WHereas there was an Act this present Parliament, intituled, An Act for the bet­ter raising and levying of Mariners, Sailers, and others, for the present guarding of the Seas, and necessary defence of the Realm: which Act is now expired: And where­as also a Fleet is now in preparing to be set forth with all expedition for the guarding of the narrow Seas, and necessary de­fence of this Realm, and other His Majesties Do­minions in this time of imminent danger, which cannot accordingly be performed, unlesse the same be [Page] furnished with fit and sufficient men for that Ser­vice;

Be it therefore enacted by the Authority of this present Parliament, That the Lord Admirall that now is, shall and may, at any time or times, between the tenth day of December 1641. and the first of November next coming, by himself, his Vice-Admi­rall, Commissioner, or Commissioners, or other Of­ficer or Officers, or any of them, together with one or more Iustices of the peace, next the place where any Presse shall be made, shall Raise, Levie, and Impresse such, and so many Mariners, Sailers, Watermen, Chirurgions, Gunners, and Ship-Carpenters, as shall be requisite and necessary for this present Expedition, or for any such further de­fence of the Realm, or any other of His Majesties Dominious; Which said Mariners, Sailers, & other such persons so to be Levied and Impressed, as aforesaid, and every of them, shall have paid and delivered unto him upon such his Impressing, by the person that shal so Impresse him, for Conduct money for every mile from the place where he shal be so Im­pressed, to the Ship or place to which he shall be ap­pointed to make his repair, the sum of one peny, and the like sum of one peny for every mile from the place of his discharge unto the place of his abode, and shall be allowed for his Service the best Wages and entertainment which have or hath been allowed by His Majestie, to any such person or persons re­spectively, at any time within three yeers last past. And if any Mariner, Sailer, Waterman, Chirur­geon, Gunner, or Ship-Carpenter, shall wilfully refuse to be Impressed, in, or for the said Service, or shall voluntarily hide and absent himself at the time [Page] of such Presse, to avoid the said Service, That then every such person so offending shall suffer Impri­sonment by the space of three moneths without bail or mainprise.

Provided alwayes, that this Act shall not extend to the Pressing of any Master, or Masters-mate, Gunner, Carpenter, or Boatswain of any Ship or Vessell that is or shall be in imployment, or of above one of ten Mariners of any Ships that shall be in­ward or outward bound, nor to any person that shall be under the age of eighteen, or above the age of fifty, nor to any person that was rated in the last Subsidies, or shall be rated in any Subsidies hereaf­ter to be granted before the time of his being Im­pressed.

Provided alwayes, and be it enacted, That no Money, or other reward, shall be taken, or any cor­rupt practise used by any the persons authorized by this Act, in or for the Pressing, Changing, Sparing, or Discharging of any person or persons to be Im­pressed by force of this Act, under pain of forfeiture of twenty pounds by the person so offending for every such offence, the one half to His Majestie, His Heirs and Successours, the other half to him that will sue for the same, to be recovered by Action of debt, Bill, Plaint, or Information in any of His Majesties Courts of Record, or before the Iustices of Assise, Oyer and Terminer, Goal-Delivery, or the Iustices of the Peace of the County, City, or Town-Corporate where such offence shall be com­mitted, at their generall quarter Sessions, wherein no Wager of Law, Essoign, Protection, or Injuncti­on shall be admitted or allowed.

WHereas many thousands of your Majesties good and loving Subjects with their Ships and goods, have of late time been surprised and taken at Sea (as they were in their lawfull trading) by Turkish, Moorish, and other Pirats; And some of them, to free themselves of the cruell and bar­barous usage of those Pirats, have renounced the Christian Religion, and turned Turks; And others yet kept in bondage, are used with so extream cruelty, as they are in great danger thereby to lose their [Page] lives, unlesse they shall also forsake the Christian Religion: And divers of those Your Subjects kept in bondage (being expert and skilfull Mariners) are usually imployed at Sea against others Your good Subjects, and prove very prejudiciall to them, and hurtfull to the Trade and Merchandise of Your Majesties Dominions: And whereas, aswell Your Majesties Subjects, as strangers Exporting, or Importing their Goods and Merchandize into this Kingdom, have ever sithence Your Majesties ac­cesse unto this Crown, been charged with the pay­ment of great sums of Money, under the name of Custom, and that without consent of Parliament, which had they been legally taken, ought to have been chiefly imployed to the safeguard of the Seas, and preservation of Your good Subjects in their Trade of Merchandize from the spoil of Pirats, and other Sea robbers, but have been exhausted by evil Ministers, and not applied to their proper uses, so that Your Highnesse good Subjects have been exposed to the mercilesse cruelty of those Pirats, and barbarous Infidels.

And the Commons taking into further considera­tion Your Majesties pressing wants, and great occa­sions of Moneys in these times of distemper, as well in the Kingdom of Ireland, as other Kingdoms of Forraign Princes, so that there will be required some further aid to inable Your Highnesse to effect so great a Work, besides the present Tunnage and Pound­age now granted to Your Majestie; Have therefore for this present pressing occasion, and for a time here­after limited, taken into their Resolutions a further way of raising a Supply of Moneys, for the provi­ding and setting forth to the Seas a Navie, as well [Page] for the enlargement and deliverance of those poore Captives in Argier, and other places, if Almightie God shall so please to give that Blessing unto their enterprises, as also for the preventing of the like fu­ture dangers unto Your good people, their Persons, Ships, and Merchandizes; Do therefore pray Your most Excellent Majestie, That it may be En­acted, and be it Enacted by authority of this present Parliament, That where any Subsidie, Custome, or other dutie, after the nine and twentieth day of September, in the yeer one thousand six hundred fourty one, and before the four and twentieth day of Iune then next following, shall be laid or imposed by authority of Parliament, upon any Goods, Wares, or other Merchandize, of what nature, kinde, or qua­litie soever, to be Exported out of, or Imported into this Your Majesties Realm of England, or Domini­on of Wales, That one other sum of one in the hun­dred, according to the Rates to be established by Parliament, within the time aforesaid, over and above the said Custome, Subsidie, or dutie, so to be laid or imposed, shall be raised, levied, and paid, from, and after the tenth day of December, in the yeer one thousand six hundred fourty one a­foresaid, of and from all and every such goods, wares and other Merchandize, to be imported into, or ex­ported out of this Your Majesties said Realm of England or Dominion of Wales, the said summe of one in the hundred to be raised, levied and paid for the space of three yeers next after the said tenth day of December, and no longer; And received and taken by the Lord Major and Chamberlain of London for the time being, their Deputies, or Deputée, and by them the said Lord Major and Chamberlain of Lon­don, [Page] for the time being, to be layed out, payed and imployed for providing and setting out to sea and maintaining of one or more Fleet or Fleets of good and serviceable ships, and other necessaries to be used and imploied for the purposes aforesaid, in such sort as by Order of a Committee of the House of Lords, and a Committee of the House of Commons in Par­liament of this Your Majesties Realm of England shall be directed. And such Lord Major and Chamberlain of London, who shall receive or dis­burse any the monies aforesaid, shall be accountable and account for all, and every their receipts and dis­bursements afore mentioned, to the said Committee, or to such person or persons, as the said Committee shall Order and appoint.

And be it also enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any goods, wares or other Merchandize, whereof the sum of one in the hundred aforesaid is or shall be due and paiable by vertue of this Act, shall at any time hereafter be shipped or put into any Boat or other Vessell, to the intent to be carried into the parts beyond the Seas, or else be brought from the parts beyond the Seas into any part of this Your Realm of England or Dominion of Wales, by way of Merchandize, and unshipped to be laid on land, the summe of one in the hundred as aforesaid, due or to be due for the same, not payed or lawfully tende­red and secured to be payed to the Major and Chamberlain of London, for the time being, or their Deputy, or Deputies for the uses aforesaid; all the same Goods, Wares, and other Mer­chandize whatsoever, shall be forfeited and lost; The one Moity of the rate or value thereof, to be to him, or them, that will seize, or sue for the same; [Page] and the other Moitie to be imployed to, and for the uses before expressed.

And for the better incouragement of Mariners to undertake the said service, and Owners of Ships to let out their Ships for the said imployment, Be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Ships, goods, or Merchandize of the said Pirats, or of the subjects of any that are, or shall be in enmi­ty with your Majestie, your Heirs or Successors; or the Person of any such Pirates shall be taken by the Ships, to be imploied in the service before mentioned, that one fourth part thereof shall be to the Mariners that shall take the same, and one other fourth part to the Owners of the said Ships, over and above their Hire, and Wages; and the other two fourth parts, to, and for such uses, as the said Committees shall order and appoint; and the overplus of the Money to be raised by vertue of this Act, and not imployed to, and for the service afore mentioned (if any shall be) shall also be imployed according to the Order of the same Committees.

And be it further Declared and Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that this present Act for the rai­sing of Moneys for the setting forth of Ships for the suppressing of Pirates, and safety of Merchants, shall not hereafter be drawn into example, but that Your Majesty would in time to come, be pleased to in trust such Ministers, as may faithfully imploy the Moneys raised by Tonnage and Poundage unto the right and proper uses, for the guarding of the Seas, & safety of Merchants, which will advance the Honour of Your Sacred Majestie abroad, and procure the safety, peace, and happinesse of Your High­nesse loyall and faithfull subjects at home.