CR  
Dieu ET MON DROIT  
HONI SOIT x MAL Y PENSE   royal blazon or coat of arms  
By the King.  
❧ A Proclamation forbidding all Assessing, Collecting, and Paying of the Twentieth Part, and of all weekly Taxes by Colour of Orders or Ordinances, And all entering into Protestations and Associations against his majesty.  
WHereas, an actual and open Rebellion being raised against us under the Command of Robert Earl of Essex, and diverse other traitorous Persons, for the destruction of us and Our Posterity, and the subversion of the Religion, Laws, and Liberties of this Our Kingdom, great Endeavours are daily used to persuade and fright Our good Subjects in Our City of London, and throughout this Kingdom, to submit to several illegal Impositions, by pretended Orders or Ordinances of one or both Houses of Parliament, for the levying of the Twentieth Part of their Estates, and for weekly Taxes upon the same, and to engage them into unwarrantable Protestations and Associations, to no other end then to foment and maintain this unnatural war against us; All which Contributions, Protestations, and Associations are by the known Law of the Land Acts of High Treason, and Endeavours to take Our Life from us; we do therefore strictly charge and command all Our loving Subjects whatsoever, and particularly of Our Counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertford, Essex, Cambridge, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, South-Hampton, North-Hampton, Leicester, Derby, Rutland, Nottingham, Huntingdon, Bedford, and Buckingham, where this Association hath been already attempted, upon their Allegiance not to enter into any such Association or Protestation, And all Our loving Subjects in what parts of this Our Realm soever (particularly of Our City of London) not to submit to any such Imposition, Levy, or Tax as aforesaid, nor to presume to be assistant thereunto by Assessing, Taxing, Levying or Collecting thereof. And we do hereby publish and declare, That we are resolved to grant out Our Commissions for the seizing of the Goods, and the sequestering of the Estates of all such Persons as shall rebelliously disobey us herein, To the Intent that such their Goods and Rents may be safely deposited, until such time as the offenders can be brought to a legal trial, which shall speedily proceed against them, as soon as they can be apprehended and delivered into the hands of justice. And we do hereby will and command all Persons who are any ways indebted unto, and all the several Tenants of all such Persons, who shall by submitting to, or assisting of any such Imposition, Levy, or Tax, contribute to the maintenance of the Armies in Rebellion against us, or that shall join in any such traitorous Association or Protestation, That they forbear to pay any Rents or Debts due to the said several Persons, but detain the same in their hands towards the maintenance of the Peace of the Counties, and the Reparation of such men who have suffered by the Violence of the aforesaid Armies, The same course being already taken by public Order and directions against such as have faithfully and according to their Allegiance assisted us against this unnatural Rebellion. And as we have heretofore declared, That whosoever sold lose his Life in this Our necessary Defence, the wardship of his heir should be granted by us without Rent or Fine to his own use; so on the other side we do here by publish and declare, That whosoever of Our Subjects shall not make use of this Our gracious warning, but persist in, or hereafter engage themselves into either actual bearing Arms against us, or any such traitorous Assistance of those that do bear Arms either by Contribution or Association as aforesaid, in case they die or be so killed during this Rebellion, that the Coroner cannot have Inspection of their bodies, their heirs shall have no benefit by Our Instructions of Grace to Our Court of wards; The Benefit of which, we shall ever be careful that all Our good Subjects may fully enjoy.  
Given at Our Court at Oxford the Eight day of March, in the eighteenth year of our Reign. 1642. 
 God save the King.