omit nothing that may tend to the publick Good and Happiness of that Kingdom, Have (in pursuance of the said Advice) Issued forth Our Orders for the Calling of the said Meeting of the Estates, And to the end that in the mean time the publick Peace, and the Fortresses may be Secured, and the Revenue Collected, We Do hereby Will and Require all Persons being Protestants that are at present in the Possession of the Offices of Sheriffs, Justices of the Peace, Magistrats of Burghs, Baillies of Regalities, Baillies of Bailliaries, Stewards of Stewartries, Governours or Lieutenants of Fortresses, Keepers of Prisons or Priso­ners, or in the Possession of any inferior Offices and places of the like nature, and likewise all Persons being Protestants that are in the Possession of any Office or Imployment, in Collecting, Receiving, Managing, or Ordering of the publick Revenue, to take upon them, and to continue in the Exercise of the saids Offices and Places respectively, Doing and Ordering every thing, which the Trust reposed in them, according to the nature of the saids Offices, requires to be done, and ordered in the usual Manner, Form and Method; And We Do in a particular manner Authorize, Im­power and Require; such of them to whom the Care of preserving the Peace and Quiet of the Nation belongs; To use all Diligence for Sup­pressing all Routs, Tumults, Disorders, Violences, and such other Unwarrantable Practices as are contrary to it: And We do hereby Expresly Prohibit and Discharge all Disturbances and Violences upon the account of Religion, or the Exercise thereof, or any such like Pretence, and that no Interruption be made, or if any hath been made, that it Cease in the Free and Peaceable Exercise of Religion, whether it be in the Churches, or in the Publick and Private Meetings, of those of a different Perswasion. Requiring, Likeas We do hereby Require all Protestants, as they love the Good of their Countrey, and Religion, and are willing in their several Stations, and Ca­pacities to Concur with Us, in Our Endeavours to bring Matters to a Happy and Desirable Settlement, that they will live Peace­ably together, and without Disquieting or Molesting one another; Enjoy their several Opinions and Forms of Worship, whether ac­cording to Law, or otherways, with the same Freedom, and in the same manner, in which they did Enjoy them in the Mo­neth of October last, till such time, as by Regular and Legal Methods a due Temper may be fallen on, for Composing and Settling those Differences: And to the End, that the Peace may be the more effectually Secured; We Require all Men, or Numbers of Men in Arms, by vertue of any Order or Authority, and under any Title and Designation whatsoever, whether they be standing Forces, or Militia Forces, Modelled into Regular Troups, and kept on Foot, as standing Forces, to Separat, Dismiss, and Disband themselves. Likeas, We do hereby Disband them, and appoint them to Retire to their respective Dwellings, with full assurance to them, that care shall be taken in due time for their having their Pay, if any shall be found due to them. And We do further Prohibite and Discharge, all Persons in time coming to take Arms, or to continue in Arms upon any Pretence whatsoever, without a Commission, or an express Order from Us, Excepting from what is above Written, Likeas, We do hereby Except the Garisons of the Fortresses, and the Company of Foot entertained by the Town of Edinburgh, for the Guard of the said Town, whom We do appoint to continue in the Exercise of their Du­ty (they being Protestants) in the saids Garisons and Town. And whereas, several Roman Catholicks have been, and are still in the possession of diverse of the Places and Offices above-mentioned; We do hereby Require them to leave the saids Offices and Places, and to retire to their several Dwelling-houses, where We Forbid and Discharge all Persons to Disquiet, Disturb, or Molest them any manner of way: And We appoint the next immediat Protestant Officers in the Fortresses, where Governours, Deputy-Governours, or other Offi­cers are Roman-Catholicks, to take upon them the Custody of the saids Fortresses, and in the same manner that the Protestants concerned in the Collecting and Managing of the Revenue, and the Keeping of the Peace, do Supply by their Diligence, the Vacancies that are, or may happen to be in places of the like nature; This Our Declaration to be of force, and to take effect till the said Meeting of the Estates in March next; and to be without prejudice to any other Orders We may think fit to give to any Person, or Persons, for the ends a­bove-mentioned. And We do further Order this Our Declaration to be Printed and Published at Edinburgh, and Printed Copies of the same to be given, or sent to the Sheriffs and Stewart-Clerks of the several Shires and Stewartries, whom We do hereby Require to Pub­lish the same upon the first Mercat-day after the receipt thereof, at the Crosses of the Head-Burghs of their respective Shires and Stewart­ries, in the due and usual manner.