¶ By the queen THe queens majesty understanding, that of late time sundry persons being infected with certain daungerous and pernicious opinions, in matters of religion, contrary to the faith of the church of christ, as Anabaptistes and such like, are come from sundry partes beyond the seas, into this her realm, and specially into the city of London and other Maritime towns, under the colour and pretence of fleeing from persecution, against the professors of the gospel of christ: Whereby yf remedy be not speedily provided, the church of God in this realm shall sustain great danger of corruption, and sects to increase contrary to the unity of Christes church here established. For redress whereof: Her majesty by aduise of her counsel, having commanded the archbishop of Canterbury, bishop of London, & other Bishops to see the parishes in London and other places here with suspected, to be severely visited, and all persons suspected to be openly tried and examined, touching such phanaticall and heretical opinions: willeth and chargeth all maner of persons born either in foreign partes, or in her majesties dominions, that haue conceived any maner of such heretical opinion as the Anabaptistes do hold, and meaneth not by charitable teaching to be reconciled, to depart out of this realm within twenty dayes after this Proclamation, upon pain of forfeiture of all their goods and Cattelles, and to be imprysoned and further punished, as by the laws either ecclesiastical or temporal, in such case is provided. And her majesty also chargeth and commandeth vpon pain of imprisonment, that no Minister nor other person, make any conuenticules or secret congregacions, either to read or to preach, or to minister the Sacramentes, or to use any maner of divine service, but that they shal resort to open chapels or Churches, and there to preach, teach, minister, or pray, according to the order of the church of england, ercept it be in cases of sickness, or where noble men and such others that haue in al former times ben accustomend to haue divine service said in their Oratories within their houses, for dyvers necessary respects, vpon pain that whatsoever persons or company shall make such secret conuenticules, every person to be imprisoned without bail or mainprize, until the coming of the Iustice for delivery of the same Gayle, and then to be punished by their discretions. given at our castle of windsor. the .xxii. day of September, the second year of our reign. M. D. lx. God save the queen. ¶ Imprinted at London in Powles Church yard by richard jug and John Cawood, printers to the queens majesty.