WHereas by an Act of Parliament made in the seventeenth yeer of his Majesties Reign that now is; Intituled, An Act for the raising and levying of Monies for the necessary Defence and great Affaires of the Kingdomes of England and Ireland, and for the payment of Debts undertaken by the Parlia­ment; [Page 2] It was amongst other things thereby Enacted, that the sum of foure hundred thousand pounds should bee Assessed, levyed, and paid to such persons, and in such manner, as in the said Act is contained: And whereas by three severail Ordinances of the Lords and Commons in Parliament Assembled, divers great sums of money have been taxed and assessed, viz. The one of them bearing date on the fourth day of March, 1642. Inti [...]uled, An Ordinance for the speedy raising, and levy­ing of Monies for the maintenance of the Army raised by the Parliament, and other great affaires of the Common­wealth, by a weekly Assessement.

One other of them bearing date, on, or about the eighteenth day of August 1643. For the speedy supply of Monies within the City of London and Liberties there­of, for the reliefe and maintenance of the Armies raised, and to bee raised for the necessary Defence of the said City and Liberties.

And the other of them bearing date, on, or about the six and twentyeth day of March, 1644. Intituled, An Ordinance for the Contribution of the value of One Meale in a Week. A great part of which Monies Assessed by vertue of the aforesaid Act and Ordinances, are yet unpaid, chiefely through the default of the severall Collectors, Subcollectors, and other Officers appoin­ted for those services, to the great discouragement of those who have willingly contributed and paid their severall Rates and Assessements imposed upon them, to the great disservice of the Common-wealth.

And forasmuch as the Lord Major, Aldermen, and Commons of the City of London, in Common-Coun­cell [Page 3] assembled, out of their care to advance the publick service, have by severall Acts and Orders of the said Common-Councell, nominated and appointed severall persons, Members of the said Common-Councell, to be a Committee for the gathering in of Arrears, which said Committee for want of a sufficient power as well to compell Collectors and Officers heretofore ap­pointed for the service aforesaid, to bring in to them their Accompts and Moneys received, as also the per­sons rated and taxed to pay the said severall sums in ar­reare, could not performe such service as otherwise they might have done.

For remedy wherof, be it Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, That the severall persons hereafter nominated and appointed by the said Court of Com­mon-Councell for the getting in of the Arreares afore­said, viz. Sir John Wollaston Knight and Alderman, John Warner, and Thomas Andrews, Aldermen of the said City, and Richard Glyd, William Antrobus, Walter Boothby, Francis Peck, Francis Ash; Colonell Francis West, Thomas Nowell, Thomas Blackwell, Christopher Pack, John Greene, John Sadler, James Story, John Babbington, Thomas Arnold, John Dethicke, Iohn Holliday, Tobias Lisle, Thomas Lenthall, Thomas Brightwell, Peter Jones, Edwyn Brown, William Jesson, Randall Baskervile, Richard Young, Thomas Clowes, Alexander Jones, Richard Willet, Phi­lip Parker, Jo. Jurian, Richard Chiverton, James Wal­ [...]am, James Harbert, Hoogan Hovell, William Rowell, and William Beak, or any six of them shall bee a Commit­tee, and shall have hereby Power and Authority by themselves, or such as they shall appoint, to gather, [Page 4] levie and receive of all such person and persons as have been taxed and assessed within the Cities of London, and Liberties thereof, their Executors, or Administrators having sufficient Assets, all such summe and summes of money now in Arreare and rated, taxed and im­posed upon them by vertue of the said Act and Ordi­nances, or any of them, and to send for any such per­son or persons wheresoever they shall inhabite or bee found.

And it is Ordained by the said Lords and Com­mons, That all High-Collectors, Sub-Collectors, and other Officers which are already appointed by vertue of the said Act and Ordinances, shall within three days after demand made by the said Committee, or such person or persons as the said Committee, or any of them shall appoint, after notice thereof given or left at his usuall dwelling or place of abode, bring in their severall Rolls, Bookes of Accompts, and Receipts, concerning the severall summes taxed, levyed, or re­ceived by vertue of the said Act and Ordinances; and also as well the said High-Collectors, Sub-Collectors, and other Officers, having moneys in their hands, or due from them by vertue of the said Act and Ordinan­ces, as all other person and persons in Arreare and tax­ed, rated, or assessed by vertue thereof; shall imme­diately pay the same to the said Committee, or to the Treasurer or Treasurers by them appointed to receive the same, any thing to the contrary heretofore ordai­ned notwithstanding. And if any High-Collector, Sub-Collector, or other Officer already appointed for the [Page 5] service aforesaid, or any other person or persons what­soever in Arreare as aforesaid, shall fail therin, that then the said Committee by such person or persons as they shall appoint by vertue of a Warrant from the Com­mittee of Lords and Commons for advance of mo­neys and other necessaries for the Army now sitting at Haberdashers-Hall, shall levie the same summe and sums of moneys so rated, taxed, or assessed, or in the hands and custody of every such person and persons as afore­said, by distresse of the Goods and Chattels of such person and persons neglecting or refusing to pay the same in manner aforesaid, and sell the Goods so di­strained for the service aforefaid. And if any person or persons shall stand out or forbeare to make payment of any summe and summes of money so in Arreare, or in his custody as aforesaid, untill a distresse shall be taken for the same; that then hee or they so standing out or forbearing, shall pay all reasonable charges for all such distresse, removall and sale of their Goods, as the said Committee shall direct or appoint. And if no sufficient distresse can be found or come by, that then the said Committee by such person or persons as they shall appoint, and by such warrant as aforesaid, shall have hereby power and authority to com­mit every such person and persons to safe custo­dy, untill he or they shall satisfie and pay unto the said Committee, or to the Treasurer or Treasurers by them appointed, the said severall summes of mo­ney.

And it is further Ordained by the said Lords and [Page 6] Commons, That if any such High-Collector, Sub-Collector, or other Officer heretofore appointed to le­vie, gather or receive any the summes of money afore­said, shall faile after demand made as aforesaid, to bring in to the said Committee as aforesaid the said Rolls, Books of Accompts, or other Receipts concerning the severall summes of money taxed, rated, or received by vertue of the said Act or Ordinances as aforesaid, shall bee committed to safe Custody, by vertue of such Warrant as aforesaid, till hee or they shall conform him or themselves, and give satisfaction to the said Committee touching the same.

And it is further Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, that all monies received and now in the hands of the said Committee, appointed by the said Common-Councell, and which hereafter shall bee received by the said Committee or the Treasurer or Treasurers by them appointed upon the said Act for the Royall Subsidies, shall bee from time to time by the said Committee or Treasurer paid into the Cham­ber of the City of London, and the Acquitances of the Chamberlain for the time being, shall bee to them a sufficient discharge, to bee disposed of as by the said Act is directed; Any Proviso heretofore made to the contrary not withstanding: And all Money recelved, and to bee received by the said Committee, or the Treasurer or Treasurers by them appointed, or to bee appointed, upon any other Assessement or Ordinance aforesaid, shall bee by the said Committee, Trea­surer, or Treasurers paid to such purposes, as by the [Page 7] said severall Ordinances is directed, and appoin­ted.

And it is further Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, that it shall and may beelawfull, and the said Committee shall hereby have full power and authority to use and imploy all such Officers as now are, or which hereafter shall be nominated and chosen by the said Committee, for the furtherance and better carrying on of the ser­vice aforesaid.

And it is further Ordained by the said Lords and Common [...] that it shall and may bee lawfull to and for the laid Committee upon receipt of the said severall summes of Money in the hands of a­ny of the Collectors, Sub-collectors, and other Officers to make such allowance thereout to the said High Collectors, Sub-collectors, and other Officers, as by the said Act and Ordinances are to be allowed.

And it is further Ordained by the said Lords and Commons in regard of the great charges ne­cessarlly required to the getting in of the said seve­rall Arreares, that it shall and may bee lawfull to and for the said Committee, to deduct out of all such Monies, as have been or shall bee brought in to them as aforesaid, to bee disposed of by the laid Committee for payment of Officers, and such other Occasions as they shall think sit, except such monies as have been already received upon the said [Page 8] Act of Parliament for the Royell Subsidie, so much as to them shall bee thought necessary; So the same doe not exceed the summe of three pence per pound.

And it is Ordained, that all Majors, Sheriffes, Captaines, Lieutenants, Bayliffes, Constables, and all other Officers and Souldiers shall bee aid­ing and assifting to the said Committee, and all such Officers as shall bee imployed by them for the better Execution and performance of the said Service.

And it is lastly Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, that whatsoever the said Court of Common-councell, or the said Committee appoin­ted by the said Court as aforesaid, or any of them, or the Persons imployed and to bee imployed by them, have heretofore done, or shall hereafter doe for the furtherance of this Service, accord­ing to the Tenour and Purport of this or any for­mer Ordinance, or the Act of Parliament menti­oned in this Ordinance, they shall bee saved and kept harmlesse and indemonifyed for the same, by the Authority of both Houses of Parlia­ment.

Provided alwayes, that this Ordinance, or a­ny Clause, therein contained, shall not extend to the distraining of the Goods or commitment of the person of any. Peare of this Realm, nor any Assistant, Officer, or Attendant of the House [Page 9] of Peeres, nor to any Member or Officer of the House of Commons, nor to the sending for any of the Persons aforesaid.