An ABSTRACT of those LAWS Commanded by the QUEEN's most Excellent MAJESTY, to be put in speedy Execution by Her MAJESTY's most Gracious and Pious Letter( lately sent to the Justices of the Peace of the County of Middlesex) met at their General Quarter-Sessions by Adjournment, Friday the 10th of July, 1691. Published for the Ease and Direction of the several and respective Officers in the Performance of their Duty. By James Cardrow Esquire. OFFENCES. LAWS and STATUTES. PENALTIES. profanation of the Lord's Day. ALL Laws in force concerning the Observation of the Lord's Day, shall be put in execution: This day is by every one, to be sanctified and kept holy; and all Persons must be careful herein to exercise themselves in the Duties of Piety, and true Religion publicly; and every one on this day( not having a reasonable Excuse) must diligently resort to some public place where the Service of God is exercised, or must be present at some other place( allowed of by Law) in the practise of some Religious Duty, either of Prayer, Preaching, Reading or Expounding of the Scriptures, or Conference upon the same, and also privately, 29 Car. 2. Cap. 7. 1 Will.& M. 1 Eliz. Cap. 2. 3 Jac. Cap. 4. NOTE, that Their Majesties Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of England, and qualified according to the late Statute of Indulgence, are exempted from the Penalties of the Statutes 3 Jac. 1 Eliz 23. Eliz. 29. Eliz. and some other Statutes. Such as repair not to Church, &c. on Sundays a●d holidays, One Witness. 1 Eliz. 23 Eliz. 3 Jac. Cap. 1. 19 Eliz. Cap. 1. 3 Jac. Cap. 4. Twelve Pence for every default, to be levied by distress, and for want of distress, to be committed to some Prison, until the same be paid. Absenting for a Month, If a Twelve Month, or more, If any come not to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper once a Year,   Twenty Pounds per Month, and forfeiture of Two parts in Three of their Estates. Their Names and surnames to be presented: Forty Shillings reward to such as present them. None shall speak or do any thing in Contempt of the most Holy Sacrament, 1 Ed. 6. Cap. 1. By Oath of Two lawful Witnesses, by Three Justices Quorum un. to be bound over and prosecuted in Sessions. Whosoever shall disturb any Preacher allowed in his open Sermon or Collation, or be procuring or abetting thereunto, or shall rescue, &c. any Offender, &c. Accusation must be by Two Witnesses, or Confession, 1 M. Cap. 3. To be committed by any Justice of the County to safe Custody, and within six days the said committing Justice, with one other Justice( if the Offender upon examination shall be found Guilty) shall commit him to Goal without Bail, &c. for Three Months, and farther to the next Quarter Sessions. Such as meet or assemble out of their own Parish upon the Lord's Day, for any ●por●s or Pastimes whatsoever, or such as sh●●l use any unlawful Exercise or Pastime in their own Parish upon the Lord's Day, 1 Car. Cap. 1. 3 Car. Cap. 4. 3 Car. Cap. 1. Three Shillings and four Pence to the Poor, where &c. to be levied by distress and sale, restoring the Overplus, &c. and for want of distress, to be sent to the Stocks for Three Hours, but they must be questioned within a Month. If any Carrier, wagoner, &c. with Horse, Wain or Cart, or Drover with Cattle shall travail upon the Lord's Day by themselves, or any other for them, If any Butcher, or any other for him, shall kill or sell any Victuals upon the Sunday, One Witness, View or Confession. 3 Car. Cap. 1. 3 Car. Cap. 1. Twenty Shillings for every offence, to be levied by distress and sale to the Use of the Poor. He shall forfeit six Shillings and eight Pence, if questioned within six Months, to be levied, &c. or may be sued for in Sessions, &c. If any Shoe-maker shall go with intent to sell any Boots, Sho●s, &c. on the Sunday. If any Person of the Age of 14 shall on the Lord's Day, or any part thereof, do any worldly Labour, &c. except Works of Necessity and Charity, If any Person shall cry, show forth, or put to sale any wears, Fruit, Goods, &c. except Milk only, before the Hours of Nine in the Morning, and after Four in the Afternoon, No Drover, Horse-courser, wagoner, Butcher, Higler, or any of their Servants, shall travail or come to their Inns on the Lord's Day, No Person shall use or travail upon the Lord's Day with any* Horse, Boat, Wherry, &c. except allowed by one Justice of Peace so to do.* Horse is not in the Statute, but is instanced here as worldly Labour. By View, Confession, or one Witness. This Act extends not to dressing of Meat in Cooks-Shops, Inns or Victualling-houses, 1 Jac. Cap. 22. 29 Car. 2. Cap. 7. 29 Car. 2. Cap. 7. 29 Car. 2. Cap. 7. 29 Car. 2. Cap. 7. He shall forfeit such Goods, and Three Shillings and four Pence for every Pair. He shall forfeit Five Shillings for every offence. He shall forfeit the said wears, Fruit, Goods, &c. to the Use of the Poor. The Forfeit is Twenty Shillings for every offence. The Forfeiture is Five Shillings for every offence: The Conviction upon this Statute, must be before any Justice of the County, &c. who shall give warrant to the Constables, &c. to seize the Goods shewed, &c. and to levy the Forfeitures by distress, &c. and for want of distress, to put the Offender in the Stocks for Two Hours: The Justices &c. may reward the Informer out of the Forfeitures, not exceeding the third part. Drunkenness, If any be convicted for being Drunk, by One Witness or View. 4 Jac. Cap. 5. 21 Jac. Cap. 7. Every Person must be impeached upon this Act, within Ten Days after the Offence. The Offender for the first, to pay Five Shillings to the Church-Wardens, where, &c. within one Week after Conviction, or else to be levied by distress and sale, and for want of distress to sit in the Stocks six Hours. If any Ale-house-keeper be convicted of Drunkenness, he is disabled for Three Years to keep any Ale-house, This Conviction of Drunkenness, must be within six Months after the Offence committed,   For the second Offence, must be bound in Ten Pounds with Two Sureties to the good Behaviour, and for want of Sureties to be sent to the Goal. If the Constable levy not the Forfeitures, he forfeits Ten Shillings to the Poor, ut Supra. Inn-keepers. alehouse-keepers, or Victuallers, suffer any of the same Parish to continue tippling in their Houses, One Witness or View. 1 Jac. Cap. 9. 21 Jac. Cap. 7. Ten Shillings to be levied by distress and sale after six days, and for want of distres● to be committed till payment, and disabled for Three Years from keeping any Ale-house, &c. If the Constable or Church-Warden do not levy the Penalty, or shall not certify the want of distress within Twenty Days, he forfeits Forty Shillings to be levied by distress and sale, ut supra. If any Inn-keeper, Ale-house-keeper, Victualler, or Taverner, suffer any Person( wheresoever his Habitation be) to continue tippling in his House, Two Witnesses or View. 1 Jac. Cap. 4. 21 Jac. Cap. 7. 1 Car. Cap. 4. Twen●● Shillings to be levied by distress and for want of satisfaction in six days to 〈◇〉 sold, restoring the Overplus and for want of distress, to be committed till payment. Townsmen, or others which shall remain tippling in any Inn, Ale-house or Victualling-House, One Witness or View. 4 Jac. Cap. 5. 21 Jac. Cap. 7. Three Shillings and Four Pence to be levied by distress after one Weeks neglect of payment, or to sit in the Stocks four Hours. The Constable for his neglect, forfeits Te● Shillings, supra. These Statutes do prohibit all quaffing and drinking of Healths, such Houses being solely appointed for the Accommodation of Travellers, and for the Relief of the Poor, 1 Car. Cap. 4. 21 Jac. Cap. 7. Every such Taverner, and which shall suffer any Person whatsoever to tipple in his House contrary to the said Statutes, shall be adjudged within the Statute 1 Jac. cap. 9. Swearing and Cursing. If any Person shall profane, swear or curse in the Hearing of a Justice of Peace, Mayor, &c. or be convicted of such swearing by Two Witnesses, or confession of the Party. Every Offence against this Act, must be proved within 20 days after the Offence committed. 21 Jac. Cap. 20. 3 Car. Cap. 4. 17 Car. Cap. 4. He shall forfeit for every such offence● to the Use of the Poor, one Shilling; every Justice, Head-Officer, &c. may command the Constables, &c. to levy the same by distress; and for want of distress, the Offender being above the Age of Twelve Years, shall be set in the Stocks Three Hours; if under Twelve Years old, and shall not pay the said Twelve Pence, he shall be whipped by the Constable, by warrant of the Justice, or by the Parent or Master, in the Presence of the Constabl● Lewd and disorderly Practices. Keeping of Baudy-houses, &c. is against the Law of God, on which our common Law in this Case is grounded: Therefore, the Keeper of Houses of bawdry and Incontinence Resorters and frequenters of Baudy-houses cock. 3. Instit. 11 Hen. 6. Cap. 1. 1 Hen. 7. Cap. 6. Are to be punished, being a common N●sance by Indictment at Common Law by F●●● and Imprisonment. To be bound with Sureties to the Good Behaviour. Adultery, &c. and all Acts of bawdry are Breaches of the Peace, If a Constable, &c. has notice that a Woman is in Adultery, &c. with a Man, or that a Man and Woman of evil famed are gone to a suspected House, Strangers, or others that are suspicious that walk by night, especially if they haunt lewd Houses, or keep lewd Company, or commit Outrages, Idlers that refuse to work, and disorderly Persons, Wandring Rogues, &c. 13 Hen. 7. Cap. 6. 27 Hen. 8. Cap. cock. 3. Instit. Dalt. Cap. 35. 13 Hen. 7. Cap. 10. 7 Jac. Cap. 4. 39 Eliz. Cap. 4. 43 Eliz. Cap. 2 4 Hen. 7. For which an Indictment will lye. He may take help with him, and if and find them so, he may carry them to Prison, or to a Justice to be bound over and prosecuted. To find sufficient Sureties for the Good Behaviour. To be committed to the House of Correction. To be whipped and sent to the Place of Birth. If the Constable punish them not, Such as shall not apprehended Rogues, &c. being at their doors, Two Witnesses or Confession. Every Constable who does not punish such as are brought to him, Such as disturb the Punishment of Rogues, &c. Officers remiss in punishing of Rogues, &c. Cap. 12. 39 Eliz. Cap. 4. 1 Jac. Cap. 7. 39 Eliz. Cap. 4. He forfeits Ten Shillings to be levied by a Warrant from Two Justices. Ten Shillings to be levied, ut supra. Twenty Shillings to be levied, ut supra. Five Pounds to be levied by Distress, and bound to the Good Behaviour by Two Justices, Quorum un. Ten Pounds to be levied by distress and sale, ut supra. Such as run away, and leave their Charge upon the Parish, Such as threaten to run away, Two Witnesses. 7 Jac. Cap. 4. To be punished as Rogues, &c. To be sent to Bridewell, or give security to discharge the Parish. If any Woman shall have a Bastard Child, which may be chargeable to the Parish, Keepers of Play-houses, and unlawful Games, Upon View. Such as play in such Houses, Upon View. 7 Jac. Cap. 4. 33 Hen. 8. Cap. 9. Bridewell for one Year, to be sent by Tw● Justices, and bound not to offend so again. Forty Shillings and Imprisonment, until he be come bound by recognisance to keep no more. Imprisonment until he be bound to play no more, and to pay six Shillings and eight Pence, to be recovered in Quarter-Sessions. Such as out of Christmas shall play at unlawful Games any where. All Licenses to keep Houses, or Places of unlawful Games, shall be voided. 31 Eliz. Cap. 5. 2. 3 Ph.& M. Cap. 9. Imprisonment and bound to the King to play no more, Twenty Shillings by Indictment in Quarter-Session LONDON, Printed by Tho. Braddyll, MDCXCI.