Page:A Collection of Charters and Statutes relating to the East India Company.pdf/26

xviii William Stewart, Thomas Vernon, William Withers, and George White, hereby nominated, constituted, and Appointed, to be the First Twenty-four Directors of the said Company, or any other Person or Persons; hereafter to be chosen to the Office or Trust of a Director, for the said Company, shall be capable to execute or act in the said Office of Director, until he or they respectively shall have taken the Corporal Oath following, or if he or they be commonly reputed a Quaker or Quakers, then till he or they respectively shall have made a solemn Declaration to the same Effect, viz.

"I A.B. affirm, that the Sum of Two Thousand Pounds of the Stock of The English Company trading to the East Indies, whereof I am appointed or elected to be a Directer, doth at this Time belong to me in my own Right, and not in Trust for any other Person or Persons whatsoever:"

And likewise another solemn Oath or Declaration in the Form or to the Effect following, viz.

"I A.B. do faithfully promise, That in the Office of a Director of The English Company trading to the East Indies, I will be indifferent and equal to all Manner of Persons, and I will give my best Advice and Assistance for the Support and good Government of the said Company and in the Execution of the said Office of a Director I will faithfully and honestly demean myself according to the best of my Skill and Understanding:"

Which Oaths and Declarations to the first Four and Twenty Directors herein nominated, and every of them respectively, shall and, may be administered by Our Chancellor of England, or Keeper of Our Great Seal of England, or by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or Chief Baron of Our Court of Exchequer, or by any Two or more of the said first Directors, which shall first have taken the said Oaths or Declarations: And the said Oaths and Declarations to any future Director and Directors shall and may be administered by the Chancellor of England, or Keeper of the Great Seal of England, or by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, of Us, our Heirs and Successors, for the Time being, or any of them, or by any Two or more of the sworn Directors for the preceding Year; and they are hereby authorized and required to administer the said Oath and Declarations respectively to all and every such Director and Directors from Time to. Time accordingly.

And, furthermore Our Will and Pleasure is, and We do hereby for Us, Our Heirs and Successors, ordain and appoint, That the said Court of Directors shall have Power and Authority to administer an Oath to all the inferior Agents or Servants that shall be employed in the Service of the same Company, for the faithful and due Execution of the several Places and Trusts in them reposed, in the Words or to the Effect following (that is to say}:

"I A. B. being elected into the Office or Place of Treasurer to The English Company trading to the East Indies, do swear, That I will be true and faithful to the said Company, and will faithfully and truly execute and discharge the said Office or Place of Treasurer to the utmost of my Skill and Power. So help me God."

And the like Oath to the other Agents and Servants (mutatis mutandis): And in case any Person hereby nominated, or-hereafter to be elected a Director as aforesaid, shall for the Space of Ten Days after such Nomination or Election neglect or refuse to take the respective Oath or Declaration hereby appointed to be taken as aforesaid, or shall refuse or neglect to take upon him his or their Offices, that then and in every such Case the Office and Place of every such Person so neglecting or refusing shall become vacant, and others shall be chosen in their Places by a General Court of the said Company.

And We do hereby will and appoint, That the said Directors, or the major Part of them for the Time being, shall from Time to Time, and they are hereby required so to do, to summon and appoint Four General Courts at least in every Year, whereof one to be in the Month of December, another in the Month of March, another in the Month of June, and another in the Month of September.

And We do further will and appoint, That if at any Time or Times there should be a Failure of holding a General Court, in any of the said Months, by Default of the Directors, or the major Part of them, that then and so often, and in every such Case, Three or more of the Directors of the said Company shall and may summuon and call a General Court, which shall meet and be holden in the Month next coming after the Month in which the same should have been holden upon the Summons of the Majority of the Director's aforesaid. And