WHereas by the Treaty of Peace concluded at Breda, in the year One thousand six hundred sixty seven, betwixt His Majesty and the States General of the United Netherlands, It is expresly provided in the One and Twentieth Ar­ticle, That it should not be permitted to His Majesties Subjects, and the Inhabitants of the Kingdoms and Countreys under his Obedience, or to the Inhabitants and Subjects of the United Provinces, to do or offer any Ho­stility or Violence to each other, either by Land or by Sea, upon any pretence or colour whatsoever, and that by consequence, it should not be lawful for the said Subjects or Inhabitants to get Commissions or Letters of Reprizal from any Prince or State with whom either of the Confederates should be at difference, or in open War, and much less by vertue of those Letters to molest or damnifie the Subjects of either Party; Neither should it be lawful for any Forreign private Men of War, not being Subjects to the one, or the other Party, having Commis­sions from any other Prince or State, to equippe their Ships in the Harbours of either of the aforesaid Parties, or to sell or ransom their Prizes, or any other way to truck either the Ship or Goods, or any other Lading whatsoever; & it should not be lawful for them to buy any Victual, but what should be neces­sary to bring them to the next Port of that Prince from whom they obtained the said Commissions: And if perchance any of the Subjects of His Majesty, or of the States General, should buy or get to themselves by Truck or any other way, such Ship or Goods which have been taken by the Subjects of the one or the other Party, in such case the said Subject should be bound to restore the said Ship or Goods to the Pro­prietors without any delay, and without any Compensation or Reimbursement of Money paid or promi­sed for the same; Provided that they make it appear before the Council of His Majesty, or before the said States General, That they are the right Owners or Propietors of them, as appears by the said Treaty, which is renewed by the Seventh Article in the late Treaty of Peace betwixt His Majesty and the said States, concluded at Westminster in February last, and now remains in full force. Nevertheless, His Majesty has been informed, That divers of His Subjects do presume to accept of Commissions of War, and Letters of Marque and Reprizal, contrary to the tenour and true intent of the said Treaties of Peace; which undue practice, if not suppressed, may produce great disturbance to the Trade and Peace of this Kingdom: For the timely prevention whereof, and to the intent that none of His Majesties Subjects may pretend Ignorance of the said Treaties in this particular, His Majesty, with the Advice of His Privy Council, has thought fit by this His Royal Proclamation to publish the same to be as is before recited: And doth hereby straitly Command and Require, That no Person whatsoever do presume to accept of, or exe­cute any Commission of War, or Letter of Marque or Reprizal from any Prince or State that now is, or hereafter shall be at difference, or in open War with the said States General of the United Netherlands, but that all His loving Subjects, according to their Duty, do inviolably observe that Peace and Vnion which is by the said Treaties established betwixt His Majesty and the said States General, upon pain of being proceéded against with that severity which they will deserve, that shall endeavour to involve this Kingdom in a War.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Twenty eighth day of September 1674. in the Six and twentieth Year of Our Reign.

God save the King.