C R  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  royal blazon surmounted by a crown  
EDINBURGH, The seventh day of December, one thousand six hundred and sixty five. 
 CHARLES, by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To Our Lovits, 〈…〉 heralds, pursuivants, Macers, and Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting:  
Forsameikle as the assembling and convening Our Subjects, without Our warrant and Authority, is a most dangerous and unlawful practise, prohibited and discharged by several Laws and Acts of Parliament, under the pains against such as unlawfully convocates Our Lieges; and notwithstanding thereof, and that it is the duty of all Our good and faithful Subjects to aclowledge and comply with Our Government ecclesiastic and Civil, as it is now established by Law within this Kingdom, and in order thereto, to give their cheerful concurrence, countenance and assistance to such Ministers, as by public Authority are, or shall be, admitted in their several parochs, and to attend the ordinar meetings for Divine Worship of the same. And by the first Act in the third Session of Our late Parliament, it is declared, that the withdrawing from, and not joining in, the said public and ordinary meetings for Divine Worship, is to be accounted seditious: And sicklike, by an express clause of the first Act of the third Session of Our said Parliament, all such Ministers as have not obtained Presentations and Collations, and all such as should be suspended, or deprived, and yet should dare to presume to exercise their ministry, are to be punished as seditious Persons. nevertheless, divers Persons, dis-affected to Our Authority and Government, do not only withdraw from the public meetings of Divine Worship in their own Paroch Churches, but under the pretence of Religion, assemble themselves;