Their Majesty's DECLARATION Against the FRENCH KING.  
WILLIAM R.  
IT having pleased Almighty God to make Us the happy Instruments of Rescuing these Nations from Great and Imminent Dangers, and to place Us upon the Throne of these Kingdoms, We think Ourselves obliged to endeavour to the uttermost to Promote the Welfare of Our People, which can never be effectually Secured, but by preventing the Miseries that threaten them from abroad.  
When We consider the many unjust Methods the French King hath of late Years taken to gratify his Ambition, that he has not only Invaded the Territories of the Emperor, and of the Empire now in Amity with Us, laying waste whole Countries, and destroying the Inhabitants by his Armies, but Declared War against our Allies, without any Provocation, in manifest Violation of the Treaties Confirmed by the Guaranty of the Crown of England; We can do no less than join with Our Allies, in opposing the Designs of the French King, as the Disturber ot the Peace, and the Common Enemy of the Christian World.  
And besides the Obligations We lie under by Treaties with Our Allies, which are a sufficient Justification of Us for taking up Arms at this time, since they have called upon Us so to do, the many Injuries done to Us, and to Our Subjects, without any Reparation, by the French King, are such, that (however of late years they were not taken notice of, for Reasons well known to the World, nevertheless) We will not pass them over without a Public and Just Resentment of such Outrages.  
It is not long since the French took Licences from the English Governor of New Found-Land, to Fish in the Seas upon that Coast, and paid a Tribute for such Licences, as an acknowledgement of the sole Right of the Crown of England to that Island; And yet of late, the Encroachments of the French upon Our said Island, and Our Subjects Trade and Fishery have been more like the Invasions of an Enemy, than becoming Friends, who enjoyed the Advantages of that Trade only by Permission.  
But that the French King should Invade Our Charibbee Islands, and possess himself of Our Territories of the Province of New-York, and of Hudson's Bay in a Hostile manner, seizing Our Forts, burning Our Subjects Houses, and enriching his People with the Spoil of their Goods and Merchandizes, detaining some of Our Subjects under the hardship of Imprisonment, causing others to be inhumanely killed, and driving the rest to Sea in a small Vessel, without Food and necessaries to support them, are Actions not becoming even an Enemy; And yet he was so far from declaring himself so, that at that very time he was Negotiating here in England by his Ministers, a Treaty of Neutrality and good Correspondence in America.  
The Proceedings of the French King against Our Subjects in Europe, are so Notorious, that We shall not need to enlarge upon them; his countenancing the Seizure of English Ships by French Privateers, forbidding the Importation of great part of the Product and Manufactures of Our Kingdom, and imposing exorbitant Customs upon the rest, notwithstanding the vast Advantage he and the French Nation reap by their Commerce with England, are sufficient Evidences of his Designs to destroy the Trade, and consequently to ruane the Navigation, upon which the Wealth and Safety of this Nation very much depends.  
The Right of the Flag, inherent in the Crown of England, has been Disputed by his Orders in Violation of Our Sovereignty of the narrow Seas, which in all Ages has been Asserted by Our Predecessors, and We are resolved to Maintain, for the Honour of Our Crown, and of the English Nation.  
But that which must nearly touch Us, is his unchristian Prosecution of many of Our English Protestant Subjects in France, for matters of Religion, contrary to the Law of Nations, and express Treaties, forcing them to abjure their Religion by strange and unusual Cruelties, and Imprisoning some of the Masters and Seamen of Our Merchant's Ships, and condemning others to the Galleys, upon pretence of having on Board, either some of his own Miserable Protes; tant Subjects, or their Effects, And lastly, as he has for some Years last passed, endeavoured by Insinuations and Promises of Assistance, to overthrow the Government of England; So now by open and violent Methods, and the actual Invasion of Our Kingdom of Ireland, in support of Our Subjects in Arms and in Rebellion against us, he is promoting the utter Extirpation of Our good and Loyal Subjects in that Our Kingdom.  
Being therefore thus necessitated to take up Arms, and Relying on the Help of Almighty God in Our Just Undertaking; We have thought fit to Declare, and do hereby Declare War against the French King, and that We will in Conjunction with Our Allies, vigorously Prosecute the same by Sea and Land (since he hath so unrighteously begun it) being assured of the hearty Concurrence and As; sistance of Our Subjects in support of so good a Cause: Hereby Willing and Requiring Our General of Our Forces, Our Commissioners for Executing the Office of High Admiral, Our Lieutenants of Our several Counties, Governors of Our Forts and Garrisons, and all other Officers and Soldiers under them, by Sea and Land, to do and execute all Acts of Hostility in the Prosecution of this War against the French King, his Vassals and Subjects, and to oppose their Attempts, willing and Requiring all Our Subjects to take Notice of the same, whom We henceforth forbid to hold any Correspondence or Communication with the said French King or his Subjects. And because there are remaining in Our Kingdoms many of the Subjects ot the French King, We do Declare and Give Our Royal Word, That all such of the French Nation as shall demean themselves Dutifully towards Us, and not Correspond with Our Enemies, shall be fate in their Persons and Estates, and free from all Molestation and Trouble of any kind.  
Given at Our Court at Hampton Court, the Seventh Day of May, 1689. In the First Year of Our Reign. 
 God Save King WILLlAM and Queen MARY.   

〈…〉 London, and reprinted at Edinburgh by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, by the Order of the Committee of Estates. 1689.