Acts. 279

and as the Allegations of the said Petitioners appear to this general
Assembly to be true and that their lying in Goal Can be of no
advantage to their Creditors it is humbly prayed that the said Peti-
tioners may be relieved according to their Prayers and that it may
be Enacted

Liber H. S.
No. 1

And be it Enacted by the Right honourable the Lord Proprietary
by and with the advice and Consent of his Lordship's Governor and
the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly and the Authority of the
same That in Case the said Prisoners shall deliver up and surrender
or cause to be delivered up and Surrendered to the Sheriffs of the
respective Counties aforesaid in the Presence of two Justices of the
Peace of the County aforesaid whom the said Sheriffs are hereby
required to summon at the Request of the said Prisoners at some
convenient Time after the Receipt of this Act not exceeding five
days all their Real and Personall Estate either in possession Reversion
Remainder or in Trust or in or unto which they have any Claim or
Interest whatsoever and likewise before the day before mentioned
convey Assign transfer and make over unto the Sheriffs respectively
for the Use of the said Creditors all such their Estate Interest or
Claim as aforesaid after such manner as by the said Sheriffs and by
the Major Part of Such Creditors or of such of them as shall think
fit to direct therein or their Council learned in the Law shall reason-
ably devise or require at the Costs and Charges of the Persons who
shall claim Benefit thereof so that the Prisoners be not burthened
with any Warranties thereby other than against themselves or those
claiming by from or Under them and that the said Prisoners At the

[Prisoners
to be dis-
charged on
delivering up
their Effects,
on Oath]

Time of Such their Surrender and transferring their Estate as
aforesaid shall take their Solemn Oaths (or affirmation of Quakers)
before the said two Justices aforesaid to the Effect following Viz.^t

p. 547

I A B do affirm or Solemnly swear that the Goods Debts and Effects
which I have delivered Assigned and made over to the Sheriff of
County and in Trust for the Use of my Creditors is the
whole Estate both real and Personal of my own in Possession or
that I have any Title to in the World and that I have not any Estate
Goods or Effects of any kind whatsoever left either in possession
Reversion or Remainder (the necessary wearing Apparel of myself
Wife and Children and working Tools excepted) and that I have
not directly or Indirectly sold Leased or otherwise conveyed disposed
of or intrusted all or any part of my Estate thereby to defraud my
Creditors or to secure the same to receive or expect any Proffit or
Advantage thereof So help me God" it shall and may be Lawful for
the Sheriffs of the Counties aforesaid after the end of the said five

[The Oath]

days and they are hereby required to discharge the said Prisoners
and Suffer them to go at Large
And be it further enacted That if the said Prisoners or any of
them shall be arrested or imprisoned on any Process Sued out on
23

[To be dis-
charged from
future arrests
on appear-
ance, &c]