Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1669. 221

to accept such paym^t or Satisfaccon shall be without other
Remedy for his or their debts any Law vsage or Custome to
the Contrarie notwithstanding This Act to Endure for three
yeares or to the End of the next Generall Assembly w^ch shall
ffirst happen

An Act for the Releife of
Prisoners taken in Execucon

Whereas the Inhabitants oi this Province are Excedingly
grieved & Burthened by Execucons Layd vpon them for
Tobacco Being often Times Sued for the Same att the latter
End of shipping Time when they have Layd out their Tobacco
Soe that it is not Possible for them to pcure Tobacco for any
other goods & Chattels Soe th^t they are oft Times kept in
Prison by their Creditor a long time and the Porest Sort of
the Inhabitants thereby vndone in that they cannot be at
Liberty to make their Cropps the Next Yeare whereby they
might be Enabled to Satisfie the said debts
Bee it therefore Enacted By the Right Hono^ble the Lord
Prop^r by & with the advice & Consent of the vpper and Lower
house of this p^rsent Generall Assembly and by the Authority
of the Same That if any Suite shall hereafter be Commenced
against any the Inhabitants of this Province for any Tobacco
due to any other pson for w^ch Judgm^t shall not be obteyned
till Aprill Co^r in any yeare That then the saidIIudgm^t shall be
Entred with a stay of Execucon vntill the ffirst day of Octob^r
Co^t then next ffollowing which Said Iudgment if the said debto^r
doe not Before th^t Time Satisfie then the Plaintiffe may take
out his Execucon against him for the Same And if at any
time hereafter that is to Say after the day of the Publicacon of
this Act the Body of any pson or psons whatsoever shall be
taken in Execucon for any Tobacco debt he or they att that
Time not having ready Tobacco to Satisfie the same it shall be
Lawfull for the pty Soe taken in Execucon to Redeem himselfe
from the Execucon by making tender to the sheriffe or the
Credito^r. of such other his Estate goods & Chattels to the
double value of the debt of the best Sort to be devided into
Two Equall pts which is to be Appraysed by Two able &
Sufficient Appraisers the one to be Chosen for the Creditor or
the Sheriffs and the other to be Chosen by the debto^rs who are
to be Sworne vpon their Corporall oaths therevnto before the
next Com^cons of that County Co^rt where the Said Estate shall
Lye and after such devision & Appraysm^t duly made in man-
ner & fforme aforesaid that then the Sheriffe or Credito^r to
make Eleccon of the one p^t of the said p^r So devided Sett
forth to & appraysed at his discrecon and the other pte or

P. R. O.

Colonial En-
try Book
No. 53