HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT  royal blazon of the House of Stuart  
❧ By the King. ❧ A Proclamation against the false dying of Silk.  
WHereas the Trade of Silk within this Realm, by the importation thereof raw from foreign parts, and Throwing, Dying, and working the same into Manufactures here at home, is much increased within a few years now past, and the same is likely to be much more enlarged, to the enriching of this Kingdom, and the setting of many thousand poor people on work, unless the deceitful handling thereof, do bring the same into discredit, and destroy the reputation thereof, and thereby deprive the Land of so hopeful a Trade, when it hath near attained to the perfection thereof.  
And whereas it hath been lately discovered in Our Court of Star-chamber, that a notable abuse hath crept in by the Fraud and Covetise of some ill disposed persons, (some of which have already been deservedly punished by the just Sentence of that Court, and the rest of the offenders shall surely be prosecuted for an example to all others) by adding to the weight of Silk in their die beyond a just proportion, by false and deceitful mixture of the ingredients used in the Dying, whereby, besides the unjust increase of the weights, the Silk is weakened and corrupted, and the colour made worse, to the great abuse of Us and Our Subjects, and to the apparent overthrow of the whole Trade, if the same be not speedily prevented.  
We taking this into Our Princely consideration, and esteeming it a work worthy of Our Royal care, have thought it fit by this Our public Proclamation, utterly to forbid the use of all such deceit and falsity in Dying of Silks, and for the present to prescribe some probable Rules to be observed, for the preventing of the like abuses hereafter, until upon serious and mature deliberation, We, by the advice of Our Counsel, shall be able to make a more absolute reformation.  
In the first place therefore We do straight charge and command, That no Silke-Dyer do at any time hereafter use any Slipp, Alder-barke, filings of Iron, or other corrupt or deceitful matter in dying of Silks, either black, or into Colours, whereby the weight of the Silk shall or may be increased, upon pain of Our high displeasure, & of such further pains and punishments, as by Our Laws, or by the Sentence of Our Court of Star-chamber, or by Our Prerogative Royal, can or may be inflicted upon the offenders; And if any Silkman, Silk-weaver, or other person using the Trade of buying or selling of Silk, either in gross, or by retail, either by the skaine, or other weight, or which shall convert the same into Lace, Ribben, Buttons, Points, or other Manufactures, or shall use the Trade of buying or selling the same so converted, shall be privy and consenting to such deceit in Dying, or knowing the same to be so falsely Died, shall buy, receive, or put the same to sale, or utter the same to any other, Every such offendor shall incur the like punishment as the Silke-Dyer himself should undergo by the intention of this Our Proclamation.  
And to the end that all good means may be used, which may further this reformation intended, We further straight charge and command, That no Silk shall be died of any other Black, but of that colour and dye called or known by the name of Spanish black, and not of that die which is called or known by the name of London black, or light weight.  
That no Silke-Dyer do dye any Silk before the Gum be fair boiled off from the Silk being raw, so that the pound of Raw silk, which before the Gum boiled off was sixteen ounces, be reduced to twelve ounces, or thereabouts, when the Gum is boiled off.  
That no silk weighing a pound before it be put to dying, & after died into Spanish black, do exceed sixteen ounces after it is died; And that the pound weight of Silk of Italy died into black, do not exceed fifteen ounces when it is died, with half an ounce at the most for remedy.  
That no pound weight of Silk which shall be died into these sad Colours following, (viz.) Liver-colour, Deroy, Tawny, Purple, French green, Gingerline, Dear colour, Orange colour, or light Russet, shall exceed thirteen ounces when it is died, and half an ounce at the most for remedy.  
That no pound weight of Silk which shall be died into other colours, which are called Light colours, exceed twelve ounces when it is died, and half an ounce at the most for remedy; And that no Galls be used in the dying of those light colours.  
That no pound weight of Silk which shall be died into Grain colours, do exceed thirteen ounces when it is died, and half an ounce at the most for remedy.  
That no pound weight of Silk which shall be used, as white, or light Yellow, for Silver and Gold thread, shall exceed twelve ounces, without any addition for remedy.  
That the Throwster do not add any Gum, Syrups, or other deceitful stuff to increase the weight before it go to the Dyer.  
That no Broker sell any died Silks, unless the owner himself appear in person, and own the same, that he may be answerable for the abuse in dying, if there fall out to be any.  
That all Stuffs made of Silk, be marked with the proper Mark of the Weaver thereof; And that no person buying Silk, do Die his own Silk.  
And We straight charge and command, That the Lord Mayor of London, within the City and Liberties thereof, The Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the Company of Dyers of London, (as fare as by their Charters they are enabled) and all other Majors, Sheriffs, justices of Peace, Bailiffs, and other head Officers within their several jurisdictions in all parts of this Kingdom of England, and Realm of Ireland, do use all diligence to search, find out, and prevent all the abuses in false or deceitful Dying of Silk, according to the power they already have to that purpose, and according to the direction of these Presents; And such abuses being found, that they discover the same to the Lords of Our Privy Counsel, or to Our Attorney general for the time being, to the end that the offenders may be punished for the same.  
And because it were in vain to command the true and honest Dying of Silk within this Realm, and suffer silk falsely Died beyond the Seas to be imported, We do straight charge and command, That no man be so hardy as to bring into these Our Realms of England or Ireland, or any Port, Haven, Creek, or place thereof, any Silk deceitfully Died with increase of weight, upon pain of forfeiture thereof, and of such further punishment as may by Law be inflicted upon them.  
And lastly, because there is at this present much Silk in the hands of many persons, which hath been falsely Died as aforesaid, We do straight charge and command, that all such Silk be transported out of these Kingdoms before the first day of December now next coming▪ And if after that day any such false or deceitful Died Silk, either already so Died, or hereafter to be so died, shall be found in the hands of any person whatsoever, besides the punishments aforesaid, the Silk itself shall be burnt, and utterly destroyed wheresoever the same shal● be found.  
Given at Our Court at Farnham, the ninth day of August, in the sixth year o● Our Reign of Great Britain, France and Ireland. 
 ❧ God save the King. ❧   

❧ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty: and by the Assigns of john Bill. M.DC.XXX.