❧ By the queen.  
WHereas certain obstinate and irrepentant traitors, after their notorious rebellions made against this their natural country, haue fled out of the same, and haue remained in foreign partes, with a continual & wilful determination( as it appeareth) to contrive al the mischief that they can imagine, to impeach and subvert the universal quietness and peace of this realm, whereof they do behold with deadly envy this their natural country, by Gods special grace directyng her majesty in her government, to haue ben of long time most comfortably possessed, both inwardly at home, and with al outward countreyes next adjoining: and that now since they haue wasted their whole time for the prosecutyng of their rooted malice, by congregatyng themselves together in routs, with shows of conventicles, and of forces,( wherein they haue condemned and despised such of their former companions, as haue dutifully sought for mercy for their offences) and by combination with others of this country birth, of like disposition, being found as persons vagrant and wilful fugitives, they haue sought by and with them to excite by al kind of sinister means, diuers estates and gouernours abroad, to mislike, and to enter into enmity against the queens majesty, her realm, and people: and that notwithstanding these their labours and practices, they see that neither they haue nor could prevail as they desired, by reason of the great wisdom, honour, and grave consideration of the said persons of estate, whom they haue much troubled and amnoyed with their importunate suits and clamours, and specially with their false, malicious, and traitorous suggestions, and calumniations against the queens majesty, her government, and this realm: Therefore at the last being desperate of those their former travails and practices, and finding her majesties amity is had in good estimation with other the great princes and estates her neighbours, and the amity also of the same princes reciprocquely embraced by her majesty, to the honour and benefit both of her majesty, and her allies and confederates, and their countreyes and subiectes, they are fallen into another crooked course of malicious persecutyng the happy estate of this country and government, by choosyng out of certain shameless, spiteful, and furious brains, having a trade in pennyng of infamous libels, not only in the Englishe, but also in latin, & other strange languages. And by these means they haue lately caused certain seditious books and libels to be compiled, and printed in diuers languages, wherein their final intention appeareth to be to blaspheme, and as it were to accurse their native country, with al manner of reproachful terms, against the peaceable government thereof, condemnyng generally the whole policy of the present estate, as having no religion, nor piety, nor iustice, nor order, no good ministers at al, either for divine or human causes: & yet to abuse such as are strangers to the state, they haue glosed some of their late libeled books with arguments of discoveries of treasons, intended, as they do craftily allege, by some special persons being counsaylers, against her majesty, and the state of this crown and realm, with reproachful terms of most notorious false assertions and allegations: bendyng their malice most specially against two, who be certainly known to haue always ben most studiously and faithfully careful of her majesties prosperous estate, and virtuous government, employing thereto al their cares, travails, diligence, and watchyng, with the manifest loss and hindrance of their own health, that no treason might approach to hurt her highness, nor traitorous malice to disturb the quiet of her prosperous reign. These chiefly, beside their general reproving of al other, having charge in this government, they study by their venomous and lying books, to haue specially myslyked of her majesty, contrary to their manifold deserts, so approved by long and manifest experience, which both her majesty, and al the rest of her good counsellors and nobility, with other the states of the realm, haue had, and daily haue of the very same counsellors, who also are the more to be allowed of her majesty, in that she seeth, and of her own mere knowledge truly understandeth, that al the particular matters wherewith the said libelers labour to charge the said counsellors, as offences, be utterly improbable & false, as in like maner generally, al others her majesties counsellors, ministers, and subiectes of understanding, in every degree, do repute, accept, & know the same to be: so as both of her majesty, & of al other her good counsaylers and noble men, this their attempt is vnderstanded to be the work of canckred envy and malice, and the accustomend wont of such men as be possessed with those spirites, when they can not, ne dare not openly assail her princely majesty by force or open doings, then to go about to pull from her majesty her faithful and trusty counsellors, by false calumnies, or with feigned and surmised tales, to make variance, yf they could, gelousie, and discord amongs her highnesse counsellors, who hitherto with much concord and good agreement, haue, as it is well seen, served prosperously her highness. And therefore her majesty having regard to be thankful to almighty God for his blessing of her with his protection in her government these many yeeres, and for that cause myslykyng to suffer the same to be in this sort by such infamous libels obscured, defamed, and blasphemed, either presently, or in time to come, by the secret dispearsyng of the same books and libels, either within her realm, or abroad in foreign language: and in like manner, being vnwyllyng to haue such as be her well tried and approved faithful servants and counsellors to be thereby taxed, altogether with manifest vntruethes impudently uttered, to the dishonour of her majesty, to whom they are counsellors: hath therfore thought necessary, and so by advice of others of her counsel and nobility, whose reputation is also most certainly taxed by the said manifest slanders and vntruethes, she willeth that by this her majesties public declaration, it be known, that the said books and libels be of her majesty, and of her counsel, esteemed, judged, and condemned, to be the works of despisers of Gods true religion, of obstinate traitors against her majesties person, estate, and dignity, & of unnatural and malignant enviers of the common good tranquilitie of her realm, who the more to abuse some sympler sort of people, do deliver a show of certain things pretended for the safety of her majesties person and estate, the same being in deed most manifest and direct practices to ruin her person, and to overthrow her estate: And therewith chargeth al manner of persons, to despise, reject, and destroy such books and libels, whensoever they shal come to their hands, for the malicious slanders and vntruethes contained in them, and that no man willingly do bring into this realm, dispearse, dispose, or deliver to any other, or keep any of the said books or libels without destroying, except the same person be one of her majesties privy counsel, or otherwise for reasonable respects, be duly licenced to haue the same to peruse, and to reprove, according to the quality thereof, vpon pain to be by any public officer, who may haue notice thereof, apprehended, and thereupon to be punished as sowers of sedition, and abbettours to the treasons uttered in the same .xxviij. die Septembr. 1573.  
God save the queen.   

❧ Imprinted at London by Newgate market, next unto Christes church, by richard jug, Printer to the queens majesty.  


¶ Cum privilegio Regiae Maiestatis.