WHEREAS We have been informed of certain Propositions agreed upon by some seditious Persons of Our severall Counties of Kent, Surry, Sussex and Hampshire, for an Association betwixt the said Counties, to raise an Army of 3000 Foot, and 300 Horse, and great summes of Money for the maintenance thereof, and an Invitation to Our good Subjects of that County, to enter into a Protestation to assist them in this odious and unnaturall Rebellion; We doe hereby Declare for the satisfaction of all our loving Subjects of those Counties, and that they may not be seduced from their Obedience by the cunning and subtilty of those men, That the en­tring into such an Association and Protestation, and raising of men or contributing Money upon the same, is an Act of high Treason, and an endeavour to take away Our Life from Vs: And We do therefore straitly Charge and Command all Our lov­ing Subjects whatsoever upon their Allegiance not to enter into any such Association or Protestation, and such, as by colour of such Authority have assembled together, that they immediately di [...]band and repaire to their Houses. And We doe once more renew Our offer of a free and gratious Pardon to all Our Subjects of Our said foure severall Counties, excepting those whom We before excepted in Our severall Proclamations concerning those Our Counties, against all which We shall proceed ac­cording to the Rules of the Law, as against Persons guilty of high Treason; And whom We doe hereby require all Our Of­ficers and Ministers of Justice, and all Our loving Subjects whatsoever, to apprehend and cause to be kept in safe custody. And Our Expresse Pleasure is, and We doe hereby Will and Command all the severall Tenants of the Persons excepted in Our Proclamation for those foure Counties of Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire, and all other Persons who are any waye in­debted unto them, and all the Tenants to any other Person of any of the said Counties, who is now in Actuall and open Rebel­lion against Us, or who after the publishing of this Our Proclamation shall contribute to the maintenance of the Armies now in Rebellion against Us, under the conduct of Robert Earle of Essex, or of any other Person or Persons, or that shall joyne in any such traiterous Association or Protestation, That they forbeare to pay any Rents or Debts due to the said severall Persons, but detaine the same in their hands towards the maintenance of the Peace of the Counties, and the reparation of such Men who have suffered by the violence of the others. And if any Souldier or Souldiers now under Command against Us in either of Our said foure Counties, shall within six dayes after the publishing of this Our Proclamation, apprehend and bring before Us, or any Officers of Our Army, or any other Our Minister of Justice, so that the Person apprehended be kept in safe Custo­dy, the bodies of any of the Persons so excepted by Us, or of any of the Commanders or Officers now in Rebellion against Us in any of the said foure Counties, such Souldier or Souldiers, besides their Pardons, shall receive such liberall Rewards by Pen­sions, or otherwise, as their severall services in respect of the qualities of the Persons so apprehended shall deserve. And if any Commander or Officer (except the Persons before excepted) now in Rebellion against Us, in any of the said foure Counties, shall within five dayes after this Our Proclamation published, being convinced in his Conscience of his damnable Offence a­gainst God and Us, in assisting this odious Rebellion, returne to his Alleagiance and repaire to Our Army, and commit no ho­stile Act in the meane while against Us, We shall not onely Pardon him, but so far imploy him as his quality and deme [...]nour shall deserve. And We doe hereby require all Our loving Subjects of what degree or quality soever, within Our said foure severall Counties, upon their Allegiance, and as they tender the cause of God, the Protestant Religion, being invaded and threatned to be rooted up by Anabaptists, Brownists, and Atheists, of Us, and Our Posterity (Our Life being sought after by this Rebellion, and of themselves, the Law and Liberty of the Subject being in apparent hazard to be subjected to an Arbitra­ry Lawlesse power, of a few Schismaticall, factious, and ambitious Persons) to assist Us in Person, or with the Loane of Mo­ney, Plate, and Horses, in this Our great necessity. And having said thus much out of Our tender Regard of Our Subjects of those our Counties; If they shall henceforward be guilty of the premises: And shall either by Loane or contribution assist the said Army of Rebels, assemble and muster themselves in Armes withour Authority derived from Us under Our Hand, or shall enter into any Oath of Association for opposing Us and Our Army, and so compell Us to send part of Our Forces thi­ther to reduce them to their Obedience; they must Answer the miseries that must follow, to God, and their Country. And Our Pleasure is, That this Our Proclamation be Read in all the Parish Churches and Chappels in the said foure severall Counttes.

Given at Our Court at Oxford, this sixteenth day of February, in the Eighteenth yeere of Our Reigne.

God save the KING.