royal blazon or coat of arms 
W R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MONDROIT By the King, A PROCLAMATION.  
WILLIAM R.  
WHereas by an Act of this present Parliament, Entitled, An Act for Remedying the ill State of the Coin of the Kingdom, It was amongst other things Enacted, That the several Receivers General, and their several Deputies, and the particular Receivers, Collectors, and other Officers, who should have, or be Entrusted with the Receipt or Collection of Our Revenues, or any Impositions, Duties, Taxes, Aids or Supplies which were then Granted, or in Being, or should be Granted to Us, should, and by the said Act they are severally Required and Enjoined to Accept and Take in Payment for Our Use, for or upon Account of any of Our said Revenues, Duties, Taxes, Aids or Supplies respectively, all Clipped Moneys, being Sterling Silver, or being Silver Money of a Courser Allay than the Standard, from such Person or Persons, Bodies Politic or Corporate, as should Tender the same, in or for such Payments respectively, at any time or times before the Fourth Day of May, which should be in the Year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred ninety six, at the same Rate or Value, as if such Moneys were Unclipped or Vndiminished, and should not Refuse any Piece or Pieces of Silver Moneys, so Tendered, by Reason or Pretence of their being worse, or holding more Alloy than Standard Silver, so as such Piece or Pieces do not evidently Appear to be made of Copper, or Base Metal Plated over or Washed with Silver only. And whereas by another Act of this present Parliament, Entitled, An Act for Granting to His Majesty an Aid of Four Shillings in the Pound for One Year, for Carrying on the War against France, It was amongst other things Provided and Enacted, That it should and might be Lawful for any Person or Persons who should be Assessed by Virtue of the said Act, for or in respect of their Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Offices, Personal Estates, or other Matters or Things by the said Act intended to be Charged at any time before the Fourth day of May, One thousand six hundred ninety six, to Satisfy and Pay to the Respective Collectors, who in pursuance of the said Act, should be Impowered to Receive the First Quarterly Payment in Clipped Moneys, being Sterling Silver, or Silver of a worse Alloy than the Standard, Twice, Thrice or Four times as much as should be Assessed or Payable for the said First 〈◊〉 Payment, for, or in respect of any such Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Offices, Personal Estates, or other Matters or Things respectively, which said Collectors were thereby enjoined and required, upon every such Payment so made at once, to give the Party or Parties paying the same an Acquittance expressing the Sum received for such Quarterly Payments, for the respective Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Offices, Personal Estates, or other Matters or Things for which such Payment should be so made; And every such Acquittance should be a good Discharge against Us, Our Heirs and Successors, as if the Sums Chargeable by the said Act on such Manors, Lands, Tenements, Rents, Offices, Personal Estates, or other Matters or Things were Assessed or Answered, at the several and respective Quarterly Payments in the said Act mentioned: We therefore being desirous that all and every Our Collectors, Receivers and other Officers concerned in the Receipt of Our Taxes or Revenues should Punctually Observe the said several Provisions and Directions in the said Acts contained, and that Our Loving Subjects should have the full Benefit and Advantage thereby intended them, and the better to Enable them to pay Our Taxes and Revenues, have thought fit to Declare and Command, and by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, We do by this Our Royal Proclamation Declare and Command all and every the Collectors and Receivers of Our Revenues and Taxes, That they shall Receive in Payment all such Clipped Silver Moneys, according to the Directions of the said Recited Acts, from all or any of Our Loving Subjects, who shall Offer or Tender the same for any of Our Taxes or Revenues, at any time before the Fourth day of May next ensuing; and particularly, That all and every the Collectors of the said Aid of Four Shillings in the Pound Granted to Us by the said last mentioned Act, do Accept and Receive Two, Threé or Four Quarterly Payments of the said Aid from such of Our Loving Subjects as shall Offer or Tender the same in such Clipped Money, as aforesaid, at any time before the said Fourth day of May next, according to the Directions of the said last mentioned Act. And We do hereby strictly Require and Command all and every the Receivers General, Head Collectors and other Receivers of Our Revenues and Taxes, and their respectives Deputies, to Receive such Clipped Moneys from the Collectors, according to the Directions of the said first-mentioned Act, or any other Act of Parliament in that behalf; And that when they shall Receive any such Clipped Moneys from the particular Collectors, they do Seal the same up in a Bag, and keép it distinct and apart from other Moneys, in such manner that they may be able, when they bring any such Money to be paid into our Exchequer, to make Oath that it is the very same Money which they Received from the Collectors of our Taxes or Revenues. And We do strictly Require and Command all and every the Commissioners, Receivers General, and Collectors, to use the utmost Speéd and Diligence in the Raising, Collecting and Paying all such Cl●pped Moneys into Our Exchequer. And We do hereby strictly Charge and Command all the Receivers and Collectors of Our Revenues and Taxes, That they do accept in Payment such Clipped Moneys, and the several Quarterly Payments of the said Four Shillings Aid, according to the Directions of the said several Acts of Parliament, and that they do yield entire Obedience to the said Acts in every other Matter and Thing therein contained, relating to the Receipt of such Clipped Money, or otherwise, as they tender Our High Displeasure, and upon Pain of such Punishments as may by Law be Inflicted upon all such as shall Refuse or Neglect to observe and perform what by the said Acts, or either of them, they are Required and Enjoined to do.  
Given at Our Court at Kensington, the Seventeenth Day of April, 1696. In the Eighth Year of Our Reign.  
God save the King.