said declaration; and also this declaration of fidelity following.*

I A. B. do sincerely promise, and solemnly declare, before God and the world, that I will be true and faithful to king William and queen Mary. And I solemnly profess and declare, that I do from my heart abhor, detest, and renounce, as impious and heretical, that damnable doctrine, and position, that princes excommunicated, or deprived by the pope, or any authority of the see of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, or any other whatsoever. And I do declare, that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any power, jurisdiction, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm.

And shall subscribe a profession of their Christian belief in these words:

I A. B. profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ his eternal Son, the true God, and in the Holy Spirit, one God blessed for evermore; and do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration.

Which declaration and subscription shall be made and entered of record at the general quarter-sessions of the peace for the county, city, or place, where every such person shall then reside. And every such person that shall make and subscribe the two declarations and profession aforesaid, being thereunto required, shall be exempted from all the pains and penalties of all and every the aforementioned statutes made against Popish recusants, or Protestant Nonconformists; and also from the penalties of an act made in the fifth year of the reign of the late queen Elizabeth, entitled, "An act for the assurance of the queen's royal power over all estates and subjects within her dominions," for or by reason of such persons not taking or refusing to take the oath mentioned in the said act. And also from the penalties of an act made in the thirteenth and fourteenth years of the reign of king Charles II.‡ entitled, "An act for preventing mischiefs that may arise by certain persons called Quakers refusing to take lawful oaths, and enjoy all other the benefits, privileges, and advantages, *8 Geo. I. cap. 6. + 5 Eliz. cap. 1.

13 and 14 Car. II. cap. 1.

under the like limitations, provisoes, and conditions, which any other dissenters should or ought to enjoy by virtue of this act.

XIII. Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that in case any person shall refuse to take the said oaths when tendered to them, which every justice of the peace is hereby empowered to do, such person shall not be admitted to make and subscribe the two declarations aforesaid, though required thereunto, either before any justice of the peace, or at the general or quarter sessions, before or after any conviction of Popish recusancy, as aforesaid, unless such person can, within thirty-one days after such tender of the declaration to him, produce two sufficient Protestant witnesses to testify upon oath, that they believe him to be a Protestant dissenter, or a certificate under the hands of four Protestants who are conformable to the church of England, or have taken the oaths, and subscribed the declaration above named, and shall produce a certificate under the hands and seals of six or more sufficient men of the congregation to which he belongs, owning him for one of them.

XIV. Provided also, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that until such certificate, under the hands of six of his congregation, as aforesaid, be produced, and two Protestant witnesses come to attest his being a Protestant dissenter, or a certificate under the hands of four Protestants, as aforesaid, be produced, the justice of peace shall, and hereby is required to, take a recognizance, with two sureties, in the penal sum of 50%. to be levied of his goods and chattels, lands and tenements, to the use of the king's and queen's majesties, their heirs and successors, for his producing the same; and if he cannot give such security, to commit him to prison, there to remain until he has produced such certificate, or two witnesses as aforesaid.

XV. Provided always, and it is the true intent and meaning of this act, that all the laws made and provided for the frequenting of divine service on the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday, shall be still in force, and executed against all persons that offend against the said laws, except such persons come to some congregation, or assembly of religious worship, allowed or permitted by this act.

XVI. Provided always, and be it farther enacted by the

authority aforesaid, that neither this act, nor any clause, article, or thing, herein contained, shall extend, or be construed to extend, to give any ease, benefit, or advantage, to any Papist or Popish recusant whatsoever, or any person that shall deny, in his preaching or writing, the doctrine of the blessed Trinity, as it is declared in the aforesaid articles of religion.

XVII. Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any person or persons, at any time or times after the 10th day of June, do, and shall willingly, and of purpose, maliciously, or contemptuously, come into any cathedral, or parish-church, chapel, or other congregation, permitted by this act, and disquiet or disturb the same, or misuse any preacher or teacher; such person or persons, upon proof thereof before any justice of the peace, by two or more sufficient witnesses, shall find two sureties to be bound by recognizance in the penal sum of 50%., and in default of such sureties shall be committed to prison, there to remain till the next general or quarter-sessions, and upon conviction of the said offence, at the said general or quarter-sessions, shall suffer the pain and penalty of 201. to the use of the king's and queen's majesties, their heirs and successors.*

XVIII. Provided always, that no congregation, or assembly for religious worship, shall be permitted or allowed by this act, until the place of such meeting shall be certified to the bishop of the diocess, or to the archdeacon of that archdeaconry, or to the justices of the peace, at the general or quarter-sessions of the peace for the county, city, or place, in which such meeting shall be held, and registered in the said bishop's or archdeacon's court respectively, or recorded at the said general or quarter-sessions, the register or clerk of the peace whereof respectively is hereby required to register the same, and to give certificate thereof to such person as shall demand the same, for which there shall be no greater fee or reward taken than the sum of six-pence.

*See Geo. I. stat. 2. cap. 5. §. 4.

VOL. V.

k

No. XIV.

The occasional conformity act, entitled, “ An act for preserving the Protestant religion, by better securing the church of England, as by law established; and for confirming the toleration granted to Protestant dissenters by an act, entitled,* An act for exempting their majesties' Protestant subjects, dissenting from the church of England, from the penalties of certain laws,' and for supplying the defects thereof; and for the farther securing the Protestant succession, by requiring the practisers of the law in North-Britain to take the oaths, and subscribe the declaration therein mentioned.”

WHEREAS an act was made in the thirteenth year of the reign of the late king Charles II. entitled, "An act for the well-governing and regulating of corporations."* And another act was made in the five-and-twentieth year of the reign of the said late king Charles II. entitled, "An act for the preventing dangers which may happen from Popish recusants. Both which acts were made for the security of the church of England, as by law established. Now for the better securing the said church, and quieting the minds of her majesty's Protestant subjects dissenting from the church of England, and rendering them secure in the exercise of their religious worship; as also for the farther strengthening the provision already made for the security of the succession to the crown in the house of Hanover; be it enacted by the queen's most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons in parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that if any person or persons, after the five-and-twentieth day of March, which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve, either peers or commoners, who have or shall have any office or offices, civil or military, or receive any pay, salary, fee, or wages, by reason of any patent or grant from or under her majesty, or any of her majesty's predecessors, or of her heirs or successors, or shall have any command or

10th of queen Anne.

place of trust from or under her majesty, her heirs or successors, or from any of her majesty's predecessors, or by her or their authority, or by authority derived from her or them, within that part of Great Britain called England, the dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or in the navy, or in the several islands of Jersey or Guernsey, or shall be admitted into any service or employment in the household or family of her majesty, her heirs or successors; or if any mayor, alderman, recorder, bailiff, town-clerk, common-council-man, or other person bearing any office of magistracy, or place of trust, or other employment relating to or concerning the government of any of the respective cities, corporations, boroughs, cinque-ports, and their members, or other port towns within that part of Great Britain called England, the dominion of Wales, town of Berwick, or either of the isles aforesaid, who by the said recited acts, or either of them, were or are obliged to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, according to the rites and usage of the church of England, as aforesaid, shall, at any time after their admission into their respective offices or employments, or after having such patent or grant, command or place of trust, as aforesaid, during his or their continuance in such office or offices, employment or employments, or having such patent or grant, command or place of trust, or any profit or advantage from the same, knowingly or willingly resort to, or be present at, any conventicle, assembly, or meeting, within England, Wales, Berwick-upon-Tweed, or the isles aforesaid, for the exercise of religion in other manner than according to the liturgy and practice of the church of England, in any place within that part of Great Britain called England, dominion of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, or the isles aforesaid, at which conventicle, assembly, or meeting, there shall be ten persons or more assembled together, over and besides those of the same household, if it be in any house where there is a family inhabiting, or if it be in a house or place where there is no family inhabiting, then where any such ten persons are so assembled, as aforesaid; or shall knowingly and willingly be present at any such meeting, in such house, or place, as aforesaid, although the liturgy be there used, where her majesty, whom God long preserve, and the princess Sophia, or such others as shall from time to time be lawfully ap