MY LORDS; When We saw that it was no longer safe for Us to remain within Our King­dom of England, and that thereupon We had taken Our resolutions to withdraw for some time; We left to be com­municated to you and to all Our Subjects, the Reasons of Our withdrawing: a And were likewise resolved at the same time to leave such Orders behind Us to you of Our Privy-Councel, as might best suit with the present state of Affairs: But that being al­together unsafe for Us at that time; b We now think fit to let you know, that though it has been Our constant care since Our first Accession to the Crown, to Govern Our People with that Justice and Modera­tion, as to give, if possible, c no occasion of Complaint; yet more particularly upon the late Invasion, d seeing how the Design was laid; and fearing that Our People, who could not be destroy'd but by themselves might by little imaginary Grievances, b [...] cheated into a certain ruine: To preven [...] so great Mischief, and to take away not only all just Causes, ⟨but even Pretencey [...]⟩ [Page 2] Discontent; We freely, and of Our own accord redressed all those Things that were set forth as the Causes of that Invasion: And that We might be informed by the Councel and Advice of Our Subjects them­selves, which way We might give them a further and a full satisfaction; e We resolved to meet them in a Free Parliament; And in order to it, We first laid the foundation of such a Free Parliament, in restoring the Ci­ty of Lond [...]n and the rest of the Corpora­tions to their ancient Charters and Privi­ledges; and afterwards actually appointed the Writs to be Issued out for the Parlia­ments Meeting on the 15th. of January; f But the Prince of Orange seeing all the Ends of his Declaration answered, the Peo­ple beginning to be undeceived, and re­turning a-pace to their ancient Duty and Allegiance; and well fore-seeing that if the Parliament should meet at the time ap­pointed, such a Settlement in all probabil [...]ty would be made, both in Church and State, as would totally defeat his ambitious and unjust Designs, resolved by all means pos­sible to prevent the Meeting of the Parlia­ment: g And to do this the most effectual way, he thought fit to lay a restraint on Our Royal Person; for as it were absurd to call that a Free Parliament, where there is any Force on either of the Houses, so much less can that Parliament be said to act Freely where the Soveraign, by whose Au­thority they Meet and Sir, and from whose Royal Assent all their Acts receive their Life and Sanction, is under actual Confine­ment. The hurrying of Us under a Guard from Our City of London, h whose return­ing Loyalty We could no longer Trust, and the other Indignities We suffered in the Person of the Earl of Feversham when sent to him by Us; and in that barbarous Con­finement of Our own Person, We shall not here repeat, because they are, We doubt not by this time, very well known; and may, We hope, if enough considered and re­flected upon; together with his other Viola­tions & Breaches of the Laws and Liberties of England, which by this Invasion he pre­tended to restore, be sufficient to open the Eyes of all Our Subjects, and let them plainly see what every one of them may expect, and what Treatment they shall find from him, if at any time it may serve his purpose, from whose hands a Soveraign Prince, an Uncle, and a Father could meet with no better Entertainment. i However the sense of these Indignities, and the just apprehension of further Attempts against Our Person by them who already endea­voured to murther Our Reputation by In­famous Calumnies (as if We had been ca­pable of a supposed Prince of Wales) which was incomparably more Injurious, then the Destroying of Our Person it Self; to­gether with a serious reflection on a Saying of Our Royal Father of Blessed Memory, when He was in the like Circumstances, That there is little distance between the Prisons and the Graves of Princes (which afterwards proved too true in His Case) could not but persuade Us to make use of that which the Law of Nature gives to the meanest of Our Subjects, of freeing Our selves by all means possible from that unjust Confinement and Restraint. k And this We did not more for the Security of Our own Person, than that thereby We might be in a better Capa­city of transacting and providing for every thing that may Contribute to the Peace and Settlement of Our Kingdoms: For as on the one hand, no change of Fortune shall ever make Us forget Our selves, so far as to Condescend to any thing, unbecoming that High and Royal Station, in which God Almighty by Right of Succession has placed Us: l So on the other hand, neither the Provocation or Ingratitude of Our own Subjects, nor any other Consideration what­soever, shall ever prevail with Us to make [Page 3] the least step contrary to the True Interest of the English Nation; which We ever did, and ever must look upon as Our own. OUR WILL and Pleasure therefore is, That you of Our Privy-Councel, take the most effectual Care to make these Our Gra­cious Intentions known to the Lords Spiri­tual & Temporal in & about Our Cities of London and Westminster, to the Lord Mayor and Commons of Our City of London, and to all Our Subjects in general; m And to assure them, that We desire nothing more, than to return and hold a Free Parliament, wherein We may have the best opportunity of Undeceiving Our People, and shewing the Sincerity of those Protestations We have often made of the preserving the Liberties and Properties of Our Subjects and the Pro­testant Religion; more especially the Church of England as by Law Establish'd, with such Indulgence for those that Dissent from Her, as We have always thought Our selves in Justice and Care of the general Welfare of Our People, bound to procure for them. And in the mean time You of Our Privy-Councel (who can judge better by being upon the place) are to send Us your Ad­vice, what is fit to be done by Us towards Our Returning and the Accomplishing those Good Ends. And We do require you in Our Name, and by Our Authority, to En­deavour to Suppress all Tumults and Dis­orders, that the Nation in general, and every one of Our Subjects in particular, may not receive the least prejudice from the present Distractions that is possible. So not doubting of your Dutiful Obedience to these Our Royal Commands, We bid you Heartily Farewel. Given at St. Ger­mans en Laye the [...] of January 1688/9. And of Our Reign the Fourth Year.