BE it Enacted and Ordained by this pre­sent Parliament, That the Council of State be, and are hereby Impowered by Letters, Commissions, or Instructi­ons from them Directed, under the Seal of the Council, to Authorize and Appoint such person and persons as they shall think fit within the respective Counties of Wales and County of Monmouth, thereby Improwering them, or any threé or more of them, to Take and Receive the Accompts of the Commissioners named in an Act of the two and twentieth day of February, One thousand six hundred forty nine, Entituled, An Act for the better Propagation and Preaching of the Gospel in Wales, and to Take the Accompts of all other person & persons that have been In­trusted and Imployed, or have any wayes In­termedled with the Letting, Setting, Receiv­ing, Collecting, Sequestring or Disposing of all or any Church-livings with Care of Souls, Donatives, Rectories, Vicaridges, Impropri­ations, Rents reserved sine Curis, Colledge Pen­sions and Portions of Tythes, and other Eccle­siastical [Page 4]Livings, Benefices, Procurations, Pro­moations, and publique Revenues whatsoever, Sequestred or Sequestrable, or in the Disposal of the Parliament, or which did or do any ways belong or appertain to the Common-Wealth with­in the said respective Counties of Wales and County of Monmouth ever since the two and twentieth day of February, One thousand six hundred forty nine: And to Examine and Cer­tifie all Deceipts, Frauds, Undervaluations, Concealments, Mis-imployments and Breaches of Trust of any person or persons that have had the Letting, Setting, Collecting, Sequestring, Receiving or Disposing of the said Church Li­vings, Rectories, Impropriations, and other the [...]mises, or have any ways Intermedled there­with.

And for the better discovery of the truth there­of, the said Commissioners, or any threé of them are hereby Impowred to send for Persons, Pa­pers, Witnesses, Books and Accompts, and to Examine the Accomptants, and all such Witnenes as shall be produced before them on Oath which the said Commissioners or any three of them are hereby Impowred to Administer; and to Vse all other Lawful Ways and Means, and Execute all such further Powers as were heretofore given to any Committeé or Commissio­ners, for taking the Accompts of the Kingdom, by any former Acts or Ordinances of Parlia­ment, for the better performance and discharge of the Service aforesaid. And the said Commissi­oners or any threé of them are hereby further Au­thorized and Required to Examine and Certifie the true and real Valuations of the said Recto­ries, Vicarages, Impropriations, Tythes, [Page 5]Church-Livings, and other the Premisses within the said respective Counties, as the same were Farmed, Estimated, Received, or Accompted, for in the year One Thousand Six Hundred Forty Nine, and so Communibus annis to this time. And how many Ministers and Schoole-Masters have been at any time since the year aforesaid Ejected and Amoved: And how many of them are fit to be restored, what Churches, Vicaradges, Rectories, and Pla­ces have since become voyd, and for how long time they so remamed by the Death, Ejection, or Removall of the former Incumbents, Mi­nisters, and Schoole-Masters; To whom the presentation and right of patronage to such va­cant Places did and doth belong. How the respective Churches and Parishes have been supplyed since the said two and twentieth day of February, One Thousand Six Hundred Forty Nine; and by whom, and how, the persons are qualified that supplyed the same. And the said Commissioners, or any Three or more of them, are hereby further Impowred and Re­quired to Examine and Certifie, by whom the said Church-Livings, Rectories and Vicar­adges, Impropriations, and other the Premi­ses since the time aforesaid, have been Seque­stred, Farmed, Received, Collected, or Dis­posed of. And to what real Value the same did and doth amount unto, and how accompted; And how much thereof doth remain in the hands of any Person or Persons within y^e said respective Counties, due and unaccompted for to the Commonwealth; And to Certifie the same with all other their proceedings by Ver­tue of this Act. And the Commissions and In­structions [Page 6]aforesaid to the Council of State; and one other part thereof to the Court of Ex­chequer at Westminster, with a Schedule of the Debtors and Accomptants, Sum and Sums of Money due and payable from them and every of them to the Commonwealth, whereby the same may be proceeded upon accor­ding to the Course of Exchequer, against like Accomptants, to force the Payment thereof without any further Commission, Inquiry, or [...]sition thereupon to be had, which they are hereby enabled to do; Any former Act or Or [...]nance concerning the same to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

And the Council of State from time to time are hereby enabled to give further In­structions and Directions for the carrying on of the service aforesaid, and to give such al­lowances to the persons by them to be imploy­ed therein as they shall think fit.

And the Council of State are hereby fur­ther impowred and required, That in all Ca­ses where the Presentation doth or shall belong to the State either of meer right or by lapse, That they shall take speedy care for the supply of them.

And it is hereby Enacted and Declared; That all Grants or Leases of any Glebes or Titles belonging to any Parsonage or Vica­rage with Cure of Souls within the Counties aforesaid, made by the Patron and Incum­bent since the Two and twentieth day of Fe­bruary, One thousand six hundred fourty nine, to any person or persons whatsoever, shall be absolutely void to all intents and purposes against the Successor of such Incumbent, such [Page 7]Successor coming in upon Death, Cession, Se­questration, or otherwise.

And Be it further Enacted, That where, upon the Certificates of the said Commissio­ners, there shall appear any profits of Livings within the Counties aforesaid, to be remain­ing in the hands of any person or persons, That the Council is further impowred to al­low and dispose of the same to the present or suc­ceeding Incumbent, allowing for the serving of the Cure during the vacancy, what they shall think fit.