royal arms of England, circa 1674 
HONI SOIT QVI MAL· Y· PENSE  
· dieu· ET MON· DROIT  By the King. A PROCLAMATION To Prevent the Exacting of Excessive Prices of Victuals, and other Necessaries within the Verge of His Majesties household.  
CHARLES R.  
WHereas in Our intended passages through, and residence in divers parts of Our Realm great numbers of Our Subjects must of necessity frequent those places where in Our Royal Person We shall from time to time be or abide, And it is requisite that competent provision be made, that they be not exposed to the intolerable avarice of Bakers, Brewers, Innholders, Butchers, and Sellers of Victuals, who not contented with reasonable profit in uttering and Selling of Victuals within Our Dominions, and specially within the Verge of Our household, will( as We have cause to doubt if not timely forewarned) unlawfully exact and demand unreasonable and extreme prices for Victuals, Horse-meat and other necessaries, above the prices they were sold at before Our coming into those parts; And for the better colouring thereof pretend scarcity, and hid or withdraw from the Markets their Stores of Victuals on purpose to increase the prices: Therefore to prevent such Exactions by the aforesaid Sellers of Victuals towards Our Servants, Train and suitors attending Our Court, and all Our loving Subjects in or near those parts where We shall pass, or wherein We shall make Our abode, Our will and pleasure is, And by the advice of Our Privy Council We do hereby straightly charge and command, That no manner of person or persons now using, or which accustomably have used, or shall use, or of right ought to use to serve any City, Borough, Town or other place where Our Royal repose or Residence shall be, or elsewhere within the Verge of Our household, either within Liberties or without, with any kind of Corn, Victuals or other necessaries, either upon the Market-day or at any other time, shall be any thing the more remiss or slacken in bringing or selling their provision, then they or any of them heretofore have been, nor shall use any colour or craft either in hiding or laying aside their Corn, Victuals, Horse-meat, or any other such necessaries, whereby the provision of the Market may be diminished, or We or Our Servants and other Subjects should not be as well served, and as plenteously furnished in every behalf as those parts may afford. And We do further straightly charge and command all the aforesaid Sellers of any manner of Victual, that they sell the same for a reasonable price, having respect to the price that such Victuals are sold at in the places adjoining, so that they take but moderate gains reasonably to be required, according to the distance of the place from whence the said Victuals are carried; And also that they use no false or deceitful Weights or Measures, but in all things strictly keep the Assize appointed by Law. And if any person or persons, of what Estate or degree soever he or they be, shall offend in any of the premises, upon Complaint thereof to us made, We will not onely cause the Offenders to be severely punished by a speédy prosecution in Our Courts of Law belonging to Our household; But for a further redress will cause reasonable prices of all Victuals to be sold in those parts, to be set and taxed according to the Statute made in the Five and twentieth year of King Henry the 8th, under such penalties as shall deter all persons from transgressing for the future. And lastly, We do by this Our Royal Proclamation straightly charge and command all Our Officers of Our Greencloth, Our Iustices of the Peace, Our Clerk of the Market, his Deputy or Deputies, Mayors, bailiffs, Sheriffs, Constables, and all other Our Officers of Cities, Boroughs, Hundreds, Towns or places within the Verge of Our household wheresoever the same shall be, as well within Liberties as without, and every of them from time to time when and as often as need shall require, to make diligent inquiry of Corn, Grain, and other Victual that shall be hidden or withdrawn from the Markets with purpose to increase the prices, and of all Extortions, Exactions and unreasonable Enhancing of prices by Sellers of Victuals, and of all unlawful or deceitful Weights and Measures; and to use all lawful ways and means effectually to redress the same: And upon complaint by any Party justly made, every of them within their respective Authorities shall endeavour Reformation of the said Abuses, by inflicting severe punishment upon such person or persons as shall offend herein, according to Law.  
Given at Our Court at Whitehall, the Nineteenth day of May, 1674. in the Six and twentieth year of Our Reign.  
God save the King.   

LONDON, Printed by the Assigns of John Bill and Christopher Barker, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1674.