CHARLES the Second, by the Grace of GOD, King of Scotland, England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all and sundry Our good Subjects whom these presents do or may concern, Greet­ing: We having, with the advice and consent of Our Parliaments, past so many Acts in favours of the Protestant Religion, against Field-Conventicles, whereby our Subjects were withdrawn from publick Ordinances, in such ways as exposed them to hear Jesuits, or any other Irregular Preachers, and were at last debauched to meet with Arms informed Rebellions; We might have expected a most hearty con­currence from all such as resolved to live to live Religiously and Peaceably in suppressing those Disorders: In place whereof Magistrates having by their negligence, and Masters by their connivance, hightned those Distempers into a formed Rebellion, founded upon Extravagancies, inconsistent with the Protestant Religion and Our Monarchy; Which, We having by the Mercy of God, and the Affection of Our Subjects, overcome s;o totally, that Our Clemency cannot be lyable to any mis-construction: We have therefore thought fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Coun­cil, to recommend the vigorous Execution of all Our former Laws and Proclamations against such Rendezvouzes of Rebellion; Commanding hereby Our Judges, Magistrates and Officers of all Ranks and Degrees to apprehend, condemn and punish all such as frequent any Field-conventicles, the Ministers by Death, and the Hearers by Fining, and otherways according to the prescript of Our Laws; such as bear Arms there, being to be demained as Traitors, conform to Our former Pro­clamation, dated the 13. day of May last, and ordaining that all Masters shall be lyable for presenting such of their Ten­nants, and such live upon their Ground to underly the Law in Our Justice-airs, conform to the sixth Act, Par. third James the fifth. As also, We most peremptorily Command all in Office under Us, to prosecute with all legal Rigor, those Inhumane and Execrable Murderers of the late Arch-bishop of St. Andrews, and all such as have had accession thereto, by concealing or ressetting the Assassinates. But We, being desirous to reclaim all such in that Our ancient Kingdom, as have been misled by Ignorance, or blind Zeal (the pretexts of Disorders) and to convince all indifferent Persons, that too great severity is as far from Our Design, as Our Inclinations, have according to the Power reserved to Us, by the fifth Act, and second Session of Our second Parliament, suspended the Execution of all Laws and Acts against such as frequent House-conventicles in the Low Countreys on the South-side of the River of Tay only: Excepting always the Town of Edinburgh, and two Miles round about the same, with the Lordships of Musselburgh and Dalkeith, the Cities of St. Andrews and Glasgow, and Stirling, and a Mile about each of them; being fully resolved, not to suffer the Seat of Our Government, nor Our Universities to be pestred with any irregularities whatsoever. And for a further evidence of Our Protection to all who resolve to live peaceably, We hereby suspend all Diligences for Fines upon the account of Conventicles, except such Fines as are imposed by Our Privy Council, and such Fines of Inferiour Judicatures, as were uplifted or transacted for, prior to the 29. of May last, and all Letters of Intercommuning, and other Executions, except in so far as concerns those who were Our actual Servants, or in Publick Trust. But to the end, that none whom We may justly suspect, shall under the colour of this Favour, continue to Preach Rebellion, Schism and Heresie; We hereby Ordain all such as shall be suf­fered to Preach, to have their Names given in, and surety found to Our Privy Council for their peaceable behaviour, only one Preacher being allowed to a Paroch; and none to be allowed who have appeared against Us in this late Rebelli­on, nor none who shall be admitted by the Un-conform Ministers in any time hereafter: Assuring all those to whom We have extended this Favour, that if they or any of them, shall for the future frequent any Field-conventicles, or disturb the Peace of these Our Kingdoms, We will secure Our People, and maintain Our Authority and Laws by such effectual courses, as in ruining the Authors, cannot be thought rigid, after so insufferable and unnecessary Provocations. This Our forberance being to continue in Force only during Our Royal Pleasure, as We shall see those Dissenters deserve Our favour. And to the end, all Our good Subjects may have notice of this Our Royal Will and Pleasure, We do hereby Command Our Lyon King at Arms, and his Brethren Heraulds, Macers, Pursevants, Messengers at Arms, to make Proclamation hereof, at the Mercat-Cross of Edinburgh.