ACT Act for putting the Kingdom in a Posture of Defence, to join with the present standing Forces, and new Levy.  
EDINBURGH, 3. July, 1650.  
THe Estates of Parliament now presently convened in this fift Session of this second Triennal Parliament, Considering the great preparations made by the Sectaries in England, to invade this Kingdom, To destroy the Religion, Laws, and Liberties thereof, wherein every ones private condition is included; And that sundry of their Ships are already taken, and that an Army in an hostile manner is daily marching toward their Border, And having several Intelligences that they intent without keeping of the Order of the Treaty, or giving any previous warning, to fall in upon this Nation; And withal, Considering that the King's Majesty hath given satisfaction to the Demands of the Parliament, and hath sworn and subscribed the Nationall Covenant, and the solemn League and Covenant; And is safely arrived within this Kingdom, and that they are obliged to defend his Royal person and authority in preservation of the true Religion, and Liberties of the Kingdom; And that according to the Law of God and Nations and the continued Acts and practices of the Nation, All sensible ●ersons betwixt 60. and 16. are bound to rise in Arms to defend the King and Kingdom from Invasion. Yet, The Estates of Parliament being desirous to avoid the confusion by the coming together of all sensible persons, Have rather thought fit, that a select number of Horse and Foot be in every Shire put in Companies, Troops, and Regiments; That they withal the Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heritors, Liferenters, Fewars, Wodsetters, may upon the sight of the Be●cons, or advertisement from the Parliament, Committee of Estates, or General Officers, march to the Rendezvouz of the Shire, and from thence to the place where the Army shall be, or where they shall receive Orders to go to for defence of the Kingdom: Therefore the Estates of Parliament doth appoint and ordain, that every Shire shall have in readiness in Companies, Troops, and Regiments, the proportion of the Foot and Horse, as after follows; Viz.  

For the Horse.  
Roxbrugh, 180. Ind 2. Troops, Rests 30. which being joined with Selkirk, whose proportion is 47. makes 1. Troop, rests 2. Dumfreis' 146. Ind 2. Troops, wants 4. Wigtown and Kirkcudbright 110. 1. Troop; rests 55. which being joined with Dumbartan, whose proportion in 30. makes 1. Troop, rests of Dumbartan 10. Air 173. and Renfrew 58. makes 3. Troops, at 73. the Troop. Lanerk 117. one Troop, rests 42. which being joined with Clakmanan 28. makes one Troop. Haddington 133. makes 2 Troops, at 67. the Troop. Edinburgh, 133. makes up 2. Troops, at 97. the piece. Peebles 49. with the rest of Dumbartan, which is 10. and the rest of Selkirk, which is 2. makes 1. Troop of 61. Lithgow, 66. 1. Troop. Stirling 90. and Bute 13. makes 2. Troops at 52. the piece. Pearth 228. three complete Troops, rests of Pearth 3. Fyfe and Kinroshire, 290. 4. complete Troops. Forfar 160. makes 2. Troops, rests 10. Kincardin 44. which with 10. out of the rest of Forfar, makes 1. Troop, at 54. Aberdeen 186. makes 3. Troops at 62. Elgin 54. and Nairne 14. makes a Troop at 68 Bamff 56. one Troop. innerness and Rosse, 138. makes two Troops, at 98. the Troop. Sutherland 15. Caithnes 24. Cromartie 3. one Troop at 42. Orknay and Zetland 54. one Troop. Argyle 80. one Troop.   

For the Foot.  
Mid Lothian 900. one Regiment. Haddington 900. one Regiment. Barwick 900. one Regiment. Dumfreis' 900. one Regiment. Roxbrugh and Selkirk, 1500. Peebles 300. Ind 1800. Ind two Regiments at 900. a piece. Fyfe and Kinrosse 1800. two Regiments at 700. a piece. Lithgow, 374. Stirling and Clakmanan, 750. Ind 1124. one Regiment. Wigtown and Kirkcudbright, 900. one Regiment. Lanerk 900. one Regiment. Air and Renfrew 1500. with Dumbartan joined, whose proportion is 240. makes in all two Regiments, at 870. a piece. Pearth 1840. two Regiments. Forfar 1214. one Regiment. Kincardin and Marshals part of Aberdeen, 900. one Regiment. Rest of Aberdeen and Bamff, 1200. one Regiment. Elgin, Nairn, and that part of Inneresse on this side Ness, 750. one Regiment. Seaforth and Lovats division of innerness, 750. one Regiment. Rest of innerness, Sutherland, Rosse, and Caithnesse, 1200. one Regiment. Orknay, and Zetland, 750. and Bute, one Regiment. Argyles division of innerness, 800. one Regiment.  
And that by and attour, these of the late Leavy of the date the twenty fift of June last bypast, who are no ways to be retarded by this Act, which is in place of the Act of Posture of all the sensible men, and which is appointed for the strengthening of the new Leavy, and of the old Forces, And this is also by and attour the outcoming of all Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heretors, Liferenters, Fewars, and Wed-setters, excepting as is after excepted. Likeas the saids Estates nominates these who are herewith sent to be Colonels for the Regiments of Foot above specified, viz. For the Sheriffdome of Edinburgh, The Lord Balmerinoch to be Colonel. For the Shire of Haddington, The Lord Angus. For Berwick, The Laird of Iddington. For Dumfreis, Archbald Douglas of Dornoch, and Crawfurdtown his Lieutenant Colonel; Roxbrugh, Selkirk, and Peebles, The Earls of Lothian and Buckoleuch; Fyfe and Kinroshire, The Lord Burgly, or the Laird of Waghton, and Sir William Douglas▪ Lithgow, Stirling, and Clakmanan Shires, The Laird of Buchanan and Sir Joseph Donglas, Lieutenant Colonel. Wigtoun, and Stewartrie of Kirkcudbright, The Lord Kirkcudbright. Lanerk, Sir William Carmichael. Air, Renfrew, and Dumbartan, The Lord Chancellor, or the Lord Mauchlein his son, and the Earl of Cassils' Colonels. For Pearth Shire, the Lord Couper, and the Laird of Gleneagies Elder; Forfar, The Laird of Edʒell. Kincarden, and Marshal's part of Aberdeen, The Viscount of Arbuthnot. Rest of Aberdeen and Bamff The Laird of lesly younger. Elgin, Nairn, and the Earl of Murrayes division of innerness, Sir Alexander Sutherland of Duffus. Seafort, and Lord Lovats division of innerness, Alexander Frazer Tutor of Lovat. marquis of Argyles division of innerness, The said Lord marquis of Argyle, or any he pleases name. The rest of innerness, Rosse, Sutherland, and Caithnes, The Earl of Sutherland or any he pleases nominate and appoint, Major Ross, Sir John Sincler of Dumbeath. Orkney and Zeatland, And anent the foot appointed to be put forth by the Shires of Air, Renfrew, and Dumbartan, if the Earl of Loudoun, Lord Chaucellour, or L. Machlein his Son, and the Earl of Cassils' Colonels aforesaid or any one of them, crave that such a number of the said foot be converted unto horse, as with the proportion of horse above mentioned, to be put forth by the saids Shires, will make up a Regiment of horse; In that case the said's Estates of Parliament, do give Power, Liberty, and Freedom to the Committees of War of the said's Shires in their option, to convert so many of the saids foot into horse, at the rate of one horseman for three footmen, as shall be desired by the saids Colonels, or any of them. And the said's Estates Ordains the Committees of War, with the advice of the Colonels in the several Shires and divisions they being present, to meet all in their own several Committees, immediately after the receipt of this Act; And that they sit continually from day to day, until they determine, proportion and settle the said's numbers of horse and foot in several Troops, Companies and Regiments, and choose and appoint more Colonels, Rootmasters, and all Officers necessary; they being persons so qualified, as is required in the late printed Act of Leavy, for leading and commanding the said's forces, and that they send in the names of these whom they appoint, unto the Committee of the Parliament which is appointed for purging of the Army. And the said's Estates Ordains the footmen to be sufficiently armed with Muskets, Pikes, and Swords, and any other their best arms, and the horsemen to be armed with Pistols and Lances, broad Swords, and steel Caps. And if any of the Heritors or other persons aforesaids be aged, or known to be infirm, or be persons excepted, as after follows, That they send out able men with their best horse and arms, and that the Magistrates within burgh's, Heritors, & others designed as aforesaid, or in their absence, the Bailies and Factors to Landward, shallbe answerable for bringing the persons within their bounds, according to their proportion armed as said is, and where they have no arms, that they bring money to buy them with, & that under the like pains as is contained in the late Act of Levie. And the said's Estates Ordains the Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heritors, Fewers and Woodsetters, to provide themselves, and the proportions whom they hereby are to put forth, with 30. day's provision, for these on this side of Aberdeen, & with 40. day's provision for these by North Aberdeen. And farther, the said's Estates appoints the Committees of War, to provide as many Arms and Ammunition, as will arm the numbers aforesaid, craved from the Shire, and that either by giving present money for them, or Bands for payment thereof, at a certain 〈…〉 … ey to have letters of relief against the Heritors for repayment of the same; with power to the said Committees, to distribute arms to these who wants, and with direction to the Colonel to cause dreill and train the said men, put them in Companies, Troops, and Regiments. And the said Estates appoints the Committees of War, and Colonels, to agree and resolve upon such place & places, whereunto they will appoint the foresaid horse & foot of the Shire to have the Rendezvouz within the Shire, upon the seeing of the Beacons burning, or upon other advertisement from their neighbour Shires of the country, or from the general Officers, for to rise, that from thence they may march and join with the army where they shall be, or according as they shall receive Order from the Parliament, Committee of Estates, or general Officers, & to the effect foresaid, The saids Estates appoints the Committees of War in every Shire, without failyie or delay, at the first meeting to cause erect Beacons, and have all other things necessary ready upon the tops of the highest places within the Shire where Beacons used before to be put; that by the firing of the same, the people of their own Shire may be warned to draw presently to the Rendezvouz, and the other Shires also may be warned to draw to their Rendezvouz, that so they may all the sooner join with the Army for defence of the Kingdom; Likeas they appoint the Committees of War of the Shires, or any of them, or any of their Officers, to give present advertisement thereof to these of their neighbouring Shires, and so from Shire to Shire with all possible speed, and also to the Committees of Estates and general Officers. And further, The Estates of Parliament Ordains all Noblemen, Gentlemen, Heretors, Liferenters, Fewars and Woodsetters, to come forth themselves, under the pains following, (except the Burgh of Edinburgh, Sterling, Pearth, and Dundee, who are ordained hereby to put all their sensible persons within their towns, in Arms and Posture of Defence, for safety of these places; and except these persons who are debarred from public trust, by the first and second Class of the Act at Saint Androos, 1646. and at Edinburgh. 1640. who are hereby appointed to put out all their proportions within their bounds, with their best horse & arms at the sight of the Committee of War, under the command of these who are apppointed by the Parliament, or Committee of War of the Shire as aforesaid; but are hereby discharged under the pains contained the Band, for keeping the peace, either to associate themselves in parties in arms, or to join with our army) viz. Ilk Nobleman, Gentleman, Heritor, Life-renter, and Woodsetter, under the pain of being esteemed infringers of their Covenant, neglecters of the defence of Religion, the King, and the Kingdom; and of being punished by death, infamy, loss of all their moveables, and forfeiture of a third part of their Estates. And further, The saids Estates doth ordain and appoint, That by and attour the numbers aforesaid, in the bordering Shires, and the other Shires where the actual Invasion shall be; That upon the said Invasion, or upon the sight of the Beacons. The whole persons sensible rise in arms, and draw together to the place where the standing forces of the Kingdom are at a Rendezvouz, or whereto they shall receive orders to march, and to the end none may pretend Ignorance, Ordains the Act to be published at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh; and withal, Ordains it to be printed, and sent to the Committees of War of the several Shires, who are hereby required to put the same with all possible diligence in execution, as they would not be esteemed and punished as infringers of the Covenant, and neglecters of the defence of the Religion, King and Kingdom; And withal declares, that the publishing hereof at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, and Printing of the same, shall be a sufficient intimation against the contraviners thereof.    
FINIS.