<!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="B05455">
<STC T="W">s1589a</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52612287</BIBNO>
<VID>179587</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="proclamation">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 3 -->
<HEAD><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>royal blazon or coat of arms</FIGDESC>
<HEAD>C R</HEAD>
<Q><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"></Q>
</FIGURE> A PROCLAMATION again&s;t fighting of Duels or &s;ingle Combats.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SIGNED><HI>_CHARLES,</HI> by the Grace of GOD, King of Great <HI>Brittain, France</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> Defender of the Faith,</SIGNED>
<SALUTE>to our Lovits,  <GAP DESC="blank">  Macers or Me&s;&s;engers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and &s;everally, &s;pecially con&s;titute, Greeting:</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P> Fora&s;much as the fights of Duels, and &s;ingle Combats are mo&s;t unlawful, and a dangerous practice, contrar to the Law of GOD, and the principles of the Chri&s;tian Religion and policie, and prohibited by the Laws of this Our Kingdom, and of other well governed Kingdoms and Nations: And e&s;pecially by the twelfth Act of King <HI>James</HI> the &s;ixth, Our Royal Grand-Father of ble&s;&s;ed memory, His &s;ixteenth Par|liament; whereby it is Statute, that no per&s;on thereafter, without His Highne&s;s licence, fight any &s;ingular Combat, under the pain of death, and the e&s;cheit of their moveables, and the Provoker to be puni&s;hed with a more ignominious death then the Defender: Neverthele&s;&s;e, the &s;aid abu&s;e and wic|kedne&s;&s;e is become &s;o ordinary, and grown to that height, that frequently, upon mi&s;takes, and e&s;capes of words uttered incon|ideratly in company, by per&s;ons otherwayes in freind&s;hip and acquaintance, and upon the lea&s;t &s;hadow and apprehen&s;ion of any other injurie (whereof if there were any ground, the per&s;ons concerned might, and ought, to have and &s;eek redre&s;s from Our Council, or Our other <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">udicatories) They pre&s;ume and pretend, that they are concerned in honor, to take reparation at <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">heir own hands in the &s;aid wicked, and con&s;equentially mo&s;t di&s;honorable way of fighting Duels, and do give and accept ap|peals and challenges, and do go to the Fields and fight Duels; To the great contemptand and affront of Our Authority, and the great hazard of both Parties, their Friends, and Seconds, and de&s;truction of their Souls and Bodies, if they &s;hould dye in &s;o unlawful an action and occa&s;ion. And though they &s;hould &s;urvive; if they &s;hould be brought under Our ju&s;t di&s;plea&s;ure, and the compa&s;&s;e of the Law, and capital puni&s;hment. For re&s;training and preventing whereof, We, with advice of Our Privy Coun|cil, do ordain, That the &s;aid Act of Parliament &s;hal be put in punctuall execution: And when&s;oever Our Council &s;hal have infor|mation, or notice that any Duel is fought, That they &s;hal be careful, and give order to &s;ei&s;e upon the delinquents, and impri|&s;on them, untill they be brought to their tryal and puni&s;hment according to Our Laws; and to that effect &s;hal give &s;pecial or|der to Our Advocat, to pro&s;ecute and pur&s;ue them. And &s;eing the granting of pardon and mercy to per&s;ons guilty of the &s;aid cryme, and the hope of impunity may be an occa&s;ion of cruelty, and imbolden others to adventure upon, and commit the like wickedne&s;&s;e; Therefore &s;uch per&s;ons, who &s;hall be guilty of the &s;aid crime, are not to expect that remi&s;&s;ions &s;hal be granted to them hereafter: And We declare and ordain, That if the fighting of a Duel, or &s;ingle Combat &s;hall be de&s;igned and undertaken by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">y Per&s;ons, and upon notice and di&s;covery the &s;ame &s;hall be prevented, and that they &s;hall be hindered and re&s;trained from fighting; yet the Challenger, and al&s;o the Defender, who &s;hall accept any &s;uch challenge, &s;hall be &s;everely puni&s;hed, albeit they be hindered and re&s;trained from going to, or fighting in the Fields. And likewayes the Seconds of any partie <HI>re&s;pective,</HI> and the&s;e who &s;hall carry any &s;uch challenge or appeal, &s;hall be puni&s;hed in maner aftermentioned; That is to &s;ay, The Provoker and Ap|pealler &s;hall be impri&s;oned during the plea&s;ure of Our Council, and fynned, if he be a Nobleman, in the &s;um of &s;ix thou&s;and pounds Scots: And if he be a landed Gentleman, in the &s;um of three thou&s;and pounds money fore&s;aid: And if he be of any other inferior quality, that he &s;hall be puni&s;hed as Our Council &s;hall think fit; and the partie appealled, and the &s;econds on either &s;ide <HI>re&s;pective,</HI> and the&s;e who &s;hall carry any &s;uch challenge, &s;hall be impri&s;oned during Our Councils plea&s;ure, and fynned, if they be Noble|men, in the &s;um of three thou&s;and pounds money fore&s;aid; If they be landed Gentlemen, in the &s;um of one thou&s;and five hundred pounds; And if they be of any other inferior quality, as Our Council &s;hall think fit; Be&s;ide what other pain or puni&s;h|ment Our Council &s;hall think fit to inflict. And ordains the&s;e pre&s;ents to be Printed, and publi&s;hed at the Market Cro&s;&s;e of <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> and other places needfull, That none pretend ignorance.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given under Our Signet at <HI>Holy-rood-hou&s;e,</HI> <DATE>the nineteenth day of <HI>March,</HI> one thou&s;and &s;ix hundred and &s;eventy four; and of Our Reign the twenty &s;ixth year.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><HI>Al. Gib&s;on</HI> Cl. S^t^i Concilii.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<CLOSER>God &s;ave the King.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>EDINB&V;RGH,</HI> Printed by <HI>Andrew Ander&s;on,</HI> Printer to the King's mo&s;t Excellent MAJESTY. <HI>Anno Dom.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters"></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
