I  
DIEV ET MON DROIT  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE   royal blazon or coat of arms  
By the King, A PROCLAMATION For putting in Execution the Additional Act for Improvement of Tillage.  
JAMES R.  
WHereas by an Act made in the Two and twentieth Year of the Reign of Our late Brother of ever Blessed Memor● Entitled, An Act for the Improvement of Tillage, and the Breed of cattle, It was Provided and Enacted, That from and after the Nine and twentieth of June One thousand six hundred and seventy, and from thence forward, certain Rates should be paid for the Custom and Poundage of Foreign Corn and Grain Imported into this Our Kingdom according to the Prices of English Corn at the Times, Havens and Places when and where the same should be Imported. And forasmuch as no Provision was made by the said Act for ascertaining and determining of the said Prices, whereby the said Law was rendered ineffectual, One other Act was made in the First Year of Our Reign, Entitled, An Additional Act for Improvement of Tillage, whereby it is Provided, amongst other things, That all and every Our justices of the Peace for the several and respective Counties within Our Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Our Town of Berwick upon Tweed, shall at their next respective Quarter-Sessions after Michaelmas and Easter yearly, by the Oaths of Two or more honest and substantial Persons of the respective Counties, being neither Merchants nor Factors for the Importing of Corn, nor any ways concerned nor interessed in the Corn Imported, and each of them having a Freé-hold Estate of Twenty pounds per Annum, or a Lease-hold Estate of Fifty pounds per Annum above all Charges and Reprizes, and being skilful in the Prices of Corn, and by such other ways and means, as to them shall seem fit, to Examine and Determine the Common Market Prices of middling English Corn and Grain of the respective Sorts in the said former. Act mentioned, as the same shall be commonly bought and sold in the said respective Counties into which any Foreign Corn or Grain shall be Imported, and certify the same, with Two such Oaths made, as aforesaid, in Writing annexed, unto Our Chief Officer and Collector of Our Customs for the time being, residing in the said respective Ports and Havens where the said Corn and Grain shall be Imported, to be hung up in some Public Place in the Custom-house. And it is thereby likewise Enacted, That the Custom and Duty of Foreign Corn and Grain Imported into any of Our said Dominions of England, Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, appointed by the said former Act to be paid, shall be Collected and paid according to the Prices contained in such respective Certificates as aforesaid, and not otherwise. And it is further thereby Provided, That all that by virtue of the said last mentioned Act is to be done by Our justices of the Peace at their Quarter-Sessions in their several Counties, shall be done and performed in like manner in the City of London in the Months of October and April yearly by the Mayor, aldermans and justices of the Peace there; And that the Persons making such Oaths shall be no Corn-Chandler, Mealman, Factor, Merchant, or other Person Interested in such Corn so to be Imported, but shall be some substantial Housekeepers living in Middlesex or Surrey, qualified as aforesaid. And whereas We are given to understand by the Humble Petition of several of Our Loving Subjects Trading in Corn, That through the general neglect in most parts of Our Kingdom, of putting the said last mentioned Act in Execution, by ascertaining the Prices of Corn and Grain, as is thereby directed, and by the subtle and crafty practices of unfair Dealers, by raising the Price of Corn in some few and small Markets, when Corn hath generally born but a low Price, on purpose to defraud Us of the higher Duty due by Law, and thereby to enable themselves to undersell Our Loving Subjects Trading in Corn of the growth of Our Dominions, which mischiefs were principally intended to have been prevented by the said Acts. And being fully satisfied that the said Act made in the First Year of Our Reign, is of Public benefit to this Our Kingdom: We have thought fit, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to signify and Publish Our Will and Pleasure, That the said Act made in the First Year of Our Reign, be duly and strictly put in Execution. And We do hereby Will and Command Our Mayor, aldermans, and justices of the Peace within Our City of London for the time being, and all and every Our justices of the Peace for the time being for the several and respective Counties and Places within Our Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, That from henceforth they do Half-yearly duly and strictly observe the Directions of the said Act, in examining and determining the Common Market-Prices of Corn and Grain within their respective Counties and Places, and make Certificate thereof to Our Chief Officers of Our respective Custom-houses, as by the said Act is Directed. And to the end they may be constantly put in mind of their Duties therein, We do strictly Charge and Command all and every Clerks of the Peace and Town-Clerks at the several Sessions of the Peace next after Easter and Michaelmas, to cause this Our Proclamation to be fixed in some open place in the respective Session Houses, that it may be read by Our justices of the Peace attending such Sessions, and to cause the same to be constantly read at the said respective Sessions. And We do strictly Charge and Command all and every of Our Chief Officers and Collectors of Our Customs in Our several Ports and Havens, that they yield Obedience to Our Royal Will and Pleasure in the due Observance of the said Act, as they will answer the contrary.  
Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Fourth day of November, 1687. In the Third Year of Our Reign. 
 GOD SAVE THE KING.   

LONDON, Printed by Charles Bill, Henry Hills, and Thomas Newcomb, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty. 1687.