Whereas We are Informed That divers Mi­nisters, and others, to promote their Seditious designs, Do take upon them in Sermons, and other Discourses, To Allarm the People, and to raise dislike of Our Person and Govern­ment in their Hearts, Desaming and Slandering Our Designs, or at least, medling in Our Affairs; All which are highly punishable, and the Punishments Declared by Our Laws and Acts of Parliament; Especially by the seventh Act of the eight Parl. of King James the Sixth, Our Royal Grand-Father, (of ever Blessed Memory) Cap. 134. Intituled, Anent Slander­ers of the King, His Progenitors, Estate and Realm; And of which, in so far as relates to these Affaires, The Tenor follows. Forasmuch as it is understood to Our Soveraign Lord, and His Three Estates Assem­bled in this present Parliament, What great harm and inconvenient has fallen in this Realm, chiefly since the beginning of the Civil Troubles, occurred in the time of His Highness minority, through the wicked and licentious, publick and private Speeches, and untrue Calumnies of divers His Subjects, to the Disdain, Contempt and Reproach of his Majesty [...] Council and Proceedings, and to the dishonour and prejudice of His Highness, His Parents, Progenitors and Estate: Stir­ring up His Highness Subjects thereby to misliking, Sedition, Ʋnquietness, and to cast off their due obedience to His Ma­jesty, to their evident peril, tinsel and destruction; His Highness continuing always in Love and Clemency toward all His good Subjects, and most willing to seek the safety and preservation of them all; Which wilsully, needless, and upon plain ma­lice, after His Highness Mercy and Pardon, oft-times afore granted, has procured themselves by their Treasonable Deeds, to be cut off as corrupt members of this Common-well: Therefore it is Statute and Ordained by Our Soveraign Lord, and His three Estates in this present Parliament, That none of His Subjects (of whatsoever Function, Degree, or Quality in time coming) shall presume to take upon hand, privatly, or publickly in Sermons, Declarations, or familiar Conferences, to utter any false, Slanderous or untrue Speeches, to the disdain, reproach and contempt of His Majesty, His Council and Proceedings; or to the dishonour, hurt or prejudice of His Highness, His Parents and Progenitors, or to meddle in the Affairs of His Highness, and His Estate present, bygone, and in time coming, under the pains contained in the Acts of Parliament, against makers and tellers of Leesings: Certifying them that shall be tried Contraveeners thereof, or that hear sick slanderous Speeches, and reports not the same with diligence, the said pains shall be executed against them with all rigor, in example of others. And to the end that so necessary and laudable a Law may receive due and punctual obedience; We there­fore, with Advice of Our Privy Council, Do hereby Declare, That the Contraveeners hereof any manner of way, shall be examplarly punished with all rigor, conform to the prescript of the said Statute in all points. And that Our Royal Pleasure in the Premisses may be made publick and known, Our Will is, And We Charge you strictly and Com­mand, That incontinent, these our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, and all other Mercat Crosses of the head Burghs of the Shires of this Kingdom, And there, in Our Name and Authority, by open Proclamation, make publication of Our Royal Pleasure in the Premisses, that all Our Leidges may have notice thereof, and give obedience thereto, as they will be answerable at their highest peril.

GOD Save the KING.