WILLIAM By the Grace of GOD, King of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith; To [...] Macers of Our Privy Council, Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting: Forasmuch as through the extraordinary unseasonableness of the Weather for some Months past, and the misgiving of this Years Cropt and Harvest; the Scarcity of Victual is Increased to that height, as threatens a General distress and Calamity; So that it is most necessary that the Prohibition of the Export of Victual made in the Month of May last, be renewed and extended with all Severity, against all who shall presume to contemn Our Authority, in a matter so just and Indispensiblie requisit for the relief of the Poor, and Good and welfare of the Kingdom. Therefore We with Advice of the Lords of our Privy Council, have thought fit to Prohibite, and hereby most strictly Prohibite and Discharge the Exporting furth of this Kingdom by any Person whatsoever, either by Land or by Sea, of all kinds of Victual, either Meal, Wheat, Rye, Oats, Pease, Barley or Bear, Malted or not Malted, or any other Grain or Victual whatsoever, after the day and date of these Presents, under the pains following, viz. The Forfaulture of the Victual offered to be Exported for the use of the Poor of the Bounds, where the same shall be attached and seased, or the value thereof, where the samen is proven to be Exported: As likewayes of the Forfaulture of the Horse, Ship, Boat or other Vessel whereby the same shall be attempted to be Exported, and also of the pain of ten Pounds Scots over and above for each Boll that shall be found to be Exported or offered to be Exported, and proven or attacked and seased as said is, to be payed by the Owner, Skipper or Exporter; And that such as shall be found transgressing, and have not to pay the forsaid pains, shall be Punished in their Bodies by Imprisonment, to be Fed with Bread and Water, or Scourging at the discretion of the Judge. And We hereby require and charge all Sheriffs, Steuarts, Baillies and their Deputs, Magistrats of Burghs, Justices of Peace, and other Officers of the Law; to see and cause these Presents to be put to strict Execution in all Points, with certifica­tion, if they shall be found negligent or remiss, they shall be Punished by the Lords of Our Privy Council, as Despisers of Our Authority, and Betray­ers of the Trust reposed in them. And Further, We do hereby Authorize Our Customers and all Collectors, Surveyers, Waiters and other Officers at Sea-ports, & Generallie all Our Leidges to Discover, Attach & Sease the forsaid Victual that shall be Exported or offered to be Exported as said is, promising and allowing them the half of the Pecunial pains Abovementioned for their reward, with this certification, that if they or any of them be remiss or negligent in the due Execution of the Premisses; So that Victual be Exported by Sea or Land, within the Bounds of their Respective Precincts, they shall not only lose their Commissions, but be themselves lyable to the pains and Penalties for each Boll Exported, as the Owner and Exporter are declared lyable in manner Abovementioned: Likeas, We hereby require all our saids Judges, Magistrates and Officers of the Law, and all Our saids Customers, Collectors and their Officers Above-named, imediatly to cause search to be made into all Ships, Boats and other Vessels within the Ports and Roads of this Kingdom, for Victual to be Exported, and that they Arreast and Stop the same, and the forsaids Vessels by taking away their Sails, and otherwayes, and cause the said Victual be instantly unloaded and brought on Shoar, for the use of the Owner, and to remain within the Country, and in case any Victual already put on Board, or which shall be put on Board, shall be pretended not to be Exported, but only Transported from one Port or Place to another within the Kingdom, then and in that case, the Owners shall first find sufficient Caution, under the pain of twenty Pounds Scots for each Boll, Acted in the Books of the next Burghs Royal, and the Skippers shal give their Oath before the Magistrates thereof, that they shal not Export, but only Transport, as said is; And that they shall report a Certificat thereof upon it's Arrival from the Port or Place to which it shall be Transported, certyfeing that what Victual shall be offered to be otherways Transported from Port to Port within this Kingdom, shall be held to be offered to be Exported contrary to this Prohibition, and Lyable to the pains thereof. And We with advice foresaid, for the better ease and relief of the Countrey, do hereby permit and allow the Import of all forts of Victual from all Forraign Parts, free of all Custom or other Publick Duty, and these presents to endure ay and while they be recalled. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE, and We Charge you strictly, and Command, that incontinent these Our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat-Cross of Edinburgh, and remanent Mercat-Crosses of the Head-Burghs of the several Shires and Stewartries, & to all the several Sea-port Towns within this Kingdom, and make Publication hereof, and appoints Our Sollicitor to transmit a sufficient number of Coppies hereof to the Sheriffs of the several Shires, Stewarts of Stewartries, Baillies of Regalities, their Deputs or Clerks, to be Published at their several Burghs, and likewayes sent by them to the Magistrates of the several Sea-port Towns, there to be Published by them, under the certification foresaid, as also appoints Our Solicitor to deliver a sufficient Number of Coppies of thir Presents, to the Tacks-men of Our Customs, to be sent by them to the several Parts and Places of this Kingdom, where they keep Offices for Collecting and Imbringing of our Customes to be Published thereat by the Collector or Surveyer, residing there for the time: And ordains these presents to be Printed, that none pretend Ignorance.

God Save the King.