VVHereas by an Ordinance of the six and twentieth of March last, The Lords and Commons in Parlia­ment assembled, did Ordain, That there should be monethly charged and levied upon the Cities of London and Westmin­ster, the Hamblets of the Tower, the [Page 4] Borough of Southwark, and all other Parishes and places with it the Line of Communication, and weekly Bills of Mortality, the sum of six thousand nine hundred sixty two pounds four shillings, and upō the county of Middlesex without the said limits, the sum of one thousand fourscore and seventeen pounds eleven shillings, for the maintenance and pay­ment of the Army under the immediate command of the Earl of Essex, Lord Ge­nerall of the Forces raised by the Par­liament; and other things in the said Ordinance mentioned for the space of four moneths, to commence from the twentieth day of March 1643. accounting twenty eight dayes to the moneth, to be assessed, levied, and collected, and paid unto Sir Gilbert Gerard Baronet, in such manner, and by such wayes and means as in and by the said Ordinance is men­tioned and expressed. And whereas by another Ordinance of the fourth of October last, The said Lords and Com­mons [Page 5] did Ordain, That the greatest part of the sums due and payable by ver­tue of the said former Ordinance, which were then in Arrear, should by the said Sir Gilbert Gerard be paid over to Sir Walter Earl Knight, Lieutenant of the Ordnance, for the uses therein limited and expressed, enjoyning all and every such persons, as by the said first recited Ordinance were appointed to collect and levy the said Arrears, forthwith to pro­ceed effectually therein, and to make payment of the same in such manner as in and by the said first recited Ordinance was formerly appointed. Notwith­standing which, through the carelesse­nesse and negligence of many of those persons, who by the said first recited Or­dinance were nominated and appointed to collect and levy the said sums, very little of the said Arrears hath since that time been brought in and paid unto the said Sir Gilbert Gerard or his Assigns. The Lords and Commons assembled in [Page 6] Parliament, do therefore now Ordain, That if any person or persons by vertue of the said first recited Ordinance, nomi­nated and appointed to collect, levy, or pay any of the sums before mentioned, shall wilfully neglect or refuse to per­form the same: The Lord Mayor of the City of London for the time being, or any two Aldermen of the said City, within the same, and Liberties thereof, and the respective Committees without the said City and the Liberties thereof, for the City of Westminster, the Borough of South­wark, and County of Middlesex, by ver­tue of the said first recited Ordinance respectively nominated and appointed as aforesaid, or any five of them have hereby power to commit such person or persons so refusing or neglecting, to Pri­son, there to remain without Bail or Mainprize, untill he shall conform him­self, or otherwise to impose upon such person or persons for every time so refu­sing or neglecting, to perform the said [Page 7] service or their duties therein, such fine or fines as to them shall be thought fit, and cause the same to be levyed by di­stresse and sale of Goods, in such man­ner and form as in and by the said first recited Ordinance, for and concerning such persons as should refuse or neglect to pay the sums of mony, whereat they should be rated or assessed by vertue of that Ordinance is limited and appoint­ed: Provided that no fine so imposed, shall for any one offence exceed the sum of five pounds.

Provided that this Ordinance shall not any wayes extend to the Members of either of the Houses of Parliament, or to the Assistants or Attendants to the House of Peers.