Whereas the Committee of Estates of our Kingdom of Scotland, being most carefull, according to the trust committed to them, To use all means for advancing the Cause of God, set­ling the publike Peace, and for preventing the practises of such as would in any wise hinder or oppose the same. And seeing a Paper emitted under the Title of An humble Remonstrance, yet being in effect, A Band against God and his Covenant, Us and our authority, and this our native Kingdom and its Peace and Happinesse, tho covered with the specious pretences of Pietie and publike Liberty, Have found themselves oblieged in dutie to take notice thereof, And to un­deceive our good Subjects by unfolding the wickednesse and treachery of the same, which evidently appears, The persons who have speciall hand therein being formerly under the like guiltinesse of Banding, contrary to the Nationall Covenant which themselves had sworn; And having since by severall Bands and Oaths to be seen under their hand writings joyned themselves to the Rebellion of that Excommunicate Traitour James Grahame and his Irish associates, with whom they have corresponded this time past, Have now (as it seems) by his advice entred into this Band (the naturall issue of those consultations and meetings they have kept together of late) without the knowledge of the publike Judicatories of our Kingdom, contrary to the Law of the Land, and Acts of Parliament expresly made in that behalf: And that they may the more easily inveigle the simpler fort, they have usurped to themselves the flourishing Titles of Lovers of Religion, Our Royall authority, and Our Kingdoms Peace; their Paper notwithstanding clearly evidencing their intentions to be contrary to all these, By their changing and omitting severall essentiall Articles in the Covenant, which are at length discovered by the Commissioners of the Kirk in their Declaration; By their slighting and contemning the wayes proposed by both our Kingdoms, in sending Propositions to us, for attaining a safe and well-grounded Peace: And presumptuously taking upon themselves to prescribe other wayes, and to be Arbitrators of the pre­sent differences betwixt us and our people: By their traducing the publike proceedings of that our Kingdom, in their seeming regrait of the silence of the civil Judicatories, which by the Plague of Pestilence and present Rebellion (fomented by the Remon­strants themselves, who despised the maine Orders given to them by the publike Judicatories for suppressing thereof) hath been so long occasioned, and is now happily provided for by the care of our Parliament, which hath appointed these Judicatories to meet at the ordinary time, if they be not letted by the indirect practises of thir Banders, and such others, who under fair pretexts studie the continuance of the present troubles, And by their open withholding their assisting, and secret resisting the resolutions of the Kingdom, Do what in them lies to weaken the strength thereof, and render it a prey to Forreign powers: As also by their large enumerating the publike Burdens, which have been so necessarily laid on for preserving our Kingdom from ruine, and are so much the heavier on these parts, That these who now complain most, have by their complyance with the Rebels, and refusall to joyn against them, been altogether free thereof as yet: and which have been so sparingly imposed and providently disposed of, that no just occasion of complaint can be made thereof, as will appear by the publike Accompts at length perused by the Estates of our Parliament; and yet extant to the view of the world. And last, these Banders finding no readier mean to dis­hearten our good Subjects in the pursuance of this Cause, make large expressions of their sense of the distressed condition of the Countrey, whiles they themselves by their by-gone correspondence and present Banding with declared Traitours and bloodie Irishes who have invaded this our Kingdom, Do really witnesse their intentions to continue, and (so far as they are able) increase the troubles and distresses thereof, and seare the bowels of the same. For which purpose they labour to weaken the confidence [...]nd Union betwixt our Kingdoms of Scotland and England, which are so firmly joyned in the solemne League and Covenant, that no respects can make them forget their mutuall ingagements, or withhold their assistance from others, as the condition of affairs shall require. All which being at length considered by the Committee of Estates, And they finding this Band to be Destru­ctive to the Covenant, and ends conteined therein, Illegall, and against the Laws of our Kingdom, Prejudiciall to the publike Peace (now drawing towards a happy close, if not interrupted by such treacherous Plots) and Divisive for fomenting of Jea­lousies and continuing the bloody Wars within our Kingdoms, Have declared they will proceed against the same accordingly: And therefore

OUR WILL IS, and we charge you straitly and command, that incontinent thir our Letters seen, you passe, and by open Proclamation hereof at the Market Crosses of Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow, Dundee, Perth, Forfar, Aberdeen, Innernesse, and other places needfull, In our name and authority command, charge, and inhibit all our good Subjects, That none of them presume nor take upon hand, to acknowledge or signe the said Band, nor joyn themselves with the subscribers thereof in pursuance of the same, under all highest pains which by the Law or practise of this our Realm can be execute upon such unlaw­full and seditious Bands. And yet because possibly some of our good Subjects have been through mis-information, fear, or other means insnared and drawn to joyn herein, without any ill intention of themselves; And We being willing to reclaim all such, Do therefore declare, that whosoever hath signed or joyned in this Band, and will betwixt and the fifteenth of May next to come disclaim and quit the same, shall be free of all censure therefore. The which to do, we commit to you our full power by thir our Letters.