THe Lords and Commons assem­bled in Parliament, taking in­to their serious consideration the sad and manifold Oppres­sions and Miseries that now do threaten the utter Ruine and Desolati­on of this Kingdom in generall, and the Counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cam­bridge, Hertford, Lincoln, Huntington, The Cities of Norwich, Lincoln, and Counties of the same, and the Isle of Ely in parti­cular; And how necessary a thing it is, that all men well-affected, having any bowells of compassion towards their [Page 4] afflicted Country, should in these times of Imminent danger, put themselves into a Posture of Defence, by raising of Forces both of Horse and Foot, for the defence and safety of the said Associated Counties and Cities, from the Invasi­on and Fury of the Irish Rebells, Po­pish and ill-affected persons, who seek the Ruine and Destruction of the whole Kingdom in generall, and the said Asso­ciated Counties in particular:

Be it Ordained and Declared by the Lords and Cōmons assembled in Par­liament, and by the Authority of the same, That for the intents and purpo­ses before mentioned, the said Associated Counties and Cities shall forthwith be put into a Posture of Defence, and shall raise Forces of Horse and Foot for the defence of the said Association; And that the Lord Lieutenants or Deputy Lieu­tenants of the said severall and respe­ctive Counties and Cities, or any two or more of them, shall forthwith after no­tice or receipt of this Ordinance, issue out their Warrants to the Constables [Page 5] and Overseers of th [...] [...]erall Parishes, or to any two or mo [...] [...] the most able and fitting persons of the parishes with­in every respective Hundred or Division, thereby requiring them at certain times and places prefixt, to deliver unto them a List or Schedule of the Names of all persons within their severall and respe­ctive Parishes, from the Age of Sixteen to Sixty (being of ability of body) and of all other persons whatsoever, worth an Hundred pounds or more in Lands or Goods; And of all Horses and Mares above four yeers of Age, and the Names of the Owners; And of all Arms, Guns, and other usefull Weapons for the War, with the Names of the Own­ers of them, Except such Horses, Men and Arms as are now, or shall be here­after Listed in the Trained-Bands and Trained Troops; And that the said Lord Lieutenants, Deputy Lieute­nants, or any two or more of them, shall hereby have power to charge the said parties with Horse and Arms, so as no person be charged with a Harquebushier [Page 6] or light-Horse, [...]sse he hath One hun­dred pounds p [...] [...]nnum in Lands, or be worth One thousand two hundred pounds in Goods and Lands, nor with a Dragoon, unlesse he be worth four hundred pounds in Goods, or forty pounds per annum in Lands; nor with a foot Arms, unlesse he be worth one hun­dred pounds in Goods, or Ten pounds per annum in Lands.

And be it further Ordained, That all persons well-affected, being charged and listed to serve as aforesaid, or the Major part of them, shall within their severall and respective Divisions forthwith, and so from time to time as cause shall be, propound and nominate all Colonells, Lieutenant Colonells, Sergeant Ma­jors and Captains over them, being men of ability, and men well-affected; which said Officers being approved and allow­ed of by the Lord Lieutenants or Depu­ty Lieutenants, or any three or more of them within their respective Counties and Cities, shall have Commissions ac­cordingly.

[Page 7] And be it further Ordained, That all and every person or persons whatsoever, which shall by vertue of this Ordinance be charged to provide Horse or Arms as aforesaid, shall every Moneth after they are so charged, pay to the Treasurers appointed by the Deputy Lieutenants, or any two of them, for the severall and respective Counties, the severall Sums of Money following, viz. Every Horse, Twelve pence, every Foot Six pence, towards the providing of Trumpets, Drums, Colours, and other charges in­cident to the said Service.

Provided alwayes, that this extraor­dinary charge, and imposition of Arms, do not continue any longer then during these times of imminent danger, and that it shall be no President for the future.

Provided also, that no Member of ei­ther House of Parliament, nor their Meniall Servants, nor any of the As­sistants of either of the said Houses, be charged by this Ordinance, but that it be left to his or their good affection, [Page 8] what they will do in this Service.

Provided also, that if any person or persons whatsoever shal be overcharged by the said Lord Lieutenants or Depu­ty Lieutenants, or any two of them of the respective Counties or Cities, that then the said Lord Lieutenants or De­puty Lieutenants, or any three or more of them of the respective Counties or Cities, shall hereby have power to ease such person or persons overcharged, as in their Discretions they shall think fit. And if any Officers or Souldiers of the Trained Bands or Troops have here­tofore, since the First of August, in the yeer of our LORD, One thousand Six hundred forty three, refused or negle­cted; or if they or any other Forces of Horse or Foot, to be raised at any time hereafter, shall refuse or neglect upon Summons, according to this or other Ordinance of Parliament, to attend their charges and duties in their seve­rall and respective places, or to appear with their Horse and Arms, or to send some other Man with such Horse or [Page 9] Arms as they are or shall be charged withall, Every such Defaulter for every such offence, shall be Fined by the said Lord Lieutenants, Deputy Lieute­nants, or any two or more of them, not exceeding the sum of Twenty pounds. And if any person or persons in the said severall and respective Counties, who by a former Ordinance of Parliament may be Impressed, have been, or are hereafter, shall be charged by the said Lord Lieutenants, Deputy Lieute­nants, or any two of them to serve in the Arms of any person or persons char­ged as aforesaid, to finde Arms or Horse, do or shall refuse or neglect to appear at Musters, or to serve upon such Horse, or in such Arms, he or they so refusing or neglecting, shall by the said Deputy Lieutenants, or any three or more of them be Fined, not exceeding the sum of Forty shillings, and Imprisoned untill the said Fine be paid, And the person or persons so refusing, have conformed themselves unto the said Service.

And it is Ordained, That the Lord Lieutenant or Deputy Lieutenants, or [Page 10] any three or more of them, or the stand­ing Committee of the severall and re­spective Associated Counties, may Im­prison all such as shall be mutinous or Disturbers of the Peace, and may Fine them, not exceeding the sum of Five pounds: And that it shall be lawfull for the said Lord Lieutenants or Deputy Lieutenants, or any of them, to draw together the Troops and Companies which are to be raised by vertue of this Ordinance, or any part of them, and with the consent of the Major part of any of the said Troops and Companies, to Conduct and leade by themselves, or by such as they or any three or more of them shall appoint, into any of the said Associated Counties, and with them to Oppose, Resist, Kill and Slay, all such as in any Hostile manner declare them­selves as Enemies to the King, Parlia­ment and Kingdom: And that it shall and may be lawfull for the said Lord Lieutenants or Deputy Lieutenants, or any one of them in their severall and respective Counties, to charge Carts, Carriages and Horses, for the ne­cessary [Page 11] Service of the Parliament, allowing for every Cart with Five Horses, after the rate of Twelve pence per Mile, outward onely, and so rateably for more or fewer Horses, and for every single Horse, after the rate of Two pence per Mile, outwards onely.

And in case any shall refuse upon rea­sonable notice to provide their Carts, Carriages or Horses, to be made use of for the Service aforesaid, It shall be lawfull for the laid Deputy Lieute­nants, or any one of them, to Imprison the Owners of the said Carts, Carria­ges or Horses, or to Impose a Fine up­on them, not exceeding the sum of Ten pounds.

And be it Ordained, That the petty Constables, & Overseers of the Poor of the severall Parishes within the said re­spective Counties, and such other per­sons as shall be nominated by the De­puty Lieutenants of the said Counties, or any two of them, shall be the Colle­ctors of all sums of Money, as shall by vertue of this Ordinance be Impo­sed [Page 12] or set upon any person [...]r persons within their said Parishes, and for their pains they shall be allowed Two pence in the pound for all Monies so by them Collected and leavyed; which said sums of Money so to be set and Collected as aforesaid, shall be paid to the high Con­stables of the severall Hundreds within the said respective Counties, and in Cor­porations, to the Major or other head Officer of the said Corporations, who also shall have Two pence in the pound allowed unto them for their pains of making out their Warrants, and recei­ving and paying over the said Moneys to such Treasurer or Treasurers as shall be appointed in the severall Divisi­ons, by the Deputy Lieutenants of the severall and respective Counties, or any two or more of them, who are to issue forth the same for the use and service of the severall and respective Counties, by the Vote of the Major part of the respe­ctive Deputy Lieutenants present, or any three of them present, and by their order, in pursuance thereof under their hands and not otherwise.

[Page 13] And the said Treasurers art hereby required to keep a perfect Accompt of all such Moneys as they shall receive and pay by vertue of this Ordinance, and to deliver Copies of their said Accompts unto the standing Committee of their said severall and respective Counties; and the said Treasurers for their charge and pains, shal likewise be allowed Two pence in the pound for all such sums of Money as they shall receive and issue forth by Authority as aforesaid; And if any person or persons chargeable by this Ordinance, shall not within Six dayes after demand, or notice to be left at their dwelling house or usuall place of abode, pay the sum or sums on him or them as­sessed or set as aforesaid, It shal be law­full for the said Collectors, any one or more of them, to leavie the sum by way of Distresse, and sale of the Goods ofg the person & persons so assessed or fined; And in case of Resistance, to call to their assistance any of the Trained Bands or Companies of Voluntiers, or other for­ces of the said respective Counties, who are hereby required to be aiding and as­sisting [Page 14] to the said Constables or other Collectors in the Premises, as they will answer the contrary: And if any per­son or persons which shall be assessed or fined as aforesaid, shall refuse or neglect to pay either their Assessment or Fine to the Constables or other Collectors ap­pointed, within Twelve dayes after it shall be demanded, The Lord Lieute­nants or Deputy Lieutenants, or any two or more of them, upon return of the Names of such, who shall so refuse or neglect, shall charge the said person or persons with double as much as he or they were assessed or fined; And if the said persons shall refuse or neglect to pay the said sum so doubled, within Twelve dayes after it shall be demanded, That it shall be lawfull for the said Lord Lieutenants, or Deputy Lieutenants of the said respective Counties, or any two or more of them, to commit the per­son or persons so refusing or neglecting to Prison; And in case the said Treasu­rers, high Constables, petty Constables, Overseers of the Poor, or other Colle­ctors to be nominated as aforesaid, shall [Page 15] refuse or neglect to leavie and receive the sums of Money to be assessed, and set, by vertue of this Ordinance, It shall be lawfull for the said Lord Lieutenants or Deputy Lieutenants, or any two or more of them of the severall and respe­ctive Counties, to fine the said Treasu­rers, high Constables and Collectors, not exceeding the sum of twenty pounds to be leavyed upon them by way of Di­stresse, and sale of their Goods, and by such person or persons as shall be ap­pointed by the said Deputy Lieutenants or any two or more of them.

Provided alwayes, That the Forces to be raised by vertue of this Ordinance, shall not be carryed out of the said seve­rall and respective Counties wherein they are or shall be raised, otherwise then as before in this Ordinance is declared, without the consent of the said Lord Lieutenants, Deputy Lieutenants and Committees of the severall and respe­ctive Counties, or the greater part of them.