HONI SOIT 〈◊〉 MAL Y PENSE DIEV ET MON DROIT  English royal blazon, flanked by the English lion and Scottish unicorn  
To being by us nominated and appointed Presenters and Assessors for within  
BY Virtue, and in pursuance of an Act of Parliament, Entitled, An Act for raising Money by a Poll, and otherwise, to enable His Majesty, to enter into an actual War against the French King, and for prohibiting several French Commodities. And for the more speedy and effectual putting the said Act in execution: You are hereby in His Majesties Name required, with all care and diligence, to ascertain, and bring in unto us, (being by the said Act amongst others appointed Commissioners to put the said Act in execution) Certificates of the Names and Surnames, Qualities, Degrees and Titles, of all and every the person and persons dwelling, or residing within your said College, or Hall, and of the substances and values of every of them, in Money, Debts, Annual Fees, Salaries, Perquisites, Wages, Profits, Emoluments, and other things chargeable by the said Act, together with the Assessment of the respective Rates thereby imposed on each particular person, according to the Rules and Directions thereof, which are as followeth, (viz.)  
Every person, Bodies Politic and Corporate, Guilds or Fraternities, within England, Wales, or Berwick upon Tweed, having any personal Estate in Debts to them owing, which he or they do not account and esteem as desperate, (over and besides such just Debts, as He, She, or they shall bona fide own,) or Estate in ready Moneys, are, for every hundred pounds in such Debts and ready Money, to pay 20. s. (Yet no Money which shall be lent to His Majesty at 7 per Cent. upon the Security of the said Act, is to be rated or assessed.)  
Every person and persons, Commissioner or Commissioners, having, using, or exercising, any Office, Place, or Public employment, (such who are or shall be in Muster and Pay at Land or Sea, in respect of such their pay only excepted) and all and every their Deputies, Agents, Clerks, Secondaries, Substitutes, and other their inferior Ministers and Servants, are, out of every 20. s. which he or they do receive in one Year, by virtue of any Salary, Fees, Profits, Perquisites, or other advantages to him or them accrueing, or by reason, or occasion of their respective Commissions, Offices, Agencies and Employments, to pay the sum of 2 s.  
Every other person having or claiming any Pension, or yearly Stipend, or Annuity, out of any part of His Majesty's Revenue, exceeding 20 l. per Annum, are out of every 20 s. by the year so given or granted, to pay the sum of 3 s.  
All judges and other persons, having any judicial Office, or other Office, or Place of Profit, all Sergeants at Law, Councillors, Attorneys, Solicitors, and Scrivenors, and all Advocates, Proctors, and public Notaries, and all practising the Art of Physic, are, out of every 20 s. which he or they do receive by his or their respective Salaries, Offices, Practices, or Professions in one year, to pay the sum of 2 s.  
Every Servant who doth receive Wages, is, for every 20 s. by the year, which shall be due or payable to him, her, or them for Wages, (except Board-Wages) to pay 12 d.  
All and every person and persons, of what Age, Sex, or condition soever, are to pay 1 s. above the rates charged upon them by the said Act (except such as receive Alms of the Parish where they dwell, and their Children, under the Age of 16 years, and except the Children under the Age of 16 years; of all day Labourers, of all Servants in Husbandry, and of all others who by reason of their poverty are exempted from contributing to the charge of Church and Poor; and except the children, under the Age of 16 years, of such who have four or more children, and are not worth 50 l. in Lands, Goods and Chattels.  
All and every person and persons, of the several Ranks and Degrees hereafter mentioned, of any of the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, or Ireland, who are inhabiting and residing within this Kingdom, are to pay the several sums hereafter mentioned, (viz.) A Duke 50 l. a Marquis 40 l. an Earl 30 l. a Viscount 25 l. a Baron 20 l. (But the Offices or personal Estates of the Peers you are not to assess; the same being otherwise directed by the said Act.)  
And all and every the Son and Sons of the several persons of the Degrees of Nobility aforesaid, of any of the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, or Ireland, who are inhabiting and residing within this Kingdom, and of the Age of 1● years are to pay the several sums hereafter mentioned, (viz.) a Duke's eldest Son 30 l. every his other Sons 25 l. a Marquis eldest Son 25 l. every his other Sons 20 l. and Earls eldest Son 20 l. every his other Sons 15 l. a Viscounts eldest Son 17 l. 10 s. every his other Sons 13 l. 6 s. 8 d. a Baron's eldest Son 15 l. every his other Sons 12 l. A Baronet of any the said three Kingdoms, or of Nova Scotia, and residing within this Kingdom, is to pay 15 l.  
And all and every person and persons, of the several Ranks and Degrees hereafter mentioned, who are inhabiting and residing within this Kingdom, are to pay the several sums hereafter mentioned, (viz.) a Knight of the Bath 15 l. a Knight Batchellour 10 l. the King's Sergeant at Law 20 l every other Sergeant at Law 15 l. an Esq or so reputed, or owning, or writing himself such, and of the age of 16 Years 5 l a Gent. or reputed Gent. or owning, or writing himself such, and above the age of 16 Years 20 s. Every Widow according to the degree of her Husband, (except the Widow of an Ecclesiastical person,) is to pay a third part rated in the said Act upon that degree of which her Husband was in his life time.  
Every Gent. having an Estate of the value of 300 l. or more, (though a Minor, under the age of 21 Years,) is to pay 20 s. A Gent. of a less Estate, who shall thereof make Oath before two or more of the Commissioners, is not to pay 20 s. in respect of his Title.  
Every person and persons, who are of the several Orders, Ranks or Degrees hereafter mentioned, are to pay the several sums following, (viz.) An Archbishop 50 l. every other Bishop 20 l. a Dean of any Cathedral or Collegiate Church 10 l. an Archdeacon 50 s. a Cannon or Prebendary of any Cathedral or Collegiate Church 50 s. (except such sole Prebendary who is a sole Corporation and his Prebend not rated in the Exchequer above 30 l.) a Doctor of Divinity, Law, or Physic, is to pay 5 l. (But if a Dr. of Divinity have no Benefice, or Ecclesiastical preferment, he is not to be charged for his Title.) Every person holding two or more Benefices having cure if Souls, which together shall amount to 120 l. per Annum clear, is to pay 5 l.  
Every Merchant Trading in the Port of London, and residing there, or within 10 Miles thereof, and not Free of the said City, is to pay 10 l. And every Merchant stranger, residing within this Kingdom, is also to pay 10 l. Every Merchant or other person using any Trade or mannual occupation, and holding a House of 30 l. per Annum, within London and Weekly Bills of Mortality, is to pay 10 s. Every Member of the East-India Company, for every 100 l. which he hath in the joint-stock of the said Company, is to pay 20 s. according to the first Capital of the said Stock.  
Every Member of the Guinay Company is to pay in like menner, And to be paid by the Governors and Treasurers of the said Companies.  
Which said Assessments you are to make according to the said Rules and Directions of the said Act, without Concealment, Love, Favour, Dread or Malice, notwithstanding any Person or Persons, Cities, Burroughs, or Towns Corporate, shall have the Letters, Patents, of His Majesty or any His Royal Progenitors of exemptions, (all non obstantes in such Letter, Patents, made or to be made, in Bar of any Act or Acts of Parliament for supply or assistance of His Majesty, being thereby declared void.) And you are likewise to return unto us, the names of two or more able and sufficient Persons within the Precincts and Bounds of your said College, or Hall, to be Collectors of the moneys due to His Majesty by the said Act, for whose paying unto the Receiver General, to be appointed by His Majesty, his Deputy or Deputies, all such moneys as they shall be charged withal, your said College or Hall is to be answerable.) And for your more due proceeding, in the Premises, you are further by the said Act directed that every Person to be rated for his Office, is to be rated in the place where the said Office is to be executed, and that every Person to be otherwise rated, are to be rated at such places where he or she, and with his or her Family are resident: And that such as are not Housekeepers, nor having a certain place of abode, and all Servants, are to be taxed at the place where they are resident, 〈…〉 be out of the Realm at the time of Assessing, are to be rated where their last abiding was within the Realm. But you are by the 〈…〉 to Assess us, or any Commissioners joined with us, nor are you to Assess yourselves, (the same being otherwise appointed 〈◊〉 the said 〈…〉 notomit to return such of us, or other Commissioners joined with us, which inhabit and reside within your College, 〈…〉 your 〈…〉 to … es Qualities, Degrees, Titles, Offices, Estates▪ and other things chargeable by the said Act, nor are you doubly to charge 〈…〉 severa; l Titl●● Honours, or Degrees, but every such Person is to be charged and assessed for such Title, Honour, or 〈…〉 And after the same Certificat●●● and Assessment shall be made, rated, and perfected, which by the 〈…〉 You are hereby likewise 〈◊〉 to bring the same unto us, or any two or more of 〈…〉 upon or before the 10th day of May now next 〈…〉  
〈…〉 Given under our Hands and 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 of our Sovereign Lord 〈…〉 Annoque Dom. 1678.