A PROCLAMATION Against Conventicles, and other Disorders.  
CHARLES, by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To _____ Macers, or Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting:  
Forasmuch, as by many renewed Acts of Parliament, and former Proclamations, with advice of Our Privy Council; We have manifested Our Religious and Princely care and zeal for the interests of the Protestant Reform Religion, and of the Church: And considering, how much it imports the glory of Almighty GOD, as well as the interest and service of Our Crown, that all due Obedience be paid to such Laws, as provide for the securing of the same, by Unity in Worship, and by procuring of all due Reverence to Our Arch-Bishops and Bishops, and the other sub-ordinat Officers of the Church: And withal, the sad and sensible decays Religion hath of late suffered, and the great and dangerous increase of profaneness through the most unreasonable and Schismatical separation of many, from the public and established Worship, and the frequent and open Conventicles both in houses and fields, by such as thereby discover their disaffection to the established Religion, and their undutieful aversion to Our Authority and Government, whereby the Peace of the Kingdom is endangered, and the Church divided, and under pretence of Scruple, Faction advanced. And We, having cause to apprehend, that these insolent Disorders, have flowed from their abusing of Our Royal Clemency and Indulgence, and from the flow, remiss and unsteady execution of Our good and wholesome Laws; And being desirous, that all Our good Subjects may take notice, how serious and resolute We are to assert and maintain the true Religion, and the Unity and established Order of the Church, Do, with advice of Our Privy Council, require, and command all Our Officers, and others entrusted for that effect, to put the Laws and Proclamations relating to the Church, to due and vigorous execution, both against Papists, and all other Schismatical Dissenters and Disturbers of the Peace thereof. And further, We do particularly require the Magistrates of the several burgh's to seize upon any Persons that are, or, hereafter shall be intercommoned and remove out of their several Towns and Jurisdictions, the Families of such as are intercommoned, or declared Fugitives or Rebels; and all such Preachers, as with their Families do not attend the Public Worship, and that betwixt and the first day of June next: And We do require all Noblemen, Gentlemen, and all other Subjects without Burgh, and all Magistrates, and other persons within Burgh, That they do not Intercommon, Harbour, nor Relieve any of the Persons, who are, or shall be Intercommoned, under the pains due to Intercommoners by Law. And declare, that if any person shall discover any Heritor, Life-renter, or other Person without Burgh, or any Magistrate, or other Inhabitants within Burgh; who shall Intercommon, Harbour, or Relieve any so Intercommoned, shall have for such discovery made, the sum of five hundred marks, instantly paid to them out of Our Thesaury. And whereas, by the seventeenth Act of the third Session of Our second Parliament, all Sheriffs, Stewarts, Lords of Regalities, and Magistrates of burgh's, are obliged to give an account of their diligence, in putting the Acts relating to Conventicles, and Separation into due execution, to Our Privy Council yearly, on the first thursday of July, under the pain of five hundred marks for each years faylie: We declare, that We will call them to an account of their diligence, and punish their negligence accordingly. And further, We declare, That the Magistrates of all Royal burgh's, wherein any Conventicles shall be hereafter keeped, shall be fyned in the sum of five hundred marks for each Conventicle, and that by and attour any other fine to be imposed by Our Privy Council upon them; For which by Act of Parliament, they are to have relief from the persons present at the said Conventicle: and that five hundred marks shall be the least sum to be exacted from any Burgh for every Conventicle, and which shall be augmented on the burgh's more considerable: For which sum, they are to have no Relief, either from the Common good of the Towns, nor from the Persons found at these Conventicles. And whereas, by Our former Proclamation of the date, the Eighth day of Apryle, one thousand six hundred and sixty nine, all Heritors in whose Lands any Conventicles are keeped, are lyeable to the Fynes, Pains, and Penalties therein contained: We hereby declare, that in likemanner, these Heritors of Houses, within burgh's of Royalty, Regality, or Barony, in whose Houses any Conventicle shall be keeped after the first day of June next, shall be fyned in a whole years Rend of the said Tenement, where the Conventicle shall be keeped, and whereof the Landlord shall have no relief from the Tennent, or Possessor, and this, toties, quoties, for every Conventicle keeped therein. And further, for preventing of all disorderly Marriages and Baptisms, We do hereby declare, That We will take care that the thirty fourth Act of the first Session of Our first Parliament, and the sixth Act of the second Session of Our second Parliament, be put into due execution against the contraveeners thereof. And, for the encouragement of those who shall delate or inform, a proportionable part of the Fynes of these who shall be found guilty, shall be granted and allowed to them for their service therein. And whereas, by the fourth Act of the second Session of Our first Parliament, It is Statute, that none be allowed to teach any Schools, or be Pedagogues to Children of Persons of Quality, or Chaplains in any Family, without a Licence from the respective Ordinaries, We, do hereby Require and Command, that none hereafter  any Schoolmaster, Pedagogue or Chaplain, or person for performance of Family Worship, who have no such Licence under the hands of the respective Bishops: And that under the penalty of three thousand marks to be exacted from each Nobleman, and twelve hundred marks from each Gentleman, and six hundred marks from a Burges, or any other Subject, toties, quoties, as they shall be found guilty herein. And that Our Royal pleasure in the premises may be made public and known, OUR WILL IS, and We charge you straight and command, that incontinent their Our Letters seen, ye pass, to the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, and remanent Head-Burghs of the Shires of this Kingdom, and other places needful; and thereat, in Our Name and Authority, by open Proclamation, make publication of Our Royal peasure in the premises, That all Our Subjects may have due and timous notice thereof, and give Obedience thereto, according to Justice, as ye will answer to Us thereupon. The which to do We commit to you, conjunctly and severally, Our full power by their Our Letters, delivering them be you duly execute, and indorsat again to the bearer.  
Given under Our Signet, At Edinburgh, the first day of March, 1676. And of Our Reign the twenty eight year. Tho. Hay, Cl. S ti Concilii.   

Edinburgh, Printed by Andrew Anderson, Printer to His most Sacred Majesty. Anno 1676.