64 Assembly Proceedings, October—November 1678.

Liber W. H.
& L.

the Lord Proprietary his Lordships assent and Confirmacon
vnder his hand for the Confirmacon of all such lawes temporary
and perpetuall as were att the end of the. s^d sessions then in
force and to the intent that all majestrates might the better
know how to doe Justice according to those lawes and that all
persons in this Province might in their severall Countyes haue
recourse to the said Lawes & Regulate themselves accordingly
did Enact that every County Clarke should ex officio transcribe
& fairely write out in a booke for that purpose to be kept all
the Lawes that att the end of the said sessions were in force to
the intent that a faire and true Record of the Lawes might be
kept in every County Neverthelesse the Delegates of the
Lower house of Assembly vpon view and pervseall of the body
of Lawes of this Province kept in the secretaryes office finding
the booke in which they are entred to be by the often vseing
all most worne out and vnbound the leafes loose and may be
scattered and lost and the old lawes as well temporall as per-
petuall Repealed and not Repealed Continued and discon-
tinued confusedly mixt together and ill and vnclarke like
written in soe many severall hands and noe Sufficient attesta-
cons to the same from the Lord Proprietary or his Leiftenant
Generall Cheife Governour Chancellour Secretary or other per-
son to testifie the said booke to be an Authentick Coppy ot

p. 144

the severall Lawes confirmed by his Lordship the Lord Pro-
prietary and the severall Originall Lawes into the said booke
Entered and from time to time to the end of every Assembly
Signed allowed and Confirmed by his Lordships father of
happy memory or his Lordship his or their Leivtenant or
Cheife Governour soe negligently and carelesly kept in loose
papers Ragged and torne and Scarce legible to Justifie the
Lawes in the said booke entred as aforesaid to the great dis-
honnour of his Lordship and the Province that the said Lawes
which are the Warrant of all Judiciall proceedings in civill and
Criminall matters and other matters and Concernes of the
Province and the Originall from which the Lawes in the County
Courts are transcribed should be soe carelesly and vndecently
kept for Remedy whereof and to the intent that our Records
may appeare plaine safe and secured to posterity the Dele-
gates of this present Generall Assembly doe pray that itt may
be enacted And be itt Enacted by the Right Hon^ble the Lord
Proprietary by and with the advice and Consent of the upper
and lower houses of this present Generall Assembly and the
Authority of the same that the secretary of this Province (in
whose custody the Records of this Province Remaine and to
whom the benefitt of the Coppyes of such Records doe accrue)
doe att or before the five and twentieth day of may next
ensueing cause all such Acts of Assembly and Lawes of this