WHereas by an Act of Parliament in the first yeare of the Raigne of our late Soveraigne Lord King Iames, severall good and necessary provisions were made and ordayned, touching those that be or shall be in­fected with the Plague: by which Act power is given to Iustices of Peace of Counties, Majors, Bayliffes, Head Officers, or Iustices of Peace in Cities, Boroughs, Townes Corporate, and places Priviledged, and to the Vice-chancellour of either of the Universities, and to the Bishop and Deane of every Cathedrall Church respectively, within their severall and respective Precincts and Iurisdictions, to taxe and assesse all Inhabitants, and all houses of Habitation, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, at such reasonable taxes and pay­ments as they shall think fit for the reasonable reliefe of Persons Infected, & to levye the same of the goods of such as shall refuse or neglect to pay, and in default thereof, to commit them to the Goale without Bayle or Mainprize untill payment; And also to appoynt Searchers, Watchmen, Examiners, Keepers, and Buriers, for the Persons and places Infected, and to Minister Oathes unto them for the performing of their Offices, and to give them other directions as shall seem good unto them in their discretions for the present necessity. And it is thereby farther Provided and Enacted, that if any person, or Persons Infected, or being or dwelling in any houses Infected, shall be commanded or appoynted to keep his or their house, for avoiding of farther Infection, and shall notwithstanding wilfully and contemptuously disobey such direction and appoyntment, offering or attempting to break or goe abroad, and to resist such Keepers or Watchmen as shall be ap­poynted to see them kept in: that then it shall be Lawfull for such Watch-men with violence to inforce them to keep their houses: And if any hurt come thereby, that the Keepers, Watch-men, and their assistants shall not be impeached therefore. And farther that if any Infected persons being commanded to keep house, shall notwithstanding wilfully and contemp­tuously goe abroad, and converse with company, having any Infectious sore about him uncured, such person shall be ta­ken and adjudged as a Felon, and suffer death as in case of Felony: but if they shall have no sore found about them, never­thelesse for such offence they shall be punished as Vagabonds in all respects, and also be bound to his or their good beha­viour for one whole yeare, as by the said Act may more fully appeare. The Lords and others intrusted and authorized by His Majesty, by His Commission under His Great Seale of England, for, and concerning, the safety, preservation, and well Ordering of this University and City of Oxford, and the County of Oxford, and other Counties and places adjoyn­ing, in His Majesties absence, taking into their consideration, that the due observance and execution of the said Law, may (by Gods blessing) be a good means to prevent the farther spreading of this present infection, and that the neglect of the observance of the same Law, hath been, and may be, in probability, an occasion of the increase thereof, doe therefore hereby in His Majesties name, by vertue of His Majesties said Commission, straightly Charge and Require, the Vice-chancellor of this University, and the Major, Justices of Peace, Bayliffes, and other Officers of this City of Oxford, and the Justices of Peace of the County of Oxford, and all others whom it may concerne, that with all possible care and diligence, they cause the said Law to be duely and effectually put in execution, as well for the help and reliefe, as for the governing and keeping in of Infected persons, as they will answer their neglect and remisnesse therein at their perills. And they doe likewise in His Majesties name, straitly Charge and Command all persons whatsoever, as well Souldiers as others, upon whom it hath pleased, or shall please God to lay this his visitation, that they submit and yeeld obedience to the said Law. Letting them know that a strict and severe proceeding shall be had, for punishing of all such as shall wilfully or contemp­tuously offend against the same to the endangering of others: and that a very strict accompt will be required of all who are or shall be any way concerned in this just and necessary command, tending so much to the health and preservation of this University and City, and all that are resident therein or resort thereunto. Dated at Oxford this first day of August in the year of our Lord God 1644. and in the twentieth year of the Raigne of our Soveraign Lord King CHARLES.