Forasmuch as, albeit all Souldiers Listed, and Engaged in Our Service, ought to be entirely reserved for that use, and no ways Entised or Seduced to desert the same: yet of late, Several of Our Leiges, either through Ignorance, or Disaffection to Our Service, have given too great Encouragement to the Souldiers under Our Pay, to Desert, by Entising and Seducing them thereto, or by Resetting, Concealing and Entertaining them, when they had Deserted, and Relinqui­shed Our Service: As also several Ministers having of late taken upon them, to Joyn in Marriage Persons Imployed in Our Service as Souldiers, without certain Knowledge of their being Single Per­sons, and not Married to any other Woman at the time; Wherethrough not only great Prejudice, and Discouragement is done to Our Officers, under whom they Serve, but also great occasion of Scandal is given, and dishonour done to God, and disgrace to the Protestant Religion; For Remeed of all which, We, with Advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, peremptorily Prohibit and Discharge all and sundry Our Subjects within this Kingdom, to Intise, Perswade, or Seduce any of the Souldiers in Our Service, and under Our Pay, to Desert or Leave their said Service, or to Shelter, Conceal, Harbour or Intertain any Souldier, who Deserts or Leaves the same, without having a Pass, Sealed, and Signed by the Captain, and Commanding Officer for the time, of the Regiment, in which the said Souldier, or Souldiers last Served; Certifying all Our Leiges, who shall hereafter come in the contrair hereof, and against whom it shall be made appear, and proven, that any Souldier Resett, Concealed or Intertained by them, hath Deserted Our Service, and that it was known at the time to the Reset­ter of the said Souldier, or Souldiers, or Inticer of them to Desert, that they were not Dismissed from Our Service by a lawful Pass, Signed and Sealed in manner foresaid, they, and each one of them shall be lyable in the Sum of Ten Pound Sterling Money to the Captain of the Company, under whom any of the saids Souldiers Serve, to be decerned to them by the Ordinar Magistrat of the Place, where the said Resetter, Entiser, or Concealer lives, and that by and attour the Souldiers being lyable to a Mi­litary Punishment conform to the Articles of War. As also we with Advice foresaid, do strictly Pro­hibite and Discharge all Ministers, and others within this Our Ancient Kingdom, to Joyn in Marriage, any Souldier under Our Pay, and Service, with any Woman whatsomever, without first Proclamation of their Banns on three several Sundays, at the Paroch Churches where the Woman lives, and the Souldier quarters for the time: And that no Proclamation of Banns shall be granted to any Souldier, for Marriage, without a Testificar subscribed and sealed by the Captain, and Commanding Officer of the Regiment, wherein the saids Souldiers Serves for the time, be first delivered to the Ministers of the Churches where the Proclamation is to be made, and Recorded in the Session Books thereof, bearing, that the said Souldier to be Proclaimed, is a single Person; with Certification to any Minister, or others, who shall Contraveen the Premisses, that they shall be committed to Prison, for the space of three Months, and be otherways punished conform to the Laws of the Land, as the Merit and Circumstances of their Transgression shall deserve. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE, and We Charge you strictly, and Command, that incontinent these Our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat-Cross of Edin­burgh, and to the Mercat-Crosses of the Head-Burghs of the several Shires, and Stewartries within this Kingdom, and there in Our Name and Authority, make Publication hereof, that none pretend Ignorance, and Ordains Our Solicitor to send Printed Copies hereof, to the Sheriffs of the several Shires, and Stewartries, whom We Ordain to see the same Published at the Mercat-Crosses, and Stew­artries, on a Mercat-Day, and also at the several Paroch-Churches, and Meeting-Houses within their respective Jurisdictions, upon the Lords-Day, immediatly after Divine Service, as they will be answer­able, and Ordains these Presents to be Printed.