Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 9.djvu/630

156 part of the portion of the fees and rewards of the Commissioners and their Clerks, in this Act afterward specified. And the L. Chancellor of England, or Keeper of the great Seale, for the time being, shal make & direct out of the Court of Chancerie, under the great Seale, several Commissions: that is to say, to every Shire, Riding, Lath, Wapentake, Rape, City, Towne, Borough, Isle & houshold, unto such person & persons, as by his discretion & other with him afore-named and appointed in like maner and forme as is afore rehearsed, shalbe thought sufficient for the selling and levying of the said Subsidie, in all shires and places, according to the true meaning of this Act: which Commission for the first paiment of the said Subsidie, shall be directed and delivered to the said Commissioners, or to one of them, before the first day of April next comming. And the Commission for the second paiment of the said Subsidie, shall be directed and delivered to the said Commissioners, or one of them before the first day of January, which shalbe in the yere of our Lord God 1559. And to every of the said Commissioners, ten scedules, conteining in them the tenor of this Act, shall be assesed. By which Commission, the Commissioners in every such Commission, named according to this Act, & as many of them as shalbe appointed by the said Commission, shal have ful power and authority to put the effect of the same Commission in execution. And that by authoritie of this Act, after such Commissions to them directed, they may by their assents & agreements sever themselves for the execution of their Commission, in Hundreds, Laths, Wards, Rapes, Wapentakes, Townes, Parilhes & other places, within the limits of their said Commission, in such forme as to them shall ieeme expedient to be ordered, and between them to be communed and agreed, according to the tenor and effect of the Commission to them therein directed, upon which severance, every person of this present Parliament, that shall bee Commissioner, shall be assigned in the hundred where he dwelleth.

XIII. Provided alwayes, that no person be or shall be compelled to be any Commissioner, to and for the execution of this present Act, but onely in the Shire where he dwelleth and inhabiteth. And that any person being assigned to the contrary thereof, in any wife shall not be compelled to put in execution the effect of this Act, or any part thereof. And it is also enacted by authority of this present Parliament, that the Commissioners and every of them, which shall be named limited, and appointed according to this Act, to be Commissioners in every such Shire, Riding, Lath, Wapentake, Rape, City, Towne, Borough, Isle, and the said houshold or any other place, and none other, shal truely, effectually, and diligently for their part, execute the effect of this present Act, according to the tenor thereof in every behalfe, and none otherwise by any other meanes, without omission, favour, dread, malice, or any other thing to be attempted and done by them, or any of them, to the contrary thereof. And the said Commisslioners, and as many of them as shall be appointed by the said Commission, and none other, for the execution of the said Commission and Act, shal for the taxation of the said first payment of the said Subsidy, before the sixt day of Aprill next comming: and for the taxation of the saide second payment of the said Subsidy, shall before the sixt day of January, which shall be in the yeere of our Lord God 1559, by vertue of the Commissions delivered unto them in forme abovesaid, direct their severall or joynt precept, unto eight, seven, sixe, five, foure, or three or more, as for the number of the Inhabitants shall be requisite, of the most substantiall, discreet and honest persons, Inhabitants, to be named by the said Commissioners, or by as many of them; as shall be appointed by the said Commission, of and in Hundreds, Lathes, Rapes, Wapentakes, Wards, Parishes, Townes and other places, as well within liberties, franchises, ancient demeanes, places exempted, and sanctuaries, as without, within the limits of the Shires, Ridings, Lathes, Wapentakes, Rapes, Cities, Townes, Boroughes or Isle aforesaide, and other places within the limits of their Commission, and to the Constables, subconstables, Bailiffes, and other like officers or ministers of every of the said Hundreds, Townes, Wards, Lathes, Wapentakes, Parishes and other places aforesaid, as to the said Commissioners, and every number of them, or unto three or two of them by their discretion in division shall seeme expedient, as by the manner and use of the parties shall be requisite, strictly by the same precept charging and commanding the same Inhabitants, Constables, and other officers aforesaid, to whom such precept shall be so directed, to appeare in their proper persons, before the said Commissioners, or such number of them as they shall divide themselves, according to the tenor of the said Commission, at certaine dayes and places, by the said Commissioners, or any number of them, as is aforesaid, within Cities, Boroughes or Townes corporate, or without, in any other place, as is aforesaid, by their discretions shall bee Unfitted thereunto, to doe and accomplish all that to them on the part of the Queenes Majestie shall be injoyned touching this Act. Commanding farther by the same precept, that he to whose hands such precept shall come, shall shew or deliver the same to the other inhabitants or officers named in the said precept, & that none of them faile to accomplish the same, upon paine of 40. s. to be forfeited to the Queens majesty.

XIV. And it is further ordained by the authority of this present Parliament, that the said day and place prefixed, and limited in the said precept, every of the Commissioners then being in the Shire, and having no sufficient excuse for his absence at the day and place prefixed for that part whereunto he was limited, shall appeare in his proper person, that there the same Commissioners being present, or as many as shall be appointed by the Queenes Maiesties Commission, shall call or cause to be called before them the said inhabitants and officers to whom they have directed their saide precepts, and which had in commandement there to appeare by the said precept of the said Commissioners, and if any person so warned make default, unlesse he then be letted by sickeneffe or lawfull excuse, and that let then be witnessed by the othes of two credible persons, or if any appearing refuse to be sworne in forme following to forfeit to the Queenes Majesty forty shillings. And so at every time appointed by the Commissioners for the same taxation, unto such time the number of every such persons appeared and certified Act forme under written, and every of them so making default, or refusing to be sworne, to forfeit to the Queenes