Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 9.djvu/600

126 XX. And be it also enacted by the authoritie aforesaid, That if your Majestie shall happen to decease before any such your issue and heire male of your body, which mould inherit the Crowne of this Realme, shall be of his age of eighteene years, or before that such your issue & heire female, which should inherite the Crowne of this Realme, shall be maried, or be of the age of sixteene yeeres (which almighty God defend) that then the said issue and heire male to the Crowne, so being within the age of eighteene yeercs, or your said issue and heire female to the Crowne, so being unmaried, or within the said age of sixteene yeeres, shall be and remaine, untill such time as such issues and heires shall come to their said severall ages afore limited, at and in the governance of their naturall mother, and of such other your counsellors and nobles of your Realme, as your Highnesse shall limit and appoint by your last will made in writing, signed with your most gracious hand, if it shall be thought by your Highnesse most convenient so to bee : or else the said issues and heires shall be at and in the governance of such of your counsellors and nobles of your Realme, as your Majestie shall name and appoint by your last will made in writing, and signed with your most gracious hand, as is aforesaid. And if any person or persons by writing, Printing, or exterior deed or Act, directly or indirectly, procure or doe, or cause to bee procured, or done any thing or things, to the let or disturbance of the same: that then cuery such offence shall be high Treason, and the offendors being thereof convicted, shall suffer such paines of death and losse of inheritance, privileges of Sanctuaries, Freeholds, interests, for yeeres, goods, chattels, and debts, in such manner and forme as is above specified in cases of treason afore mentioned. "XXI. And for the more sure establishment of the succession of your most roiall Maiestie, according to the tenor and forme of this Act.' Be it further enacted by authority aforesaid, That as well all the nobles of your Realme spirituall and temporall, as all other your subiects now living and being, or that hereafter shall bee at their full ages, by the commandement of your Maiestie, or of your heires or successors, at all times hereafter from time to time when it shall please your Highnesse, or your heires or successors to appoint, shall make a corporall oath in the presence of your Highnesse, or your heires or successors, or before such other as your Maiestie or your heires or successors will assigne for the same, for the keeping, observing, defending, avowing, and mainteining of this Act, and of all things that shall be done by your Highnesse by authoritie thereof, according to the tenor of an oath hereafter insuing, that is to say:

"E shall sweare to beare faith, trueth, and obedience alonely to the Kings Maiestie, Supreme head in earth under God of the Church of England, during his life, and to his heires of his body of his most deare and intirely beloued lawfull wife Queene, begotten and to be begotten and procreated: and further to the heires of our said Sovereigne Lord, according to the limitation in the statute made for suretie of his succession in the crowne of this Realme, in the Parliament begun and holden at Westminsser in the eight day of June, in the eight and twentieth yeere of the Kings most gracious reigne. And also for lacke of such heires, to such person and persons as the Kings highnesse shall limit and appoint to succeede to the Crowne, by vertue and authority of the same Act, and not to any other within this Realme, nor forren authority, power or potentate. , And in case any other Oath be made or hath beene made by you to any person or persons, that then ye to repute the same as vaine and adnihilate. And that to your cunning, wit, and uttermost of your power, without guile, fraud, or other undue maner, ye shall observe, keepe mainteine, and defend the said Act of succession made in the said Parliament, begun and holden at Westminster in the said eight, day of June, in the said eight and twentith yeere of the Kings most roiall reigne, and all the whole effects and contents thereof, and all things that shall be done by the Kings highnesse by authority of the same, and all other Acts and Statutes made in confirmation, or for execution of the same or of any thing therein contained : and this ye shall doe against all maner of persons, of what estate, dignitie, degree, or condition soever they be: & in no wise do or attempt, nor to your power suffer to be done, or attempted directly or indirectly, any thing or things priuilie or apertly, to the let, hinderance, damage, or derogation thereof, or of any part of the same, or of any thing or things that shall be done by the Kings highnesse, by vertue or authoritie of the same Act, by any maner of meanes, or for any manner of pretence,"

So helpe you God, All Saints, and the holy Evangelists.

XXII. And it is also enacted by authoritie aforesaid, That all maner your subiects, as well Spirituall as Temporall, suing liverie, or Oustre le maine out of the hands of your highnes, or of your heires or successors, or doing any fealtie to your highnes, or to your heires or successors, by reason of tenure of the'r lands, shall sweare the said corporall oath above mentioned. And that they nor any of them, shall hereafter have any liceries, Oustre le maine, or restitution out of your hands, nor out of the hands of your heires or successors, till they shall have made the said corporall oath, in forme above rehearsed. And if any person or persons, being commanded by authoritie of this Act, to make the said oath afore limited, obstinately or wilfully refuse that to doe, or will protest and say, when they shall be examined upon any interrogatories, that shall be objected to them, for or concerning this Act, or any thing therein contained ; that they be not bound to declare their thought and conscience, and stiflie thereon abide : that then every such person so doing, for every such offence shall be taken and accepted for offendor in high treason : and that every such refusall shall be deemed and adjudged high treason, and the offendor therein, being as afore is limited, lawfully convicted or atteinted thereof by the lawes of this Realme, shall suffer such paines of death, losses and forfeitures, and also loose priviledges of Sanctuaries, in like maner and forme as is above mentioned, for the treasons afore limited by this Act. XXIII. And