120 Assembly Proceedings, 1694-1728.

Public
Record
Office,
London.
C. O. 5,
Vol. 731,
Maryland.
From
1694-1702.
Acts

any person or persons whatsoever within this Province after the
publication of this Act Prophanely Swear or Curse in the presence
or hearing of any one Justice of the Peace or head Officer of any Town
City or Burrough within this Province or that shall be thereof Con-
victed by Oath of one Wittness or by the Confession of the party
offending shall forfeitt and pay for eveiy such Offence the sume of
five shillings sterling to our Sovereigne Lord the King to his heires
and Successours to the use of the poor of such parish where such
Offence shall be Comitted to be Leavyed upon such Offender or
Offenders by Warrant from such Justice of the Peace or head Officer
of any Towne City or Burrough before whom such Offender or
Offenders shall be Convicted to the Constable or other Officer by Sale
of his her of theire Goods or Chattells rendring to them the Overplus
And in case that such Offender or Offenders have not any goods then
to be sett in the Stocks for the space of two hours Provided allways
and it is hereby Enacted That no person shall be prosecuted and
troubled for any Offence against this Act unless the same be proved
or prosecuted within Ten days after the Offence Comitted This Act
to Endure for 3 years or to the end of the next Sessions of Assembly
which shall first happen.

Acts of
Oct. 1698,
ch. 20

An Act Impowering the Vestrymen &c. to Assess theire parishioners
for finishing and repairing of Churches.

Whereas by an Act of Assembly made at Sessions of Assembly
begun and held att the Porte of Annapolis the 9^th day of July in the
year of our Lord 1696 Intituled an Act for the Service of Allmighty
God and the Establishment of the Protestant Religion within this
Province amongst other things is conteined in the 6^th Article That
the severall Vestrymen of each respective parish shall within 12
months after the Publication of this Act Provide att the Charge of the
parish faire Register Books of Paper or Parchment the which the said
Register shall keep and therein shall Register and fairly enter in write-
ing The publication of all marriages Births of Children Baptisms and
burialls &c. and further in the said Clause it is Enacted That if the
Vestrymen aforesaid shall faile in provideing such a Book as afore-
said They shall forfeitt five hundred pounds of Tobacco each Vestry-
man (the Ministers Excepted) &c. And notwithstanding no way pre-
scribed how the said Vestrymen should assess theire parishes for the
purchaseing of the said Register Books And further it is said in the
twelfth Article of the aforesaid Act Be it Enacted by the Authority
aforesaid That where there is an Incumbent upon the Benefice and
Officiates in no other place the Vestrymen of the said Parish shall not
under Colour and pretext of finishing the said Church or keeping the
same in repaire withhold or deteine from the said Incumbent any part
of the 40^ll per poll under any pretext whatsoever Except what is by
this Act before Appointed But forasmuch as most of the Churches
in this Province are either not wholy finished or out of repaire