A PROCLAMATION, Discharging Merchants and other Traffickers to Sell or Exchange any Prohibit Commodities, with themselves, or amongst others.  
CHARLES' by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To _____ Macers of Our Privy Council, or Messengers at Arms, our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting,  
Forasmuch as We, from the great care We always had of the Advancement of the Trade and Manufactories of this Our Ancient Kingdom, have made several good Laws and Acts thereanent, and particularly, by the 12th. Act of our Current Parliament, in the Month of September, 1681. Relative to our former Proclamation, in April preceding; The Importing, Selling, Venting, Bartering, or Exchanging of divers Commodities therein named, is Prohibited and Discharged, under the Certifications and Penalties expressed therein: And albeit We then understood that the Importing, and Venting of these Prohibited Commodities could hardly be restrained without a total Prohibition had been given to the wearing thereof; yet out of a tenderness to the Merchants, who might have have had great parts of their Stocks in these Commodities upon their hands, We thought it not then fit to make a total and immediate Prohibition to the Wearing, but ordained them to be put under Bond, not to Import any of these Prohibited Goods thereafter, nor to Vent, Sell, Barter, or Exchange any thereof, upon hazard of incurring the certifications contained therein: And notwithstanding there hath been more than sufficient time allowed to the Merchants to have sold off these Prohibited Goods, yet upon pretext thereof, and of the Ambiguity of the words in the Bond, that they are only obliged not to Vent, Sell, Barter, or Exchange any of these Goods, that at the buying or receiving thereof were known to have been Imported, contrary to the Laws; divers Persons have presumed to Import, at the least to Reset Commodities unwarrantably Imported, and to Vent, Sell, Barter, and Exchange the same, so that thereby the Execution of the Law hath been hitherto evacuated and eluded, and honest Men, who out of Conscience and Duty have given obedience, in hazard to be ruined, and the Trade and Manufactory of the Kingdom overturned and destroyed; and although we had more than reason to have enforced the Execution of the said's good Laws, by the exemplary punishment of persons most guilty: Nevertheless We, according to Our accustomed Clemency, have thought fit to continue any Sentence upon the Process in dependence against them, at the instance of Our Advocate, till We shall have occasion to know their future behaviour. And in the mean time, for Explicating and making the said Act of Parliament effectual for the good ends therein designed, We, with Advice of Our Privy Council hereby Prohibit and Discharge all Merchants within this Kingdom, or other Trafficquers, Men, or Women, to Buy, or Sell, Barter, or Exchange with themselves, or among others, any clothes, Stuffs, Sarges, Holland, Cambridge, Silk-stockings, or any Goods made of Wool, or Lint, after the Date hereof, except they know, and can be able to declare upon Oath they were either made in the Kingdom, or lawfully Imported, preceding the Prohibition contained in the Act of Parliament, and Proclamation foresaid, under the Penalties and Certifications therein contained, to be inflicted on them, without favour or desalcation. And in respect divers persons have, or may pretend to have such Goods in their custody, as to which they cannot positively declare upon Oath that they were Imported before the Prohibition, as having come through several hands: We do allow the Merchant's Burgesses of Edinburgh, and others, havers of such Goods in their possession, before the Date hereof (who did take the Bond, and give up Inventar, and none others) liberty to Retail the same to the Liedges, or Export them out off the Kingdom at any time betwixt and the first of November next; Certifying such as shall upon pretext hereof Import any Prohibited Commodities, or Vent, Sell, Barter, or Exchange any thereof after the said day, the same shall be Confiscate, Burnt, and Destroyed, and the Persons guilty otherwise punisned, conform to the said Act of Parliament.  
Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the sixteenth day of August, One thousand six hundred eighty and three. And of Our Reign, the thirtieth and fifth Year. Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. WILL. PATERSON, Cls. Sti. Concilii.  
GOD save the KING.   

Edinburgh, Printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, Printer to His most Sacred Majesty. 1683.