WHereas within this short time since the Peace concluded be­tweene Vs and the King of Spaine and the Archdukes our good Brothers, it hath appeared vnto Vs that many Mariners and Sea­faring men of this Realme, hauing gotten a custome and habite in the time of the Warre to make profite by Spoile, doe leaue their ordinary and honest vocation and Trading in Merchantly Voyages, whereby they might both reape conuenient maintenance, and be seruiceable to their Countrey, And doe betake themselues to the Seruice of diuers forreine States, vnder the Title of men of Warre, to haue thereby occasion to continue their vnlawfull and vngodly course of liuing by Spoile, vsing the seruice of those Princes but for co­lour and pretext, but in effect making themselues commonly no better then Pirats to robbe both our owne Subiects their Countreymen, and the Subiects of other Princes our neighbours, going in their honest Trade of Merchandize: By which courses they doe impeach the quiet Traffique of Nations one with other, leaue our Realme vnfurnished of men of their sort, if we should haue cause to vse them, and inure themselues to an impious disposition of liuing by ra­pine and euill meanes, although by reason of the Vniuersall Peace wherein we are at this pre­sent with all Christian Princes and States, they may haue a more plentifull employment in an orderly and lawfull Nauigation, then at any time of late yeeres they could haue had: We haue thought it necessarie in time to preuent the spreading of such a corruption amongst our Subiects of that sort and calling, whereby our Nation will bee so much slandered, and our Realme so greatly disaduantaged. Wherefore wee doe will and command all Masters of Ships, Pilots, Mariners, and all other sort of Seafaring men, who now are in the Martiall seruice of any for­reine States, that they doe presently returne home into their owne Countrey, and leaue all such forreine Seruices, and betake themselues to their Vocation in the lawfull course of Merchan­dize, and other orderly Nauigation, vpon such paines and punishments as by the Lawes of our Realme may be inflicted vpon them, if after this declaration of our Pleasure, they shall not obey. And we doe also vpon the same paines straightly charge and command all our Subiects of that profession, that none of them shal from henceforth take Letters of Marke or Reprisall, nor serue vnder any that hath such letters of Marke or Reprisall from any forreine Prince or State what­soeuer, Nor otherwise employ themselues in any warlike Seruices of any forraine State vpon the Sea, without speciall License obtained from our Selfe, or from our high Admirall, as they will answere the contrarie at their perils.

And forasmuch as although wee are in Peace with all Christian Princes and States, yet du­ring the continuance of the Warre betweene the King of Spaine, and the Archdukes on the one side, and the vnited Prouinces of the Low Countreys on the other side, many chances may happen, as some alreadie haue happened, of difficult interpretation to our Officers and Sub­iects how to behaue themselues in such cases, vnlesse they bee explaned vnto them: Wee haue thought it conuenient to make an open declaration how our said Officers and Subiects shall de­meane themselues towards the Subiects aswell of the King of Spaine and Archdukes, as also of the States vnited in the cases following.

First our Pleasure is, That within our Ports, Hauens, Rodes, Creekes, or other places of our Dominion, or so neere to any of our sayd Ports or Hauens, as may be reasonably construed to be within that Title, Limit, or Precinct, there shalbe no force, violence, surprise, or offence suffe­red to be done either from Man of warre to Man of warre, or Man of warre to Merchant, or Merchant to Merchant of either partie, but that all of what Nation soeuer, so long as they shall be within those our Ports and places of our Iurisdiction, or where our Officers may prohibite violence, shall be vnderstood to be vnder our protection to be ordered by course of Iustice, and be at Peace each with other.

And whereas some of the men of warre of ech side haue vsed of late, & it is like wil vse in time to come, though not to come within our Ports, because there they know we can restraine violence, yet to houer and hang about the skirts of our Ports, some what to Seaboard, but yet so neare our coasts and the entrie of our Harbours, as in reason is to be construed to be within the extent of the same, & there to await the Merchant of the aduerse part, & do seaze and take them at their going out of our Ports, which is all one in a maner, as if they tooke them within our Port, and wil be no lesse hindrance to the trade of Merchants: Our pleasure therefore and commandement is to all our officers and Subiects by Sea and Land, That they shall prohibit, as much as in them lyeth, all such houering of men of warre of either side, so neere the entrie of any of our Hauens or our Coasts, And that they shall rescue and succour all Merchants, and others that shall fall within the danger of any such as shall awaite our Coasts in so neere places, to the hindrance of trade and traffique outward and homeward from and to our kingdoms. And for the better instructions of our Officers in the execution of these two Articles, We haue caused to be sent to them plats of those Limits, within which we are resolued that these Orders shall be obserued.

And where it hath happened, and is like to do often, that a ship of warre of the one side may come into some of our Ports, where there shall be a Merchant of the other side: In such case, for the benefit and preseruation of the lawfull trade of Merchants, Our pleasure is, That all Mer­chants ships, if they will require it, shall be suffered to depart out of the said Port, two or three Tydes before the man of warre, to the intent that the Merchant may be free from the pursuite of his aduersarie. And if it so happen, that any ship or ships of warre of the one side, do finde any ship or ships of warre of the other side in any our Ports or Roads aforesaid; Like as our Plea­sure is that during their abode there, all violence be forborne: So doe we likewise command our said Officers and Subiects both on Sea and Land, That the ship of warre which came in first, be suffered to depart a Tyde or two before the other which came in last, And that for so long time they shall stay and detaine any ship of warre; that would offer to pursue another out of any our Ports immediatly. And where we are infourmed, that notwithstanding the seueritie of our Lawes against receiuers of Pirats goods, many of our officers of our Ports, and other inhabi­tants within and neere vnto them, do receiue dayly goods brought in from Sea by such as are in­deed Pirats, if they, and the getting of their goods, were wel examined: We do hereby admonish them all, to auoyd the receiuing or buying of any goods from Sea, comming not into the Realme by lawfull course of merchandise, for that they shall finde, we are resolued so to preuent all occasi­on and encouragement of Pirats to be vsed by any our Subiects, as we will cause our Lawes to be fully executed according to their true meaning, both against the Pirats, and all receiuers and abetters of them, and their goods.

Giuen at Thetford the first day of March, in the second yeere of our raigne of Great Britaine, &c.

God saue the King.