FOr the more effectual executing of all ſuch Laws, Statutes and Ordinances of Parliament, for the due Obſervation & Sanctification of the Lords-Day, days of Publique Humiliation and Thankſgiving; And for the further preventing the prophanation thereof, It is Enacted and Declared by this preſent Parliament, and by the Authority of the ſame, That all and every High Conſtable, Petty Conſtable, Headborough, Church-warden or Overſeer of the Poor or other Officers, or any of the Governors of the Company of Watermen, upon their own view of knowledge of any the offence or offences committed or done againſt any Article, Clauſe or Proviſion of any the ſaid Laws, Statutes or Ordinances; and all and every perſon and perſons whatſoever, by Warrant from any Iuſtice of Peace, Major, Bayliff or other Head-Officer, are hereby authorized and required to ſeize and ſecure all ſuch Wares or Goods cryed, ſhewed forth or put to ſale upon the days and times aforeſaid, contrary to this preſent Act, or any Statute or Ordinance of Parliament, to the end proceedings may be thereupon had, according to the true intent and meaning of this preſent Act, or any the ſaid Laws, Statutes and Ordinances. And it is further Enacted, That no Traveller, Waggoner, Butcher, Higler, Drover, their or any of their Servants, ſhall travel or come into his or their Inn or Lodging, after Twelve of the Clock on any Saturday night; nor ſhall any perſon travel from his Houſe, Inn or other place, till after one a clock on Munday morning, without good and urgent cauſe, not incurred through the neglect or occaſion of the perſon ſo doing, to be allowed by any Iuſtice of the Peace or Head Officer before whom complaint ſhall be made; upon pain that every ſuch Traveller, Waggoner, Butcher, Higler, Drover and their Servants, and alſo every Inn-keeper & Alehouſe-keeper that ſhall ſo entertain him or them, ſhall each of them forfeit Ten ſhillings for every ſuch offence. And if any Writ, Warrant or Order (except in caſe of Treaſon, Murther, Felony, or breach of the Peace, prophanation of the Lords-Day, days of Thankſgiving or Humiliation, or ſuſpition of them or either or any of them) ſhall be from and after the Firſt day of May, in the year One thouſand ſix hundred and fifty, ſerved or executed upon any the aforeſaid days, every ſuch execution of ſuch Writ, Warrant or Order upon the ſaid days reſpectively, ſhall be, and is hereby declared to be of no effect; and the perſon or perſons that ſhall ſerve or execute ſuch Writ, Warrant or Order, or cauſe the ſame to be ſerved or executed, ſhall forfeit and pay to the uſe of the poor of the Pariſh where ſuch Offence ſhall be committed, Five pounds, to be levied upon his or their Goods and Chattels in maner aforeſaid, rendring the overplus. And it is further Enacted and Declared by the authority aforeſaid, That no perſon or perſons ſhall uſe, imploy or travel upon the Lords-Day, or the ſaid days of Humiliation or Thankſgiving, with any Boat, Wherry, Lighter, Barge, Horſe, Coach or Sedan, either in the City of London or elſewhere (except it be to or from ſome place for the ſervice of God, or upon other extraordinary occaſion, to be allowed by the next Iuſtice of Peace to the place where the ſaid fact ſhall be committed; upon pain that every ſuch perſon or perſons that ſhall uſe ſuch Boat, Wherry, Lighter, Barge, Horſe, Coach or Sedan, contrary to the true meaning of this preſent Act (except it be in the caſes aforeſaid) ſhall for every ſuch Offence forfeit and loſe the ſum of Ten ſhillings; and that every Boat-man, Sedan-man, Coach-man or other perſon, that ſhall ſo labor or travel in or with any ſuch Boat, Wherry, Lighter, Barge, Sedan, Horſe or Coach, ſhall forfeit for every ſuch offence, Five ſhillings. And it is further Enacted and Declared, That every perſon and perſons which upon the ſaid Lords-Day, days of Humiliation or Thankſgiving, ſhall be in any Tavern, Inn, Alehouſe, Tobacco-houſe or Shop, or Victualling-houſe (unleſs he lodge there, or be there upon ſome lawful or neceſſary occaſion) to be allowed of by ſuch Iudge, Iuſtice, or other perſon who is authorized by this Act to put the ſame in execution; and every perſon or perſons which upon the ſaid days ſhall be dancing, prophanely ſinging, drinking or tipling in any Tavern, Inn, Alehouſe, Victualling-houſe, or Tobacco-houſe or Shop, or ſhall harbor or entertain any perſon or perſons ſo offending; or which ſhall grinde or cauſe to be ground in any Mill, any Corn or Grain upon any the ſaid days, except in caſe of neceſsity, to be allowed by a Iuſtice of the Peace, every ſuch Offender ſhall forfeit and pay the ſum of Ten ſhillings for every ſuch offence, to be levied as aforeſaid. And for the more vigorous and due execution of the Laws, Statutes and Ordinances aforeſaid, and of this preſent Act, It is hereby further Enacted, That every Iuſtice of the Peace, Head-Officer or Officers of every Town Corporate or place, and every Conſtable, Headborough, Church-warden, Overſeer of the Poor, and Governors of the Company of Watermen, and other perſons authorized as aforeſaid, are hereby required and enjoyned to make diligent ſearch for the diſcovering, finding out, apprehending and puniſhing of all Offenders againſt this and other Laws, Ordinances and Acts made for the obſervation of the Lords-Day, and days of Publique Faſting and Thankſgiving: And if any the ſaid Iuſtices of the Peace, and other Officers aforeſaid, upon view or information of any the ſaid offences to be committed, ſhall be negligent, or refuſe to do his duty in putting this or other the ſaid Ordinances, Laws or Acts in execution, every ſuch Iuſtice of the Peace, or other Head-Officer, upon proof thereof before the Lord Chief Iuſtice of either Bench, or Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, or before any Iudge or Iudges of Aſsize, by one or more witneſſes, or by view or confeſsion of the party, ſhall for every ſuch Offence incur the penalty of Five pounds, and upon refuſal of payment thereof, to be levyed on his Goods or Chattels, by Warrant from the ſaid Lord Chief Iuſtices, or Lord Chief Baron, Iudge or Iudges of Aſsize reſpectively, by diſtreſs and ſale of the Goods of every ſuch perſon, returning the overplus; and every High Conſtable, Petty Conſtable, Church-warden and other Officer, ſhall forfeit and pay for his neglect aforeſaid, the ſum of Twenty ſhillings; and for default of payment thereof, the ſame to be levyed by Warrant from any Iuſtice of the Peace, directed to the High Conſtable of the Hundred, or other Officer where the Offence ſhall be committed, for the levying of the ſaid penalty by way of diſtreſs and ſale of the Offenders Goods, and returning the Overplus as aforeſaid: And all other penalties impoſed by this Act, for which no way of levying is provided by the ſaid former Laws and Ordinances, ſhall be levied by Warrant from any one Iuſtice of Peace, Major, Bayliff or Head Officer, by Diſtreſs and ſale of the Offenders Goods; and for want of payment thereof, or ſuch diſtreſs to be found, by ſetting the Offenders in the Stocks or Cage for the ſpace of ſix hours. And it is likewiſe Enacted and Declared, That all Iudges, Iuſtices of Aſſize, and Iuſtices of Peace at their Aſsizes or Quarter-Seſsions, ſhall in their ſeveral and reſpective Circuits and Courts give in charge to the Grand Iury, to inquire of and preſent all neglects of Iuſtices, Conſtables, and other Officers in the due execution of this preſent Act, and other Laws, Ordinances and Statutes made for the obſervation of the Lords-Day, and days of Publique Faſting and Thankſgiving, who are hereby ſtrictly commanded to preſent the ſame. And it is alſo hereby Enacted, That the Lord Major and Aldermen, Sheriffs and Iuſtices of Peace of the City of London, County of Middleſex, and City of Weſtminſter, and Borough of Southwark, together with the Heads and Governors of the ſeveral Inns of Court and Chancery; and all and every Iuſtice of Peace, Majors, Bayliffs, and other Head Officers, and every of them, are hereby authorized and required to take a ſpeedy and effectual courſe, by ſuch means as they ſhall think moſt meet within their reſpective Iuriſdictions, to reſtrain as aforeſaid the prophanation of the ſaid days; upon pain that the Lord Major, Aldermen, Sheriffs and Iuſtices in London, and Middleſex, and Weſtminſter, Heads of the ſeveral Inns of Court and Chancery, Iuſtices and other Head Officers, which ſhall neglect to do what belongs to their ſeveral duties and places therein, ſhall forfeit the ſum of Five pounds, to be levied in ſuch maner as the Fines impoſed on Iuſtices of Peace for their neglects are hereby appointed to be levied as aforeſaid. And it is Enacted and Declared by the authority aforeſaid, That this Act be forthwith printed, and bound up together with all the former Statutes and Ordinances now in force, for obſervation of the Lords-Day, Publique Faſting and Thankſgiving days, and publiſhed by the Iuſtice of Peace, or Chief Officer or Officers aforeſaid, and read at their next Quarter-Seſsions after they ſhall receive the ſame; and alſo by them ſent unto or left at the ſeveral houſes of the Miniſters of the reſpective Pariſhes within their reſpective limits, who are hereby required and appointed in all the Churches and Chappels within this Commonwealth, publiquely to read or cauſe to be read, all and every the ſaid Statutes and Ordinances ſo bound up together, the next Lords-Day after he or they ſhall receive the ſame, before the morning Sermon; and that afterwards once every year (viz.) Vpon the firſt Lords-Day in March, before the morning Sermon, they read or cauſe to be read likewiſe this preſent, and the former Acts and Ordinances aforeſaid; the due performance whereof the ſaid Iuſtices of Peace and other Head Officers are commanded to inquire after, and certifie the names of the perſons making default in reading and publiſhing the premiſes, acording to this preſent Act, to the Speaker of the Parliament, and in the intervals thereof, to the Councel of State; and the Iuſtices of Peace at their Quarter-Seſsions, ſhall duly cauſe this Act, together with the ſaid Statutes and Ordinances to be openly read. And it is laſtly Enacted, That in any Action brought againſt any Iuſtice of Peace, Conſtable, or any other Officer or perſon acting or doing, or commanding to be acted or done any thing in purſuance of this or any former Law, Act or Ordinance now in force touching or concerning any the Offences or matters aforeſaid, the Defendant in every ſuch Action ſhall and may plead the General Iſſue, and give the ſpecial matter in Evidence; and upon the Non-Suit of the Plaintiff, or verdict paſſing for the Defendant, the party Defendant ſhall have and recover his and their treble Coſts, or at the election of ſuch party, ſhall have his reparation by the Committee of Parliament for Indempnity. And it is hereby Ordained, That all perſons whatſoever ſhall be ayding and aſsiſting to all Iuſtices of Peace, Head Officers, Conſtables, and other Officers and perſons, in the execution of this or the ſaid former Acts and Ordinances in and concerning the premiſes.