An ordinance of the Lords & Commons assembled in Parliament, against unlicensed or scandalous pamphlets, and for the better regulating of printing. 28 Septembr. 1647. Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, that this ordinance be forthwith printed and published. H: Elsynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com. England and Wales. Parliament. This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A83015 of text R204428 in the English Short Title Catalog (Thomason E409_20). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 6 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2017 A83015 Wing E1802 Thomason E409_20 ESTC R204428 99863921 99863921 116137 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A83015) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 116137) Images scanned from microfilm: (Thomason Tracts ; 65:E409[20]) An ordinance of the Lords & Commons assembled in Parliament, against unlicensed or scandalous pamphlets, and for the better regulating of printing. 28 Septembr. 1647. Ordered by the Commons assembled in Parliament, that this ordinance be forthwith printed and published. H: Elsynge, Cler. Parl. D. Com. England and Wales. Parliament. [8] p. Printed for Edward Husband, Printer to the Honorable House of Commons, London : Sept. 30. 1647. Reproduction of the original in the British Library. eng Censorship -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800. Prohibited books -- Great Britain -- Early works to 1800. A83015 R204428 (Thomason E409_20). civilwar no An ordinance of the Lords & Commons assembled in Parliament,: against unlicensed or scandalous pamphlets, and for the better regulating of England and Wales. Parliament. 1647 1063 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 A This text has no known defects that were recorded as gap elements at the time of transcription. 2008-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2008-02 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-03 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2008-03 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion AN ORDINANCE OF THE LORDS & COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT , AGAINST Unlicensed or Scandalous PAMPHLETS , AND For the better Regulating of PRINTING . 28 Septembr . 1647. ORdered by the Commons assembled in Parliament , That this Ordinance be forthwith Printed and Published . H : Elsynge , Cler. Parl. D.Com. LONDON : Printed for Edward Husband , Printer to the Honorable House of Commons , Sept. 30. 1647. An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament , against Unlicensed or Scandalous Pamphlets , and for the better Regulating of Printing . THe Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled taking notice of the many Seditious , False and Scandalous Papers and Pamphlets daily printed and published in and about the Cities of London and Westminster , and thence dispersed into all parts of this Realm , and other parts beyond the Seas , to the great abuse and prejudice of the People , and insufferable reproach of the proccedings of the PARLIAMENT and their Army ; for the better suppression thereof , and prevention of the like inconveniences in time to come , do Order and Ordain , and be it Ordered and Ordained by the said Lords and Commons , That what person soever shall Make , Write , Print , Publish , Sell or Utter , or cause to be Made , Written , Printed , Published , Sold or Uttered , any Book , Pamphet , Treatise , Ballad , Libel , Sheet or Sheets of News whatsoever ( except the same be Licensed by both or either House of Parliament , or by such person or persons as shall be thereunto Authorized by one or both Houses of Parliament ) with the Name of the Author , Printer and Licenser thereunto prefixed , shall for every such Offence , suffer , pay and incur the Punishment , Fine and Penalty hereafter mentioned ; that is to say , The Maker , Writer or Composer of any such Unlicensed Book , Pamphlet , Treatise , Ballad , Libel , Sheet or Sheets of News , shall forfeit and pay Forty shillings , or be Imprisoned in the Common Goal for the County or Liberty where the Offence is committed , or the Offender shall be found , until he shall pay the same , so that the said Imprisonment exceed not Forty days ; The Printer to forfeit and pay . Twenty shillings , and suffer the like Imprisonment , until he pay the same , the said Imprisonment not exceeding Twenty days , and likewise to have his Press and Implements of Imprinting seized and broken in pieces ; The Bookseller or Stationer to forfeit and pay ten shillings , or be Imprisoned in like maner until he pay the same , the Imprisonment not exceeding Ten days ; And the Hawker , Pedler or Ballad-singer to forfeit and lose all his Books , Pamphlets and printed Papers exposed to sale , and also to be whipt as a Common Rogue in the Liberty or Parish where the said Offender shall be apprehended , or the Offence committed . And it is farther Ordained by the said Lords and Commons , That the several and respective Members of the Committees for the Militia in London , Middlesex and Surrey , and all Majors and other head-Officers of Corporations , and all Justices of the Peace of the several Counties , Cities and Liberties within this Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales , and every of them in their respective Liberties and Jurisdictions , be hereby authorized and required to put this Ordinance in execution ; and all Constables , Headboroughs , and other Officers and Ministers are hereby authorized and required , together with such assistants as they shall call unto them , to enter into any Shop or House where they shall be informed , or have good cause to suspect any such unlicensed Pamphlets and Papers are Printed , Sold or Uttered , and to take and seize the same , and likewise all Presses and Implements of Printing , and to bring them , together with the Offenders and all other Offenders against this Ordinance , before the said Members of the Committees , Majors , head-Officers and Justices of the Peace , or any one of them , that the Fines , Pains and Penalties before-mentioned may be imposed and inflicted upon the same Offenders , according to the intention and meaning of this Ordinance . And it is also Ordained by the Authority aforesaid , That the view of any one Justice of the Peace , head-Officer or Member of the Committees aforesaid , or the Oath of one credible Witness ( which Oath in such cases they and every one of them are hereby authorized to administer ) shall be a sufficient conviction of any Offender in the cases before-recited ; And the same Justice of the Peace , Major or other head-Officer or Member of the Committees aforesaid , have hereby Authority to dispose one Moyety of the Fine paid by vertue of this Ordinance , to the Collectors for the Poor of the Liberty or Parish where the Offence is committed , and the other Moyety to the person or persons who shall discover and prosecute the said Offenders . And finally it is Ordained , That all persons acting any thing by vertue of this Ordinance , shall be saved harmless and indempnified by Authority of both Houses of Parliament . Provided always , and it is hereby Declared , That the Penalties in this Ordinance expressed , shall not extend to acquit any person or persons that shall Make , Write , Print , Publish , Sell or Utter , or cause to be Made , Written , Published , Sold or Uttered , any Book , Pamphlet , Treatise , Ballad , Libel , Sheet or Sheets of News that shall contain any Seditious , Treasonable or Blasphemous matter , but the Offenders in that kinde shall be liable to such farther penalties as by the Laws of this Land are provided , or by Authority of PARLIAMENT shall be adjudged according to the penalty of such Offences . H : Elsynge , Cler. Parl. D. Com. FINIS .