according to the ancient known laws of the land; there being not any one of our subjects who doth more from his heart abhor, than we ourselves, all sort of military and arbitrary rule.

5 As for the third, concerning the non-performance of our promises, we remember well the very words of those from Breda; viz. We do declare a liberty to tender consciences, and that no man shall be disquieted or called in question for differences of opinion in matters of religion, which do 10 not disturb the peace of the kingdom: and that we shall be ready to consent to such an act of parliament, as upon mature deliberation shall be offered to us for the full granting that indulgence.

We remember well the confirmations we have made 15 of them since upon several occasions in parliament: and as all these things are still fresh in our memory, so are we still firm in the resolution of performing them to the full. But it must not be wondered at, since that parliament, to which those promises were made in relation to zo an act, never thought fit to offer us any to that purpose, and being so zealous as we are (and by the grace of God shall ever be) for the maintenance of the true protestant religion, finding it so shaken (not to say overthrown) as we did, we should give its establishment the precedency 25 before matters of indulgence to dissenters from it. But that once done, (as we hope it is sufficiently by the bill of uniformity,) we are glad to lay hold on this occasion to renew unto all our subjects concerned in those promises of indulgence by a true tenderness of conscience, 30 this assurance:

That as in the first place we have been zealous to settle the uniformity of the church of England, in discipline, ceremony, and government, and shall ever constantly maintain it;

35 So as for what concerns the penalties upon those who (living peaceable) do not conform thereunto through

scruple and tenderness of misguided conscience, but modestly and without scandal perform their devotions in their own way, we shall make it our special care so far forth as in us lies, without invading the freedom of parliament, to incline their wisdom at this next approaching 5 sessions, to concur with us in the making some such act for that purpose, as may enable us to exercise with a more universal satisfaction, that power of dispensing, which we conceive to be inherent in us. Nor can we doubt of their cheerful cooperating with us in a thing wherein we do conceive ourselves so far engaged, both in honour and in what we owe to the peace of our dominions, which we profess we can never think secure, whilst there shall be a colour left to the malicious and disaffected to inflame the minds of so many multitudes upon the score 15 of conscience, with despair of ever obtaining any effect of our promise for their ease.

10

In the last place, as to that most pernicious and injurious scandal, so artificially spread and fomented, of our favour to papists; as it is but a repetition of the same 20 detestable arts, by which all the late calamities have been brought upon this kingdom in the time of our royal father, of blessed memory, (who, though the most pious and zealous protestant that ever reigned in this nation, could never wash off the stains cast upon him by that 25 malice, but by his martyrdom,) we conceive all our subjects should be sufficiently prepared against that poison by memory of those disasters; especially since nothing is more evident, than that the wicked authors of this scandal are such as seek to involve all good protestants under 30 the odious name of papists, or popishly affected: yet we cannot but say upon this occasion, that our education and course of life in the true protestant religion has been such, and our constancy in the profession of it so eminent in our most desperate condition abroad among Roman 35 catholic princes, whenas the appearance of receding from

it had been the likeliest way in all human forecast, to have procured us the most powerful assistances of our reestablishment, that should any of our subjects give but the least admission of that scandal unto their beliefs, we 5 should look upon it as the most unpardonable offence that they can be guilty of towards us. "Tis true, that as we shall always according to justice retain, so we think it may become us to avow to the world, a due sense we have of the greatest part of our Roman catholic subjects 10 of this kingdom, having deserved well from our royal father, of blessed memory, and from us, and even from the protestant religion itself, in adhering to us with their lives and fortunes for the maintenance of our crown in the religion established, against those who, under the 15 name of zealous protestants, employed both fire and sword to overthrow them both. We shall with as much freedom profess unto the world, that it is not in our intention to exclude our Roman catholic subjects, who have so demeaned themselves, from all share in the benefit of 20 such an act, as in pursuance of our promises, the wisdom of our parliament shall think fit to offer unto us for the ease of tender consciences. It might appear no less than injustice, that those who deserved well, and continued to do so, should be denied some part of that mercy, which 25 we have obliged ourself to afford to ten times the number of such who have not done so. Besides, such are the capital laws in force against them, as though justified in their rigour by the times wherein they were made, we profess it would be grievous unto us to consent to the 30 execution of them, by putting any of our subjects to death

for their opinions in matter of religion only. But at the same time that we declare our little liking of those sanguinary ones, and our gracious intentions already expressed to such of our Roman catholic subjects as shall 35 live peaceably, modestly, and without scandal; we would have them all know, that if for doing what their duties

and loyalties obliged them to, or from our acknowledgment of their well-deserving, they shall have the presumption to hope for a toleration of their profession, or a taking away either those marks of distinction, or of our displeasure, which in a well-governed kingdom ought 5 always to be set upon dissenters from the religion of the state, or to obtain the least remission in the strictness of those laws, which either are or shall be made to hinder the spreading of their doctrine, to the prejudice of the true protestant religion; or that upon our expressing (according to Christian charity) our dislike for bloodshed for religion only, priests shall take the boldness to appear and avow themselves to the offence and scandal of good protestants, and of the laws in force against them, they shall quickly find we know as well to be severe, when 15 wisdom requires, as indulgent when charity and sense of merit challenge it from us.

ΤΟ

20

With this we have thought fit to arm our good subjects' minds against the practices of our ill ones, by a true knowledge of our own; of which now rightly persuaded, we make no question, but that whosoever they be from whom they can derive the spreading or fomenting of any of those wicked suggestions, they will look upon them with detestation, as the most dangerous enemies of our crown, and of the peace and happiness of the nation: and 25 that what we have here published will happily prepare them all to a cheerful expectation of the approaching sessions of parliament; an assembly so eminent in their loyalty, and their zeal for the peace and prosperity of our kingdoms, that having already made those happy settle- 30 ments for the maintenance of the religion established, and of our just rights, their full concurrence with us can no way be doubted in the performance of all our promises, and to the effecting of those gracious intentions which (God knows) our heart is full of, for the plenty, prospe- 35 rity, and universal satisfactions of the nation.

In order to which, although it be foreign to the main scope of this our declaration, which is principally to prevent the mischiefs aimed at by the scandals therein mentioned, and that wherein we reserve the enlargement of 5 ourself till the opening of the next sessions of parliament, yet we cannot forbear hinting here unto our good subjects four particulars, wherein we think to give them the most important marks of our care. First, In punishing by severe laws that licentiousness and impiety, which since 10 the dissolution of government we find to our great grief hath overspread the nation. Secondly, As well by sumptuary laws, as by our own example of frugality, to restrain the excess in men's expenses, which is grown so general and so exorbitant, beyond all bounds either of their qualities or 15 fortunes. Thirdly, So to perfect what we have already industriously begun in the retrenching of all our own ordinary and extraordinary charges in navy, garrisons, household, and all their dependants, as to bring them within the compass of our settled revenue, that thereby our subjects 20 may have little cause to apprehend our frequent pressing them for new assistants. And lastly, So to improve the good consequences of these three particulars to the advancement of trade, that all our subjects finding (as well as other nations envying) the advantage this hath of them in that 25 prime foundation of plenty, they may all with minds happily composed by our clemency and indulgence (instead of taking up thoughts of deserting their professions, or transplanting) apply themselves comfortably and with redoubled industry to their several vocations, in such manner as the 30 private interest of every one in particular may encourage him to contribute cheerfully to the general prosperity.

Given at our court at Whitehall, this twenty-sixth day of December, in the fourteenth year of our reign.