THe Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, taking into their serious considerati­ons the many heavy pressures and most grievous calamities which now lie upon this Kingdome, by this bloody and unnaturall warre raised against the Parliament, and that notwithstanding all their faithfull and constant endeavours for the preserving of his Maiesty and the whole Kingdome, from the most cruell and endlesse designes of Papists, Delinquents, and ill-affected persons; yet their counsels and practises are still so prevalent with his Maiesty, and the hearts of many people so misled and beguiled by their false preten­ces and specious insinuations, that nothing can be expected but the extirpation and finall subversion of our Religion, Laws and Liberties, unlesse God of his infinit mercy prevent it, and incline His Maiesties heart to the faithfull advice of his great Councell of Parliament, which hath ever bin and is under God the chiefe support of his Royall Crown and dignity, and the security of all that we have or can enioy, and for that it is found by wofull experience, that divers il-affected persons by pretence of His Maiesties authority, have and doe still daily feize upon divers and sundry great sums of money, raised and collected in divers parts of this Kingdom by Acts and Ordinances of Parliament, for the reliefe of the poore distressed Protestants in Ireland, the suppressing and sub­duing of those most barbarous and bloody Rebells, and for the defence of this Kingdom and Parliament, and do divert and employ the same, and likewise His Maiesties Revenue, and all other Monies o [...] the well affected persons whatso­ever, by rapine or violence, they can lay hands on; to the fomenting, nourishing, and maintaining of these miserable di­stractions and unnaturall Warre: and the Lords and Commons omitting no opportunity, nor neglecting any fitting meanes which they conceived, might divert the said Warre here, so violently pressed forwards by Papists, Delinquents, ill affected persons, and the rebels in Ireland, did formerly ordaine, that the Officers of the Receipt, Court of Wards, and Liberies, Receivers, and others, should not repaire unto Oxford, but attend their service here in the usuall places: yet in contempt of the same and other Ordinances, some Officers are gone to Oxford, divers convey sundry sums of money thither, and others neglect their service, to the great preiudice and dis-service of the Commonwealth: and to the intent that his Maiesties Revenue might no more be mis-applied, and that the same may be imployed for the good of His Maiesty and the Common-wealth, The Lords and Commons therefore doe Ordaine, and be it Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, that all His Maiesties, the Queens, and Princes Revenue, of what nature or kind soever, certaine or casuall within the view or survey of the Court of Exchequer, Court of Wards and Liveries, Dutchy of Lancaster, Dutchy of Cornwall, or in any other Court or iurisdiction whatsoever, within this Realme of England, Dominion of Wales, and Port and Towne of Barwick, together with all the arrears thereof, and all other debts and sums of money whatsoever, any way due to His Maiesty, the Queene, or Prince, shall be seized upon and received by the persons hereafter named, or such othe [...]s [...]s at any time hereafter shall be appointed, and nominated by the Committee for the Revenue, which said persons or receivers in each severall Countie or Counties, Cities or places for which they are or shall be appointed respectively are hereby authorized and required by themselves, their Agents and Deputies, to take and seize into their hands and custodies all and every His Maiesties, the Queenes and Princes Honours, Mannors, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, Rents, Arrerages of Rents, Revenues, and profits whatsoever, within the said Realme of England, Dominion of Wales, and Port and Towne of Berwicke, and to let, set, and demise the same, or any part thereof, from yeere to yeere; And shall have power to call before them all Stewards, Auditors, Receivers, Bailiffes or Collectors or any other Officer, or Officers whatsoever, and to send for or take any bookes of Accounts, Rentals, Copies of Court roll, or any other writings touching the premisses, and thereby and by all other waies and meanes which to them shall seeme meet and necessary, to informe themselves of the said Revenues, Debts, and Arreares thereof, and of all things concer­ning the same, and to appoint any subordinate Officer or Officers, and Ministers under them for the better expedi­ting of this service, which said subordinate Officers and Ministers are hereby authorized, and enioyned to performe and execute all and every their commands respectively in and concerning the premises; and shall have such allow­ances for their pains and charges in that behalfe, as the respective Persons or Receivers appointed for the severall Counties, Cities or places, shall thinke fit, the same being approved of by the Committee for the revenue: And that all such Stewards, Auditors, Receivers, Bailiffes, Collectors, or any other Officer or Officers whatsoever, which have not submitted themselves to the Commands and directions of any former Ordinance of Parliament, or to the Com­mittee for the Revenue, and likewise all other such Officers, which shall not yeeld obedience to this Ordinance of Parliament, or to the Committee for the Revenue, shall stand sequestred from their severall Offices respective­ly, [Page] and from the receiving and enioying any profit or benefit of or for the same: And the Committee for the Revenue or any five shall have power and are hereby authorized to nominate and appoint other meet, fit, and trusty persons to supply and execute those Offices and places which are or shall be sequestred as aforesaid. And the said persons or Re­ceivers nominated or to be nominated, as aforesaid, their Agents and Deputies within their severall limits respective­ly shall have power, and are hereby authorized and required to enter into all and every His Maiesties, the Queens and Princes Honours, Mannours, Lands, Tenements, and Heriditaments, Courts and Offices, and to receive such Rents, Arrerages of Rents, Herriots, Issues, Profits, summes of Money, Debts, and other duties, as are or shall be due and payable for or out of the same: And the Fee-farmers, Farmers, and the Tenants thereof, Officers and all others are required to pay the same accordingly, to the said Persons or Receivers, or to such other Officers or Receivers as shall be thereunto appointed by vertue and according to the direction of this Ordinance, and to no other person whatso­ever. And the said Fee-farmers, Farmers, Tenants, and all others which shall pay any Rent, summe of Money or other thing according to this Ordinance, shall be protected and saved harmelesse from any forfeiture, penalty, or damage which he or they may incurre by not payment of his or their said Rent, summe of money or other thing, according to his or their Grant, Lease, Copy or other agreement by the power and authority of both Houses of Parliament. And if any Sheriffe, Receiver, Collector, or any other officer or any court whatsoever shall refuse to pay the Monies from time to time remaining in their hands, any Free-farmer, Farmer, or Tenant, shall refuse to pay his or their Rents, or any others shall refuse to pay their particular Debts to the hands of the said Persons or Receivers in the severall and respective Counties, Cities, and Places, at such times as the same shall become due and payable, or to the Recei­ver-Generall hereby appointed, then the said Persons or Receivers for the severall Counties, Cities, and places shall have power to distraine for the same, and to take all other advantages for non payment thereof, as His Maiesty the Queene and Prince, their Officers or Ministers might have done, and they shall have power to sue for and recover any debt, summe of Money, or other duty owing to His Maiestie, the Queene or Prince by any person whatsoever, and also to give discharges and acquitances for any Rent, summe of Money, debts, duty, or other thing, which they shall receive by vertue of this Ordinance, and shall be accomptable from time to time for the same, and for all such other things as shall be had, received, or taken by them, their Agents or Deputies, and for all their receipts and payments, and other Acts for or in respect of the Premisses to the Committee for the Revenue, or to such as they shall appoint; and shall pay in from time to time all such summes of Money as they or any of them shall receive by vertue of this Ordi­nance, unto Thomas Faulconbridge Esquire, at Westminster (who is hereby constituted and appointed Receiver Generall of all such summes of money as shall be received or raised by vertue of this Ordinance) and shall be from time to time subiect to the further Orders and Directions of the Committee for the Reuenue, And the Acquittances of the said Re­ceiuer-Generall and of the said Persons or Receivers in the seuerall Counties, Cities, and Places, Courts and Offices respectively, shall be as good and sufficient discharge for the summes of Money therein contained, as if the same were paid in the receipt of the Exchequer, or into any other usuall Court or Place. And the Barons of the Exchequer, and all other Officers and Ministers of the same, and other Courts and places respectively, are hereby required and autho­rized to give full allowances thereof, and thereupon to make forth Quietus ests, and other discharges according to the course and custome of the severall Courts and places. And the said Persons or Receivers, their Agents and Depu­ties, shall have power to call to their aid and assistance the Trained Bands, Voluntiers, or other Forces, and any other Officer or Minister of Iustice, of or within their severall Counties, Cities, or places respectively, or any other person or persons dwelling in or neere the place, to compell obedience to this Ordinance, where any resistance shall be made, or as oft as need shall require, and shall have power to punish such person or persons as they shall finde refractory, neg­ligent, or faulty in the said service by fine and Imprisonment, such Fine not exceeding the summe of twenty pounds, or to certifie their names to the Committee for the Revenue, who shall have power to send for them, or any of them, and commit them to such prisons and places as they shall thinke fit, untill they shall conforme themselves to this present Or­dinance of Parliament. And the said Trained Bands, Voluntiers, and other Forces, their Commanders and Officers, and also the severall Constables, Headboroughts, and other Officers and persons within their severall and respective li­mits, are hereby required and enioyned to be aiding and assisting to the said Persons or Receivers, their Agents and De­puties, as oft as they shall be hereunto required.

And it is further Ordained and Declared by the said Lords and Commons, That all and every the said Revenues, Rents, Profits, Debts, and sums of Money whatsoever shall be imployed to and for such uses and services, as are or shall be directed by the Committee for the Revenue.

And it is likewise further Ordained, That all and every the said persons or Receivers, Receiver-Generall, Auditors, and other Officers and Ministers imployed in this service by the Committee for the Revenue, or any five of them, shall have such allowances for their necessary charges and paines in and about the Premises as the said Committee shall think fit, and that as well they as all others who shall be imployed in the said service, or shall do any thing in execution or per­formance of this Ordinance, shalbe therein protected and saved harmlesse, by the power & authority of both the said Houses.

And lastly it is Ordained, That the said Committee for the Revenue, or any five of them, shall have power, and be hereby enabled to doe and erecute any other act or acts, thing or things, they shall thinke fit for the better and more speedy collecting, leavying, advancing, and receiving of all and every the said revenues, debts, and summes of money be­fore mentioned.

Provided and be it further Ordained, That all and singular such revenues, rents, issues, fees, profits, and summes, of Money, and allowances whatsoever, as have heretofore beene and now ought to be paid and disposed unto, or for the maintenance of any Colledge or Hospitall (whose revenues, or any part thereof, have not been imployed for mainte­nance of the Warre against the Parliament) Grammar Schoole, or Schollars, or or or towards the reparation of any Church, Chappell, Highway, Cawsey, Bridge, Schoole-house, or other charitable use, which are chargeable upon, or ought to issue out of, or be paid, for or in respect of any the Honours, Mannors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, revenues, or profits aforesaid, shall be and continue to be paid, disposed, and allowed of, as they were and have beene heretofore.