THe Kings most Excellent Majesty, taking into His Pious and Prince­ly Consideration, the present unreasonableness of the Weather, whereupon it may be justly feared, Scarcity and Famine, Sicknesses and Diseases will ensue, if Almighty God of his great Clemency be not mercifully pleased to avert those Iudgements and Punishments which our many and manifold sins and provocations have most justly deserved, hath, out of His own Religious Disposition, resolved, and hereby doth Com­mand a General and Publique Fast to be kept throughout this whole King­dom, in such manner as hereafter is directed and prescribed, that so both Prince and People, even the whole Kingdom, as one man, may send up their Prayers and Supplications to Almighty God, to divert those Iudgements which the sins of this Land have worthily deserved, and to send us such seasonable weather, whereby the Fruits of the Earth may be duely received, and Sicknesses and Con­tagious Diseases (so justly feared) be prevented.

And to the end so Religious an Exercise may be performed with all decency and uniformity, His Majesty doth hereby (by and with the Advice of His Privy Coun­cil publish and declare to all His loving Subjets, and doth straitly Charge and Command, That on Wednesday next, being the Fifteenth of this instant January, this Fast be Religiously and Solemnly Observed and Celebrated in the Cities of London and Westminster, Burrough of Southwark, and other places adjacent, where­in His Majesty in His Royal Person, and with His Royal Family and Houshold, will give example to the rest of His People. And that on Wednesday the Two and twentieth day of the same Moneth of January, the like be kept and duely observed throughout the rest of this whole Realm of England, and Dominion of Wales; And that the same be reverently and decently performed by all His loving Subjects, as they tender the favour of Almighty God, and would avoid his just indignation a­gainst this Land, and upon pain of such Punishment as His Majesty can justly in­flict upon all such as shall contemn or neglect so Religious and necessary a Work.

Given at Our Court at Whitehal, this Eighth day of January, in the Thir­teenth year of Our Reign.

God Save the King.