Page:The statutes of Wales (1908).djvu/171

A.D. 1425-6] lodged have traitorously and feloniously taken many of the King's faithful liege people, some in riding about their merchandises and doing their own businesses, and some in their houses where they were abiding doing their works in their husbandry, in God's place and the King's and those the King's liege people so taken have carried out of their country to divers parts of, and them have kept and withholden with them in the mountains of those parts of by half a year, sometime more and sometime less until they have ransomed some of the said liege people at an C. li., and some more after their rate, in like manner as is used in time of war to the great damage and mischief of the people of the said counties and countries and to an evil example if it be not the sooner remedied as the King by the grievous complaint of the Commons hath perceived: Our Sovereign Lord the King, willing against all such offenders to ordain a due punishment hath ordained and stablished, that the Justices of Peace within the Counties of England assigned for the same, shall have power to inquire, hear and determine all manner of such treasons, and felonies as well at the King's Suit as at the party's; so that in case that such offenders will not appear before the said Justices to answer as the law requireth in this behalf until they be according to the custom of the Realm outlawed, then the same Justices shall certify by their letters under their seals the officers of the Seigniories in which such outlaws be withdrawn, abiding or resiant of the outlawry upon them so pronounced; and that the same officers upon that certification, take the bodies of those outlaws and do execution upon them in the same Seigniory as the law demandeth without fine or ransom in this behalf to be made.

A.D. 1425-6]

"5. Provided always, That this Statute do not extend to Records and Processes in the Parts of, nor to Records and Processes whereby any Person is or shall be outlawed at any Man's Suit."