❧ By the Protector. A PROCLAMATION For the better Levying and payment of the Duty of EXCISE.

WHEREAS in purſuance of the Reſolutions of the late Parliament to ſettle a yearly Revenue of Thirteen hundred Thouſand pounds for ſupport of the Government and defence of theſe Nations by Sea and Land, It being found that the Impoſition of the Exciſe is the moſt eaſie and indifferent Le­vy that can be laid upon the People, aſwel for and towards the diſcharging of thoſe Engagements which lye, and are charged upon that Receipt, as for the carrying on the other urgent and preſſing Affairs of the Commonwealth, and defraying the Charges of the Naval Forces thereof in the preſent War with Spain, and againſt the Common Enemy; An Act was made in the ſame Parliament, Intituled, An Additional Act for the better improvement and advancing the Receipts of the Exciſe and New Impoſt, Wherein it is (amongſt other things) Provided and Enacted, That no Fine impoſed, or Impriſonment, Penalty, or Forfeiture inflicted, or ſeizure made by, or by vertue of the ſaid Act, or any other Act or Ordinance for or concerning the levy­ing or paying of the duty of Exciſe for any In-land commodity, ſhall be levied or executed, or ſale of any ſuch ſeizure be made by the Sub-Commiſſioners, or Farmers of the Exciſe, within the ſeveral Coun­ties and places of this Commonwealth (Except the City of London and the deſtrict thereof) or by any their Agents, Deputies, or Officers otherwiſe then by Order or Warrant under the hands and ſeals of two, or more Iuſtices of the Peace of the ſaid County, or place, the ſaid Iuſtices not being any way intereſſed or concerned in the thing in queſtion, or Landlord, or Tenant, or of Kindred or Rela­tion to the parties therein concerned, or any of them; Which ſaid two Iuſtices are thereby authorized and required upon complaint to them made by the ſaid Officers or Parties, to hear and examine the ſame upon Oath, and finally to determine the ſaid matters of Complaint; And in caſe they ſhall finde upon ſuch Examination that any Default hath been in any of the ſaid Parties through ignorance or miſtake, and not by deſigne of fraud or deceipt, The ſaid Iuſtices are thereby authorized to miti­gate ſuch Fine, Penalty, or Forfeiture, ſo as by ſuch mitigation the ſame be not made leſs then double the value of the duty of Exciſe, which ſhould or ought to have been paid beſides the reaſonable Coſts and charges of ſuch Officer, or Officers as were employed therein, to be to them allowed by the ſaid Iuſtices. And whereas in order to the ends aforeſaid, the ſaid Parliament finding it neceſſary that the profits of the Exciſe and Cuſtoms and other the Publique Revenue might be by all good ways and means improved to the beſt advantage of the Commonwealth, and as much as may be, reduced to a certainty, by one other Act made in the ſame Parliament, Intituled, An Act for the improvement of the Revenues of the Cuſtoms and Exciſe; certain Perſons therein named, or any ſeven of them, are autho­rized and impowred to be a Committee of Parliament to treat, contract and conclude with any perſon or perſons for the Farming all or any part of the Duties of Cuſtoms and Subſidie of Tonnage and Poundage, and of Exciſe and New Impoſt; And it is thereby Enacted, That what Contract Bar­gain or Agreement ſhall be made by the ſaid Committee or any ſeven of them, with any perſon or per­ſons, for or touching the premiſes or any part thereof, being aſſented unto by Vs with the advice of Our Council, and ratified and confirmed by any Grant or Grants under the Great Seal of England, ſhould be and are thereby declared to be good and valid to all intents and purpoſes. In purſuance of which laſt recited Act, ſeveral Contracts, Bargains and Agreements have been made by the ſaid Commit­tee with divers perſons touching the Farming of the Exciſe or New Impoſt, aſwel of Beer, Ale, Per­ry, Cider, Mead, and Metheglin within the Cities of London and Weſtminſter, and ſeveral other Ci­ties, Towns and Counties in England and Wales, as of ſeveral other Commodities Native and For­raign; Which We with the advice of Our Council have aſſented unto, and ratified and confirmed by ſeveral Grants under Our Great Seal of England. Whereby the ſaid Revenue is in ſome meaſure im­proved, and reduced to more certainty then formerly; and, if the ſame be duly and conſtantly paid, will tend much to the Publique advantage, and without which the Affairs of the Publique Peace and ſafety cannot be carried on. Now foraſmuch as it hath been repreſented unto Vs, that divers Brew­ers and other perſons within the Cities of London and Weſtminſter, and other the Cities, Counties and places of this Commonwealth; and alſo divers Vintners, Inn-keepers, Victuallers, Alehouſe-kee­pers, and other Makers, Planters, Growers and Ingroſſers of Native Commodities exciſeable, for the making of unjuſt gain to themſelves, or out of diſ-affection to the Publique, Do Detain, withdraw, hold and keep to themſelves the ſeveral Duties of Exciſe, by not making true Weekly particular En­tries of what they Brew and make, and forthwith clearing and paying the Duty of Exciſe for the ſame, As by the ſeveral Acts and Ordinances for the Exciſe they are required to do, and by divers frauds and concealments, whereby not onely the Publique Revenue is daily diminiſhed, but other perſons duly conforming to the ſaid Acts and Ordinances are thereby prejudiced in their Trades and Callings by being underſold; And that divers of the ſaid Iuſtices of the Peace do refuſe or neglect ſo ſpeedily to grant their Warrants to the ſaid Subcommiſſioners, for the executing and levying of the Penalties and Forfeitures by them adjudged for the ſaid offences, as the neceſſity of that ſervice doth require, and do oftentimes by pretext of the ſaid Proviſo, mitigate the ſaid Penalties contrary to the true intent and meaning thereof, whereby the ſaid Revenue (without which the Publique affairs of the Common­wealth cannot be carried on) is in danger to be diminiſhed. We do therefore hereby publiſh and Declare that Our wil and intention is, That the ſaid Revenue of the Exciſe be by all juſt and lawfull means maintained and upheld, And that we do expect that the Commiſſioners and Sub-Commiſſioners of the Exciſe, and all and every of the Iuſtices of the Peace in the ſeveral Counties, Cities and places of this Commonwealth do put the Laws of Exciſe in effectual execution in that behalf: And We do ſtraitly will and require all Iuſtices of the Peace, in the ſeveral Counties, Cities and places of this Commonwealth, and every of them, That upon any Certificate or Certificates unto them, or any two of them made, by the reſpective Sub-Commiſſioners of the Exciſe, in the reſpective County, City or place where there ſhall be Iuſtices, of any judgment or ſentence by them paſſed or given, in any cauſe or cauſes of the Exciſe, according to any of the Acts and Ordinances of the Exciſe in that behalf made, the ſaid two Iuſtices do forthwith without delay, make and ſigne a Warrant or Warrants for the exe­cution of the ſaid judgment or ſentence accordingly, As by the true intent and meaning of the ſaid Ad­ditional Act for the better improvement and advancing of the Receipts of the Exciſe and New Impoſt they may and ought to do. And that they do not take upon them to mitigate any Fine, Penalty or Forfeiture by the ſaid Sub-Commiſſioners adjudged and ſet; But upon application of the party ſen­tenced by way of Appeal unto them made, or otherwiſe then in caſes in the ſaid Act mentioned, as they and every of them will anſwer their neglect of the duty herein (being of ſuch Importance to the Publique) at their Perils; And of which We are reſolved, and do hereby declare We intend to take ſpecial notice, and do require an exact accompt of all ſuch failings and neglects. And whereas divers Vintners, Inn-keepers, Victuallers, Alehouſe-keepers, and other Retailers of Beer and Ale, do refuſe to give ſecurity to the ſaid Sub-Commiſſioners or Farmers, within whoſe juriſdictions and li­mits they do inhabit or dwell, for the true payment of the Exciſe of all ſuch Beer and Ale as they do Brew and Make, and yet do Brew and Make their own Beer and Ale, and will not take what they ſell and utter of ſome common Brewer, contrary to the two and thirtieth Article of an Act of Parlia­ment made and publiſhed the Fourteenth day of Auguſt, in the Year of our Lord One thouſand ſix hun­dred forty nine, and confirmed and continued by the firſt recited Act of Parliament herein before men­tioned; In which caſe, upon due proof made (as by the ſaid Article is preſcribed) before any one Iu­ſtice of the Peace within the County, City or Town Corporate, where the party offending doth re­ſide and dwell, the ſaid Iuſtice of the Peace hath power to impoſe and levy upon the ſaid party ſo of­fending, the ſeveral penalties and forfeitures by the ſaid Article limited. And We do further hereby ſtraitly charge and command every ſuch Iuſtice of the Peace (before whom any ſuch proof ſhall be made or tendred to be made as aforeſaid) That he do forthwith without delay proceed againſt the ſaid party offending, by hearing and determining the ſaid Offence, and by levying and executing of the ſe­veral penalties and forfeitures therein limited, according as by the ſaid two and thirtieth Article of the ſaid laſt recited Act of Parliament is directed and required. And if it ſhall be made appear to Vs or our Privy Council, That any Iuſtice or Iuſtices of the Peace ſhall neglect or refuſe to do his or their Duty herein, according to the true intent and meaning of the ſeveral Acts of Parliament above mentioned, All and every ſuch Iuſtice and Iuſtices ſhall be by Vs reputed and taken to be perſons diſaffected to the ſervice, ſafety and welfare of the Commonwealth; And to the end that Our will and pleaſure herein may be made known, We do hereby will and require the ſeveral and reſpective Sherifs, Majors and Baylifs in the ſaid ſeveral and reſpective Counties, Cities and Towns Cor­porate, to cauſe this Our Proclamation to be openly read and publiſhed in the Market place of every Market Town within their ſeveral and reſpective Sherif-wicks and Liberties, upon ſome Market day within ten days next after the receipt hereof. And all Officers aſwel Military as Civil are hereby reſpectively required to be aiding and aſsiſting in the due execution hereof.

Given at Our Palace of Weſtminſterthe 10th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, 1657.