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[illustration] royal blazon or coat of arms❧ By the King. A Proclamation to inform all Our loving Subjects of the Lawfulnesse of Our Commissions of Array, issued into the severall Counties of Our Realm of England, and Dominion of Wales, and of the use of them: And commanding them to obey Our Commissioners therein named, in the Execution of their said Commissions.
WHereas, by the Lawes of this Land, the Ordering and Govern∣ing of the Militia of the Kingdom, for the preventing and suppression of all Invasi∣ons and Rebellions, hath (as a most known and undoubted Right and Prero∣gative) belonged in all time solely to Our Self and Our Progenitors, Kings of England. And accordingly We have heretofore awarded Commissions of Lieu∣tenancy into the severall Counties of this Our Realm, for the governing and exercising of the Souldiorie and Trained Bands there, like as Queen Elizabeth and Our dear Father, both of happy memorie, had done before Vs. And therein (amongst other things) gave power to the Commissioners in each Countie, to Leavie, call together, Arm, Array, Train, and Muster our Subjects inhabit∣ing in the said severall Counties, and to Conduct and lead them against all Our Enemies, and all Rebels and Traitors from time to time, as often as need should require.
All which Commissions (although We did, since the beginning of this Parliament, grant the like for the Coun∣ty of York, to the now Earl of Essex, with the privitie of both Our Houses of Parliament, and without excep∣tion from either) have, without hearing any of Our Councell learned, been since Voted in Our said Houses of Parliament to be illegall and void; the reason whereof We have not yet been informed of, nor can imagine: For that neither any illegall Clause (if any such be) in those Commissions, nor any excesse or abuse of their Authority, by any Lieutenants or their Deputies, in raising of moneys, taxing of the inhabitants, or otherwise could, by Law, make void any such Powers as in themselves were lawfull to be granted and put in execution.
And whereas, in cases of danger and necessity, it had been more sutable to the condition of the times, and the good liking of Our Subjects (who cannot be well pleased with any new wayes, how specious soever) that Our Houses of Parliament should have taken Order that Our Commissions of Lieutenancie (the Course whereof had so long continued) should, for the present, have been put in execution, at leastwise such part thereof as was undeniably and unquestionably legall, and was sufficient for the purposes before mentioned, or that (according to the like Presidents in former times) they would have desired Vs to have granted new Commissions of that nature, omitting such clauses as might justly have been excepted against, which We would not have denied, and not to have called in so suddenly for those Commissions to be cancelled, as was done (though We know not by what Law) in Our House of Peers. Yet notwithstanding, Our two Houses of Parliament, in stead of such Our Commissions, under pretence of evident and imminent danger, and urgent and inevitable necessity of putting Our Subjects into a Posture of Defence, have made a late Or∣derfor the setling of the Militia, under the name of an Ordinance (which two or three severall times had been refused by the major part of Peers) and being made, not only without, but against Our Consent (the rea∣sons whereof are sufficiently known to all Our Subjects) is not onely without any one warrantable President of former times (as we beleeve) but (as We are well assured) void in Law.
Wherefore, out of the care which We have of Our people, lest under the pretence of danger, necessi∣ty, and want of Authoritie from Vs to put them into a Militarie Posture, they should be drawn and ingaged in