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JAMES R.

AMES the eventh by the grace of God, King of Scotland, England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the faith, &c. To all and undry our good subjects, whom these preents do or may concern; Greeting: We having taken into our Royal conideration the many and great inconveniences which have happened to that Our ancient Kingdom of Scotland of late years, through the different perwaions in the Chritian religion, and the great Heats and Animoities amongst the everal Profeors thereof, to the ruine and decay of Trade, wating of Lands, extinguishing of Charity, contempt of the Royal Power, and converting of true Religion and the fear of God, into Animoities, Names, Factions, and omtimes into Sacriledge and Treason. And being reolved as much as in Us lyes, to Unite the Hearts and Affections of our Subjects to God in Religion, to Us in Loyalty and to their Neighbours in Chritian Love and Charity, Have therefore thought fit to Grant, and by our Soveraign Authority, Prerogative Royal and abolute power, which all our Subjects are to obey without Reerve, Do hereby give and Grant Our Royal Tolleration to the everal Profeors of the Chritian Religion afternamed, with and under the everal Conditions, Retrictions and Limitations after-mentioned. In the firt place, we allow and Tollerate the moderate Prebyterians, to Meet in their private Houes, and there to hear all uch Miniters, as either have or are willing to accept of Our Indulgence Allanerly, and none other, and that there be not any thing aid or done contrary to the well and peace of Our Reign, Seditious or Treaonable, under the highet Pains thee Crimes will Import; nor are they to preume to build Meeting-Houes, or to Ue Out-Houes or Barns, but only to Exercie in their privat Houes, as aid is: In the mean time it is our Royal will and pleaure that Field-Conventicles and uch as Preach or exercie at them, or whohall any ways Ait or Connive at them, hall be proecuted according to the utmot everity of Our Laws made againt them, eeing from thee Rendezvouzes of Religion, o much Diorder hath proceeded, and o much diturbance to the Government; and for which after this our Royal Indulgence for tender Conciences there is no Excue left. In like manner, We do hereby Tollerate Quakers, to meet and exercie in their Form, in any Place or Places appointed for their Worhip. And conidering the evere and cruel Laws made againt Roman-Catholicks (therein called Papits) in the Minority of Our Royal Grand-Father of Glorious Memory, without his Conent, and contrary to the duty of good Subjects, by his Regents and other Enemies to their Lawful Soveraign, our Royal Great Grand-Mother Queen Mary, of Bleed and Pious Memory, wherein under the pretence of Religion they Cloathed the wort of Treaons, Factions, and Uurpations, and made thee Laws, not as againt the Enemies of God, but their own; which Laws have till been continued of Coure, without deign of Executing them, or any of them, ad terrorem only, on Suppoition that the Papits relying on an External Power, were incapable of Duty and true Allegiance to their natural Soveraigns, and Rightful Monarchy: We of Our certain Knowledge, and long Experience, knowing that the Catholicks, as it is their principle to be good Chritians, so it is to be dutiful subjects, and that they have likewie on all Occaions hown themelves good and faithful Subjects to Us, and Our Royal Predeceors, by hazarding, and many of them actually loing their Lives and Fortunes in their Defence (though of another Raligion) and the maintenance of their Authority againt the Violences and Treaons of the mot violent Abetrors of thee Laws, Do therefore with Advice and Conent of our Privy Council, by our Soveraign Authority, Prerogative Royal, and Abolute Power aforeaid, Supend, Stop, and Diable all Laws and Acts of Parliament, Cutoms or Contitutions made or Executed againt any of our Roman Catholick Subjects, in any time pat to all intents and purpoes, making void all prohibitions therein mentioned, Pains or Penalties therein Ordained to be Inflicted, o that they hall in all things be as free in all repects as any of our Protetant Subjects whatoever, not only to exercie their Religion, but to enjoy all Offices, Benefices, and others, which We hall think fit to betow upon them in all time coming: Nevertheles it is Our Will and Pleasure, and We do hereby Command all Catholicks at their highest Pains, only to exercie their Religious Worhip in Houes or Chapels; and that they preume not to Preach in the open Fields, or to Invade the Protetant Churches by force, under the pains aforeaid, to be inflicted upon the Offenders repectively, nor hall they preume to make publick Proceions in the High-Streets of any of Our Royal Burghs, under the Pains above-mentioned: And whereas the Obedience and Service of Our good Subjects is due to Us by their Allegiance, and Our Soveraignty and that no Law, Cutom, or Contitution, Difference in Religion, or other impediment whatoever can exempt or dicharge the Subjects from their Native Obligations and Duty to the Crown, or hinder Us from protecting and employing them, according to their everal Capacities, and Our Royal Pleaure, nor retrain us from confering Heretable Rights, and Priviledges upon them, or Vacuate or Annul thee Rights Heretable, when they are made or conferred: And likewie conidering that ome Oaths are capable of being Wreted by Men of Sinitruous Intentions, a practice in that Kingdom fatal to Religion, as it was to Loyalty; Do therefore, with Advice and Conent aforeaid, Cas, Annul and Dicharge all Oaths whatoever, by which any of Our Subjects are incapacitated or diabled from holding Places, or Offices in Our aid Kingdom, or enjoying their Hereditary Rights and Priviledges, Dicharging the ame to be taken or given in any time coming, without Our pecial Warrand and Conent, under the pains due to the Contempt of Our Royal Commands and Authority; and to this effect, we do by Our Royal Authority aforeaid, Stop, Diable, and Dipence with all Laws enjoyning the aids Oaths, Tets, or any of them, particularly the firt Act of the firt Seion of the firt Parliament of King Charles the Second; the eleventh Act of the foreaid Seion of the foreaid Parliament; the ixth Act of the third Parliament of the aid King Charles, the twenty firt and twenty fifth Acts of that Parliament; and the thirteenth Act of the firt Seion of Our late Parliament, in o far allanerly as concerns the taking of Oaths or Tets therein precribed, and all others, as well not mentioned as mentioned, and that in place of them, all Our good Subjects, or uch of them as We or Our Privy Council hall require o to do, hall take and Swear the following Oath allanerly, I, A. B. Do acknowledge, Tetifie and Declare, that   the Seventh by the Grace of God, King of Scotland, England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. is rightful King, and Supream Governour of thee Realms, and over all perons therein, and that it is unlawful for Subjects, on any pretence, or for any caue whatoever to rie in Arms againt Him, or any Commiionated by him; and that I hall never o rie in Arms, nor Ait any who hall do o; and that I hall never reit his Power or Authority, nor ever Oppoe His Authority, to His Peron, as I hall anwer to God, but hall to the utmot of my PewerPower [sic], Ait, Defend, and Maintain Him, his Heirs and Lawful Succeours, in the Exercie of their abolute Power and Authority, againt all Deadly, So help me God. And eeing many of Our good Subjects have, before Our Pleasure in thee matters was made publick, incurred the Guilt appointed by the Acts of Parliament above-mentioned, or others; we by Our Authority and Abolute Power, and Prerogative Royal above-mentioned of our certain Knowledge, and innate Mercy, Give Our ample and full Indemnity to all thoe of the Roman-Catholick or Popih Religion, for all things by them done contrary to Our Laws or Acts of Parliament, made in any time pat relating to their Religion, the Worhip and Exercie thereof, or for being Papits, Jeuits, or Traffickers, for hearing or aying of Mas, Concealing of Priets or Jeuits, or breeding their Children Catholicks at home or abroad, or any other thing, Rite or Doctrine, aid, performed or maintained by them, or any of them: And likwie for holding or taking of Places, Employments, or Offices, controry to any Law or Contitution, Advices given to Us or our Council, Actions done, or generally any thing performed or aid againt the known Laws of that Our Ancient Kingdom; Excepting always from this Our Royal Indemnity all Murders Aainations Thefts and uch like other Crimes, which never ued to be comprehended in Our general Acts of Indemnity. And We command and require all Our Judges, or others concerned, to explain this in the mot ample ene and meaning Acts of Indemnity at any time have contained: Declaring this hall be as good to every one concereedconcerned [sic], as if they had our Royal Pardon and Remiion under Our Great Seal of that Kingdom. And likwie Indemnifying Our Protetant Subjects from all Pains and Penalties due for hearing or Preaching in Houes, provided there be no Treaonable Speeches uttered in the aid Conventicles by them, in which Cae the Law is only to take place againt the Guilty, and none other preent: Providing alo that they Reveal to any of our Council the Guilt o Committed, As alo excepting all Fines or effects of Sentences already given; and likwie indemnifying fully and freely all Quakers for their Meetings and Worhips in all time pat, preceding the publication of thee Preents; and we doubt not but Our Protetant Subjects will give their Aitance and Concoure hereunto on all occaions, in their repective Capacities: In conideration whereof, and the Eae thoe of Our Religion and others may have hereby, and for the Encouragement of our Protetant Bishops, and the Regular Clergy, and uch as have hitherto lived Orderly, We think fit to declare, that it never was our Principles, nor will we ever uffer Violence to be offered to any Mans Concience, nor will we ue Force or invinible neceity againt any Man on the account of his Perwaion, nor the Protetant Religion, but will protect Our Bihops and other Miniters in their Functions, Rights, and Properties, and all Our Protetant Subjects in the free exercie of their Protetant Religion in the Churches; and that we will and hereby promie on Our Royal Word, to maintain the Poeors of Church-Lands formerly belonging to Abbeys, or other Churches of the Catholick Religion, in their full and free poeion and Right, according to our Laws and Acts of Parliament in that behalf in all time coming; and We will employ indifferently all our Subjects, of all Perwaions o as none hall meet with any Dicouragement on the account of his Religion, but be advanced and eteemed by Us, acording to their everal Capacities, and Qualifications, o long as we find Charity and Unity maintained; and if any Animoities hall Arie, as We hope in God there will not, We will how the everest Effects of Our Royal Dipleaure againt the Beginners or Fomenters thereof, Seeing thereby Our Subjects may be deprived of this general Eae and Satisfaction, We intend to all of them, whoe Happine s, Propirity, Wealth and Safety, is o much Our Royal Care, that We will leave nothing undone which may procure thee Bleings for them. And Latly to the end all our good Subjects may have notice of this Our Royal Will and Pleaure, we do hereby command Our Lyon King at Arms and his Brethren Heraulds, Macers, Purevants and Meengers at Arms, to make timeous Proclamation thereof at the Mercat Cros of Edinburgh; and beides the Printing and Publihing of this Our Royal Proclamation, it is Our expres will and Pleaure that the ame be pat under the Great Seal of that Our Kingdom per altum, without paing any other Seal or Register: In order whereunto this hall be to the Directors of Our Chancellary and their Deputes for Writing the ame, and to Our Chancellor, for cauing Our Great Seal aforeaid to be Appended thereunto, a ufficient Warrand,

Given at our court at White-hall, the Twelfth of February 1686. And of Our Reign the Third Year.

By His Majeties Command,.

This is hardly a Jacobite Proclamation, but it represents the beginning of R. C. Toleration which led up to the Revolution.