WHereas in Our late Parliament held at Westminster, in the Twelfth year of Our Reign, The Lords and Commons therein Assembled did shew and declare unto Vs, That the execrable murther of Our Royal Father CHARLES the First, of ever Blessed and Glorious Memory, hath beén committed by a Party of wretched men, desperately wicked and hardened in their Impiety, who having first plotted and con­trived the ruine and destruction of this Excellent Monarchy, and with it the true Re­formed Protestant Religion, which had been so long Protected by it, and flourished under it, found it necessary in order to the carrying on of their pernitious and trai­torous Designs, to throw down all the Bulwarks and Fences of Law, and to subvert the very being aid constitution of Parliament, That so they might at last make their way open for my further Attempts upon His Person: And for the more easie effecting thereof, they did then first seduce some part of the then Army into a compliance, and then kept the rest in subjection to them, partly for hope of preferment, and chiefly for fear of losing their Imployments and Arrears, untill by these and other more odious Arts and Devices they had fully strengthened themselves both in Power and Faction; which being done, they did Declare against all manner of Treaty with the Person of [Page] Our Royal Father, even then when a Treaty by a [...]vice of both Houses of Parliament was in being, and did Remonstrate against the Houses of Parliament fr [...] such proceedings, and seiz'd upon the person of Our Royal Father, while the Commissioners were returned to [...]he Houses of Parliament with His Answer. And when his Concessions had been Voted a ground for Peace seize upon the House of Commons, Seclude and Imprison some Members, force out others; And there being [...]eft but a small Remnant of their own Creatures (not a tenth part of the whole) did seek to shelter themselves by this weak pretence, under the name and authority of a Parliament, and in that name laboured to prosec [...]te what was yet behinde, and unfinished of their long in­tended Treason and Conspiracy: To that purpose [...]ey prepared an Ordinance for erecting a prodigious and un­heard of Tribunal, which they called, An High Cour [...] of Justice, for Tryal of his Maiesty, Our most Dear Fa­ther; and having easily procured it to pass their Hous [...] of Commons, as it then stood moulded, ventured to send it up from thence to the Peers, then sitting, who totally ejected it; Whereupon their rage & fury increasing, they pre­sumed to pass it alone as an Act of the Commons, [...]nd in the name of the Commons of England; and having gained the pretence of a Law made by the power of [...]heir own making, pursued it with all possible force and cruelty, until at last upon the Thirtieth day of Janu [...]ry, One thousand six hundred forty and eight, His Sacred Majesty, Our late dear Father, was brought unto [...] Scaffold, and there publickly murthered before the Gates of His own Royal Palace. And because by this hor [...]id Action, the Protestant Religion hath received the greatest wound and reproach, and the people of Engla [...]d the most insupportable shame and infamy that it is pos­sible for the enemies of God and the King to bring upo [...] them, whilst the Fanatick rage of a few miscreants (who were as far from being true Protestants, as they we [...]e from being true Subjects) stands imputed by our Ad­versaries to the whole Nation. They the said Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled did therefore re­nounce, abominate, and protest against that Impious Fact, the execrable murther and unparalleld Treason com­mitted against the Sacred Person and Life of Our m [...]st Royal Father, And did beseech Vs that it might be De­clared, And it is by the said Act Declared, That by t [...]e undoubted Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom, nei­ther the Peers of the Realm, nor the Commons, nor both together in Parliament, nor the People collectively or representatively, nor any other persons whatsoever [...] ever had, hath, or ought to have any coercive power over the Persons of the Kings of this Realm. And for the better vindication of themselves to posterity: and as a lasting Monument of their otherwise inexpressible det [...]tation and abhorrency of that villanous and abominable Fact, They did further beseech Vs that it might be Enacted; And it is thereby Enacted, That every thirtieth day of January (unless it should fall out to be on the Lo [...]ds Day, and then the next day following) should be for ever thereafter set apart to be kept and observed in all Our Churches and Chappels of our Kingdoms of Eng­land and Ireland, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Be [...]wick upon Tweed, and the Isles of Jersey and Guernsey, and all other Our Dominions, as an anniversary day of Fasting and Humiliation, to implore the Mercy of God, That neither the guilt of that Sacred and Innocent Blood, nor those other sins by which God was pro­voked to deliver up both them and their King into the hands of cruel and unreasonable men, might at any time after be visited upon them or their Posterity, as by the said Act amongst other things at large appeareth. We being very sensible of the Pious and good intentions of Our said Dutiful and Loyal Subjects; and holding Our Self obliged to do Our utmost endeavour that a work so much tending to the honor and acknowledgement of the infinite Mercies of Our good and gracious God, who hath been pleased not onely to restore Vs to the [Page] Throne of Our Ancestors, from which We were [...]g detained, and Our said good Subjects to their Rights and Liberties, and the Nation to Peace, after a b [...]dy and unnatural war, And tending to a due acknowledg­ment of the sins which provoked the Iustice of God far as justly to deliver up these Nations to the many and deplorable Calamities which proceeded from, and e [...]ed that horrid and bloody murther of Our most Dear Father, Do strictly command, and enjoyn all O [...] loving Subjects of what degree, quality or conditi­on soever, solemnly and humbly to conform themse [...]es, and give obedience to the said Act of Parliament, and to set apart, and observe the Thirtieth day of January [...]is present year, and so from time to time every Thirtieth day of January every year, as a day of Fasting and H [...]miliation for the purposes in the said Act of Parliament mentioned: And to that end We command all Arc [...]Bishops, Bishops, Parsons, Vicars, Ministers, and other Ecclesiastical persons in their several charges, accor [...]g to their several duties to take care hereof, And to cause this Our Proclamation to be yearly read in all Ch [...]ches and Chappels the Sunday before the said Fast is to be observed. And We strictly command all persons w [...]tsoever, for the better observation of the said Day, to ab­stain from all servile Works and Business on that d [...], and meekly and orderly to repair to the Publick place for Divine Worship, to beseech God for his Mercy, a [...] to humble themselves in his sight, according to the good intention of the said Act. And We declare, That su [...]h persons as shall be faulty herein, shall be esteemed by Vs, Contemners and Infringers of Our Laws an [...] Commands, and Prophane persons, who wilfully shut their eyes, both against the Iudgements and Mercie [...] of Almighty God.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall, the Twenty fifth day of January, in the Twelfth Year of Our Reign, One thousand six hundred and sixty.

GOD SAƲE THE KING.