Orders of His Highneſs the Lord Protector, made and publiſhed by and with the Ad­vice and Conſent of His Council, for putting in ſpeedy and due Execution the Laws, Statutes and Ordinances, made and provided againſt Printing Unlicenſed and Scandalous Books and Pamphlets, and for the further Regulating of Printing.

WHereas in default of the ſpeedy, due, and effectual execution of the many good Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances heretofore made and publiſhed, againſt Vnlicen­ſed, Seditious, and Scandalous Books and Pamphlets; divers evil-minded perſons, and of malicious, inſolent and reſtleſs Spirits,108 have aſſumed to themſelves, and do continu­ally take upon them a licencious boldneſs, to Write, Print, Publiſh, and Diſperſe ſeveral Dangerous, Vnwarrantable, Seditious, Blaſphemous, and Scandalous Pamphlets, Books and Papers, to the high Diſhonor of Almighty God, the endangering of the Peace of this Commonwealth, the violation of all good Order and Government, and in manifeſt Contempt and Scorn of the Government and Laws of the Land; Which We having taken into Our Conſideration, do hold Our ſelves obliged to provide Remedy to the aforeſaid Evils: And therefore (having Confidence of the Care, Diligence, Diſcretion, and good Affection of you, John Barkſtead Eſq Lieute­nant of Our Tower of London, John Dethick Alderman of Our City of London, and George Foxcroft, to Vs, the preſent Government, and Peace and Welfare of this Commonwealth) We have thought fit, (as We hereby do) to intruſt, and commit unto you, joyntly and ſe­verally, the Execution of theſe Orders and Directions, touching the Premiſes, with the ſeveral Powers and Authorities hereafter mentioned, as well for the puniſhment of ſuch Offenders, as the timely preventing and ſup­preſſing of all Seditious, Blaſphemous, and other Libellous Pamphlets, Books, and Papers whatſoever. And for your better and more effectual proceeding therein, Our Will and Pleaſure is, And We do hereby Au­thoriſe, and ſtraitly Charge and Command you carefully to obſerve theſe Orders, Rules, and Directions following:

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• I. That without delay you diligently ſearch and inquire concerning the Printing-houſes, Preſſes, and Maſter-Printers, as well for the certain number of them, as alſo for the names of the Maſter-Printers, and of the names and number of Servants, Work-men, and Appren­tices, each Maſter Printer hath or ſhall here­after retain, and how many Preſſes each Ma­ſter-Printer hath, within Our Cities of Lon­don, and Weſtminſter, and Borrough of South­wark, or the Liberties, Suburbs, or the Pre­cincts thereof, and of what fame, quality, converſation, or condition every ſuch Maſter-Printer is, and how he, and his Servants, and Work-men ſtand affected to the preſent Government; And that you make Certifi­cate of all the premiſes unto Vs, or Our Council within eight and twenty daies after your Receipt hereof.
• II. That you carefully inform your ſelves what perſon or perſons (not having a lawful licenſe in that bealf) do take upon them to print, or uſe, or put in practice, or cauſe to be uſed or put in practiſe the Art or Myſtery of Print­ing, or do uſe or employ, by themſelves or o­thers, any Printing-Preſs, Rolling-Preſs, or other Inſtrument for Printing, in any, and what place or part of this Common-wealth. And where any ſuch ſhall be found, That110 you cauſe all their Printing-Letters and Ma­terials for Printing to be immediatly defaced, and the Offendors proſecuted, for recovery of the forfeitures, ſummes of money, and penalties by them incurred in this behalf, and cauſe them to be otherwiſe puniſhed according to the Laws and Statutes of the Land in ſuch caſes made and provided.
• III. That you alſo inform your ſelves whether the Printers and other perſons in Our City of London, and Liberties therof, or elſewhere, who keep Printing-Houſes, or are owners of Printing-Preſſes, Rolling-Preſſes, or other Inſtruments for Printing, have entred into Bonds reſpectively with two ſufficient ſure­ties, according to the purport and direction of the Act of Parliament, Intituled, An Act a­gainſt unlicenſed and ſcandalous Books and Pamph­lets, and for better regulating of Printing; And in caſe they have entred into ſuch Bonds ac­cordingly: Then whether they have, ſince that time offended; or ſhall hereafter offend in any of the premiſes or particulars mentio­ned in the ſaid Act of Parliament: or broken the conditions of thoſe reſpective Bonds, to the end, you may in like manner proſecute them, and their ſureties in Our name for recovery of the penalties in the ſeveral obli­gations mentioned, and by them forfeited by the ſaid conditions broken, and otherwiſe ac­cording to Law and their reſpective deme­rits.
• 111IV. That you take eſpecial Care and ſee, That no perſon or perſons preſume to Print, Re­print, or Publiſh, or cauſe to be Printed, Re­printed, or Publiſhed, any Pamphlets, Books of News, Occurrences, or other ſuch like Papers whatſoever, unleſs he, or they ſhall be hereafter thereunto lawfully Authorized by Command from Vs, or Our Council, or unleſs ſuch Newes, Occurrences or ſuch like Papers be Licenced by ſuch as ſhall be ap­pointed thereto by Vs or Our Council. And whoſoever ſhall offend in the premiſes, ſhall be proceeded againſt by you, according to the Laws eſtabliſhed againſt unlicenſed and ſcandalous Pamphlets for ſuch their con­tempt and diſobedience in the premiſſes.
• V. And further, Our will and pleaſure is, And more particularly We do hereby require, Au­thoriſe, and Command you, for the better execution of the premiſes, That you put in ſpeedy and effectual execution in all things not hereby altered or otherwiſe directed, the Ordinance of the Lords and Commons Aſ­ſembled in Parliament, of Septem. 1647. In­tituled, An Ordinance againſt unlicenſed or ſcan­dalous Pamphlets, and for the better Regulating of Printing, As alſo one other Ordinance of the Lords and Commons in Parliament, of the 14. of June 1643. for Regulating of Print­ing, and ſuppreſſing the great abuſes and fre­quent diſorders therein, and the Act of the Common-Council of Our City of London,512 bearing date the ninth of October, 1643. pro­hibiting all perſons whatſoever from crying or putting to ſale about the ſtreets within the ſaid City of London, and Liberties thereof, any Pamphlets, Books, or Papers whatſo­ever, by way of hawking, and for puniſhment of the Offendours therein; And if any per­ſon or perſons hath or have heretofore offen­ded, or hereafter ſhall offend in the premiſes, or ſhall abet and countenance the ſame, con­trary to the ſaid Acts or Ordinances, or any other Act or Ordinance now in force, We do hereby Will, Authoriſe, and Command you, that immediately you repair to the place or places where they are or ſhall be abiding, aſwel within Liberties as without, and to apprehend, and arreſt, or cauſe to be areſted the bodies of them, and every of them ſo of­rending, and their Complices and Abettors, and to cauſe them to be ſent in ſafe and ſecure Cuſtody unto Bride-well, And to cauſe all ſuch corporal and pecuniary puniſhments to be ſpeedily and impartially inflicted on ſuch of the Offendors in the premiſes, and the pe­nalties duly levied for their ſeveral offences, as therein and thereby are mentioned and provided; And We will they ſhall not be thence diſcharged until they ſhall have made full payment and ſatisfaction, and received the ſaid puniſhment accordingly. And the Governors of Bride-well, are hereby requi­red to ſee ſuch Offendors as ſhall be ſent to them puniſhed according to the Law. And you are hereby alſo Authoriſed and requi­red from time to time to make diligent ſearch in all places where you ſhall113 think meet for all Printing Preſſes, any way employed in Printing ſuch ſcandalous, ſedi­tious, and unlicenſed Papers, Pamphlets, Books, or Ballads whatſoever, and to ſeiſe, and carry away ſuch Printing-Preſſes and Letters, with the Nut, Spindle, and other Materials of every ſuch irregular Printer, which you ſhall finde ſo miſ-employed, unto the Stationers Hall in our ſaid City of Lon­don, there to be defaced, and made unſervice­able, according to the ſaid Acts and Or­dinances of Parliament in that behalf: As alſo to make diligent ſearch and inquiry in all ſuſpected Printing-Houſes, Ware-houſes, Shops, and other places whatſoever, for ſuch unlicenſed Books, Papers, Sheet or Sheets of News whatſoever, as is herein before directed; And the ſame to detein and keep, to be diſpoſed of as We or Our Coun­cil ſhall think fit; And in caſe of any oppoſi­tion or reſiſtance in the premiſes; We hereby Authoriſe and require you, to break open all or any locks or doors, and to apprehend all and every perſon and perſons whom you ſhall finde ſo oppoſing or reſiſting, to convent or cauſe to be brought before the Lord Mayor of Our City of London, or any other of Our Iu­ſtices of Peace to be examined and proceeded againſt according to the Law. And all Our Iuſtices of Peace, Mayors, Sheriffs, Bai­liffs, Conſtables, Head-Boroughs, and all and every other Our Officers, and Mini­ſters of Iuſtice both Civil and Military, and other perſons whatſoever, are hereby requi­red114 and commanded to be aiding, and aſſiſt­ing unto you, or your Deputies, in the exe­cution of the premiſſes, as they and every of them will anſwer the contrary at their utmoſt perils. And We do hereby give you full power and authority to aſſign, depute, and employ any fit and diſcreet perſons un­der you by writing under your hands and ſeals, for the better execution of theſe Or­ders and Directions, and to reward proſe­cutors (allowance whereof ſhall be made unto you by the Council) and do all and every ſuch other thing and things as are meet and requiſite to the effectual performance of this Our ſervice, ſo much conducing to the pre­ſervation of the publique peace: For all which, theſe preſents ſhall be a ſufficient War­rant and diſcharge in this behalf.

Given at White-Hallthe eight and twentieth day of Auguſt, 1655.