HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE dieu ET MON DROIT  royal blazon or coat of arms   

A COLLECTION OF His Majestie's GRACIOUS LETTERS, SPEECHES, MESSAGES, AND DECLARATIONS Since APRIL 4./ 14. 1660.  
LONDON, Printed by JOHN BILL, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1660.  
At the KING'S Printing-House in Black-Friers.   

HIS MAIESTIE'S GRACIOUS LETTER TO THE HOUSE of PEERS, From Breda, April 4./ 14. 1660.  
SENT BY Sir JOHN GRENVIL( now Earl of BATH) And red in the House May the first.  
To the Speaker of the House of Peers, and to the Lords there Assembled.  
CHARLES R.  
RIght Trusty and Right Well-beloved Cosins, and Right Trusty and Well-beloved Cosins, and Trusty and Right well-beloved, We Greet you well: We cannot have a better reason to promise ourself an end of Our Common Sufferings and Calamities, and that Our Own Just Power and Authority will with Gods Blessing be restored to Us, then that We hear you are again acknowledged to have that Authority and Jurisdiction which hath always belonged to you by your Birth, and the Fundamental Laws of the Land: And We have thought it very fit and safe for Us to call to you for your help in the composing the confounding Distempers and Distractions of the Kingdom, in which your sufferings are next to those We have undergone ourself; and therefore you cannot but be the most proper counsellors for removing those Mischiefs, and for preventing the like for the future: How great a Trust we repose in you for the Procuring and Establishing a Blessed Peace and Security for the Kingdom, will appear to you by Our enclosed Declaration; which Trust, We are most confident you will discharge with that Justice and Wisdom that becomes you, and must always be expected from you; and that upon your Experience, how one Violation succeeds another, when the known Relations and Rules of Justice are once transgressed, you will be as jealous for the Rights of the Crown, and for the Honour of your King, as for yourselves: And then you cannot but discharge your Trust with good Success, and provide for, and establish the Peace, Happiness, and Honour of King, Lords and Commons, upon that Foundation which can only support it, and We shall be all happy in each other: And as the whole Kingdom will bless God for you all, so We shall hold ourself obliged in an especial manner to thank you in particular, according to the affection you shall express towards us: We need the less enlarge to you upon this Subject, because We have likewise writ to the House of Commons, which We suppose they will communicate to you: And We pray God to bless your joint endeavours for the good of Us all. And so We bid you very hearty farewell.  
Given at Our Court at Breda, this 4./ 14. day of April, 1660. In the Twelfth year of Our Reign.   

HIS MAIESTIE's DECLARATION From Breda to all His loving Subjects, April 4./ 14. 1660.  
CHARLES REX,  
CHARLES by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all our loving Subjects of what degree or quality soever, Greeting. If the general distraction and confusion which is spread over the whole Kingdom, doth not awaken all men to a desire and longing, that those Wounds which have so many years together been kept bleeding, may be bound up, all We can say will be to no purpose: However, after this long silence, We have thought it our duty to Declare how much We desire to contribute thereunto; and that as We can never give over the hope in good time to obtain the Possession of that Right which God and Nature hath made Our Due, so we do make it Our daily svit to the Divine Providence, that he will in compassion to Us and Our Subjects, after so long misery and sufferings, remit, and put Us into a quiet and peaceable Possession of that Our Right, with as little blood and damage to Our People as is possible: Nor do we desire more to enjoy what is Ours, then that all Our Subjects may enjoy what by Law is theirs, by a full and entire Administration of Justice throughout the Land, and by extending Our Mercy where it is wanted and deserved.  
And to the end that the fear of punishment may not engage any conscious to themselves of what is past, to a perseverance in guilt for the future, by opposing the quiet and happiness of their country, in the Restoration both of King, Peers, and People, to their just, ancient and Fundamental Rights, We do by these presents Declare, That We do grant a Free and General Pardon, which We are ready upon demand, to pass under Our Great Seal of England, to all Our Subjects of what degree or quality soever, who within Forty days after the publishing hereof, shall lay hold upon this Our Grace and Favour, and shall by any public Act declare their doing so, and that they return to the Loyalty and Obedience of good subjects; Excepting only such persons as shall hereafter be excepted by Parliament; those onely excepted, let all Our subjects, how faulty soever, rely upon the Word of a King, solemnly given by this present Declaration, That no Crime whatsoever committed against Us or Our Royal Father before the publication of this, shall ever rise in judgement or be brought in question against any of them, to the least endamagement of them, either in their Lives, Liberties, or Estates, or( as far forth as lies in Our power) so much as to the prejudice of their reputations, by any reproach or term of distinction from the rest of Our best Subjects: We desiring and Ordaining, that henceforth all notes of discord, separation, and difference of Parties be utterly abolished among all Our subjects, whom We invite and conjure to a perfect union among themselves, under Our Protection, for the re-settlement of Our just Rights and theirs, in a Free Parliament, by which, upon the Word of a King, We will be advised.  
And because the passion and uncharitableness of the times have produced several opinions in Religion, by which men are engaged in Parties and Animosities against each other, which when they shall hereafter unite in a freedom of conversation, will be composed, or better understood; We do declare a Liberty to tender Consciences, and that no man shall be disquieted, or called in question for differences of Opinion in matter of Religion, which do not disturb the peace of the Kingdom, and that We shall be ready to consent to such an Act of Parliament, as upon mature deliberation shall be offered to Us, for the full granting that Indulgence.  
And because in the continued distractions of so many years, and so many and great revolutions, many Grants and Purchases of Estates have been made to, and by many Officers, Souldiers and others, who are now possessed of the same, and who may be liable to Actions at Law, upon several Titles; We are likewise willing that all such differences, and all things relating to such Grants, Sales, and Purchases shall be determined in Parliament, which can best provide for the just satisfaction of all men who are concerned.  
And We do further declare, That We will be ready to consent to any Act or Acts of Parliament to the purposes aforesaid, and for the full satisfaction of all Arrears due to the Officers and Soldiers of the Army under the Command of General monk, and that they shall be received into Our Service upon as good pay and conditions as they now enjoy.  
Given under Our sign Manual, and Privy Signet at Our Court at Breda, this 4/ 14 day of April 1660. in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.   

HIS MAIESTIE'S LETTER TO THE HOUSE of COMMONS, From Breda, April 4/ 14. 1660.  
CHARLES R.  
TRusty and welbeloved, We Greet you well. In these great and insupportable afflictions and calamities under which the poor Nation hath been so long exercised, and by which it is so near exhausted, We cannot think of a more natural and proper remedy, then to resort to those for Counsel and Advice, who have seen and observed the first beginning of our miseries, the progress from bad to worse, and the mistakes and scribblings which have produced and contributed to inconveniences which were not intended; and after so many revolutions, and the observation of what hath attended them, are now trusted by Our good Subjects to repair the Breaches which are made, and to provide proper remedies for those evils, and for the lasting peace, happiness and security of the Kingdom.  
We do assure you upon Our Royal word, that none of Our Predecessors have had a greater esteem of Parliaments, then We have, in Our judgement, as well as from Our obligation; We do believe them to be so vital a part of the constitution of the Kingdom, and so necessary for the Government of it, that We well know, neither Prince nor People can be in any tolerable degree happy without them; and therefore you may be confident, that We shall always look upon their councils as the best We can receive, and shal be as tender of their privileges, and as careful to preserve and protect them, as of that which is most near to ourself, and most necessary for Our own preservation.  
And as this is Our opinion of Parliaments, that their Authority is most necessary for the Government of the Kingdom, so We are most confident that you believe and find, that the preservation of the Kings Authority is as necessary for the preservation of Parliaments; and that it is not the Name, but the Right constitution of them, which can prepare and apply proper remedies for those evils which are grievous to the people, and which can thereby establish their peace and security. And therefore We have not the least doubt, but that you will be as tender in, and as jealous of any thing that may infringe Our Honor, or impair Our Authority, as of your own Liberty and Property, which is best preserved by preserving the other.  
How far We have trusted you in this great Affair, and how much it is in your power to restore the Nation to all that it hath lost, and to redeem it from any infamy it hath undergone, and to make King and People as happy as they ought to be; you will find by Our enclosed Declaration, a Copy of which We have likewise sent to the House of Peers; and you will easily believe that We would not voluntarily, and of ourself have reposed so great a trust in you, but upon an entire confidence that you will not abuse it, and that you will proceed in such a manner, and with such due consideration of Us who have trusted you, that We shall not be ashamed of declining other assistance( which we have assurance of) and repairing to you for more natural and proper remedies for the evils we would be freed from, nor sorry that we have bound up Our own interest so entirely with that of Our Subjects, as that We refer it to the same persons to take care of Us, who are trusted to provide for them. We look upon you as wise and dispassionate men, and good Patriots, who will raise up those Banks and Fences which have been cast down, and who will most reasonably hope, that the same prosperity will again spring from those roots from which it hath heretofore and always grown; nor can We apprehended that you will propose any thing to Us, or expect any thing from Us, but that We are as ready to give, as you to receive.  
If you desire the advancement and propagation of the Protestant Religion, we have by our constant profession and practise of it, given sufficient testimony to the world, that neither the unkindness of those of the same Faith towards Us, nor the civilities and obligations from those of a contrary profession,( of both which we have had abundant evidence) could in the least degree startle Us, or make Us swerve from it; and nothing can be proposed to manifest Our zeal and affection for it, to which We will not readily consent. And We hope in due time ourself to propose somewhat to you for the propagation of it, that will satisfy the world, that We have always made it both Our care and Our study, and have enough observed what is most like to bring disadvantage to it.  
If you desire security for those, who in these calamitous times, either wilfully or weakly have transgressed those bounds which were prescribed, and have invaded each others Rights, We have left to you to provide for their security and Indemnity, and in such a way as you shall think just and reasonable; and by a just computation of what men have done and suffered, as near as is possible, to take care that all men be satisfied, which is the surest way to suppress and extirpate all such uncharitableness and animosity as might hereafter shake and threaten that peace, which for the present might seem established. If there be a crying sin, for which the Nation may be involved in the Infamy that attends it, We cannot doubt but that you will be as solicitous to redeem and vindicate the Nation from that guilt and infamy, as We can be.  
If you desire that Reverence and Obedience may be paid to the Fundamental Laws of the Land, and that Justice may be equally and impartially administered to all men, it is that which We desire to be sworn to ourself, and that all persons in Power and Authority should be so too.  
In a word, There is nothing that you can propose, that may make the Kingdom happy, which We will not contend with you to compass; and upon this confidence and assurance, We have thought fit to sand you this Declaration, that you may, as much as is possible, at this distance, see Our heart, which when GOD shall bring Us nearer together( as We hope he will do shortly) will appear to you very agreeable to what We have professed; and We hope that We have made that right Christian use of Our Affliction, and that the Observation and Experience We have had in other Countries, hath been such, as that We, and We hope all Our Subjects, shall be the better for what We have seen and suffered.  
We shall add no more, but Our Prayers to Almighty GOD, that He will so bless your Counsels, and direct your endeavours, that his Glory and Worship may be provided for, and the Peace, Honour and Happiness of the Nation may be established upon those Foundations which can best support it. And so We bid you farewell.  
Given at Our Court at Breda this 4./ 14. day of April, 1660. in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.  
Superscribed, To Our Trusty and welbeloved, the Speaker of the House of Commons.   

HIS MAIESTIE's LETTER TO GENERAL monk( now Duke of Albemarle, &c.) From Breda, April 4./ 14. 1660.  
CHARLES R.  
TRusty and Welbeloved, We greet you well: It cannot be believed but that We have been, are, and ever must be, as solicitous as We can, by all endeavours, to improve the Affections of Our good Subjects at home, and to procure the assistance of Our Friends and Allies abroad, for the recovery of that Right, which by the Laws of God and Man is unquestionable, and of which We have been so long dispossessed by such force, and with those circumstances, as We do not desire to aggravate by any sharp expressions, but rather wish, that the memory of what is passed, may be butted to the world. That We have more endeavoured to prepare, and to improve the affections of Our Subjects at home, for Our Restauration, then to procure assistance from abroad to invade either of Our Kingdoms, is as manifest to the world: And We cannot give a better evidence that We are still of the same mind, then in this conjuncture, when common Reason must satisfy all men, that We cannot be without assistance from abroad, We choose rather to sand to you, who have it in your own power to prevent that ruin and desolation which a War would bring upon the Nation, and to make the whole Kingdom owe the Peace, Happiness, Security, and Glory it shall enjoy, to your virtue; and to aclowledge that your Armies have complied with their Obligations for which they were first raised, for the preservation of the Protestant Religion, the Honour and Dignity of the King, the privileges of Parliament, the Liberty and Property of the Subject, and the Fundamental Laws of the Land; and that you have vindicated that Trust, which others most perfidiously abused and betrayed. How much We desire and resolve to contribute to those good ends, will appear to you by Our enclosed Declaration, which We desire you to cause to be published for the Information and satisfaction of all good Subjects, who do not desire a further effusion of precious Christian blood, but to have their peace and security sounded upon that which can only support it; an Unity of affections amongst ourselves, an equal Administration of Justice to men, restoring Parliaments to a full capacity of providing for all that is amiss, and the Laws of the Land to their due veneration.  
You have been yourselves witnesses of so many revolutions, and have had so much experience, how far any Power and Authority that is only assumed by passion and appetite, and not supported by Justice, is from providing for the happiness and peace of the people, or from receiving any obedience from them, without which no Government can provide for them; that you may very reasonably believe, that God hath not been well pleased with the attempts that have been made, since he hath usually increased the confusion, by giving all the success that hath been desired, and brought that to pass without Effect, which the Designers have proposed as the best means to settle and compose the Nation; and therefore we cannot but hope and believe, that you will concur with Us in the remedy We have applied, which to human understanding is only proper for the ills we all groan under; and that you will make yourselves the blessed Instruments to bring this blessing of Peace and reconciliation upon King and People; it being the usual method in which Divine Providence delighteth itself, to use and sanctify those very means which ill men design for the satisfaction of private and particular Ends and Ambition, and other wicked purposes, to wholesome and public ends, and to establish that good which is most contrary to the Designers; which is the greatest manifestation of God's peculiar kindness to a Nation, that can be given in this world. How far We resolve to preserve your Interests, and reward your Services, We refer to Our Declaration; and We hope God will inspire you to perform your Duty to Us, and to your Native country, whose happine's cannot be separated from each other.  
We have entrusted Our welbeloved Servant Sir John Greenvile, one of the Gentlemen of Our Bed-chamber, to deliver this unto you, and to give Us an account of your reception of it, and to desire you in Our Name, that it may be published. And so We bid you farewell.  
Given at Our Court at Breda, this 14. of April 1660. In the Twelfth year of Our Reign.  
Received 1. May 1660. To Our Trusty and welbeloved, General monk, to be by him communicated to the President and Council of State, and to the Officers of the Armies under his Command.   

HIS MAIESTIE's LETTER From Breda, April 4./ 14. 1660.  
TO THE Lord mayor, Aldermen, and common-council Of the City of LONDON.  
CHARLES R.  
TRusty and welbeloved, We Greet you well. In these great revolutions which of late have happened in that Our Kingdom, to the wonder and amazement of all the world, there is none that We have looked upon with more comfort, then the so frequent and public manifestations of their affections to Us in the City of London, which hath exceedingly raised Our Spirits, and which, no doubt hath proceeded from the Spirit of God, and His extraordinary mercy to the Nation, which hath been encouraged by you, and your good example to assert that Government, under which it hath so many hundred years enjoyed as great felicity as any Nation in Europe, and to discountenance the imaginations of those, who would subject Our Subjects to a Government they have not yet devised; and to satisfy the pride and ambition of a few ill men, would introduce the most Arbitrary and Tyrannical Power that was ever yet heard of. How long we have all suffered under those and the like devices, all the world takes notice, to the no small reproach of the English Nation, which We hope is now providing for its own security and redemption, and will be no longer bewitched by those inventions: How desirous We are to contribute to the obtaining the Peace and Happiness of Our Subjects, without further effusion of blood; and how far We are from desiring to recover what belongs to Us by a War, if it can be otherwise done, will appear to you by the enclosed Declaration, which together with this Our Letter, We have entrusted Our right Trusty and Well-beloved cousin the Lord Viscount Mordant, and Our Trusty and Well-beloved Servant, Sir John Greenvile Knight, one of the Gentlemen of Our Bedchamber, to deliver to you, to the end that you, and all the rest of Our good Subjects of that Our City of London( to whom We desire it should be published) may know how far We are from the desire of revenge, or that the Peace, Happiness, and Security of the Kingdom should be raised upon any other Foundation then the Affection and Hearts of Our Subjects, and their own consents: We have not the least doubt of your just sense of those Our condescensions, or of your zeal to advance and promote the same good end, by disposing all men to meet Us with the same affection and tenderness, in restoring the Fundamental Laws to that reverence that is due to them, and upon the preservation whereof all our happiness depends: And you will have no reason to doubt of enjoying your full share in that happiness, and of the improving it by Our particular affection to you. It is very natural for all men to do all the good they can for their native country, and to advance the honour of it: And as We have that full affection for the Kingdom in general, so We would not be thought to be without some extraordinary kindness for Our native City in particular, which We shall manifest on all accasions, not onely by renewing their Charter, and confirming all those privileges which they have received from Our Predecessors, but by adding and granting any new favours which may advance the Trade, Wealth, and Honour of that Our native City, for which We will be so solicitous, that We doubt not but that it will in due time receive some benefit and advantage in all those respects, even from Our own observation and experience abroad: And We are most confident We shall never be disappointed in Our expectation of all possible service from your affections. And so We bid you farewell.  
Given at Our Court at Breda, the 4/ 14 day of April 1660. in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.  
To Our Trusty and welbeloved, the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and the common-council of Our City of London.   

HIS majesties LETTER TO His Excellency the Lord General monk, To be communicated to the Officers of the Army.  
Sent by Sir Thomas Clerges.  
CHARLES R.  
TRusty and Well-beloved, We Greet you well: You will easily believe that your Letter of the Fifth of this month, by Sir Thomas Clarges, was very welcome to Us; And that as We must always aclowledge the infinite mercy of God Almighty, in disposing the hearts of the Army in such an entire obedience to you, for the promoting and carrying on Our Service, and the Peace of the Kingdom, so We can never be without a just esteem of such a great and well disciplined Army, upon which the eyes of the world are so much fixed. We must desire you to return Our very hearty thanks to the Officers and Soldiers for their affection and obedience to Us; and to assure them from Us, that We shall always have an entire confidence in them, and ever aclowledge them to be the great Instruments of restoring Us to the Nation, and the Nation to Us, and Peace, and Happiness, and Security to Us all: And therefore they may not onely with all imaginable confidence assure themselves, that we will punctually perform whatever we have promised to them in Our Declaration or Letter, but that We will take them into Our particular care and Protection. And if the licence and distemper of the Time shall so far transport any men, as to presume upon memory of former animosities, and of what is past, to use any reproaches towards them, We will look upon such persons as disturbers of the Peace and Security of the Kingdom, and shall cause them to be prosecuted accordingly. And towards this Settlement and Composure, and for the prevention of many inconveniences which may fall out, We think nothing so necessary as Our presence with you, by which( in a very short time) every member of the Army, who shall faithfully adhere to you in advancement of the public Peace, would, with the blessing of God, find himself secured and provided for to his satisfaction: And longing for that blessed time, We bid you hearty farewell.  
Given at Our Court at the Hague, the 26th. day of May 1660. in the Twelfth year of Our Reign.  
To Our Trusty and Well-beloved General monk, to be communicated to the Officers of the Army.   

HIS MAIESTIE'S GRACIOUS MESSAGE TO THE HOUSE of COMMONS.  
Delivered by Mr. Secretary Morris, June 18. 1660.  
CHARLES R.  
WE have had too ample a manifestation of your Affection and Duty towards Us, the good effect whereof is notorious to the world, to make the least doubt of the continuance and improvement thereof, or in the least degree to dislike what you have done, or to complain of what you have left undone. We know well the weight of those Affairs which depend upon your Counsels, and the time that must unavoidably be spent in Debates, where there must naturally be difference of Opinion and Judgement, amongst those whose desires of the public peace and safety are the same; And neither We nor you must be overmuch troubled, if We find Our good intentions, and the unwearied pains We take to reduce those good intentions into real acts, for the quiet and security of the Nation, misrepresented, and mis-interpreted, by those who are, in truth, afflicted to see the public distractions, by Gods blessing, so near an end; and by others, upon whose weakness, fears and jealousies, the activity and cunning of those ill men, have too great an influence.  
How wonderful and miraculous soever the great harmony of affections between Us and Our good Subjects is, and that it is so visible and manifest to the world, that there scarce appears the view of any cloud to overshadow or disturb it; yet We must not think that God Almighty hath wrought the Miracle to that degree, that a Nation so miserable divided for so many years, is so soon and entirely united in their affections and endeavours, as were to be wished; but that the evil Consciences of many men continue so awake for mischief, that they are not willing to take rest themselves, or to suffer others to take it: And We have all had too sad experience of the unhappy effects of fears and jealousies, how groundless and unreasonable soever, not to think it very necessary to apply all timely and proper remedies to those distempers, and to prevent the inconveniences and mischiefs, which too naturally flow from thence: We well foresaw, that the great violation which the Laws of the Land had for so many years sustained, had filled the hearts of the people with a terrible apprehension of insecurity to themselves, if all they had said and done, should be liable to be examined and punished by those Laws which had been so violated; and that nothing could establish the security of King and People, but a full provision, that the returning to the Reverence and Obedience of the Law,( which is good for Us all) should not turn to the ruin of any, who are willing and fit to receive that Protection hereafter from the Law, and to pay that Subjection to it that is just and necessary; and therefore We made that free offer of a General Pardon, in such a manner as is expressed in Our Declaration, and how ready and desirous We are to make good the same, appears by Our Proclamation, which We have issued out upon, and according to your desire.  
However, it is evident, that all We have, or do offer, doth not enough compose the mindes of Our People, nor in their opinions can their security be provided for, till the Act of indemnity and Oblivion be Passed; And We find great industry is used by those,( who do not wish that Peace to the Kingdom they ought to do) to persuade Our good Subjects that We have no mind to make good Our promises, which, in truth, We desire to perform for Our own sake as well as theirs: And We do therefore very earnestly recommend it to you, that all possible expedition be used in the Passing that most necessary Act, whereby Our good Subjects generally will be satisfied, that their Security is in their own hand, and depends upon their future actions, and that they are free for all that is past; and so all the endeavours of ill men will be disappointed, which would persuade them not to do well now, because they have heretofore done amiss. And We are the more engaged to this Our Recommendation, because upon the reflection of your eminent Zeal and Affection for Our Service, and hearty Concurrence with Us in all We have desired from you, men are apt to persuade others( though they do not believe it themselves) that the Passing of this Act is therefore deferred, because We do not enough press the dispatch of it, which We do desire from Our heart, and are confident you will the sooner do, upon this Our earnest Recommendation.   

HIS MAIESTIE'S GRACIOUS SPEECH TO THE HOUSE of PEERS, The 27th of July, 1660.  
Concerning the speedy Passing of the Bill of indemnity& OBLIVION.  
My Lords,  
WHen I came first hither to you, which was within two or three days after I came to Whitehall, I did with as much earnestness as I could, both by myself and the Chancellor, recommend to you and the House of Commons, the speedy dispatch of the Act of indemnity, as a necessary Foundation of that Security We all pray for. I did since, by a particular Message to the House of Commons, again press them to hasten that inportant Work; And did likewise by a Proclamation, publish to all the Kingdom, That I did with impatience expect that that Act should be presented to Me for my Assent, as the most reasonable and solid Foundation of that Peace, Happiness and Security I hope and pray for to myself and all My Dominions. I will not deny it to you, I thought the House of Commons too long about that Work; and therefore, now it is come up to you, I would not have you guilty of the same delay. I thank God, I have the same Intentions and Resolutions now I am here with you, which I had at Breda, and believe that I owe My being here, to Gods blessing upon the Intentions and Resolutions I then expressed to have. I will red to you what I then said.  
And to the end that the Fear of punishment may not engage any, Conscious to themselves of what is passed, to a perseverance in Guilt for the future, by opposing the Quiet and Happiness of their country, in the Restauration both of King, Peers and People, to their Just, ancient, and Fundamental Rights: We do by these Presents Declare, That We do grant a Free and General Pardon, which We are ready, upon demand, to pass under Our Great Seal of England, to all Our Subjects, of what degree or quality soever, who within Forty days after the Publishing hereof, shall lay hold upon this Our Grace and Favour, and shall by any lique act declare their doing so; And that they return to the Loyalty and Obedience of good Subjects,( excepting onely such persons as shall hereafter be excepted by Parliament.) Those onely excepted, let all Our loving Subjects, how faulty soever, rely upon the Word of a King, solemnly given by this present Declaration, That no Crime whatsoever committed against Us or Our Royal Father, before the Publication of this, shall ever rise in Judgement, or be brought in Question against any of them, to the least endamagement of them, either in their Lives, Liberties, or Estates, or( as far forth as lies in Our Power) so much as to the Prejudice of their Reputations, by any Reproach, or Term of Distinction from the rest of Our best Subjects: We desiring and Ordaining, That henceforward all Notes of Discord, Separation and Difference of Parties be utterly abolished among all Our Subjects, whom We invite and conjure to a perfect Union among themselves under Our Protection, for the Re-settlement of Our Just Rights, and theirs, in a Free Parliament; By which, upon the Word of a King, We will be advised.  
My Lords, if you do not join with me in extinguishing this Fear, which keeps the hearts of men awake, and apprehensive of Safety and Security; You keep Me from performing My Promise, which if I had not made, I am persuaded neither I nor you had been now here: I pray let us not deceive those who brought, or permitted us to come together. I knew well there were some men who could neither forgive themselves, or be forgiven by Us; And I thank you for your Justice towards those, the immediate Murtherers of My Father: And I will deal truly with you, I never thought of excepting any other. I pray think well upon what I have offered, and the benefit you and I have received from that offer, and encourage and oblige all other persons, by not excluding them from the benefit of this Act. This Mercy and Indulgence is the best way to bring them to a true repentance, and to make them more severe to themselves, when they find. We are not so to them. It will make them good Subjects to Me, and good Friends and Neighbours to you; and We have then all Our end, and you shall find this the securest expedient to prevent future mischief: Therefore I do earnestly desire and conjure you, to depart from all particular Animosities and Revenge, or memory of past Provocations, and that you will Pass this Act without other exceptions, then of those who were immediately guilty of that murder of my Father. My Lords, I have  told you my opinion, and I hope you will be of the same. If any persons appear of such dangerous and obstinate Principles, that the Peace of the Kingdom cannot be preserved whilst they have liberty in it, some other course may be taken, that they shall not be able to do hurt; and I assure you, there is nothing can enable them to do so much harm, as the deferring the Passing this Act.  
I hope I need say nothing of Ireland, and that they alone shall not be without the benefit of my Mercy: they have shewed much affection to me abroad, and you will have a care of my Honour, and of what I have promised to them. I do again conjure you, that you will use all expedition in the dispatch of this Bill.   

HIS majesties GRACIOUS SPEECH TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT, On the 29th day of August 1660. at the Passing of the ACT of Free Pardon, indemnity and Oblivion, And several other Acts.  
My Lords and Gentlemen of the House of Commons,  
I Have been here some times before with you, but never with more willingness than I am at this time: And there be few men in the Kingdom, who have longed more impatiently to have these Bills Passed, than I have done to Pass them; and I hope they will be the Foundation of much Security and Happiness to us all.  
I do very willingly pardon all that is pardonned by this Act of indemnity, to that time which is mentioned in the Bill; nay, I will tell you, that from that time to this day, I will not use great severity, except in such cases where the malice is notorious, and the public Peace exceedingly concerned. But for the time to come, the same discretion and conscience which disposed me to the clemency I have expressed, which is most agreeable to my Nature, will oblige me to all rigor and severity, how contrary soever it be to my Nature, towards those who shall not now aquiesce, but continue to manifest their Sedition and dislike of the Government, either in action or words. And I must conjure you all( my Lords and Gentlemen) to concur with me in this just and necessary Severity; and that you will in your several Stations be so jealous of the public Peace, and of my particular Honor, that you will cause exemplary Justice to be done upon those who are guilty of seditious Speeches or Writings, as well as those who break out into Seditious Actions: And that you will believe those who delight in reproaching and traducing my Person, not to be well affencted to you and the public Peace. Never King valued himself more upon the affections of his People then I do; nor do I know a better way to make myself sure of your affections, then by being just and kind to you all: And whilst I am so, I pray let the world see that I am possessed of your affections.  
For your Pole-Bill, I do thank you as much as if the money were to come into my own Coffers; and wish with all my heart, that it may amount to as great a sum as you reckon upon. If the work be well and orderly done, to which it is designed, I am sure I shall be the richer by it in the end; and upon my word, if I had wherewithal, I would myself help you, so much I desire the business done. I pray' very earnestly, as fast as money comes in, discharge that great burden of the Navy, and disband the Army as fast as you can; and till you can disband the rest, make a provision for their support.  
I do conjure you, as you love me, let me not hear the noise of Free-quarter, which will be imputed to my want of Care and Government, how innocent soever I am; and therefore be sure you prevent it.  
I am so confident of your affections, that I will not move you in any thing that immediately relates to myself; and yet I must tell you, I am not richer, that is, I have not so much money in my Purse as when I came to you; the truth is, I have lived principally ever since upon what I brought with me, which was indeed your money; for you sent it to me, and I thank you for it. The weekly expense of the Navy, eats up all you have given me by the Bill of Tonnage and Poundage. Nor have I been able to give my Brothers one shilling since I came into England, nor to keep any Table in my house but what I eat myself. And that which troubles me most, is, to see many of you come to me to Whitehall, and to think that you must go somewhere else to seek your dinner.  
I do not mention this to you, as any thing that troubles me, do but take care of the public, and for what is necessary for the peace and quiet of the Kingdom, and take your own time for my own particular, which I am sure you will provide for with as much affection and frankness as I can desire.   

HIS MAIESTIE'S SPEECH.  
My Lords and Gentlemen,  
IF my presence here had not been requisite for the Passing these many Bills, I did always intend to see you together before your Adjournment, that I might again thank you for the many good things you have done for Me and the Kingdom; And in truth I do thank you more for what you have done for the public, then what you have done for my own particular, and yet I do thank you too for that with all my heart: But I confess to you, I do thank you more for the provision you have made to prevent Free-quarter, during the time the Army shall be disbanding, which I take to be given for my satisfaction, then I do for the other Present you have made me for my own particular occasions; and I do promise you, which is the best way I can take to gratify you, I will not apply one penny of that money to my own particular occasions, what shift soever I make, till it is evident to me, that the public will not stand in need of it; and if it do, every penny of it shall be disbursed that way; and I dare say I shall not be the poorer for it.  
I cannot but take notice of one particular Bill I have Passed, which may seem of an extraordinary nature, that concerning the Duke of Somerset, but you all know it is for an traordinary Person, who hath merited as much of the King My Father and myself, as a Subject can do; and I am none of those, who think that Subjects by performing their duties in an extraordinary manner, do not oblige their Princes to reward them in an extraordinary manner; there can be no danger from such a Precedent, and I hope no man will envy him, because I have done what a good Master should do to such a Servant.  
My Lords and Gentlemen, I will not deny to you, that I had some Inclination, when I consented upon your desire to your Recess, to have made a Session, which I thought most agreeable to the ancient order of Parliaments, and I hope you will all join with Me in reducing the proceedings of Parliaments to the ancient Rules and Orders of Parliaments, the deviation from which hath done us no good, and I think there were never so many Bills passed together, as I have this day given My Assent to, without a Session: But upon the Desire and Reasons given by the House of Commons, for an Adjournment without a Session, I did very willingly depart from that Inclination, and do as willingly give you leave and direct you that you Adjourn yourselves till the Sixth day of November, when I hope you will all meet again, and in the mean time that you will be all welcome to your Countreys, and do me much service there.  
I have many other particulars to say and recommend to you, in which I cannot enough trust my own memory, and therefore I shall command the chancellor to say the rest to you.  
( After His Majesty had ended His Speech, the Lord Chancellor said as followeth.)  
My Lords and Gentlemen,  
THe King tells you that He hath commanded me to say many particulars to you; and the truth is, He hath charged me with so many, that I have great reason to fear, that I shall stand in much need of His Mercy, for omitting many things He hath given me in command, at least for delivering them in more Disorder and Confusion, then matters of such moment and Importance ought to be to such an Assembly, for which the King Himself hath even a kind of Reverence, as well as an extraordinary kindness. I am to mention some things He hath done already, and many things He intends to do during this Recess, that you may see, how well content soever He is, that you should have Ease, and Pleasure, and Refreshment, He hath designed work enough for Himself.  
The King hath thanked you for the Provision you have made that there may be no free Quarter during the time the Army shall be Disbanding, and hath  told you what He will do with that Money you have given Him, if there should want wherewithal to Disband it; And now I hope you will all believe, that His Majesty will consent to the Disbanding: He will do so; And yet He does not take it unkindly at their hands, who have thought that his Majesty would not Disband this Army; It was a sober and a rational jealousy; No other Prince in Europe would be willing to Disband such an Army; An Army to which Victory is entailed, and which, humanly speaking, could hardly fail of Conquest whithersoever He should led it; And if God had not restored His Majesty to that rare felicity, as to be without apprehension of danger at home or from abroad, and without any Ambition of taking from His Neighbours what they are possessed of, Himself would never Disband this Army; an Army, whose Order and Discipline, whose Sobriety and Manners, whose Courage and Success hath made it famous and terrible over the world; An Army of which the King and his two Royal Brothers may say, as the noble graecian said of Aeneas,  
— Stetimus tela aspera contra,  
Contulimusque manus, experto credite, quantus  
In clypeum assurgat, quo turbine torqueat hastam.  
They have all three in several Countries found themselves engaged in the midst of these Troops, in the heat and rage of Battle; and if any common soldier( as no doubt many may) will demand the old Romans privilege for having encountered Princes single, upon my Conscience, he will find both Favour and Preferment: They have all three observed the Discipline, and felt, and admired, and loved the Courage of this Army, when they were the worse for it; and I have seen them in a season when there was little else of comfort in their view, refresh themselves with joy, that the English had done the great work, the English had got the day, and then please themselves with the Imagination what wonders they should perform in the head of such an Army: And therefore when His Majesty is so entirely possessed of the affection and Obedience of this Army, and when it hath merited so much from Him, Can it be believed, or imagined, that He can without some regret part with them? No: My Lords and Gentlemen, He will never part with them; and the only sure way never to part with them, is to Disband them: Should it be otherwise, they must be exposed to the daily Importunity of His great Neighbours and Allies; and how could he refuse to lend them his Troops, of which He hath no use Himself? His Majesty knows they are too good English men, to wish that a standing Army should be kept up in the bowels of their own country; that they who did but in Bello pacis gerere negotium, and who, whilst an Army, lived like good Husbandmen in the country, and good Citizens in the City, will now become really such, and take delight in the benefit of that Peace they have so honestly and so wonderfully brought to pass: The King will part with them, as the most indulgent Parents part with their Children for their education, and for their preferment; He will prefer them to Disbanding, and prefer them by Disbanding; and will always retain such a kindness for them, and such a memory of the service they have done Him, that both Officers and Souldiers, after they are disbanded, shall always find such countenance, favour, and reward from His Majesty, that He doubts not, but if He should have occasion to use their Service, they will again resort to Him with the same alacrity, as if they had never been disbanded: And if there be any so ill amongst them( as there can be but very few, if any) who will forfeit that favour and Protection they may have from Him, by any withstanding His Majesties commands, and the full and declared sense of the Kingdom; His Majesty is confident they will be as odious to their companions, as they can be to any other honest men.  
My Lords and Gentlemen, I am in the next place, by the Kings command, to put you in mind of the Act of indemnity, not of any Grants or Concessions, or Releases He made to you in that Act; I have nothing of that in charge; no Prince hath so excellent a memory to forget the favours he doth; But of what He hath done against you in that Act, how you may be undone by that Act, if you are not very careful to perform the Obligations He hath laid upon you in it; the Clause I am to put you in mind of, is this, And to the intent and purpose that all names and terms of distinction may be likewise put into utter Oblivion: Be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any person or persons, within the space of Three years next ensuing, shall presume maliciously to call, or allege, or object against any other person or persons any name or names, or other words of reproach, any way leading to revive the memory of the late differences, or the occasion thereof, That then every such person, so as aforesaid offending, shall forfeit, &c. It is no matter for the Penalty, it is too cheap a one; the King wishes it had been greater, and therefore hath by His just Prerogative( and 'tis well for us He hath such a Prerogative) added another Penalty more insupportable, even His high Displeasure against all who shall swerve from this Clause in the Act. Give me leave to tell you, That as any name or names, or other words of reproach, are expressly against the letter, and punishable accordingly; so evil and envious looks, murmuring and discontented hearts, are as directly against the equity of this Statute, a direct breach of the Act of indemnity, and ought to be punished too; and I believe they may be so. You know Kings are in some sense called Gods, and so they may in some degree be able to look into mens hearts; and God hath given us a King who can look as far into mens hearts as any Prince alive; and He hath great skill in Physiognomy too, you would wonder what Calculations He hath made from thence; and no doubt, if He be provoked by evil looks, to make a further enquiry into mens hearts, and finds those corrupted with the Passions of Envy and Uncharitableness, He will never choose those hearts to trust and rely upon. He hath given us a Noble and Princely example, by opening and stretching His Arms to all who are worthy to be His Subjects, worthy to be thought English men, by extending His Heart with a pious and a grateful joy to find all His Subjects at once in His Arms, and himself in theirs; and shall we fold our Arms towards one another, and contract our hearts with Envy and Malice to each other, by any sharp memory of what hath been unneighborly or unkindly done heretofore? What is this but to rebel against the Person of the King, against the excellent Example and virtue of the King, against the known Law of the Land, this blessed Act of Oblivion?  
My Lords and Gentlemen, The King is a Suitor to you, makes it His svit very hearty, That you will join with Him in restoring the whole Nation to its Primitive Temper and Integrity, to its old good manners, its old good humour, and its old good nature; Good nature, a virtue so peculiar to you, so appropriated by God Almighty to this Nation, that it can be translated into no other Language, hardly practised by any other people; and that you will by your example, by the candour of your Conversation, by your Precepts, and by your Practise, and by all your Interest, teach your Neighbors and your Friends, how to pay a full obedience to this clause of the Statute, how to learn this excellent art of Forgetfulness.  
Let them remember, and let us all remember, how ungracious, how indecent, how ugly, the insolence, the fierceness, the brutishness of their Enemies appeared to them; and we may piously and reasonably believe, that Gods indignation against them, for their want of bowels, for their not being English men,( for they had the hearts of Pagans and Infidels) sent a Whirlwind in a moment to blow them out of the World, that is, out of a capacity to do more mischief in the World, except we practise their Vices, and do that ourselves which we pretend to detest them for.  
Let us not be too much ashamed, as if what hath been done amiss, proceeded from the humour, and the temper, and the nature of our Nation. The Astrologers have made us a fair excuse, and truly I hope a true one; all the motions of these last Twenty years have been unnatural, and have proceeded from the evil influence of a malignant Star; and let us not too much despise the influence of the Stars: And the same Astrologers assure us, that the malignity of that Star is expired; the good genius of this Kingdom is become Superior, and hath mastered that malignity, and our own good old Stars govern us again, and their influence is so strong, that with our help, they will repair in a year what hath been decaying in twenty; and they onely shall have no excuse from the Star, who continue their malignity, and own all the ill that is past to be their own, by continuing and improving it for the time to come.  
If any body here, or any where else, be too much exalted with what he hath done, or what he hath suffered, and from thence thinks himself warranted to reproach others, let him remember the story of Nicephorus; it is an excellent story, and very applicable to such distempers: He was a pious and religious man, and for his Piety and Religion was condemned to the fire; when he was lead to execution, and when an old Friend who had done him injury enough, fell at his feet and asked his pardon; the poor man was so elated with the triumph he was going unto, with the glory of Martyrdom, that he refused to be reconciled unto him; upon which he was disappointed of his end; and for this uncharitableness, the Spirit of God immediately forsook him, and he apostatised from the Faith.  
Let all those who are too proud of having been as they think less faulty then other men, and so are unwilling to be reconciled to those who have offended them, take heed of the apostasy of Nicephorus, and that those fumes of Envy and Uncharitableness, and Murmuring, do not so far transport and intoxicate them, that they fall into those very Crimes, they value themselves for having hitherto declined.  
But my Lords and Gentlemen, whilst we conspire together, to execute faithfully this part of the Bill, to put all old names and terms of distinction into utter Oblivion; let us not find new names and terms to keep up the same, or a worse distinction: If the old reproaches of Cavalier, and Round-Head, and Malignant, be committed to the Grave; let us not find more significant and better words, to signify worse things; let not Piety and Godliness grow into terms of reproach, and distinguish between the Court and the City and the Country; and let not Piety and Godliness be measurred by a morofity in Manners; an affectation of Gesture, a new mode and tone of Speaking; at least, let not our Constitutions and Complexions make us be thought of a contrary Party; and because we have not an affencted austerity in our looks, that we have not Piety in our hearts. Very merry men have been very godly men; and if a good Conscience be a continual Feast, there is no reason but men may be very merry at it.  
You, Mr. Speaker, have this day made a Noble Present to the King. Do you think that if you and your worthy Companions had brought it up with folded Arms, down-cast Looks, with Sighs and other Instances of Desperation, it would not have been a very melancholic Present? Have not your frank and dutiful Expressions, that cheerfulness and vivacity in your Looks, rendered it much more acceptable, much more valuable? No Prince in Christendom loves a cheerful giver, so well as God Almighty does; and he of all gifts, a cheerful heart: And therefore I pray let not a cloudy and disconsolate face, be the onely or the best sign of Piety and Devotion in the heart.  
I must ask your pardon for misplacing much of this Discourse, which I should have mentioned, when I came to speak of the Ministers Bill; they I hope will endeavour to remove these new marks of Distinction and Reproaches, and keep their Auditories from being imposed upon by such Characters and Descriptions. The King hath passed this Act very willingly, and done much to the end of this Act before; yet hath willingly admitted you to be sharers and partners with Him in the Obligation: I may say confidently, His Majesty hath never denied His Confirmation to any man in possession who hath asked it; and they have all had the effect of it, except such who upon examination and enquiry, appeared not worthy of it, and such who though they are pardonned, cannot yet think themselves worthy to be preferred. His Majesty well knows, that by this Act He hath gratified and obliged many worthy and pious men, who have contributed much to His Restauration, and who shall always receive fresh evidence of His Majesties favour and kindness; but He is not sure that He may not likewise have gratified some who did neither contribute to His coming in, nor are yet glad that He is in; how comes it else to pass, that He receives such frequent Information of Seditious Sermons in the City, and in the country; in which, all industry is used to alienate the Affections of the people, and to infuse Jealousies into them of the King and His Government: They talk of introducing Popery, of evil Counsellors, and such other old Calumnies as are pardonned by this Act of indemnity.  
His Majesty  told you when He was last here, what rigor and severity He will hereafter use, how contrary soever it is to His Nature, in these cases; and conjured you, My Lords and Gentlemen, to concur with Him in this just and necessary Severity, which I am sure you will do with your utmost vigilance, and that you will believe that too much ill cannot befall those who do the best they can to corrupt His Majesties Nature, and to extinguish His Mercy.  
My Lords and Gentlemen, I  told you I was to acquaint you with some things His Majesty intends to do during this Recess, that you may see He will give no intermission to His own Thoughts for the public good, though for a time He dispenses with your Assistance.  
He doth consider the infinite importance the Improvement of Trade must be to this Kingdom, and therefore His Majesty intends forthwith to establish a Council for Trade, consisting of some Principal Merchants of the several Companies; to which He will add some Gentlemen of Quality and Experience; and for their greater honor and encouragement, some of my Lords of His own Privy Council.  
In the next place, His Majesty hopes that by a well-settled Peace, and Gods great blessing upon Him and you, this Nation will in a short time flourish to that degree, that the Land of Canaan did, when Esau found it necessary to part from his Brother.— For their riches were more, than that they might dwell together, and the Land wherein they were, could not bear them, because of their Cattle. We have been ourselves very near this pinnacle of Happiness, and the hope and contemplation that we may be so again, disposes the King to be very solicitous for the Improvement and Prosperity of His Plantations abroad, where there is such large room for the Industry and Reception of such who shall desire to go thither: And therefore His Majesty likewise intends to erect and establish a Council for those Plantations, in which, Persons well qualified shall be wholly intent upon the good and advancement of those Plantations.  
There are two other Particulars, which I am commanded to mention, which were both mentioned and recommended to you by His Majesty in His Declaration from Breda: The one, for the Confirmation of Sales, or other recompense for Purchasers: The other, for the composing those Differences and Distempers in Religion, which have too much disturbed the Peace of the Kingdom. Two very weighty particulars, in which His Majesty knows you have spent much time, and concerning which, He should have heard from you before this time, if you had not met with great Difficulties in the Disquisition of either.  
For the first, His Majesty hath not been without much thought upon the Argument, and hath done much towards the accommodation of many particular Persons; and you shall not be at your journeys end, before His Majesty will put that business concerning Sales into such a way of Dispatch, that He doubts not you will find a good progress made in it before your coming together again, and I believe the Persons concerned, will be very much too blame, if they receive not good satisfaction: And some of you who stay in Town, shall be advised and consulted with in that settlement.  
The other, of Religion, is a sad Argument indeed; It is a Consideration that must make every Religious Heart to bleed, to see Religion which should be the strongest Obligation and cement of Affection, and Brotherly Kindness and Compassion, made now by the perverse Wranglings of passionate and froward Men, the ground of all Animosity, Hatred, Malice and Revenge. And this unruly and unmanly Passion( which no question the Divine Nature exceedingly abhors) sometimes, and I fear too frequently transports those who are in the right, as well as those who are in the wrong, and leaves the latter more excusable then the former, when men who find their Manners and Dispositions very conformable in all the necessary Obligations of human Nature, avoid one anothers Conversation, and grow first unsociable, and then uncharitable to each other, because one cannot think as the other doth. And from this separation we entitle God to the Patronage of, and Concernment in our Fancies and Distinction, and purely for his sake hate one another hearty. It was not so of old, when one of the most ancient Fathers of the Church tells us, That Love and Charity was so signal and eminent in the Primitive Christians, that it even drew Admiration and Envy from their Adversaries. Vide( inquiunt) ut invicem se diligunt! Their Adversaries in that in which they most agreed, in their very prosecution of them, had their Passions and Animosities amongst themselves; they were onely Christians, that loved, and cherished, and comforted, and were ready to die for one another; Quid nunc illi dicerent Christiani, si nostra viderent tempora? Says the incomparable Grotius: How would they look upon our sharp and virulent Contentions in the debates of Christian Religion, and the Bloody Wars that have proceeded from those Contentions, whilst every one pretended to all the Marks which are to attend upon the true Church, except onely that which is inseparable from it, Charity to one another.  
My Lords and Gentlemen, This Disquisition hath cost the King many a sigh, many a sad hour, when he hath considered the almost irreparable reproach the Protestant Religion hath undergone, from the Divisions and Distractions which have been so notorious within this Kingdom.  
What pains he hath taken to compose them, after several Discourses with Learned and Pious Men of Different persuasions, you will shortly see by a Declaration He will publish upon that occasion; by which you will see His great indulgence to those who can have any Protection from Conscience, to differ with their Brethren. And I hope God will so bless the candour of His Majesty in the condescensions He makes, That the Church as well as the State, will return to that Unity and Unanimity, which will make both King and People as happy as they can hope to be in this World.  
My Lords and Gentlemen, I shall conclude with the Kings hearty Thanks to you, not onely for what you have done towards Him, which hath been very Signal, but for what you have done towards each other; for the excellent Correspondence you have maintained; for the very Seasonable Deference and condescension you have had for each other, which will restore Parliaments to the Veneration they ought to have. And since His Majesty knows, that you all desire to please Him, you have given Him ample evidence, that you do so; He hath appointed me to give you a sure Receipt to attain that good end, it is a Receipt of His own prescribing, and therefore is not like to fail:  
Be but pleased yourselves, and persuade others to be so; contrive all the ways imaginable for your own happiness, and you will make Him the best pleased, and the most happy Prince in the World.   

HIS MAJESTIES DECLARATION TO ALL His Loving Subjects of His Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales, Concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs.  
CHARLES R.  
HOw much the Peace of the State is concerned in the Peace of the Church, and how difficult a thing it is to preserve Order and Government in Civil, whilst there is no Order or Government in Ecclesiastical Affairs, is evident to the World; and this little part of the World, Our own Dominions hath had so late experience of it, that We may very well acquiesce in the Conclusion, without enlarging ourself in discourse upon it, it being a subject We have had frequent occasion to contemplate upon, and to lament, abroad as well as at home.  
In Our Letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons from Breda, We declared how much We desired the Advancement and Propagation of the Protestant Religion: That neither the unkindness of those of the same Faith towards Us, nor the Civilities and Obligations from those of a contrary Profession( of both which We have had abundant evidence) could in the least degree startle Us, or make Us swerve from it, and that nothing can be proposed to manifest Our Zeal and Affection for it, to which We will not readily consent: And We said then, That We did hope in due time, ourself to propose somewhat for the Propagation of it, that will satisfy the World, that We have always made it both Our Care and Our Study, and have enough observed what is most like to bring disadvantage to it. And the truth is, We do think ourself the more competent to propose, and with Gods assistance to determine many things now in difference, from the time We have spent, and the experience We have had in most of the Reformed Churches abroad, in France, in the Low-Countries, and in Germany, where We have had frequent Conferences, with the most Learned men, who have unanimously lamented the great Reproach the Protestant Religion undergoes from the Distempers and too Notorious Schisms in Matters of Religion in England: And as the most Learned amongst them have always with great Submission and Reverence acknowledged and magnified the established Government of the Church of England, and the great countenance and shelter the Protestant Religion received from it, before these unhappy times: So many of them have with great Ingenuity and Sorrow confessed, that they were too easily misled by mis-information and prejudice into some disesteem of it, as if it had too much complied with the Church of Rome; whereas they now aclowledge it to be the best Fence God hath yet raised against Popery in the World: And We are persuaded, they do with great Zeal wish it restored to its old Dignity and Veneration.  
When We were in Holland, We were attended by many grave and learned Ministers from hence, who were looked upon as the most able and principal asserters of the Presbyterian opinions, with whom We had as much Conference as the multitude of Affairs which were then upon Us would permit Us to have; and to Our great Satisfaction and Comfort found them Persons full of Affection to Us, of Zeal for the Peace of the Church and State, and neither Enemies( as they have been given out to be) to Episcopacy, or Liturgy, but modestly to desire such alterations in either, as without shaking Foundations, might best alloy the present distempers, which the Indisposition of the time, and the tenderness of some mens Conscienciences had contracted: For the better doing whereof, We did intend upon Our first arrival in this Kingdom to call a Synod of Divines, as the most proper expedient to provide a proper remedy for all those differences and dis-satisfactions which had or should arise in matters of Religion; and in the mean time, We published in Our Declaration from Breda a Liberty to tender Consciences; and that no man should be disquieted or called in question for differences of opinion in matter of Religion, which do not disturb the Peace of the Kingdom, and that We shall be ready to consent to such an Act of Parliament as upon mature deliberation shall be offered to Us, for the full granting that Indulgence.  
whilst We continued in this temper of mind and Resolution, and have so far complied with the persuasion of particular Persons, and the distemper of the time, as to be contented with the exercise of Our Religion in Our own chapel, according to the constant practise and Laws established, without enjoining that practise, and the observation of those Laws, in the Churches of the Kingdom; in which We have undergone the Censure of many, as if We were without that Zeal for the Church, which We ought to have, and which by Gods Grace, We shall always retain: We have found ourself not so candidly dealt with as We have deserved, and that there are unquiet and restless Spirits, who without abating any of their own distemper, in recompense of the Moderation they find in Us, continue their bitterness against the Church, and endeavour to raise Jealousies of Us, and to lessen Our Reputation by their Reproaches, as if We were not true to the Professions We have made: And in order thereunto, they have very unseasonably caused to be Printed, published, and dispersed throughout the Kingdom a Declaration heretofore Printed in Our Name, during the time of Our being in Scotland, of which We shall say no more than that the Circumstances by which We were enforced to sign that Declaration, are enough known to the World; And that the worthiest and greatest part of that Nation did even then detest and abhor the ill usage of Us in that particular, when the same Tyranny was exercised there by the power of a few ill men, which at that time had spread itself over this Kingdom; and therefore We had no reason to expect that We should at this season, when We are doing all We can to wipe out the memory of all that hath been done amiss by other men, and, We thank God, have wiped it out of Our own Remembrance, have been ourself assaulted with those Reproaches, which We will likewise forget.  
Since the Printing this Declaration, several seditious Pamphlets and Quaeres have been published and scattered abroad, to infuse dislike and Jealousies into the hearts of the People, and of the Army, and some who ought rather to have repented the former mischief they have wrought, than to have endeavoured to improve it, have had the hardiness to publish, that the Doctrine of the Church, against which no man with whom We have conferred hath excepted, ought to be reformed as well as the Discipline.  
This over-passionate and turbulent way of proceeding, and the Impatience We find in many for some speedy determination in these matters, whereby the mindes of men may be composed, and the Peace of the Church established, hath prevailed with Us to invert the method We had proposed to ourself, and even in order to the better calling and composing of a Synod( which the present Jealousies will hardly agree upon) by the assistance of Gods blessed Spirit, which We daily invoke and supplicate to give some determination ourself to the matters in difference, until such a Synod may be called, as may without passion or prejudice, give Us such farther assistance towards a perfect Union of Affections, as well as submission to Authority, as is necessary: And We are the rather induced to take this upon Us, by finding upon the full Conference We have had with the learned men of several persuasions, that the mischiefs, under which both the Church and State do at present suffer, do not result from any formed Doctrine or Conclusion which either Party maintains or avows, but from the Passion and Appetite and Interest of particular Persons, who contract greater prejudice to each other, from those Affections, than would naturally rise from their Opinions; and those distempers must be in some degree allayed, before the meeting in a Synod can be attended with better success, than their meeting in other places, and their discourses in Pulpits have hitherto been; and till all thoughts of Victory are laid aside, the humble and necessary thoughts for the Vindication of Truth cannot be enough entertained.  
We must for the honor of all those of either persuasion with whom We have conferred, declare, That the Professions and Desires of all for the advancement of Piety and true Godliness, are the same; their Professions of Zeal for the Peace of the Church, the same; of Affection and Duty to Us, the same: They all approve Episcopacy; they all approve a set Form of Liturgy; and they all disapprove and dislike the Sin of sacrilege, and the Alienation of the Revenue of the Church; And if upon these excellent Foundations, in submission to which there is such a harmony of Affections, any Superstructures should be raised, to the shaking those Foundations, and to the contracting and lessening the blessed gift of Charity, which is a vital part of Christian Religion, We shall think ourself very unfortunate, and even suspect that We are defective in that administration of Government with which God hath entrusted Us.  
We need not profess the high Affection and esteem We have for the Church of England as it is established by Law; the Reverence to which hath supported us, with Gods blessing, against many temptations; nor do We think that Reverence in the least degree diminished by Our condescensions, not peremptorily to insist on some particulars of Ceremony, which, however introduced by the Piety and Devotion, and Order of former times, may not be so agreeable to the present, but may even lessen that Piety and Devotion, for the improvement whereof they might happily be first introduced, and consequently may well be dispensed with; and We hope this charitable compliance of Ours will dispose the minds of all men to a cheerful submisson to that Authority, the preservation whereof is so necessary for the Unity and Peace of the Church; and that they will aclowledge the support of the Episcopal Authority, to be the best support of Religion, by being the best means to contain the minds of men within the Rules of Government: And they who would restrain the exercise of that holy function within the Rules which were observed in the Primitive times, must remember and consider, that the Ecclesiastical Power being in those blessed times always subordinate and subject to the Civil, it was likewise proportioned to such an extent of Jurisdiction as was most agreeable to that: And as the Sanctity and Simplicity, and Resignation of that Age, did then refer many things to the Bishops, which the policy of succeeding Ages would not admit, at least did otherwise provide for; so it can be no reproach to primitive Episcopacy, if where there have been great alterations in the Civil Government, from what was then, there have been likewise some difference and alteration in the Ecclesiastical, the Essence and Foundation being still preserved. And upon this ground, without taking upon Us to censure the Government of the Church in other Countreys, where the Government of the State is different from what it is here, or enlarging ourself upon the Reasons why, whilst there was an Imagination of erecting a Democratical Government here in the State, they should be willing to continue an Aristocratical Government in the Church; It shall suffice to say, that since by the wonderful blessing of God, the hearts of this whole Nation are returned to an obedience to Monarchique Government in the State, it must be very reasonable to support that Government in the Church which is established by Law, and with which the Monarchy hath flourished through so many Ages, and which is in truth as ancient in this iceland as the Christian Monarchy thereof; and which hath always in some respects or degrees been enlarged or restrained, as hath been thought most conducing to the Peace and Happiness of the kingdom; and therefore We have not the least doubt but that the present Bishops will think the present Concessions now made by Us to alloy the present distempers, very just and reasonable, and will very cheerfully comform themselves thereunto.  
1. We do in the first place Declare, Our purpose and Resolution is and shall be to promote the power of Godliness, to encourage the exercises of Religion both public and private, and to take care that the Lords day be applied to holy exercises, without unnecessary divertisements; and that insufficient, negligent, and scandalous Ministers be not permitted in the Church: And that as the present Bishops are known to be men of great and exemplar Piety in their lives, which they have manifested in their notorious and unexampled Sufferings during these late distempers; and of great and known sufficiency of learning; So We shall take special Care, by the assistance of God, to prefer no men to that Office and Charge, but men of Learning, Virtue, and Piety, who may be themselves the best examples to those who are to be Governed by them; And We shall expect, and provide the best We can, that the Bishops be frequent Preachers, and that they do very often Preach themselves in some Church of their diocese, except they be hindered by sickness, or other bodily infirmities, or some other justifiable occasion, which shall not be thought justifiable if it be frequent.  
2. Because the dioceses, especially some of them, are thought to be of too large extent; We will appoint such a Number of Suffragan Bishops in every diocese as shall be sufficient for the due performance of their work.  
3. No Bishop shall Ordain, or exercise any part of Jurisdiction which appertains to the Censures of the Church, without the advice and assistance of the Presbyters; And no Chancellors, Commissaries, or Officials, as such, shall exercise any Act of Spiritual Jurisdiction in these cases ( viz.) Excommunication, Absolution, or wherein any of the Ministry are concerned, with reference to their Pastoral Charge. However our intent and meaning is to uphold and maintain the Profession of the Civil Law, so far and in such matters as it hath been of use and practise within Our Kingdoms and Dominions; Albeit as to Excommunication, Our Will and Pleasure is, that no Chancellor, Commissary, or Official shall Decree any Sentence of Excommunication or Absolution, or be Judges in those things wherein any of the Ministry are concerned, as is aforesaid. Nor shall the archdeacon exercise any Jurisdiction without the advice and assistance of six Ministers of his Arch-Deaconry, whereof three to be nominated by the Bishop, and three by the election of the mayor part of the Presbyters within the Arch-Deaconry.  
4. To the end that the Deans and Chapters may be the better fitted to afford council and Assistance to the Bishops, both in Ordination and the other Offices mentioned before; We will take care that those Preferments be given to the most learned and Pious Presbyters of the diocese; And moreover, that an equal number( to those of the Chapter) of the most learned, pious, and discreet Presbyters of the same diocese, annually chosen by the mayor vote of all the Presbyters of that diocese present at such Elections, shall be always advising and assisting, together with those of the Chapter, in all Ordinations, and in every part of Jurisdiction which appertains to the Censures of the Church, and at all other solemn and important actions in the exercise of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction wherein any of the ministry are concerned: Provided, that at all such meetings, the number of the Ministers so elected, and those present of the Chapter shall be equal, and not exceed one the other, and that to make the numbers equal, the Juniors of the exceeding number be withdrawn, that the most ancient may take place: Nor shall any Suffragan Bishop Ordain or exercise the fore-mentioned Offices and Acts of Spiritual Jurisdiction, but with the advice and assistance of a sufficient number of the most judicious and pious Presbyters, annually chosen, as aforesaid, within his Precincts: And Our Will is, that the great Work of Ordination be constantly and solemnly performed by the Bishop and his aforesaid Presbytery, at the four set times and seasons appointed by the Church for that purpose.  
5. We will take care that Confirmation be rightly and solemnly performed, by the Information, and with the Consent of the Minister of the place; who shall admit none to the Lord's Supper, till they have made a credible Profession of their Faith, and promised Obedience to the Will of God, according as is expressed in the Considerations of the rubric before the Catechism; And that all possible diligence be used for the Instruction and Reformation of scandalous Offenders, whom the Minister shall not suffer to partake of the Lord's Table, until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented, and amended their former naughty lives, as is partly expressed in the rubric, and more fully in the Canons; Provided there be place for due Appeals to Superior Powers. But besides the Suffragans and their Presbytery, every Rural Dean( those Deans, as heretofore, to be nominated by the Bishop of the diocese) together with three or four Ministers of that Deanery, chosen by the mayor part of all the Ministers within the same, shall meet once in every month, to receive such complaints as shall be presented to them by the Ministers or Church-Wardens of the respective Parishes; and also to compose all such differences betwixt party and party, as shall be referred unto them by way of Arbitration, and to convince Offenders, and reform all such things as they find amiss, by their Pastoral Reproofs and Admonitions, if they may be so reformed: And such matters as they cannot by this Pastoral and persuasive way compose and reform, are by them to be prepared for, and presented to the Bishop; at which meeting any other Ministers of that Deanery, may, if they please, be present and assist. Moreover, the Rural Dean and his Assistants are in their respective Divisions, to see that the children and younger sort be carefully instructed by the respective Ministers of every Parish, in the Grounds of Christian Religion, and be able to give a good account of their Faith and Knowledge, and also of their Christian Conversation conformable thereunto, before they be confirmed by the Bishop, or admitted to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  
6. No Bishop shall exercise any Arbitrary Power, or do or impose any thing upon the Clergy or the People, but what is according to the known Law of the Land.  
7. We are very glad to find, that all with whom We have conferred, do in their Judgements approve a Liturgy, or set Form of public Worship, to be lawful; which in Our Judgement, for the preservation of Unity, and Uniformity, We conceive to be very necessary: And though We do esteem the Liturgy of the Church of England, contained in the Book of Common Prayer, and by Law established, to be the best We have seen; and We believe that We have seen all that are extant and used in this part of the World, and well know what Reverence most of the Reformed Churches, or at least the most Learned men in those Churches have for it; Yet since We find some exceptions made against several things therein, We will appoint an equal number of Learned Divines of both persuasions, to re-view the same, and to make such alterations as shall be thought most necessary; and some additional Forms( in the Scripture phrase, as near as may be) suited unto the nature of the several parts of Worship, and that it be left to the Ministers choice to use one or other at his discretion. In the mean time, and till this be done, although We do hearty wish and desire, that the Ministers in their several Churches, because they dislike some Clauses and Expressions, would not totally lay aside the use of the Book of Common Prayer, but red those parts against which there can be no exception; which would be the best instance of declining those marks of distinction, which We so much labour and desire to remove; yet in compassion to divers of Our good Subjects, who scruple the use of it as now it is, Our Will and Pleasure is, that none be punished or troubled for not using it, until it be reviewed, and effectually Reformed, as aforesaid.  
8. Lastly, Concerning Ceremonies, which have administered so much matter of difference and contention, and which have been introduced by the Wisdom and Authority of the Church, for edification, and the improvement of Piety: We shall say no more, but that We have the more esteem of all, and Reverence for many of them, by having been present in many of those Churches where they are most abolished, or discountenanced; And it cannot be doubted, but that, as the Universal Church cannot introduce one Ceremony in the Worship of God, that is contrary to Gods Word expressed in the Scripture; so every National Church, with the Approbation and Consent of the sovereign Power, may, and hath always introduced such particular Ceremonies, as in that conjuncture of time are thought most proper for edification, and the necessary improvement of Piety and Devotion in the People, though the necessary practise thereof cannot be deduced from Scripture; And that which before was, and in itself is indifferent, ceases to be indifferent, after it is once established by Law: And therefore Our present Consideration and Work is, to gratify the private Consciences of those who are grieved with the use of some Ceremonies, by indulging to, and dispensing with their omitting those Ceremonies; not utterly to abolish any which are Established by Law,( if any are practised contrary to Law, the same shall cease) which would be unjust, and of ill example; and to impose upon the Conscience of some, for the satisfaction of the Conscience of others, which is otherwise provided for. As it could not be reasonable that men should expect that We should ourself decline, or enjoin others to do so, to receive the Blessed Sacrament upon Our Knees, which in Our Conscience is the most humble, most devout, and most agreeable posture for that holy Duty, because some other men, upon reasons best, if not only known to themselves, choose rather to do it sitting or standing: We shall leave all decisions and determinations of that kind, if they shall be thought necessary for a perfect and entire Unity and Uniformity throughout the Nation, to the advice of a National Synod, which shall be duly called, after a little time, and a mutual Conversation between persons of different persuasions, hath mollified those distempers, abated those sharpnesses, and extinguished those jealousies which make men unfit for those Consultations; And upon such Advice, We shall use Our best endeavour that such Laws may be established, as may best provide for the Peace of the Church and State. Provided that none shall be denied the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, though they do not use the gesture of kneeling in the act of receiving.  
In the mean time, out of Compassion and Compliance towards those who would for bear the across in Baptism, We are content that no man shall be compelled to use the same, or suffer for not doing it: But if any Parent desire to have his child Christened according to the Form used, and the Minister will not use the Sign, it shall be lawful for that Parent to procure another Minister to do it: And if the proper Minister shall refuse to omit that Ceremony of the across, it shall be lawful for the Parent, who would not have his child so Baptized, to procure another Minister to do it, who will do it according to his desire.  
No man shall be compelled to bow at the Name of JESUS, or suffer in any degree for not doing it, without reproaching those who out of their Devotion continue that ancient Ceremony of the Church.  
For the use of the Surplice, We are contented that all men be left to their liberty to do as they shall think fit, without suffering in the least degree for wearing or not wearing it; Provided, that this liberty do not extend to Our own chapel, Cathedral, or Collegiate Churches, or to any college in either of Our Universities; but that the several Statutes and Customs for the use thereof in the said places, be there observed as formerly.  
And because some men, otherwise pious and learned, say they cannot comform unto the Subscription required by the Canon, nor take the Oath of caconical Obedience; We are content, and it is Our Will and Pleasure,( so they take the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy) that they shall receive Ordination, Institution, and Induction, and shall be permitted to exercise their Function, and to enjoy the Profits of their Livings, without the said Subscription or Oath of caconical Obedience: And moreover, That no persons in the Universities shall for the want of such Subscription, be hindered in the taking of their Degrees. Lastly, That none be judged to forfeit his Presentation or bnfice, or be deprived of it, upon the Statute of the Thirteenth of Queen Elizabeth, Chapter the Twelfth, so he red and declare his assent to all the Articles of Religion, which only concern the Confession of the true Christian Faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments, comprised in the Book of Articles, in the said Statute mentioned. In a word, We do again renew what We have formerly said in Our Declaration from Breda, for the liberty of tender Consciences, that no man shall be disquieted or called in question for differences of Opinion in matters of Religion, which do not disturb the Peace of the Kingdom; and if any have been disturbed in that kind since Our arrival here, it hath not proceeded from any Direction of Ours.  
To conclude, and in this place to explain what We mentioned before, and said in Our Letter to the House of Commons from Breda, That We hoped in due time, ourself to propose somewhat for the Propagation of the Protestant Religion, that will satisfy the World, that We have always made it both Our Care and Our Study, and have enough observed what is most like to bring disadvantage to it: We do conjure all Our Loving Subjects to acquiesce in, and submit to this Our Declaration concerning those differences which have so much disquieted the Nation at home, and given such offence to the Protestant Churches abroad, and brought such reproach upon the Protestant Religion in general, from the enemies thereof; as if upon obscure notions of Faith and Fancy, it did admit the practise of Christian Duties and Obedience to be discountenanced and suspended, and introduce a Licence in Opinions and Manners, to the prejudice of the Christian Faith. And let Us all endeavour, and emulate each other in those endeavours, to countenance and advance the Protestant Religion abroad, which will be best done by supporting the Dignity and Reverence due to the best Reformed Protestant Church at home; and which being once freed from the Calumnies and Reproaches it hath undergone from these late ill times, will be the best shelter for those abroad, which will, by that Countenance, both be the better protected against their enemies, and be the more easily induced to compose the differences amongst themselves, which give their enemies more advantage against them: And We hope and expect, that all men will henceforward forbear to vent any such Doctrine in the Pulpit, or to endeavour to work in such manner upon the Affections of the People, as may dispose them to an ill opinion of Us and the Government, and to disturb the Peace of the Kingdom. Which if all men will in their several Vocations endeavour to preserve with the same Affection and Zeal We ourself will do; all Our good Subjects will, by Gods blessing upon Us, enjoy as great a measure of Felicity, as this Nation hath ever done, and which We shall constantly labour to procure for them, as the greatest blessing God can bestow upon Us in this World.  
Given at Our Court at Whitehall, this Twenty fifth day of October, 1660.   
FINIS.  

LONDON, Printed by JOHN BILL, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1660.