WHereas the Queens most Excellent Majesty was graciously pleased out of Her pious and princely Zeal to Suppress the Prophanation of the Lords-Day, Drunkenness, Swearing and Cursing, and all other lewd, enormous and disorderly Practices, by Her Pious Letter, bearing Date the 9th day of July last, did re-mind us of our Duty; and thereby enjoyn the Observation of the Laws of the Land now in Force against the said Vices: Which was received by this Court with the greatest Thankful­ness and Satisfaction. And in obedience thereunto, We did by Our Order, bearing Date the Tenth day of the same Month Command all High-Constables, Petty-Constables, Church-wardens, Headboroughs, and all other Officers, to be diligent in the Execution of the Laws against all such Offenders, and cause them to be Convicted, and to undergo the Penalties by the said Laws appointed; and to give account thereof at the several Petty-Sessions to be thereafter held for this County, which We then resolved frequently to hold for that Purpose, and hoped from thence that Our Endeavours would have had a good effect. But since that, by the rash and unad­vised actings of several Persons pretending great Zeal, many illegal and irregular Warrants of Conviction have been issued out against a multitude of innocent Persons, for suffering Tippling in their Houses, and Exercising their ordinary Callings on the Lords-day, without Summoning or Hearing their Defences whereby it might appear, whether they were Works of Charity or Necessity; Or duly weighing the Circumstances of the respective Cases, and thereby condemning the guiltless with the guilty, which hath exceedingly hindred the good Purposes intended by the said Order and deter­red several well-disposed People from Informing, or Acting therein. And forasmuch as this Court hath from time to time, received many repeated Complaints from divers Inn-holders, Victuallers and others, who have greatly suffered by such oppressive Proceedings. This Court for remedy of the said Mischief, and to the end that so religious an Intention may not miscary, doth resolve to encourage all manner of legal Information, touching the Suppressing and Punishment of the said Vices, pursuant to their former Order; But are of Opinion, That the Conviction for continuing Tippling, or for Exercising their ordinary Cal­lings on the Lords-day, ought not to be made on any Person or Persons before a Warrant or Summons from a Justice of Peace of this County be first had and served on the Person accused, and Oath made of such Service, that the Person so accused may be first heard, and the convicting Justice thereby enabled to make a true Judgment of the Circumstances of every such Accusation before he makes his Conviction. And for a due Encou­ragement to all such Informers, This Court doth hereby unanimously agree to deliver all such Summons under their Hands and Seals Gratis to any Persons requiring the same. And for the better Encouragement of all Church-wardens, Constables, and other Officers in searching for, and observing such Prophaners of the Lords-Day, We their Majesties said Justices of the Peace do hereby further resolve, that in our several and respe­ctive Divisions, We will from time to time on request, or, as We see occasion, go along with them in Person in our several Parishes where we reside to search the several Ale-houses, and other Places suspected to enter­tain People to continue Tipling, or otherwise prophaning the Lords-Day: And this Court doth require all Con­stables, Headboroughs, Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor, and all other their Majesties Officers to attend the said Service, and to apply themselves to the diligent search after such Offenders against the said Laws, and all such Informers who gave former Informations before any the Justices of the Peace of this County a­gainst any such Persons so offending (they proceeding in such a Legal Way as aforesaid) shall receive due Encouragement and Protection from Us in our several Divisions within this County: And such Victuallers and Ale-house-keepers, as shall by the Examinations and legal Methods and Proofs aforesaid, be duly convicted for suffering Persons to continue Tippling in their Houses, shall not only incur the Penalty of 10 s. but be Suppressed for three Years, according to the Direction of the Stat. in that Case made and provided.