C R

HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE

royal blazon or coat of arms

A PROCLAMATION, Againſthe Reſetting of Tenents, or Servants without Teſtificats. CHARLES, by the Grace of GOD, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith; To 〈1 span left blank〉 Our Lyon King at Arms, his Brethren Heraulds, Macers of Council, Purſevants, or Meſſengers of Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and ſeverally, ſpecially conſtute, Greetings

Foraſmuch, as We have for the preſervation of the Proteſtant Religion, as it is now eſtabliſhed by the Laws of thi • Our ancient Kingdom, taken care that all unlawfull Meetings, upon pretence of Religion, may be reſtrained, by which many of the Commons of that Our Kingdom, have been for ſeveral years withdrawen from their Paroch Churches, and been thereby deprived of the appointed means for their eſtabliſhment in the true Fear of God, and the Duty they ow to Us, and Our Government, and have b • n ſeduced to keep ſeditious Field-Conventicles in a tumultuous way, and other Diſorderly Meetings, where they may and do actually hear, declared T •••• nours, Intercommuned and Vagrant Preachers, and any who without licence or authority, do impiouſly aſume the holy Orders of the Church, and • ake it their buſineſs to diffuſe amongſt the unwarry and credulous multitude ſeditious and falſe doctrines, and pernicious principles, which are deſtructiv • to all Order and Conſtitution of Societies, by which theſe who frequent thoſe Meetings, are obſerved to be corrupted and poyſoned with an open and o • ſtinate contempt of all authority Civil or Eccleſiaſtick, and to be led into moſt irregular praſtices, which are inconſiſtent with, all Order and Government, •• d are not to be allowed in any Proteſtant or Chriſtian Church: For remeding of which growing evils, and vindicating Our Authority and Laws fr •• ſuch groſs violations and affronts, We have commanded a Band to be ſubſcribed, whereby Heretors, Life • enters, and Maſters are obliged for their • enents, Servants, and others living upon their Lands and they for themſelves, for obeying ſuch Laws as may ſecure againſt ſchiſme and ſeparation; and 〈…〉 the ſame be eluded, and the Heretors, Liferenters, and Maſters prejudged by the Tenents, Servants, and others foreſaids, deſerting ſuch as t • ke the ſaid Band, nor leaſt the ſaids Tenents Servants or others, may be encouraged not to take the ſame upon expectation that after they are removed by their Maſters, or run away from their Maſters, for not taking the Band or for going to Conventicles, withd • awing from publick Ordinances, or upon any other account provided againſt by the Maſters Band, they may or will be ſheltered others: We therefore, with advice of the Lords of Our Privy Council, do hereby Require and Command, That no Tenents, Servants or other • oreſaids whatſoever within this Kingdom, be reſett upon another mans ground or in his ſervice, without a Teſtificate from the Heretor, Maſter, or from the Miniſtere of the Paroch where they live, that they have lived orderly, in manner foreſaid, Declaring hereby, That whatſoever Heretors, Lif 〈…〉 enters, or Maſter, ſhall receive any ſuch Tenents, or Servants, or others foreſaids, without ſuch a Teſtificate, they ſhall be lyable to ſuch Fines as Our Privy Councill ſhall think fit to inflict ſuitable to their Guilt, both for repairing the Dammage done to the Heretor, Liferenter, or Maſter, and for uniſhing their Conterant of this Our Proclamation: And to the effect, Our pleaſure in the premiſſes may he made known to all perſons concerned: OUR WILL is herefore, and we charge you ſtrictly and command, That incontenent theſe Our Letters ſeen, ye paſs to the Mercat Croſs of Edinburgh and other places needfull, and thereat, in Our Name and Authority, by open Proclamation, with all Solemnities requiſite, make Publication of the Premiſſes, that none of Our Leiges may pretend ignorance thereof. And Ordain theſe preſents, and the Band, and Act of Councill underwritten, to be printed, and ſubjoyned hereunto: The which to do, We committt to you conjunctly and ſeverally. Our full power by thoſe Our Letters, delivering them by you duely execute and indorſed again tothe Bearer.

Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the eleventh day of February, 1678. and of Our Reigne, the thirtieth Year. Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilli. Al. Gibſone Cls. Sti.Concilii. GOD ſave the KING.

Followeth the Tenor of the Band mentioned in the foreſaid Proclamation.

I 〈1 span left blank〉 under ſubſcribing, do faithfully bind and oblige me, that I, my Wife, Bairns, and Servants, reſpectively ſhall no wayes be present at any Conventicles, and diſorderly Meetings in time coming, but ſhall live orderly in obedience to the Law, under the Penalties contained in the Acts of Parliament made thereanent, As alſo I binde and oblige me, that my whole Tenents and Cottars reſpectively their Wives, Bairns, and Servants, ſhal likewiſe refrain and abſtain from the ſaids Conventicles and other illegal Meetings, not authorized by the Law, And that they ſhall live orderly in obedience to the Law; And further, the I nor they ſhall not reſett, ſupply, or commune with forfeited Perſons intercommuned Miniſters, or vagrant Preachers, but ſhal do our outmoſt endeavour to aprehend their perſons: And in caſe my ſaids Tenents, Cottars, and their foreſaids ſhal contraveen, I ſhal take and apprehend any perſon or perſons guilty thereof, and preſent them to the Judge ordinar • , that they may be fined or impriſoned therefore, as is provided in the Acts of Parliament made thereanent; otherwayes I ſhal remove them and their families from off my ground, and if I ſhal failȝie herein, I ſhal be lyable to ſuch penalties as the ſaids Delinquents have incurred by the law. Conſenting to the Regiſtration hereof in the Books of His Majeſties Privy Councill, or Books of any other Judges competent. That Letters and executorials may be direct hereupon in form as effeirs, And conſtitutes my Procurators.

Edinburgh, the eleventh day of February, 1678.

THE Lords of his Majeſties Privy Councill do declare, that the Heretors Liſerenters and Maſters, Who have ſubſcribed, or ſhall hereafter ſubſcribe the Band above written: Obliging them for their Tenents, and others therein ſpecified, ſhall be onely lyable for the penalties by the delinquencies, of their Tenents, and others foreſaids, in caſe the Tenets, and others for whom they are bound ſhall bepurſued and convict within year and day after the committing of the Delinquencies without prejudice to purſue the Tenents, or others foreſaids, themſelves at any time thereafter as accords: Extracted by me,

Al. Gibſone, Cls. Sti, Concilii.