WHereas Charls Stuart late King of England, Ireland, and the Territo­ries and Dominions thereunto belonging, hath by Authority de­rived from Parliament, been, and is hereby declared to be just­ly condemned, adjudged to dye, and put to death for many Treasons, Murthers, and o­ther hainous Offences committed by him, by which Iudgement he stood and is hereby De­clared to be attained of High Treason, whereby his Issue and Posterity, and all o­thers pretending Title under him, are become uncapable of the said Crowns, or of being King or Queen of the said Kingdom or Domi­nions, or either or any of them: Be it there­fore Enacted and Ordained, and it is Enacted, Ordained and Declared by this present Parli­ament, and by Authority thereof, That all the People of England and Ireland, and the Do­minions and Territories thereunto belong­ing, of what degree or condition soever, are discharged of all Fealty, Homage and Allegi­ance which is or shall be pretended to be due unto any of the Issue and Posterity of the said late King, or any claiming under him; and [Page *⁎*] that Charls Stuart eldest son, and James called Duke of York, second son, and all other the Is­sue and Posterity of him the said late King, and all and every person and persons pretend­ing Title from, by or under him, are and be dis­abled to hold or enjoy the said Crown of Eng­land and Ireland, and other the Dominions thereunto belonging, or any of them; or to have the Name, Title, Stile or Dignity of King or Queen of England and Ireland, Prince of Wales, or any of them; or to have and enjoy the power and Dominion of the said Kingdoms and Do­minions, or any of them, or the Honors, Ma­nors, Lands, Tenements, Possessions, & He­reditaments belonging or appertaining to the said Crown of England and Ireland, and other the Dominions aforesaid, or to any of them; or to the Principality of Wales, Dutchy of Lancaster or Cornwal, or any or either of them, Any Law, Statute, Ordinance, Vsage or Custom to the contrary hereof in any wise not­withstanding: And whereas it is and hath been found by experience, that the Office of a King in this Nation and Ireland, and to have the power thereof in any single person, is un­necessary, burthensom and dangerous to the Liberty, Safety and publique Interest of the People, and that for the most part, use hath been made of the Regal power and preroga­tive, to oppress, impoverish and enslave the subject; and that usually and naturally any one person in such power, makes it his Inte­rest to incroach upon the just Freedom and Li­berty of the People, and to promote the set­ting up of their own will and power above the Laws, that so they might enslave these Kingdoms to their own lust: Be it therefore Enacted and Ordained by this present Parlia­ment, [Page *⁎*] and by authority of the same, That the Office of a King in this Nation, shall not henceforth reside in, or be exercised by any one single person; and that no one person whatso­ever, shall or may have, or hold the Office, Stile, Dignity, Power or Authority of King of the said Kingdoms and Dominions, or any of them, or of the Prince of Wales, Any Law, Statute, Vsage or Custom to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. And it is hereby Enacted, That if any person or per­sons shall endeavor to attempt by force of Arms or otherwise, or be ayding, alsisting, comforting or abetting unto any person or per­sons that shall by any ways or means what­soever, endeovor or attempt the reviving or setting up again of any pretended Right of the said Charls, eldest Son to the said late King, James called Duke of York, or of any other the Issue and Posterity of the said late King, or of any person or persons claiming under him or them, to the said Regal Office, Stile, Dignity or Authority, or to be Prince of Wales; or the promoting of any one person whatsoever, to the Name, Stile, Dignity, Power, Prerogative or Authority, of King of England and Ireland, and Dominions afore­said, or any of them; That then every such Offence shall be deemed and adjudged High Treason, and the Offenders therein, their Councellors, Procurers, Ayders and Abet­tors, being convicted of the said Offence, or any of them, shall be deemed and adjudged Traytors against the Parliament and Peo­ple of England, and shall suffer, lose and for­feit, and have such like and the same Pains, Forfeitures, Iudgements and Execution, as is used in case of High Treason: And where­as [Page *⁎*] by the Abolition of the Kingly Office pro­vided for in this Act, a most happy way [...] made for this Nation (if God see it good) t [...] return to its just and ancient Right, of bein [...] governed by its own Representatives or Na­tional Meetings in Councel, from time to time chosen and entrusted for that purpose by the People, It is therefore Resolved and De­clared by the Commons assembled in Parlia­ment, That they will put a period to the sit­ting of this present Parliament, and dissolv [...] the same so soon as may possibly stand with th [...] safety of the people that hath betrusted them and with what is absolutely necessary for th [...] preserving and upholding the Governmen [...] now setled in the way of a Commonwealth and that they will carefully provide for th [...] certain chusing, meeting and sitting of th [...] next and future Representatives, with such [...] ­ther Circumstances of Freedom in choyce an equality in distribution of Members to be ele­cted thereunto, as shall most conduce to y ^e las [...] ing freedom & good of this Commonwealth And it is hereby further Enacted & Declared notwithstanding any thing contained in thi [...] Act, no person or persons of what condition e­quality soever, within the Commonwealth o [...] England and Ireland, Dominion of Wales, th [...] Islands of Guernsey and Jersey, and Town o [...] Berwick upon Tweed, shall be discharged from the obedience and subjection which he and the owe to the Government of this Nation, as i [...] is now Declared, but all and every of them shall in all things render and perform th [...] same, as of right is due unto the supreme Au­thority hereby declared to reside in this and th [...] successive Representatives of the People o [...] this Nation, and in them onely.