Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1669. 223

Or Release Tenn pounds of Tobacco Tending vpon a Prisoner
p day twenty pounds & there being noe Penalty in th^t or any
other Law made in this Province for Restraining of sherriffes
from taking Exaccons ffees they are thereby Encouraged to
Exact from the People of this Province Excessive ffees and by
Coller of that Act they doe take & demand of Every pson by
them arrested for their Imprisonment or Release Twenty pounds
of Tobacco though it allowed no such ffee according to the true
intent & meaning of the said Act & for attending the Prison^rs
fforty pounds of Tobacco p day Contrarie to the Said Act to
the great p^riudice of the good People of this Province for Pre-
vention whereof for the ffuture Bee it Enacted by the Right
Hono^ble the Lord Proprietary of this Province by and with the
advice & Assent of the vpper and Lower howse of this p^rsent
Gen'i Assembly And by the Authority of the Same That from
& After the Publicacon hereof noe Sherriffe w^thin this Province
shall or doe p^rsume to ask take demand or Receive of or from
any pson within this Province any Sume or Sumes of money
or Quantities of Tobacco whatsoever for Imprisoning or Re-
leasing of any pson Arrested by them or their deputies or
officers & for Attending vpon any pson Arrested And for their
dyet & Lodging Twenty pounds of Tobacco p day no more
or any other or more ffees Then what are Sett downe in this
said Table of ffees in the Said Act conteyned vnd^r the Penalty
of one thousand pounds of Tobacco for Every Such Offence
the one halfe to the Lord Proprietary and the other halfe to
the pty wronged To be Recovered in any Coy^rt of Record w^thin
this Province by accon bill or plaint wherein no Essoyne pteccon
or wager of Law shall be allowed And ffurther whereas
they the said Sherriffs doe by Collo^r. of the Said Act Take
Exact & Receive of Every pson & Prisoner they take in Exe-
cucOn fforty pounds of Tobacco p day and vpon Surety or
otherwise Lett them goe at Large whereby psons having that
Lyberty never take Care to pay their debts or give any Satis-
faccon to their Creditor whereby they Loose the Benefitt &
ffruite of their Execucon which is the End of the Law & divers
poore men which they have in Execucon by th^t meanes are
Ever disabled to make any Satisfaction to their Credito^rs the
sheriffes getting By w^ch Practies the whole Benefitt of their
Labour whereby the End of the Law is ffrustrated in th^t
Behalf to the great damage of the Credito^rs Be it therefore
Enacted By the Authority aforesaid that all such Severall and
Respective Sheriffes that shall from henceforth take in Execu-
con the Body of any Such pson or psons whatsoever vpon
any writt of Execucon to them directed shall not Suffer them
to goe at Large but shall keepe his Prisoners according to the
Law That is to say shall ord^r him never to stirr of his the Said

P. R. O.

Colonial En-
try Book
No. 53