royal blazon or coat of arms 
WM RR  HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT A PROCLAMATION, Anent the BEGGARS.  
WILLIAM and MARY, by the grace of GOD, King and Queen of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, Defenders of the Faith; To _____ Macers of Our Privy Council, Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally, specially constitute, Greeting:  
Whereas several good Laws have been made by our Royal Predecessors, for maintaining the poor, and relieving the lieges of the Burden: of Vagabonds, In prosecution, whereof, We hereby require the Heretors, Ministers and Elders of every Paroch to meet on the second Tuesday of September next at their Paroch Church, and there to make Lists of all the Poor within their Church, and to cast up the Quota of what may Entertain them according to their respective Needs, and to cast the said Quota, the one half upon the Heretors, and the other ha●f upon the Householders of the Paroch, and to Collect the same in the beginning of every Week, Month, or Quarter, as they shall judge most fit: And to appoint two Overseers Yearly to Collect and Distribute the said Maintenance to the Poor, according to their several Needs: And likewise to appoint an Officer to serve under the saids Overseers, for in bringing of the Maintenance, and for expelling Stranger Vagabonds from the Paroch, Whose Fee is to be stented on the Paroch, as the rest of the Maintenance for the poor is stented: And such Poor as are not provided of Houses for themselves, or by their Friends, the Heretors are to provide them with Houses, on the Expense of the Paroch in manner foresaid; and if any Paroch shall fail in providing sufficiently for their own Poor, the Paroch so failing, shall pay the Sum of two Hundreth pounds Scots, to be uplifted: A third part to the Pursuer, and two parts to be applied to the Maintenance of the Poor of the Paroch, and that Monthly, toties quoties, as they shall fail in their Duty; And if there be any Mortifications already, or if any hereafter shall accrue to any Paroch, the same shall be applied by the advice of the Heretors and E●… the use foresaid▪ but ●…hout diminution of the Stock of the said's Mortifications. And the Heretors and Elders are her●… appointed, to have 〈◊〉 second Meeting at the said's Paroch-kirks, this year on the second Tuesday of October next, for a more exact settling of this Matter; And yearly thereafter the Heretors, Ministers and Elders of every Paroch are to meet on the first tuesday of February, and the first Tuesday of August, yearly to Consult and Determine herein as shall be thought fit, for every ensuing half year: And to appoint Overseers by the year, or half year as they shall conclude: And all the Ministers are hereby required to give eimous Information to the Sheriff of the Shire, if any Paroch shall fail in performance of this Christian Duty, in whole, or in part; and the Sheriff or Sheriff Depute are hereby required, to call the Delinquents before them without any delay, and if guilty to fine them in double of the Quota, which the Minister shall attest to be wanting, and to cause poinded for the same immediately; and where Churches are Vacant, that two of the greatest Heretors residing within the Paroch shall be appointed by the first Meeting in September next, to inquire in the duty of Parochiners and Overseers, and to inform the Sheriff of their Delinquency: And if any of the Poor in the Paroch be able to Work, the Heretors of the Paroch are hereby Authorized and required, to put them to Work according to their Capacities, either within the Paroch, or in any adjacent Manufactory, as they shall find expedient, furnishing them always with Meat and . And if any young Children be found Begging, under the Age of fifteen Years, any Person who shall take the said Children, and bring them before the Heretors, Ministers and Elders, and cause registrat the Name and Designation of the Child in the Session Book, and shall there Enact himself to Educate the said Child, either for Trade or Work, and take an Extract of the Act from the Clerk of the Session: The said Child shall be obliged to serve the said Person, so Educating him for Meat and , until he pass the thirtieth year of his Age. And all Manufactories are declared to have the same Privilege as to the Education of such young Ones: and this to extend, not only to the Children of Beggars, but also to poor Children whose Parents are Dead, or with Consent of the Parents, if they be alive: And if any young Ones above fifteen years of Age, shall voluntarly engage themselves upon the like Conditions, the same method is to be extended to them in every point: And if any of the young Ones so Educated, shall disobey their Masters when reasonably i●…ployed, their Masters are hereby warranted to Correct them, as they judge expedient, life and torture excepted. And if any Person, Harbour or Reset any such servant belonging to any other, they shall return them to their Masters on Demand, under the pain of one Hundreth Marks toties quoties, as oft as they shall be required so to do: And if any Masters shall exact any Inhuman or too rigid Service, from any such Servant, the Sherriffs or Justices of Peace upon Application by the Servants are to judge in the Case; and if the severity so deserve, the servant may be loosed from such a Master: The Servant or some for him paying the Master, as much yearly as the Fee of Servants of that Quality would extend to each year, in the number of years wanting, to the thirtieth Year of the Servants Age. And the Heretors' Meeting on the days appointed, or Major part of them are Authorized and Required, to Conclude and Determine Matters for that half year: And to the end that all the Poor may be returned to their own parochs, and the Nation freed of Vagabonds, We strictly Require and Command, all the Beggars within the Kingdom, forthwith to Repair to their several parochs with all Diligence, and to keep the ordinary Highways to the same, and so soon as they come to their Paroch, to present themselves to the Heretors and Elders, that their Names may be Listed amongst the Poor of the Paroch, and they Lodged and Entertained accordingly; with Certification to all who shall be found Begging, without the bounds of their Paroch, after the said second Tuesday of September next: They shall be Seized as Vagabonds, Imprisoned and Fed on Bread ●…d Water for a Months' or till they be sent Home to their Paroch, in manner : And if they be found Vaging a second time, they are to be Marked with an Iron on the Face: And all the lieges are hereby prohibited, to give any Alms to such Begging Vagabonds, other than Bread and Water allenarly, after the said second Tuesday of September, until they arrive at their own parochs: And to the End, that Our will hereanent, may be the more Speedily made Practicable; We strictly Command and Charge, all our lieges within this Our Ancient Kingdom, to apprehend such Beggars as they shall find Vaging without their own Paroch, after the Second Tuesday of September, and forthwith to carry them to the Principal Heretor of the Paroch where they are apprehended, if it be in Landward: And to one of the Bailies in Towns, who shall examine the Beggar in the Shire and Paroch where he was Born, and shall direct him forthwith to the nearest Paroch that lies in the Road, to the Paroch of his Birth, and deliver him to the nearest Heretor, that lies in that Highway in the next Paroch, and so forth from Paroch to Paroch in the same Road, until he arrive to the Paroch of his Nativity, who shall then List him, and Entertain him amongst their Poor. And the Heretors to whom the Vagabonds are delivered, are hereby Authorized and Required, to send two Fencible Men of their Paroch, to Convoy every Beggar to the Heretor of the next Paroch, and to send a Note of the Beggar's Name, and the Paroch where he was Born, which is to be delivered to the next Heretor who receives him, and every Heretor who receives him, is to return a Note signed of his Receipt, and so forth from Heretor to Heretor in every several Paroch: And if any of the said's Beggars shall offer to make their Escape in their Transportation, the Beggar so doing, shall be Scourged and Fed on Bread and Water during the rest of his Journey: And whoever gives Alms to any Beggar not in their Paroch, after the said second Tuesday of September, and shall not seize him in order to his Transportation as said is, shall be fined in Twenty Shilling Scots, toties quoties, to be uplifted by the Overseers, and applied to the use of the Poor of the Paroch; and if the Heretor to whom the Vagabond shall be brought, fail in his Duty of sending him, he shall be Fined in Twenty Pound Scots, toties quoties, to be applied as said is; and if any Fencible Man sent to Convey them refuse, or fail in his Duty, he is to be Fined in two Marks Scots, toties quoties, to be applied as said is; and the said's Fencible Men are to be Chosen by Turns, in the saids parochs. And whereas, by the eighteenth Act of the third Session, second Parliament Charles the Second, Correction-houses are appointed to Erected, in several burgh's therein mentioned, for employing of poor People in Work as they are Capable, which have been hitherto too much neglected, (until the Lesser burgh's be able to perform what is there Required, lest so good a Design should Totally fail:) We hereby strictly Require Our burgh's of Edinburgh, Stirling, Dundie, Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Jedburgh, Dumfreis, and Cowper in Fyfe, or such of them as have not already Established Correction-houses, in manner, and to the Ends prescribed by the said Act, to Erect and Establish such Houses, and to receive such poor for Work therein, as shall be sent to them from any Paroch, in manner, and on the Conditions prescribed by that Act, and this but prejudice of Erecting of Correction-houses in other burgh's therein-mentioned, with all conveniency. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE, and we charge you straight, and Command, that incontinent these Our Letters seen ye Pass to the Mercat-cross of Edinburgh, and to the Mercat-crosses of the whole Head burgh's of the several Shires of this Kingdom: And there in Our Name and Authority by open Proclamation make publication of the Premises, that none pretend Ignorance: And Ordains these Presents to be Printed.  
Given under Our Signet at Edinburgh, the eleventh day of August. And of Our Reign the fourth Year, 1692. Per actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. In Supplementum Signeti. DA. MONCRIEFF. Cls. Sti. Concilii.  
GOD save King William and Queen Mary.   

Edinburgh, Printed by the Heir of Andrew Anderson, Printer to Their most Excellent Majesties, Anno DOM, 1692.