By the King, A PROCLAMATION, For Observation of the Thirtieth Day of January, as a Day of Fast and Humiliation, according to the late Act of Parliament for that purpose.  
CHARLES R.  
Whereas in Our late Parliament held at Westminster, in the Twelfth year of Our Reign, The Lords and Commons therein Assembled did show and declare unto Us, That the Execrable Murder of Our Royal Father CHARLES the First, of ever Blessed and Glorious Memory, hath been committed by a Party of wretched Men, desperately wicked and hardened in their Impiety, who having first plotted and contrived to the ruin and destruction of this Excellent Monarchy, and with it the true Reformed Protestant Religion, which had been so long Protected by it, and Flourished under it, found it necessary in order to the carrying on of their pernicious and traitorous Designs, to throw down all the Bulwarks and Fences of Law, and to subvert the very being and constitution of Parliament, That so they might at last make their way open for any further Attempts upon His Person: And for the more easy effecting thereof, they did then first 〈◊〉 some part of the then Army into a compliance, and then kept the rest in subjection to them, partly for hope of Preferment, and chiefly for fear of losing their Employments and Arrears, until by these and other more odious Arts and Devices they had fully strengthened themselves both in Power and Faction; Which being done, they did Declare against all manner of Treaty with the Person of Our Royal Father, even then when a Treaty by Advice of both Houses of Parliament was in being, and did Remonstrate against the Houses of Parliament for such Proceedings, and seized upon the Person of Our Royal Father, while the Commissioners were returned to the Houses of Parliament with His Answer; And when His Concessions had been Voted a ground for Peace, seize upon the House of Commons, Seclude and Imprison some Members, force out others, And there being left but a small remnant of their own creatures (not a tenth part of the whole) did seek to shelter themselves by this weak pretence, under the name and authority of a Parliament, and in that name laboured to prosecute what was yet behind, and unfinished of their long intended Treason and Conspiracy: To that purpose they prepared an Ordinance for creating a prodigious and unheared of Tribunal, which they called, An High Court of Justice, for Trial of His Majesty, Our most Dear Father; And having easily procured it to pass their House of Commons, as it then stood moulded, ventured to send it up from thence to the Peers, then sitting, who totally rejected it; Whereupon their rage and fury increasing, they presumed ●o pass it alone as an Act of the Commons, and in the name of the Commons of England; and having gained the pretence of 〈…〉 by the power of their 〈◊〉 making, pursued it with all possible force and cruelty, until at last upon the Thirtieth day of January, 〈◊〉 thousand six hundred forty and eight, His Sacred Majesty, Our late Dear Father, was brought unto a Scaffold, and there publicly murdered before the Gates of His own Royal Place. And because by this horrid Action, the Protestant Religion hath received the greatest wound and reproach, and the people of England, the most insupportable shame and infamy that it is possible for the Enemies of God and the King to bring upon them, whilst the Fanatic rage of a few miscreants (who were as far from being true Protestants, as they were from being true Subjects) stands impured by Our Adversaries to the whole Nation. They the said Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled, did therefore renounce, abominate, and protest against that Impious Fact, the execrable Murder and unparallelled Treason committed against the Sacred Person and Life of Our most Royal Father, and did beseech Us that it might be Declared; And it is by the said 〈◊〉 Declared, That by the undoubted Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom, neither the Peers of the Realm, nor the Commons, nor both together in Parliament, nor the People collectively or representatively, nor any other persons whatsoever, ever had, hath or aught to have any coercive power over the Persons of the Kings of this Realm. And for the better vindication of themselves to posterity, and is a lasting Monument of their otherwise inexpressible detestation and abhorrency of that villainous and abominable Fact, They did further beseech Us that it might be Enacted; And it is thereby Enacted, That every Thirtieth day of January (unless it should fall out to be on the Lord's Day, and then the next day following) should be for ever thereafter set apart to be kept and observed in all Our Churches and Chapels of our Kingdoms of England and Ireland, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and the Isles of 〈◊〉 and ●●●nsey, and all other Our Dominions, as an Anniversary Day of Fasting and Humiliation, to implore the Mercy of God 〈◊〉 next or the guilt of that Sacred and Innocent Blood, nor those other sins by which God was provoked to deliver in both them and their King into the hands of cruel and unreasonable men, might at any time after be visited upon them or their Posterity, as by the said Act amongst other things at large appeareth. We being very sensible of the Pious and good intentions of Our said 〈◊〉 and Loyal Subjects; and holding Ourselves obliged to do Our utmost endeavour that a work so much tending to the honour and acknowledgement of the infinite Mercies of Our good and gracious God, who hath been pleased not only to restore Us to the Throne of Our Ancestors, from which We were long detained, and Our said good Subjects to their Rights and Liberties, and the Nation to Peace, after a bloody and unnatural War, and tending to a due acknowledgement of the sins which provoked the justice of God so far as justly to deliver up these Nations to the many and deplorable Calamities which proceeded from, and ensued that horrid and bloody murder of Our most Dear Father, Do strictly Command and Enjoin all Our loving Subjects, of what degree, quality or condition soever, solemnly and humbly to conform themselves, and give obedience to the said Act of Parliament, and to set apart, and observe the Thirtieth day of January this present year, and so from time to time every Thirtieth day of January every year, as a day of Fasting and Humiliation for the purposes in the said Act of Parliament mentioned: And to that end We Command all Archbishops, Bishops, Persons, Vicars, Ministers, and other Ecclesiastical Persons in their several Charges, according to their several Duties to take care hereof, and to cause this our Proclamation to be yearly read in all Churches and Chapels the Sunday before the said Fast is to be observed. And We strictly Command all persons whatsoever, for the better observation of the said Day, to abstain from all servile Works and Business on that Day, and meekly and orderly to repair to the Public place for Divine Worship, to beseech God for his Mercy, and to humble themselves in his sight, according to the good intention of the said Act. And We declare, That such persons as shall be faulty herein, shall be esteemed by Us, Contemners and Infringers of Our Laws and Commands, and Profane persons, who wilfully shut their eyes, both against the judgements and Mercies of Almighty God.  
Given at Our Court at Whitehall, the Twenty fifth Day of January, in the Twelfth Year of Our Reign, One thousand six hundred and sixty.  
GOD SAVE THE KING.   

LONDON, Printed by the Assigns of John Bill and Christopher Barker, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1674.