PROCLAMATION 
 Anent the Collectors of the Pole-money, and other Points relating thereto.  
WILLIAM by the Grace of GOD, King of Great-Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, To Macers of Our Priwy Council, Messengers at Arms, Our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally specially constitute, Greeting;  
Forasmuchas, the Pole money for two years granted to Us by the 12, and 25th. Acts of the last Session of Our current Parliament, is set in Tack, and fermed with the benefit of the Acts of Parliament imposing the same; And considering that the time of payment of the said first years Pole-money, does now approach and draw near, and that sundry of Our lieges by Negligence or otherways, may be obnoxious and in hazard of incurring the Penalty contained in the foresaid Act of Parliament, if they shall not make due and punctual payment of their respective Pole-money, in manner, and within the time therein prefixed, to such Collectors, and at such places as shall be appointed for that effect. For preventing of which Inconveniency, and that none may pretend Ignorance; We with Advice of the Lords of Our privy Council, hereby Require and Command the Sheriffs of the several Shires within this Kingdom, and their Deputes, to cause Intimation be made at the several paroch Kirk-Doors within this Kingdom, after the Forenoons Sermon, upon the last Lord's Day of this current Month of December, to all Our lieges liable in payment of Pole-money, that without fail they make payment of the Sums of Money wherein they are liable as Pole-money to the Collectors of our Cess and Supply, within the several Shires respective, at the Headburgh of the said Shire, upon the first day of January next to come, or within thirty days thereafter, certifying such as shall not make punctual payment at the said first day of January, or within the said thirty days thereafter, they shall be liable in the double, if paying within other thirty days thereafter; Or if failʒeing after both the said's thirty days, in the Quadruple of their Pole. And We with Advice foresaid, Require and Command the Commissioners of Supply and Assessment within the several Shires of this Kingdom, to meet and conveen betwixt and the first day of January next to come, at their ordinary place of Meeting, and there to Call and Conveen before them the Collectors of the Cess and Supply within their respective Shires, and require them within eight days after the said Meeting, to find the same Soverty and Caution, or such other also sufficient Caution for whom they shall be answerable, for their faithful collecting of the foresaid Pole-money conform to the Books and Lists to be given to them by our said's Farmers, of the poleable Persons within the said respective Shires; and that they shall make good faithful and timeous payment of the said Pole-money, and of what shall be uplifted and collected by them of the same any manner of way, to William Cochran of Fergusly Farmer of the said Pole-Money, or any having his Order, and that at the end of each thirty Days of grace given by the Act of Parliament, and with a list of the particular payments made in each of the said thirty Days, subscribed by the saids Collectors, and to be by them given in to the said William Cochran of Ferguslie and his foresaids; Certifying the said's Collectors of Cess and Supply, who shall fail to find Caution for the effect foresaid within the time above-prefixt, they shall ipso facto cease to be Collectors of our Cess and Supply, and shall beutterly incapable to be continued any longer in the said Office; But the saids Commissioners of Cess and Supply, are hereby Authorized, & required immediately after the elapsing of the foresaids Days, to meet and make choice of, nominate and appoint some other sufficient and responsal person to be Collector of the Cess and Supply within their Shire, and of the Pole-money imposed by the foresaid Act of Parliament, who shall find good and sufficient Caution in manner foresaid not only for collecting our Cess and Supply, but for the effectual collecting and paying in the foresaid Pole-money to the said William Cochran Fermer thereof, in manner : And We with Advice foresaid, Require and Command the said's Collectors, finding Caution in manner foresaid, to give their Attendance at the Head-burghs of the several Shires, from and after the first day of January next to come, for Collecting, Receiving and uplifting the said Pole-money, in the same way and manner that they give their Attendance for receiving the Cess and Supply, and that during the two Months of January and February next to come, and to grant Discharges gratis, but always of true Dates to the several persons concerned, upon payment of the Pole-money, expressing the Sums paid by them and the said's several Collectors of Supply within the several Shires, are hereby allowed to retain in their own Hands One per Cent of the whole Pole-money collected and uplifted by them within their respective Shires, for their Pains and Travel in the Premises: And We with Advice foresaid, Require and Command all persons liable in Pole-money, to make due and punctual payment thereof at the Head-Burghs of th● several Shires, to such persons who shall be Collectors of Supply within the s●men, after the first of January next to come, under the Pains contained in the said Act of Parliament, and herein expressed, and the Discharges to be granted by the saids Collectors in manner , shall be als sufficient to the Receivers thereof, as if the samen had been granted by the said William Cochran of Ferguslie Our Fermer himself. OUR WILL IS HEREFORE, and We charge you strictly and Command, that incontinent these Our Letters seen, ye pass to the Mercat-Cross of Edinburgh, and remanent Mercat-crosses of the hail Head-burghs o● the several Shires and Stewartries within this Kingdom, and there in our Name and Authority make Publication here of, and We ordain our Solicitor to transmit a sufficient Number of printed Copies hereof to the Sheriffs of the several Shires, Stewarts of Stewartries, to be by them sent to the Ministers of the several parochs within their Bounds to be published after Divine Service in the Forenoon upon the said last Lords day of December current. And ordains these presents to be printed and published, that none may pretend Ignorance.  
Given under our Signet at Edinburgh the fifteenth day of December, and of Our Reign the Tenth year 1698. Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concili. GILB. ELIOT. Cls. Sti. Concilii. 
 God Save the King.   

Edinburgh, Printed by the Heirs and Successors of Andrew Anderson, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majesty, Anno Dom. 1698.