WHereas divers great Sums of money for Publique Vse and Concernment, for the great Affairs of the Kingdom, have been charged upon the Receipts of Excise; And many and great Arrears, are due and owing thereupon, as well in Our City of London, as in several of Our Counties, Cities, and Towns Corporate, with­in Our Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Our Town and Port of Berwick upon Tweed, The Collecting and Levying of which hath been of late times much Obstructed, and become very Ineffectual, through the Practises and Contrivments of Subtil and Disaffected Persons, for their own private Lucre and Gain, And forasmuch as by an Act of this present Parliament, the Duty of Excise is conti­tinued, and the Arrears thereof directed thereby to be paid: We, at the desire, and by the Advice of Our Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled, have thought fit, and do by this Our Proclama­tion, Command, Require, and Charge, all and every Our loving Subjects, within Our said Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed aforesaid, who are liable to pay Excise, or from whom any the Arrears thereof are due and unpaid, Speedily and without Delay, to conform themselves unto the Rules, Regulations, Orders, and Powers, whereby the aforesaid Duty or Imposition, hath been, or ought to be Levyed, not onely for paying the same for the Future, as it shall become due; but also for satisfying all and every the Arrears thereof (Which are Excepted from Pardon by an Act of this present Parliament, Entituled (An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemp­nity and Oblivion) to the end the Orders and Rules made for payment thereof, be not eluded; And We do hereby straitly Charge and Command all Our Iustices of the Peace, and other Our Magistrates and Ministers whatsoever, within this Our said City of London, and the respective Counties, Cities, and Towns Corporate, to whom is committed the care of seeing such of the Rules, Orders, and Powers, as are under their Cognizance, executed vigorously, and diligently, to proceed in putting the same in Exe­cution, to the end the Obstructions and Defects of Execution, whether in remisness, or neglect, may be removed, and the aforesaid Duty of Excise, together with the whole Arrears thereof, may be duly and speedily Levyed and Paid in, for the purposes aforesaid.

And whereas it was Resolved, and Declared by the Commons in this present Parliament Assembled, the sixth of September last, That the Act for continuance of the Excise, doth enable the Commissi­oners therein named, and their Sub-commissioners, to Act and proceed according to the Rates, and Rules of the late pretended Powers; We therefore do hereby more particularly require and command Our said Iustices of Peace, to put in full Execution, the two and thirtieth Article of an Act so called, And Entituled, An Act for the Speedy Raising Levying Moneyes by way of New-Impost of Excise, made and Published the fourteenth day of August, One thousand six hundred forty nine: Whereby it is men­tioned to be Enacted, That no Vintner; Inkeeper, Victualler, Ale-house-keeper, or other Person whatsoever, That Retailes or Sells Ale or Beer, shall Brew his own Beer or Ale, unless he give se­curity to pay the Excise thereof; Or otherwise to take all such Beer and Ale as he shall Sell or Vtter, of or from some common Brewer of Ale or Beer, In which case upon due proof made, (as by the said Article is prescribed) before any one Iustice of the Peace, within the County, City or Town Corpo­rate, where the Party offending doth reside, and dwell, the said Iustice of the Peace, hath power to Im­pose and Levy upon the Party so offending, the several Penalties and Forfeitures by the said Article limited. Wherefore, We do further hereby straitly Charge, and Command every such Iustice of the Peace (before whom any such Proof shall be made, or tendred to be made as aforesaid) That he do forth­with without delay, proceed against the said Party so Offending by hearing and determining the said Offence, and by the speedy issuing out there Warrants, for Levying and Executing of the several Pe­nalties and Forfeitures therein Limited, according as by the said Article is Directed and Re­quired.

And Lastly, We expect Obedience hereunto, from all and every Person and Persons whom it doth, or may concern, as they tender Our Displeasure, and will answer the contemning of this Our Royal Command, at their utmost Peril.

Given at Our Court as Whitehall the Twenty sixth day of September, in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.