Source.—Rushworth's Collections, part iii., vol. ii., p. 365.

His Majesty having, with unwearied patience, hitherto expected that the City of London, and the Citizens and inhabitants thereof, should at last return to their obedience; having used all the endeavours he could to reduce them thereunto; but finding that, by the malice of their misleaders, they are so obdurate, that the very name of peace and reconciliation is with them accounted a crime, and that that City is both the seat of rebellion, and the pattern to all ill-affected subjects of the kingdom, by whose example and assistance some other cities and towns do also stand out against his Majesty in open rebellion, not only to the disturbance, but even to the destruction of the whole kingdom, if God in his mercy do not entirely timely it; his Majesty therefore, by his Royal Proclamation, dated at Oxford the seventh day of July now last past, for the many reasons in that proclamation mentioned, did prohibit all persons, with any of their goods, victuals, or merchandize whatsoever, to travel to or from the City of London, or suburbs thereof, without his Majesty's express licence for the same, under his Sign Manual, under the pains and penalties in the said Proclamation mentioned.

And his Majesty now perceiving, that, notwithstanding that Proclamation, that rebellious City, by continuing their trade, as well at home, as also from foreign parts, do hereby drain their monies from all other parts of the kingdom, and traitorously dispose of the same to the maintenance of this unnatural War against their Sovereign and fellow-subjects; and that many of the Freemen and Citizens of that City, and some of the Aldermen and Trained-bands of the City, in their own persons, have lately gone from the said City to assail his Majesty, and to fight with him, and were in the late Battle near Newbury; and that many of the said City are involuntarily compelled to take up Arms, and to expose their lives to the slaughter, for the maintenance of the malice of a few; and the fuel for all this unnatural fire is taken from the City, who spare neither their own persons, estates or fortunes, nor 138the persons or estates of the inhabitants of the neighbouring counties, but either persuade or compel them to contribute to this horrid and barbarous war:

Now his Majesty, being moved with a just indignation against that City, and some few other Cities and Towns, who in like manner do obstinately stand out in rebellion, doth hereby prohibit all persons, and straitly charge and command them, upon the severest penalties and punishments, which by the law can be inflicted upon them as Traitors, aiders, and assisters unto traitors, that from and after the time of publishing this proclamation, they, or any of them, do not presume, without the King's special Warrant under his Sign Manual, either by land or water, to drive, carry, or convey any manner of victuals, alive or dead, or any sort of provision for man or horse, or any goods or merchandize of any kind whatsoever, directly or indirectly, or wilfully suffer the same to be carried or conveyed unto or from the City of London, or City of Westminster, or suburbs thereof; or to or from the Cities of Gloucester and Coventry; or to or from the Towns of Kingston upon Hull, Warwick, Northampton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Poole and Lyme-Regis, or any of them; or to or from any Cities or Towns within this Kingdom, being in rebellion against his Majesty; until they and every of them respectively shall return to their obedience; nor do presume to trade, or traffick, or buy or sell with the Citizens or Townsmen of or in the said Cities or Towns, or any of them, or any other Persons inhabiting or residing in any of the said Cities or Towns, until the said Cities and Towns respectively shall conform themselves to their loyalty and due obedience.