or loss; and if any act or acts or other process of the law hereafter thereupon for the same happen to be made contrary to this ordinance, that then that act or acts or other process of the law whatsoever they shall be, stand and be utterly void.

II. Provided alway that no person nor persons shall take any benefit or advantage by this act which shall hereafter decline from his or their said allegiance.

138. An Act against Unlawful Retainers and Liveries

THE

(150). 19 Henry VII. c. 14. 2 S. R. 658.)

HE king our sovereign lord calleth to his remembrance that where before this time divers statutes, for punishment of such persons that give or receive liveries, or that retain any person or persons or be retained with any person or persons, with divers pains and forfeitures in the same statutes comprised, have been made and established, and that notwithstanding divers persons have taken upon them some to give and some to receive liveries and to retain and be retained contrary to the form of the said statutes, and little or nothing is or has been done for the punishment of the offenders in that behalf, wherefore our sovereign lord the king by the advice of the lords spiritual and temporal and of the commons of his realm in this parliament being and by the authority of the same, hath ordained, established and enacted, that all his statutes and ordinances before this time made against such as make unlawful retainers, and such as be so retained, or that give or receive livery, be plainly observed and kept and put in due execution.

II. And over that our said sovereign lord and king ordaineth, establisheth and enacteth by the said authority, that no person of what estate or degree or condition he be, by himself or any other for him by his commandment or agreement or assent, privily or openly give any livery or sign, or retain any person other than such as he giveth household wages unto without fraud or colour, or that he be his manual servant or his officer or man learned in one law or in the other, by any writing, oath, promise, livery, sign, badge, token, or in any other manner or wise unlawfully retain ; and if any do the contrary that then he run and fall in the pain and forfeiture for every such livery and sign, badge or token c. s.

and the taker and accepter of every such livery, badge, token, or sign to forfeit and pay for every such livery and sign, badge, or token so accepted c. s., and for every month that he useth or keepeth such livery or sign, badge or token after that he hath taken or accepted the same to forfeit and pay c. s., and every person that by oath, writing or promise, or in any other wise unlawfully retain privily or openly, and also every such person that so is retained, to forfeit and pay for every such time c. s., and as well every person that so retaineth as every person that is so retained to forfeit and pay for every month that such retainer is continued c. s. And that every person that before the making of this act by livery, sign, token, writing, badge, oath, promise. or otherwise unlawfully hath retained any person, or by reason thereof is retained at the time of making of this act, contrary to the premises, that as well every of them that keepeth any person so in retainer as every person that so is and continueth so retained shall forfeit to the king for every month, from the feast underwritten, that such retainer is continued, c. s.

VI. Moreover the king our sovereign lord by the advice, assent and authority aforesaid, hath ordained, established, and enacted, that every person that will sue or complain before the chancellor of England or the keeper of the king's great seal in the star chamber, or before the king in his bench, or before the king and his council attending upon his most royal person wheresoever he be, so that there be three of the same council at the least, of the which two shall be lords spiritual or temporal, against any person or persons offending or doing against the form of this ordinance or any other of the premises, be admitted by their discretion to give information, and every such informer so admitted shall be received to sue upon the said matter by information, and that he be received and admitted to give such information or informations before the said chancellor or keeper of the seal in the star chamber or before the king in his bench or before the king and his council aforesaid against as many such offenders as the person that so shall inform will or shall name; and that upon the same all such persons be called by writ, subpoena, privy seal or otherwise, and the said chancellor or keeper of the seal or the king in his bench or the said council to have power to examine all persons defendants and every of them, as well by oath as otherwise, and to adjudge him or them convict or attaint as well by such examination as otherwise in such penalties as is aforesaid as

the case shall require; and also shall charge by judgment in the same such person or persons so convict or attaint to the person, plaintiff or informer in all costs therein had, by the discretion of him or them before whom he shall be so attainted or convicted; and also the same party, plaintiff or informer shall have such reasonable reward of that that by his complaint shall grow to the king as shall be thought reasonable by the discretion of the said chancellor or keeper of the great seal, justices or council.

139.

Reversal of Attainders

(150. 19 Henry VII. c. 28. 2 S. R. 669.)

THE HE king our sovereign lord, considering that divers and many persons, whereof some of them and some of their ancestors were and be attainted of high treason for divers offences by them committed and done against their natural duty of their allegiance, make and have made instant and diligent pursuit in their most humble wise to His Highness of his mercy and pity to have the said attainders reversed and the same persons so attainted to be severally restored, that is to say Humphrey Stafford son to Humphrey Stafford esquire, John Baynton son to Robert Baynton late of Fallesdon in the county of Wiltes, Robert Ratclyff son to John Ratclyff knight, late Lord Fytzwalter, Thomas Mountforde son and heir to Simon Mountforde knight, Thomas Wyndham son to John Wyndham knight, Thomas Tyrrell son to James Tyrrell knight, John Charleton son to Richard Charleton knight, Charles Clyfforde son and heir to Jane sister and heir to Thomas Courteney late Earl of Devonshire, John Malory of Lynchebarowe in the county of Northampton gentleman; the king's Highness of his especial grace, mercy and pity, being sorry for any such untruth and fall of any of his subjects in such case, is therefore inclined to hear and speed reasonably the said petitioners, so if there were convenient time and space in this present parliament, as yet is not, for the great and weighty matters concerning the common weal of this land treated in the same, and that the said parliament draweth so near to the end, and that after the same His Highness is not minded for the ease of his subjects without great, necessary and urgent causes of long time to call and summon a new parliament, by which long tract of time the said suitors and petitioners

were and should be discomforted and in despair of expedition of their suits, petitions and causes, unless convenient remedy for them were purveyed in this behalf: wherefore and in consideration of the premises the king's Highness is agreed and contented that it be enacted by the lords spiritual and temporal and the commons in this present parliament assembled and by authority of the same, that the king's Highness, from henceforth during his life, shall have plain and full authority and power by his letters patent under his great seal, to reverse, annull, repeal and avoid all the attainders of the said persons and every of them and the heirs of every of them, and of all other persons and the heirs of such persons and every of them as have been attainted of high treason by act of parliament or by the common law, at any time from the xxii day of August the first year of his most noble reign to the first day of this present parliament; and also of all persons attainted in and by this present parliament; and also of all other persons attainted of treason at any time during the reign of King Richard the Third as well by the course and order of the common law as by the authority of parliament or otherwise and furthermore the king's Grace by his letters patents under his said great seal to have full authority and power to restore the same persons so attainted and their heirs and every of them and to enable them in name, blood and inheritance as if the said attainders or any of them had never been had nor made; and that the said letters patent rehearsing the said reversal, repeal, annullation and avoydance of the said acts of attainder or any of them, and the restitutions and enablements of the said persons or any of them, and the inheritance contained in any of the king's said letters patent at any time hereafter to be made according to the effect of this act, be as good, effectual and available in the law to every of the same persons to whom they shall be made according to the effect, tenor, purports, grants and words in the same so made according to the effect of this act, as if the same matters, words, tenors, and purports, contained in any of the said letters patent so made, were fully enacted, established and authorized by authority of parliament.

II. Provided alway that all persons that have or hold any honours, castles, lordships, manors, lands, tenements, fees, offices, annuities, fermes, rent charges, liberties, franchises, or other hereditaments or possessions, by the king's letters patent, privy seal, placard or bills assigned, in fee simple, fee tail or for term of life or of years or at will, or by letters patent made by King Edward the IVth, shall have, hold and enjoy to them, their heirs and assignees, against such persons as so hereafter shall be restored and

their heirs and assignees and against all other to their use and against none other persons, all the same honours, castles, manors, lordships, lands, tenements, fees, offices, rents and other premises, after the form, tenor and effect of the same letters patent, privy seal, placard or bills assigned, as if this act or any such restitution to them had never been had or made.

140. Grant of Two Aids

(150. 19 Henry VII. c. 32. 2 S. R. 675.)

FORASMUCH as the king our sovereign lord is rightfully entitled

to have two reasonable aids according to the laws of this land, the one aid for the making knight of the right noble prince his first begotten son Arthur late Prince of Wales deceased whose soul God pardon, and the other aid for the marriage of the right noble princess his first begotten daughter Margaret now married unto the king of Scots; and also that His Highness hath sustained and borne great and inestimable charges for the defense of this his realm, and for a firm and perpetual peace with the realm of Scotland and many other countries and regions, to the great weal, comfort and quietness of all his subjects; the commons in this present parliament assembled, considering the premises, and that if the same aids should be either of them levied and had by reason of their tenures according to the ancient laws of this land, should be to them doubtful, uncertain and great inquietness for the search and non knowledge of their several tenures and of their lands chargeable to the same, have made humble petition unto His Highness graciously to accept and take of them the sum of xl M' li. as well in recompense and satisfaction of the said two aids, as for the said great and inestimable charges which His Grace hath sustained and borne as is aforesaid, to the weal, surety and comfort perpetual of them, their heirs and successors; upon the which petition and offer so made His Grace benignly considering the good and loving mind of his subjects and to eschew and avoid the great vexations, troubles and unquietness which to them should have ensued if the said aids were levied, received and taken after the ancient laws and form, as the said commons in their said petition have considered, and also calling to his most noble remembrance the good and acceptable services that the nobles of this realm and other his faithful and true sub