❧ By the King.  
WEe do not doubt but that all our Subiects( embracing the true Religion professed in this Church of England,& by Law established within this realm) are thoroughly persuaded of our constant resolution for the maintenance& defence of the same; Not onely because we found it here so many yeeres settled, and blessed of God in the long peace and prosperity of our people, wherewith it hath been accompanied since the first setting the same free from the Romish servitude, But also and chiefly, because our own knowledge and understanding( illuminated by the Spirit of God) doth assure us that the same is agreeable to his divine word, and to the doctrine of the primitive Church. Of which our purpose and determination, besides all other our former proceedings( since our entry into this kingdom) we haue given a new and certain demonstration by our consent to such two Acts, as haue been passed in this Session of our Parliament, both tending to prevent the dangers,& diminish the number of those, who adhering to the profession of the Church of Rome, are blindly lead( together with the superstition of their Religion) both into some points of doctrine, which cannot consist with the loyalty of Subiects towards their Prince, and oft times into direct actions of Conspiracies and conjurations against the State wherein they live, as hath most notoriously appeared by the late most horrible and almost incredible conjuration, to blow up us, our Children, and all the three Estates in Parliament assembled. All which notwithstanding, and although by these late Treasons above mentioned, contrived and pursued( as they haue been) with the privity and warrant of so many of the principal Priests of that profession, and grounded vpon points of doctrine,( in that Church held and maintained) there is sufficient cause( if there had never been any other enterprise vpon the same ground) to justify the proceedings of us and our said Parliament, in the making and execution of these last, and all other former Statutes, tending to the same end: nevertheless, seeing the sovereign care appertaineth to us, who haue the sovereign power of Iustice in our hand,& the surpreme dispensation of clemency, and moderation of the severity of our laws is likewise as proper to us to use, whensoever we shall find it reasonable, the same deserving to be no less allowed in us( being in our Dominions Gods Lieutenant) then it is praised in him, among whose highest Titles it is, That his Mercy is above all his works: Although both Natures just offence might be excused, if We suffered ourself to be transported with such passions, as so vile and barbarous provocations do excite in human sense, And our providence would be also commended, if We did with all violence endeavour to extirpate out of our realm, not onely such as were guilty of the Attempt, but all others that gave any cause to bee suspected of bearing favour to it, or of whom there is any just occasion to conceive that they may be corrupted with the like poison: Yet cannot any provocation or other respect, extinguish in us so utterly the exercise of that clemency, whereunto Nature hath so far inclined us, as Wee can be withholden from renewing some course of lenity again in some particulars, so far forth as it may be without the peril of our Religious and loyal people, that concur with us in the profession of the gospel.  
And therefore to the end wee might not haue any further subject ministered unto us, whereby wee must be provoked to execute Iustice vpon those, who( being called Religious persons, and professed in diuers orders of their Church, as Priests, Iesuites, Seminaries, and such like) haue not only declared themselves to be the stirrers up of Our people to disobedience, But when wee were pleased formerly out of our mere Grace to signify our royal Pleasure for their departure out of this realm unpunished, haue few or none of them taken hold of our Gracious favour, but wilfully, and( as it were) in scorn of the Penalties which our just laws could impose, haue still continued their former practices, and contempt in their returns: As we do purpose to sand away out of our realm even those of that condition, whose lives are in our hands to take every hour, if wee were so disposed,( excepting onely those that are guilty of that horrible Treason;) So we haue once again resolved, and for the last warning do denounce it by these Presents,( according to the tenor of our laws, and our former Proclamations) That they shall all of them, that is to say, Iesuites, Seminaries, friars, or any other Priest whatsoever, Regular or Secular, being made by authority of the Church of Rome, depart out of this realm of England and Wales before the first day of August next ensuing, vpon pain to incur the uttermost danger of our said laws. And for their better means to depart according to this our Pleasure, wee do hereby signify to them, That if at any time before the said first day of August, they or any of them, excepting Gerrard or Greenwell, shall resort to any Port town of our realm, and there declare himself to the Magistrate of the said town, or other Officers of our Port, that he is a Priest of any sort whatsoever, and that he is there to take shipping for his passage, they shall suffer him or them quietly to depart, and shall see them shipped and sent away, and give them therein furtherance for their departure.  
And because there may be some Priests in hold in diuers parts of our realm, not yet known to us, We do will and command all Sheriffes, bailiffs, and Keepers of prisons, within twenty dayes after the publishing of this Proclamation, to advertise our privy counsel, or some of them, of the names of all such Priests, Iesuites, Seminaries, or of any other sort that are in their custody, and by whom, and for what cause they were committed, to the end that thereupon wee may give order for their transportation.  
And now least happily this unexpected course of our so oft reiterated clemency after such an example, should either serve to encourage the Priests themselves to affront our Iustice, or discourage those good and deere Subiects of ours, whose danger and destruction we know shal never be severed from our own, whensoever any such projects shall be in motion; We do hereby protest, that this is done with no other purpose but to avoid the effusion of blood, and by banishing them presently out of our Dominions, to remove all cause of such severity, as we shall otherwise be constrained to use towards the other sort of our people, as long as those Seducers shall haue opportunity to betray their consciences, and corrupt their loyalty, towards whom our Affections do so vary with the object, as wee confess, that we desire still to make it appear in the whole course of our government, that wee are far from accounting all those Subiects disloyal that are that way affencted, and that we do distinguish of such as be carried onely with blind zeal, and such as sin out of presumption, and under pretext of zeal make it their onely occupation to persuade disobedience, and to practise the ruin of this Church and Common-wealth. And therefore as after times must give us trial of all mens behaviour, so must all men expect that their own deserts must be the only measure of their fortunes at our hands, either one way or other.  
given at our manor of Greenwich the tenth day of june, in the fourth year of our reign of Great britain, France and Ireland.  
God save the King.   

¶ Imprinted at London by Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most Excellent majesty. 1606.