OUr Soveraign Lord considering, That, albeit by the 125. Act of the 12. Parliament, holden by His Majesties Grand-father, in the Year, 1592. the usurpation of Armes by any of His Majesties Leiges, without the Authority of the Lyon King of Armes, is expresly discharged; And that, in order thereto, Power and Commission is granted to the Lyon King of Armes, or his Deputes, to visit the whole Armes of Noblemen, Barons and Gentlemen, and to matriculate the same in their Registers, and to fyne in one hundred pounds, all others who shall unjustly usurp Armes; As also to escheat all such Goods and Gear, as shall have unwarrantable Armes ingraven on them. Yet, amongst the many irregularities of these late times, very many have assumed to themselves Armes, who should bear none; and many of those who in Law bear, have assumed to themselves the Armes of their Chief, without distinctions, or Armes which were not carried by them or their Predecessors. Therefore His Majesty, with advice and consent of His Estates of Parlia­ment, Ratifies and Approves the foresaid Act of Parliament: And for the more vigorous pro­secution thereof, doth hereby Statute and Ordain, that Letters of publication of this present Act be direct to be execute at the Market-cross of the head Burghs of the Shires, Stewartries, Baileries of Royalty and Regality, and Royal Burrows, charging all and sundry Prelats, Noblemen, Barons and Gentlemen, who make use of any Armes or Signs armorial, wi [...]in the space of one year after the said publication, to bring or send an account of what Armes, or Signs armorial they are ac [...]ed to use, and whether they be Descendants of any Family, the Armes of which Family they bear, and of what Brother of the Family they are descended; With Testificats from persons of Honour, Noblemen or Gentlemen of quality, anent the verity of their having and using those Arms, and of their descent as aforesaid, to be delivered either to the Clerk of the Jurisdiction where the persons dwell, or to the Lyon Clerk at his Office in Edinburgh, at the option of the party, upon their Receits gratis, without paying any thing therefore: Which Receit shall be a sufficient exoneration to them, from being obliged to produce again, to the effect, that the Lyon King of Armes may distinguish the saids Armes, with congruant Differences, and may matriculate the same in his Books and Registers, and may give Armes to vertuous and well deserving persons, and Extracts of all Armes, expressing the blazoning of the Armes under his hand and seal of Office: For which shall be payed to the Lyon, the summ of twenty merks, by every Prelat and Nobleman; and ten merks, by every Knight and Baron; and five merks, by every other person bearing Armes, and no more: And His Majesty hereby dispenses with any penalties that may arise by this or any pre­ceeding Act, for bearing Armes, before the Proclamation to be issued hereupon. And it is Statute and Ordained, with consent foresaid, that the said Register shall be respected as the true and unrepealable rule of all Armes and Bearings in Scotland, to remain with the Lyons Office as a publick Register of the Kingdom, and to be transmitted to his Successors in all time coming: And that, whosoever shall use any other Armes any manner of way, after the expyring of year and day from the date of the Pro­clamation to be issued hereupon, in manner foresaid, shall pay one hundred pounds money, totiès quotiès, to the Lyon, and shall likewise escheat to His Majesty, all the moveable Goods and Gear upon which the saids Armes are engraven, or otherwise represented. And His Majesty, with consent foresaids, Declares, that it is only allowed for Noblemen and Bishops to sub­scribe their Titles; And that all others shall subscribe their Christned Names, or the initial letter thereof with their Sirnames; and may, if they please, adject the Designations of their Lands, prefixing the word [of] to the saids Designations. And the Lyon King of Armes and his Brethren, are required to be carefull of informing themselves of the contraveeners hereof, and that they acquaint His Majesties Council therewith, who are hereby impowered to punish them as persons disobedient to, and contraveeners of the Law. It is likewise hereby Declared, that the Lyon and his Brethren Heraulds are Judges in all such causes, concerning the Maleversation of Messengers in their Office, and are to enjoy all other priviledges belonging to their Office, which are secured to them by the Laws of this Kingdom, and according to former practice.