WHereas several Good Statutes have been made against Forestalling, Regrating and Ingrossing of Corn, and amongst the rest, An Act in the Fifth and Sixth Years of the Reign of King Edward the Sixth, whereby Buying any Corn coming by Land, or by Water to any Market or Fair, or to any City, Port, Haven or Creek of this Realm or Wales, from any Parts beyond Sea, to be Sold, or Bargaining or Contracting before the same shall be Brought in­to the Markets, Fairs, City, Port, Haven or Creek, to be Sold, or Moving by Word, Letter, Message, or otherwise, to any Person for the Inhauncing of the Price, or Dear Selling of the same, Disswading any Per­son from Bringing his or her Corn to any of the said Markets, Fairs, Cities, Ports, Havens or Creeks, to be Sold, shall be Adjudged a Forestalling. And by the same Act it is Declared, That the Buying of Corn in any Fair or Market, and Selling the same in any Fair or Market held in the same Place, or within Four Miles there­of, shall be Adjudged Regrating. And by the same Act it is likewise Declared, That the Buying or Contracting for any Corn, to Sell the same again otherwise than as is herein after Mentioned, shall be Adjudged an Vnlawful Ingrossing, (that is to say) Buying of Barley, Bigg or Oates, (Except by Forestalling) to be Converted into Malt or Oat-meal in the House of the Buyer; Or the Taking of any Corn reserved without Fraud, upon any Lease for Term of any Life or Years; Or the Buying of any Corn (Except by Forestalling) by any Badger, Lad­der, Kidder, or Carrier, who should be Licensed so to do, and who should sell the same to any Victualler or other Per­son, for the Provision of his or their Houses, within one Month after the same was so first Bought; Or the com­mon Provision made of Corn by Person for any City, Borough or Town Corporate; Or for Provision (Ex­cept by Forestalling) for Victualling any Ship, shall not be Iudged an Offence against the said Statute; Nor the Buying of Corn (Except by Fore­stalling) by any Person Licensed so to do, to be Transported by Water from any Port or Place within this Realm or Wales, unto any other Port or Place within this Realm, so that the same he without Fraud Shipped within Fourty Days after the same shall be Bought, and Carried with such Expedition as the Wind and Weather would Serve, to the Port the Cocquet of the same shall Declare, and there to Disbarque and Sell the same, and Bring a Cer­tificate thereof from a Iustice of the Peace of the County, or Mayor, or Bayliff of the Town, and of the Customer of the Port of the Place, and Day where the Corn was Vnladed and Sold, to the Customer and Comptroller of the Port where the same was Shipped; Nor the Ingrossing of Corn, when under the Prices in the said Act Mentioned; which since by an Act made in the Fifteenth Year of the Reign of King Charles the Second, are Inlarged to be Wheat at Fourty Eight Shillings, Rye, Pease and Beans, Thirty two Shillings, Barley, Malt and Buck Wheat, Twenty eight Shillings, and Oats, Thirteen Shil­lings and Four Pence the Quarter. The Punishments of which said Offences were Enacted to be, for the first Offence Imprisonment for Two Months without Bail or Mainprize, and Forfeiture of the Corn so Bought or Contracted for; for the second Offence Imprisonment for the space of half a Year without Bail or Mainprize, and Loss of Double the Value of the Corn so Bought or Contracted for; and for the third Offence Setting in the Pillory in the Place where the Offender shall Dwell, and Forfeiture of all his Goods and Chattels, and Imprisonment during the Kings Pleasure; the one Moiety of all which Forfeitures was to be to the King, and the other Moiety to him that would Sue for the same; but the whole Forfeiture to be to the King where the Conviction should be at the Kings Suit only. And it was thereby likewise Enacted, That if any Person, having sufficient Corn for Provision of his House and Sowing of his Ground for one Year, did Buy any Corn in any Fair or Market, for the Change of his Seed, and did not Bring to the same Fair or Market the same Day so much Corn as he Bought for his Seed, and Sell the same, if he could, at the Price the same then went in the said Fair or Market, that he should Forfeit double the Value of the Corn so Bought: All which said Offences the Iustices of the Peace at the Quarter Sessions for the County where such Offences shall be Committed, have Power to Hear and Determin. And whereas by an Act made in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, it was Enacted, That no Badger, Ladder, Kidder, Carrier, or Transporter of Corn, should be Licensed but in the General Quarter Sessions for the County where such Person should so Dwell, and had Dwelt for the space of Three Years before the Date of his Li­cence, and was then or had been a Married Man, and was, at the time of such Licence, a Housholder, and not a Servant or Retainer to any Person, and of the Age of Thirty Years; which Licences were to continue but for a Year, and should be Signed and Sealed by Three of the Iustices then present, whereof one to be of the Quorum, on Pain of such Person Taking such Licence Forfeiting Five Pounds, and the Licences not Taken pursu­ant to the said Act are by the same Declared to be Void. And the said Iustices by the said Act were Impowered to take Bond and Surety by Recogni­zance of the Person Licensed, That he should not Forestall or Ingross, or otherwise Practice contrary to the said Statute of Edward the Sixth. And it was likewise Provided by the said Act, That no Person should Buy any Grain out of Open Fair or Market, unless such Person was thereunto Licensed by Special Order and Express Words, upon Pain of Forfeiting Five Pounds; the Offences of which Act the said Iustices of the Peace at the Quarter Sessions for the County, where such Offences shall be committed, have likewise Power to Hear and Determine. And whereas the Prices of Corn do already Exceed the Rates in the said Act of King Charles the Second, and is likely to grow much dearer, to the great Op­pression of the Poor, in part because the said Acts are not duly put in Execution, if the same be not timely prevented: Wherefore, and forasmuch as it will much Conduce to the Good and Benefit of His Majesties Subjects, and Relief of the Poor especially, that the said Laws, and that all the Laws in Force for setting the Poor or Work throughout this Kingdom, should be duly put in Execution, We have thought fit, by the Advice of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council, to Issue this Proclamation; And We do hereby Charge and Command all and every His Majesties Iudges, Iustices of the Peace, Mayors, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and all other Magistrates, Officers and Ministers whatsoever, and wheresoever, within this Kingdom, Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick upon Tweed, that they and every of them, within their respective Places and Iu­risdictions, do cause the said Acts made in the Fifth and Sixth Years of King Edward the Sixth, and the said other Act made in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, and all other Acts relating to the same Matters, and all Laws now in Force for Setting the Poor on Work, to be in all and every the Parts and Branches thereof put in Speedy and Effectual Execution; And that they do take Care that no Licence be Granted to any Badger, Ladder, Kidder, Carrier or Buyer of Corn or Grain, but according to the Directions of those Acts, and to such Persons as are or shall be Qualified for the same, and under such Surety as those Acts Require; And that they do take care that all Offenders against the said Acts be effectually Prosecuted according to the Purport of the said Acts. And We do hereby Require and Charge all His Majesties Offi­cers, Ministers, and Loving Subjects whatsoever, to be Aiding and Assisting in the due Execution of this Proclamation, on pain of His Maje­sties High Displeasure, and of such Pains and Punishments as may by Law be inflicted upon the Contemners of His Majesties Royal Authority.

Given at Whitehall, the Thirteenth Day of October, 1698. In the Tenth Year of His Majesties Reign.

God save the King.