HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE   royal blazon or coat of arms  
¶ By the King.  
A Proclamation touching Tobacco.  
WHereas Our most dear Father, of blessed memory, deceased, for many weighty and important Reasons of State, and at the humble suit of His Commons in Parliament, did lately publish two several Proclamations, the one dated the nine and twentieth day of September, now last past, and the other the second of March following, for the utter prohibiting of the importation, and use of all Tobacco, which is not of the proper growth of the Colonies of Virginia and the Summer Islands, or one of them, with such Cautious, and under such Pains and Penalties, as are in those Proclamations at large expressed:  
We, tendering the prosperity of those Colonies and Plantations, and holding it to be a matter of great consequence unto Us, and to the honour of Our Crown, not to desert, or neglect those Colonies, whereof the foundations, with hopeful success, have been so happily laid by Our Father, being given to understand, that diverse persons intending only their private gain, and neglecting all considerations of the public, in this short time, whilst We have been necessarily taken up in ordering of the great affairs of Our Kingdoms and State, have taken the boldness, secretly, and by stealth, to import and utter great quantities of Tobacco, which is not of the growth of the Plantations aforesaid, to the utter destruction of those Plantations, as much as in them lieth; We have thought fit, for the preventing of those inconveniences, which may otherwise ensue, to the irrecoverable damage of those Plantations, and of Our service, to publish and declare Our Royal pleasure for the present, touching the premises, until upon more mature deliberation We shall see cause to alter, or add unto the same, in any part.  
And We do therefore straight charge and command, that no person whatsoever, of what degree or quality soever, do at any time hereafter, either directly or indirectly, import, buy, sell or utter, plant, cherish, or use, or cause to be imported, sold, or uttered, cherished, planted, or used, in Our Realms of England, or Ireland, or Dominion of Wales, or in any Isles or places thereunto belonging any Tobacco, of any sort whatsoever, which is not of the proper growth of the said Colonies, or one of them; And that no person whatsoever, by any shift or device whatsoever, do receive, or conceal, or colour the Tobacco of any other, so imported, planted, bought, sold, uttered, or used within Our said Realms, or Dominions, or the Isles or places aforesaid, or any part thereof, upon pain of forteiture unto Us, of all such Tobacco so to be imported, bought, sold, planted, uttered, or used, contrary to the true meaning of these presents, in whose hands soever the same shall be found, and upon such further pains and penalties, as by the Laws and Statutes of these Our Realms, or by the Censure of Our Courts of Star-Chamber, in either of Our said Kingdoms respectively, can or may be inflicted upon the offenders, for contempt of this Our Royal Command; and to be reputed and taken as enemies to Our proceedings, and to those Plantations, which so much concern Our honour, and the honour and profit of Our State.  
And Our further will and command is, that all the foreign Tobacco, of what sort soever, which is not of the proper growth of those Plantations or one of them, shall before the fourth day of May, now next ensuing, be transported out of Our Realms and Dominions, as by the said former Proclamations it was directed and commanded, upon pain of forfeiture thereof, and upon the other pains and penalties aforesaid to be inflicted upon the offenders.  
And Our pleasure is, That all such foreign Tobacco may be freely exported by any person whatsoever, without paying to Us, or to Our use, any Subsidy, or other duty for the same.  
Given at Our Court at White-Hall, this ninth day of April, in the first year of Our Reign of Great Britain, France, and Ireland. God save the King.   

¶ Printed at London by Bonham Norton and john Bill, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. M.DC.XXV.