C R
‘HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE’


A PROCLAMATION, Against the Resetting of Tenents, or Servants vvithout Testificats.

CHA [...]LES, by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith;
To [...] Our Lyon King at Arms, his Bre­thret Heraulds, Macers of Councill, Pursevants, or Messengers of Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally, specially const [...]ute, Greeting;

Forasmuch, as We have for the preservation of the Protestant Religion, as it is now established by the Laws of thi [...] Our ancient Kingdom, taken care that all unlawfull Meetings, upon pretence of Religion, may be restrained, by which many of the Commons of that Our Kingdom, have been for several years withdrawen from their Paroch Churches, and been thereby de­prived of the appointed means for their establishment in the true Fear of God, and the Duty they ow to Us, and Our Government, and have b [...]n seduced to keep seditious Field Conventicles in a tumultuous way, and other Disorderly Meetings, where they may and do actually hear, declared Tr [...]ours, Intercommuned and Vagrant Preachers, and any who without licence or authority, do impiously assume the holy Orders of the Church, and [...]ake it their business to diffuse amongst the unwarry and credulous multitude seditious and false doctrines, and pernicious prin­ciples, which are destructiv [...] [...]o all Order and Constitution of Societies, by which these who frequent those Meetings, are observed to be corrupted and poysoned with an open and o [...]stinate contempt of all authority Civil or Ecclesiastick, and to be led into most irregular practices, which are inconsistent with all Order and Government, [...]d are not to be allowed in any Protestant or Christian Church: For remeding of which growing evils, and vindicating Our Authority and Laws fr [...] such gross violations and affronts, We have commanded a Band to be subscribed, whereby Heretors, Liferenters, and Masters are obliged for their [...]enents, Servants, and others living upon their Lands, and they for themselves, for obeying such Laws as may secure against schisme and separation; and [...]ast the same be eluded, and the Heretors, Liferenters; and Masters prejudged by the Tenents, Servants, and others fore­saids, deserting such as t [...]e the said Band, [...]or least the saids Tenents Servants or others, may be encouraged not to take the same upon expectation that after they are removed by their Masters, or run away from their Masters, for not taking the Band or for going to Conventicles, [...] withdrawing from publick Ordinances, or upon any other account provided against by the Masters Band, they may or will be sheltered brothers: We therefore, with advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, do hereby Require and Command, That no Tenents, Ser­vants, or others [...]oresaids whatsomever within this Kingdom, be resett upon another mans ground or in his service, without a Testificate from the Heretor, Master, or fr [...] the Minister of the Paroch where they live, that they have lived orderly, in manner foresaid, Declaring hereby, That whatsoever He­retors, Lif [...]enters, or Master [...], shal receive any such Tenents, or Servants, or others foresaids, without such a Testificate, they shall be lyable to such Fines as Our Privy Councill shall think fit to inflict suitable to their Guilt, both for repairing the Dammage done to the Heretor, Liferenter, or Master, and for [...]unishing their Contempt of this Our Proclamation: And to the effect, Our pleasure in the premisses may be made known to all persons concer­ned: OUR WILL i [...] herefore, and we charge you strictly and command[?], That incontinent these Our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat Cross of Edin­bur [...], and other places needfull, and thereat, in Our Name and Authority, by open Proclamation, with all Solemnities requisite, make Publication of the Premisses, that none of Our Leiges may pretend ignorance thereof. And Ordains these presents, and the Band, and Act of Councill underwritten, to be printed, and subjoyned hereunto: The which to do, We committ to you conjunctly and severally, Our full power by these Our Letters, delivering them by you duely execute and indorsed again to the Bearer.

Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. Al. Gibsone, Cls. Sti. Concilii.

GOD save the KING.

Followeth the Tenor of the Band mentioned in the foresaid Proclamation.

I [...] under subscribing, do faithfully bind and oblige me, that I, my Wife, Bairns, and Servants, respectively, shall no wayes be present at any Conventicles, and disorderly Meetings in time coming, but shall live orderly in obedience to the Law, under the Penalties contained in the Acts of Parliament made thereanent, As also, I binde and oblige me, that my whole Tenents and Cottars respectively their Wives, Bairs, and Servants, shal likewise refrain and abstain from the saids Conventicles and other illegal Meetings, not authorized by the Law, and that they shall live orderly in obedience to the Law; And further, tha [...] I nor they shall not resett, supply, or commune with forfeited persons, intercommuned Ministers, or vagrant Preachers, but shal do our outmost endeavour to apprehend their persons: And in case my saids Tenents, Cottars, and their foresaids shal contraveen, I shal take and apprehend any person or persons guilty thereof, and present them to the Judge ordinar, that they may be fined or impri­soned therefore, as is provided in the Acts of Parliament made thereanent; otherwayes I [...]h [...]l remove them and their families from off my ground, and if I shal failȝie herein, I shal be lyable to such penalties as the saids Delinquents have incurred by the law: Consenting to the Registration hereof in the Books of His Majesties Privy Councill, or Books of any other Judges competent, That Letters and executorials may be direct hereupon in form as effeirs, And constitutes my Pro­curators.

Edinburgh, the eleventh day of February, 1678.

THE Lords of his Majesties Privy Councill do declare, that the Heretors, Liferenters and Masters, Who have subscribed, or shall hereafter subscribe the Band above written: Obliging them for their Tenents, and others therein specified, shall be onely lyable for the penalties by the delinquencies of their Tenents, and others foresaids, in case the Ten [...]nts, and others for whom they are bound shall be pursued and con­vict within year and day after the committing of the Delinquencies witho [...]t prejudice to pursue the Tenents, or others foresaids, themselves at any time thereafter as accords: Extracted by me,

Al. Gibsone, Cls. Sti. Concilii.

EDINBƲRGH, Printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, Printed to the King's most Sacred Majestie. 1678.

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