<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2009-01-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>tcpstaff</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B090026.pdcc.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B05467">
<STC T="W">S1601</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52528927</BIBNO>
<VID>178980</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="proclamation">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 12 -->
<HEAD><HI>PROCLAMATION</HI> Again&s;t Regraiting of Victual, and Fore&s;tallers, and Allowing the Importation of Victual free of Publick Burden.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_WILLIAM</HI> by the grace of God, King of <HI>Great Britain, France</HI> and <HI>Ireland;</HI> Defender of the Faith, To  <GAP DESC="blank">  Macers of Our Privy Council, Me&s;&s;engers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, Conjunctly and Severally, Specially, Con|&s;titute, Greeting: Fora&s;much as by Several Acts of Parliament, the keeping up of Victual to a Dearth, is &s;trictly Prohibited, and particularly, it is Statute by the Acts, <HI>James</HI> the Second Parliament <HI>Cap. &s;ixth, twenty two and twenty three,</HI> that for the Efcheuing of Dearth: Sheriffs, Bailies and other Officers both to Burgh, and to Land; inquire what Per&s;ons Buys Victual, and holds it to a Dearth; And that the &s;aids Sheriffs and Officers make &s;uch known, that in ca&s;e they hold more than will Su&s;tain them, and their Meinzie to New-Corn they may be Puni&s;hed, and Demeaned as Ockerers and U&s;urers; and the Victual E&s;cheated to Us; and that the &s;ame be Pre&s;ented to Mercats, and Sold as the Price goes. And by the Act <HI>James</HI> the Second Parliament <HI>ninth, Cap. thirty eight and thirty ninth,</HI> it is Ordained that no manner of Victual be holden in Girnals by any man to a Dearth, but allanerly what is needful for their own Per&s;ons, and Su&s;tentation of their Hou&s;holds; and that the &s;aids Per&s;ons pre&s;ent all that they have more to the Mer|cat, under the Pain of E&s;cheat thereof: And Searchers are appointed in <HI>Edinburgh</HI> and <HI>Leith</HI> to make the &s;aids Acts Effe|ctual; As likewi&s;e, the Crime of Fore&s;talling is forbidden by &s;everal Acts and Statutes, and particularly by the Act, <HI>James</HI> the <HI>&s;ixth,</HI> Parliament <HI>twelfth, Cap. one hundred and fourty eight,</HI> it is Declared, that who Buyes any Merchandize, or Victual coming to Fair or Mercat, or makes any Contract or Promi&s;e for the Buying of the &s;ame, before the &s;aid Mer|chandize or Victual &s;hall be in the Fair or Mercat-Place ready to be Sold, or &s;hall make any Motion by Word, Writ, or Me&s;&s;age for rai&s;ing of the Prices, or Dearer Selling of the &s;aid Merchandi&s;e and Victual, or who &s;hall Di&s;wade any from coming, and bringing the fore&s;aid Merchandize and Victual to Fair or Mercat, &s;hall be E&s;teemed and Judged a Fore&s;tal|ler; And it is Ordained that all &s;uch Fore&s;tallers may be Pur&s;ued before the Ju&s;tices, or Magi&s;trats of Burghs, and that without a &s;pecial Libel; but only upon Fore&s;talling in General, and the Per&s;ons convict to be Fined for the fir&s;t Fault in Fourty Pounds, for the Second in one hundred Merks, and for the Third to Incurr the Tin&s;el of Moveables. And Seing that through the not due Ob&s;ervance, and the Execution of the fore&s;aids Acts: The Calamity of the Country, by the pre&s;ent Scarcity and Dearth is greatly Increa&s;ed. THEREFORE We with Advice of the Lords of Our Privy Coun|cil, have thought fit to Revive the &s;ame, and Ordain them to be put to Strict Execution, and for that Effect; to Im|power and Require all Sheriffs of Shires, Steuarts of Stewartries, Lords and Baillies of Regalities, and their Deputs, and Magi&s;trats of Burghs, as likewi&s;e all Commi&s;&s;ioners of Supply, and Ju&s;tices of Peace, to cau&s;e Inquire, and Search to be made, who holds up, or Girnels Victual or keeps Stacks contrary to the fore&s;aid Laws, And to Command and Charge the Keepers up of the &s;aid Victual in Girnels, Stacks, or otherways Contrary to the &s;aids Statutes; either to Thre&s;h out, bring, and Expo&s;e the &s;ame for Sale, in open and ordinary Mercats, or otherwi&s;e to open their Girnels, and other Hou&s;es where the Victual is keeped, and there Sell the &s;ame, as the &s;aid Sheriffs, Steuarts of Stewartries, Lords and Baillies of Regalities, and their Deputs, and Magi&s;trats of Burghs, or any two of the &s;aids Commi&s;&s;ioners, &s;hall find the ordinary Price to Rule for the Time in the Country, not below the la&s;t <HI>Candlema&s;s.</HI> Fiers, with Certification that if they Fail|zie therein; they &s;hall be Proceeded again&s;t; and the Pains of the fore&s;aids Acts of Parliament Execute upon them with all Rigour: And in the Mean time the Victual Girneled, and Unlawfully keeped up as &s;aid is, Arree&s;ted and Seque&s;trat by the fore&s;aid Sheriffs and others as E&s;cheat. And further We with Advice fore&s;aid, Command and Charge all Magi&s;trats of Burghs, and other Officers of the Land to take Care that all Mercats and Fairs be duely Regulat, conform to the Laws, without Extortion, and to cau&s;e put the fore&s;aid-Acts of Parliament again&s;t Fore&s;tallers to due and vigorous Execution: Certifying the fore&s;aids Sheriffs, Magi&s;trats, and others, who &s;hall fail in their Duty in the Premi&s;&s;es, that upon Information given to the Lords of Our Privy Council, they &s;hall be there|fore &s;everely Puni&s;hed, as the Lords of Our Privy Council &s;hall &s;ee Cau&s;e. And further, for the better Releif of the Coun|try under the pre&s;ent great Scarcity, whereby the Prices of Victual are ari&s;en above the Rates mentioned in the Act of Par|liament for prohibiting the Import of Forraign Victual; We with Advice fore&s;aid, Do hereby grant Licen&s;e and full Liber|ty to all per&s;ons to Import Victual and Corns, of all &s;orts, from any Forraign Kingdom or Country, and that free of Cu&s;tom, Exci&s;e, or other Impo&s;ition; and for that effect Recommends it to the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Our The&s;aury, to Di&s;charge the Exac|ting thereof for the &s;aid Victual to be Imported as &s;aid is, after the day and date hereof, and that notwith&s;tanding of any Act of Parliament or Book of Rates Impo&s;ing the &s;ame; Declaring, that this Licen&s;e and Liberty, is to Endure until the Fir&s;t Day of <HI>September</HI> next to come, and no longer. <HI>Our Will is herefore,</HI> and We Charge you &s;trictly and command, that in|continent the&s;e Our Letters &s;een, ye pa&s;s to the Mercat-Cro&s;s of <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> and to the Mercat-cro&s;&s;es of the remanent Head-Burghs of the &s;everal Shires and Stewartries within this Kingdom, and there in Our Name and Authority, by open Proclama|tion, make Intimation hereof, that none pretend Ignorance. And Ordains the&s;e Pre&s;ents to be Printed.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><HI>Given under Our Signet at</HI> Edinburgh <DATE><HI>the Ninth Day of</HI> June <HI>and of Our Reign the Eight Year, 1696</HI></DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Ex <HI>deliberatione Dominorum Secreti Concilii.</HI> GILB, ELIOT <HI>Cls. Sti. Concilii</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<CLOSER>GOD &s;ave the KING.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>Edinburgh,</HI> Printed by the Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors of <HI>Andrew Ander&s;on,</HI> Printer to His mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty, <HI>Anno DOM.</HI> 1696.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
