❧ By the King.  
❧ A Proclamation publishing an Act of State, and His Majesties command concerning a scandalous Paper lately dispersed amongst many of His Subjects.  
WHereas a Paper containing many falshoods, and tending much to the dishonour of His Majesties late proceedings in the pacification given to His Subjects of Scotland, hath been dispersed in divers parts of this kingdom, whereupon an Act of council hath been made in these words ensuing:  
On Sunday the fourth day of August, one thousand six hundred thirty and nine, His Majesty being in council, was pleased to acquaint the Lords with a Paper which he had seen at Barwick, entitled, Some conditions of His Majesties treaty with His Subjects of Scotland are set down here for remembrance. Which Paper being in most parts full of falsehood, dishonour, and scandal to His Majesties proceedings in the late pacification given, of His Princely grace and goodness to His Subjects of Scotland, hath been very frequently spread here in England, and advowed by some in Scotland to have been approved and allowed as truth, by some of those Lords of England who attended His Majesty, and were present at the Pacification in the Camp: Whereupon the Paper having been red, and His Majesty commanding those English Lords to declare their knowledge therein, the earl Marshall first begun to put His Majesty in remembrance that some few dayes after the Pacification was concluded, some of the Scottish Lords coming to the Lord Chamberlains Tent, sent to speak with him and the earl of Holland, and offered them a certain Paper, which they pretended to have been collected for the help of their memories, and not otherwise, nor to be published: but the said English Lords very dutifully and discreetly refused to accept that or any such Paper, but referred themselves totally to the Pacification in writing; And the said earl Marshall further declared, that now upon the reading, he for his part held the said Paper for the most part false and scandalous, and no way agreeable to what His majesty expressed at the Pacification.  
Next the Lord Chamberlain declared, that he being ready to take Horse, and a number of his friends about him taking their leave, the Lord Loudun pressed him with much importunity to receive a Paper, which he took, not knowing what it contained; But at night when he came to his lodging, doubting it might be some such Paper as had been formerly offered, and was refused, took it without reading it, and sealed it up, and so kept it until he presented it to his majesty at Whitehall; professing that till that time he had never red any one word of it, nor seen any other Copy thereof: Which Paper being that which had been divulged, was the very same which his majesty commanded to be red at the Board.  
The earl of Salisbury likewise desired to justify himself of a particular scandal laid upon him, that he had received and brought Copies of this Paper from the North, Which he declared, could not be, because he was come away from the camp before that Paper had been offered, and that he had never seen that nor any copy thereof, before his Majesties return to Theobalds.  
After this the Lord Chamberlain, the Earls of Salisbury, Holland, and berkshire, concurred with the earl Marshall, that the contents of that Paper were for the most part notoriously scandalous, and false, and contrary to what his majesty clearly expressed at the Pacification.  
His majesty likewise declared, that before his coming from Barwick, he shewed a Copy of this scandalous Paper to the earl of Lynsey, the earl of Holland, Master Treasurer, and Master Secretary cook, who fully concurred in the aforesaid opinion with the other Lords: All which Lords, and particularly the earl of Holland, advowed the falseness thereof to the faces of those Scottish Lords, who were believed to be the divulgers of it, the Lords of the council of Scotland being there likewise present.  
All which considered, the whole Board unanimously became humble petitioners to his majesty, that this false and scandalous Paper might be publicly burnt by the Hangman; and that his Majesties pleasure might be published by Proclamation, that no person or persons hereafter, of what degree or condition soever, presume to keep any Copy thereof, but that within ten dayes after the said Proclamation published, every such person and persons shal deliver to the next Iustice of Peace adjoining to his or their dwelling, all and every Copy and Copies thereof, the same to be by the said Iustice of peace immediately sent or brought to one of his Majesties principal Secretaries, upon peril of incurring the uttermost of such punishments and penalties as by the Laws of this realm are to be inflicted upon those that keep such scandalous and seditious Papers. All which was accordingly ordered and commanded to be entred into the Councell-Book, as an Act of State.  
His majesty therefore by the advice of his Privy council, doth hereby publish the said Act of State unto all his loving Subjects, to the end that being forewarned they may avoid the dangers which may ensue by the retaining or concealing any Copy or Transcript of the said Paper. Hereby requiring and straightly charging and commanding all and all manner of persons whomsoever, that they presume not to keep any copy of the same Paper, but that within ten dayes after the publishing of this Proclamation they do deliver all and every copy and Copies thereof, or of any part of the matter or writing therein contained, unto such persons, and according as in the said Act of State is directed; and fully observe the whole Contents of the said Act according to the tenor thereof, upon such pains and penalties as by the laws and Statutes of this realm may be inflicted upon them for such their contempts and misdemeanours: His majesty hereby pardoning and remitting unto such persons as have formerly had any copy of the said Paper in their custody, and shall deliver the same according to the direction of this Proclamation, all their offences for their former detaining thereof.  
Given at His Majesties Palace of Westminster the eleventh day of August, 1639. and in the fifteenth year of His Majesties Reign.  
❧ God save the King.   

Imprinted at London by ROBERT BARKER, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty: And by the assigns of JOHN BILL. 1639.