III. And be it further enacted, That if any person once lawfully convicted for any of the offences aforesaid, do afterwards eftsoones offend in any of the offences aforesaid, that then every such second offence to be deemed felony, and the offender to suffer such pains of death and forfeiture as in case of felony, without any benefit of clergy or sanctuary . . .

...

IV. And be it further enacted, That if any person either within this realm . . . or in any other place out of the Queen's dominions, shall advisedly and with a malicious intent against our said Sovereign Lady, devise and write, print or set forth any manner of book . . . or writing, containing any false seditious and slanderous matter to the defamation of the Queen's Majesty that now is, or to the encouraging. . . of any insurrection or rebellion within this realm . . .; or if any person... either within this realm. . . or in any other place out of the Queen's dominions, shall advisedly and with a malicious intent against our said Sovereign Lady cause any such book... or writing to be written, printed, published or set forth, and the said offence not being punishable by the Statute made in the 25th year of the reign of King Edward the Third concerning treason [&c.] or by any other statute whereby any offence is made treason, that then every such offence shall be deemed felony, and the offenders therein... shall suffer such pains of death and forfeiture as in case of felony is used, without any benefit of clergy or sanctuary . . .

V. And for that divers persons wickedly disposed and forgetting their duty and allegiance have of late not only wished her Majesty's death, but also by divers means practised and sought to know how long her Highness should live, and who should reign after her decease, and what changes and alterations should thereby happen; . . be it also enacted, That if any person. . . during the life of our said Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty that now is, either within her Highness' dominions or without, shall by setting or erecting any figure or by casting of nativities or by calculation or by any prophesying, witchcraft, conjurations, or other like unlawful means whatsoever, seek to know, and shall set forth by express words, deeds or writings, how long her Majesty shall live, or who shall E. III. (5) 2.

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reign a king or queen of this realm of England after her Highness' decease, or else shall advisedly and with a malicious intent against her Highness, utter any manner of direct prophecies to any such intent, or shall maliciously by any words, writing or printing desire the death or deprivation of our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty that now is . . . that then every such offence shall be felony, and every offender therein, and also all his aiders [&c], shall be judged as felons and shall suffer pains of death and forfeit as in case of felony is used, without any benefit of clergy or sanctuary.

VI. And be it further enacted, That the justices of King's Bench, justices of Oyer and Terminer, justices of assizes... in their several circuits, and justices of general gaol-delivery shall have full power to inquire of and to hear and determine all the offences aforesaid; and that the party indicted and arraigned of any the offences aforesaid shall have advantage of all manner of challenges to the jury as in trial of felony is used; and also that all justices of peace... in their general or quarter sessions shall have full power to inquire of all the offences aforesaid and to cause the offenders therein to be indicted without any further proceeding therein; and that also every justice of peace... shall have full power to commit any person being vehemently suspected of any the said offences to ward, unless he do put in sureties to make his personal appearance at the next quarter sessions or gaol-delivery; and in default of finding such sureties, then to commit him to prison, there to remain until he shall find sureties for his appearance as is aforesaid.

VII. And be it further enacted, That all offences made felony by this Act, which hereafter shall be committed out of this realm of England, shall be from henceforth inquired of, heard and determined before the Queen's Majesty's justices of her bench for pleas to be holden before herself, by good and lawful men of the same county where the same bench shall be kept, in like manner as if the same offences had been committed within the same county. . .

VIII. Provided that no manner of person shall be molested or impeached for any of the offences . . . aforesaid, unless he be thereof accused within one month next after such words so

spoken or reported before some one justice of peace...; and unless such offender also be indicted within one year next after his offence so supposed to be committed.

IX. Provided also that every such mayor . . . or other head officer of cities, boroughs and towns corporate, which have jurisdiction... to hold and keep sessions as justices of the peace, shall as well arrest and commit to ward or bail... every person vehemently suspected of any the offences aforesaid, as also to inquire of all the offences aforesaid, and to proceed to the indicting of every such offender without any further proceeding therein . . .

XIII. Provided that no person shall be hereafter indicted or attainted for any offence as aforesaid unless the same offence be proved by . . . two sufficient witnesses at the time of his indictment; which said witnesses . . . shall be brought forth in person before the party so arraigned face to face, and there shall openly declare all they can say against the said party so indicted, unless the said party shall willingly and without violence confess the same.

XV. And be it likewise enacted, That this Act nor anything therein contained shall . . . be in force for any longer time than only during the natural life of our said Sovereign Lady the Queen's most excellent Majesty that now is; whom God long preserve to his glory, her Highness' honour and safety, and to the common wealth of all her Majesty's dominions. Amen.

FIFTH PARLIAMENT.

Nov. 23, 1584-March 29, 1585.

27 ELIZ. CAP. I.

An Act for provision to be made for the surety of the Queen's Majesty's most royal person and the continuance of the realm

in peace.

I. Forasmuch as the good felicity and comfort of the whole estate of this realm consisteth (only next under God) in the surety and preservation of the Queen's most excellent Majesty; and for that it hath manifestly appeared that sundry wicked

plots and means have of late been devised and laid, as well in foreign parts beyond the seas as also within this realm, to the great endangering of her Highness' most royal person, and to the utter ruin of the whole common weal, if by God's merciful providence the same had not been revealed: therefore for preventing of such great perils... be it enacted, If at any time after the end of this present session of Parliament, any open invasion or rebellion shall be made into or within any of her Majesty's dominions, or any act attempted tending to the hurt of her Majesty's most royal person, by or for any person that may pretend any title to the crown of this realm after her Majesty's decease; or if anything shall be compassed or imagined tending to the hurt of her Majesty's royal person by any person or with the privity of any person that may pretend title to the crown of this realm; That then, by her Majesty's commission under her Great Seal, the Lords and others of her Highness' Privy Council and such other Lords of Parliament to be named by her Majesty as with the said Privy Council shall make up the number of twenty-four at the least, having with them for their assistance in that behalf such of the judges of the Courts of Record at Westminster as her Highness shall for that purpose assign..., shall by virtue of this Act have authority to examine all the offences aforesaid and all circumstances thereof, and thereupon to give sentence or judgment as upon good proof the matter shall appear unto them: and that after such sentence or judgment given and declaration thereof made and published by her Majesty's Proclamation under the Great Seal of England, all persons against whom such sentence or judgment shall be so given and published shall be excluded and disabled for ever to have or claim . . . the crown of this realm . . . : and that thereupon all her Highness' subjects may lawfully... by all forcible and possible means pursue to death every such wicked person, by whom or by whose means, assent or privity any such invasion or rebellion shall be in form aforesaid denounced to have been made, or such wicked act attempted, or other thing compassed or imagined against her Majesty's person, and all their aiders [&c.]: and if any such detestable act shall be executed against her Highness' most royal person, whereby her Majesty's life shall be taken away (which God of his great

G

mercy forbid), that then every such person by or for whom any such act shall be executed and their issues, being any wise assenting or privy to the same, shall be excluded and disabled for ever to have or claim. . . the said crown of this realm...: and that all the subjects of this realm may lawfully, by all forcible and possible means, pursue to death every such wicked person by whom or by whose means any such detestable fact shall be in form hereafter expressed denounced to have been committed, and also their issues being any way assenting or privy to the same, and all their aiders [&c.]

II. And to the end that the intention of this law may be effectually executed, if her Majesty's life shall be taken away by any violent or unnatural means (which God defend): be it further enacted, That the Lords and others which shall be of her Majesty's Privy Council at the time of such her decease... joining unto them for their better assistance five other Earls and seven other Lords of Parliament at the least (foreseeing that none of the said Earls, Lords or council be known to be persons that make any title to the crown), those persons which were Chief Justices of every Bench, Master of the Rolls and Chief Baron of the Exchequer at the time of her Majesty's death, or in default of the said Justices, Master of the Rolls and Chief Baron, some other of those which were Justices of some of the Courts of Record at Westminster at the time of her Highness' decease to supply their places, or any twenty-four or more of them, whereof eight to be Lords of Parliament not being of the Privy Council, shall . . . examine the cause and manner of such her Majesty's death, and what persons shall be any way guilty thereof, and all circumstances concerning the same...; and thereupon shall by open proclamation publish the same, and without any delay, by all forcible and possible means, prosecute to death all such as shall be found to be offenders therein, and all their aiders and abettors; and for the doing thereof and for the withstanding and suppressing of all such power and force as shall any way be levied or stirred in disturbance of the due execution of this law, shall have power not only to raise and use such forces as shall in that behalf be needful, but also to use all other means and things possible and necessary for the maintenance of the same forces and