WE being sensible how much it imports the Profit and Honour of this our Realm, that the Trade of Exporting of Woollen Manufactures into Germany, and the Seventeén Provinces of the Netherlands be encouraged and preserved under a due Regulation, which hath of long time beén maintained and carried on by the Company of Merchant-Adventurers, by vertue of several Grants, Charters, and Confirmations to them by Vs and Our Royal Predecessors heretofore made and Granted, to the great Advancement and Increase of the said Trade; And being given to understand by the said Company, That their said Trade, and the Liberties and Priviledges by Vs and Our Royal Predecessors to them Granted, have beén very much of late Invaded and Infringed, and principally by Aliens, and other Foreigners, to whom We have extended Our Grace and Favour of Naturalization or Endenization; Who in requital of Our Grace and Favour towards them, make it their endeavour to destroy the said Company, and being under no Rule or Regulation for Exporting the Woollen Manufacture, do take upon them to Ship, Transport, Carry, and Convey the Cloth and Woollen Manufactures of this Kingdom unto the Town of Hambourg, and other parts of Germany, whereby, and by se­veral deceitful practices of the said Foreigners, in counterfeiting the Marks, Seals, and Tillets of Persons Freé of the said Company, the said Trade will be in great danger of being impaired, if not totally lost to the Natives of this Our Realm: And for that the said Company have submitted it to Vs and Our Privy Council, to ad­mit into the Freédom of the said Company, any of Our Subjects, whether Natives, Naturalized, or Endenized, upon such Terms as We by the Advice of Our Privy Council shall judge reasonable. We therefore of Our Princely Care for the Preservation and Regulation of the Trade of Cloth, and all other Woollen Manufactures now made, or here­after to be made within this Our Kingdom, have thought fit, with Advice of Our Privy Council, to Declare and Publish Our Royal Will and Pleasure to be, and We do hereby strictly Will and Command, That no Person or Persons, Subject, or Subjects of Our Realm of England, Alien or Foreigner, Naturalized, or Endenized, shall from henceforth Ship, Transport, Carry, or Convey, or cause to be Shipped, Transported, Carried or Conveyed either from Our City or Port of London, or from any other City, Town, Port, Haven, or Creék of Our Kingdom of Eng­land, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, any Woollen Cloth, either White Cloths, Coloured Cloths, Drest and Dyed out of the Whites, Cloths called Spanish Cloths, mixt or of one Colour, or any Bayes, Kersies, Perpetuanos, or any Stockins, or other Woollen Commodities whatsoever, now made, or hereafter to be made within Our Realm aforesaid, unto any thé Cities, Towns, Ports, or other Places within the Countreys of Germany, or the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, saving onely such person or persons as are or shall be Free of, admitted and continued as Member of the said Fellowship of Merchant-Adventurers of England, and none o­thers. And that no Freémen of the said Fellowship shall Ship, Transport, Carry, or Convey, or cause to be Ship­ped, Transported, Carried or Conveyed, any Cloths, or Woollen Manufactures made within Our Realm, Dominion, and Town of Berwick aforesaid, without special Licence of the said Fellowship, into any the parts of Germany, or the Seventeén Provinces of the Netherlands, save onely to the Publick Marts, Staples and Residences de­clared by the said Fellowship, within the parts aforesaid beyond the Seas for the time being, or to one of them. And to the end that this Trade may be the better improved in an orderly and well Governed way, Our Will and Pleasure is, That the said Fellowship of Merchant-Adventurers of England shall from henceforth from time to time, admit and receive into the Freedom of their said Fellowship, all and every such Our Subjects, and such as be Na­turalized, or made Denizen, as shall at any time hereafter desire and demand the same: Paying Thirteén pounds six shillings eight pence as a Fine to the said Fellowship for their Entry, Income and Admittance thereunto: That is to say, such as are of London, to be meér Merchants, and exercised in that Profession, and no Shop-keep­ers, except giving over their Shops, and such as are of the Out-Ports, if bred in Merchandise, though Shop-keép­ers. Provided that every such Person, both of London, and of the Out-Ports aforesaid, do demand their said Freedom, and be actually admitted into the same within one Year next ensuing the Date hereof, and that their Sons and Servants shall at their several Admissions and making Freé, be admitted for the Sum of Six pounds thirteén shillings and four pence, according to the Statute of the Twelfth of Henry the Seventh. And Our fur­ther Will and Pleasure is, That no person or persons not qualified as aforesaid, shall presume to Trade in any the above mentioned Commodities, into any the Foreign Parts above named, upon pain of Our high Displeasure: For that We, in case We shall perceive that any person or persons shall neglect to take hold of this Our Grace hereby offered them to be admitted into the said Fellowship, and shall yet continue to Trade disorderly into the parts of Germany, or the Seventeén Provinces of the Netherlands, and out of the Mart and Staple Towns of the said Fellowship of Merchant-Adventurers therein for the time being, We shall not onely have cause for the future ut­terly to deny and exclude them of this Grace, but will require a strict account of such persons for their contempt and neglect of this Our Royal Command herein, and will take such course as shall be fitting for their punishment, and for the future restraint of such Disorders. And to the end that the Charters and Government of the said Fellowship may be the better put in execution, and to the intent that all Offenders against the same may be disco­vered and brought to Iustice, and such Punishment inflicted upon them for such their Offences, as by their said Charters, Orders and Constitutions ought to be inflicted on such as wilfully and contemptuously transgress against Our Charters, and this Our Proclamation in pursuance of the same; We do by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, hereby Will and Command, as well the Iudges of Our High Court of Admiralty, as the Marshal and under-Officers of the same, as also Our Commissioners or Farmers of Our Customs for the time being, and the Searchers of Our Customs in all Our Ports of England, and the several Officers of what kind soever, belonging to, and attending the Service of Our Customs outwards, as also Our Admirals, Vice-Admirals, Commanders, Captains, and Officers whatsoever of any of Our Royal Ships, or any of Our Castles, Block-houses and Forts respectively, and all other Our Officers and Ministers in their several Places to be Aiding and Assisting unto the said Fellowship and Company of Merchant-Adventurers of England, and all such as they shall Employ in all matters and things tending to the Supportation of the Government of the said Fellowship and Company, and Regulating of their Trade, and for the Preservation of the Priviledges, Iurisdictions, and Franchises by Our Royal Predecessors to them Granted, and by Our Self to them Confirmed by Our Letters Patents.

Given at Our Court at Windsor the Thirteenth day of June 1683. In the five and thirtieth year of Our Reign.

God save the King.