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And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid that if
any of the Persons intended to be Relieved by this Act and who
shall Choose to take the Benefit thereof are and shall in the Opinion
of two Justices of the Peace of the County where the Party is a
Prisoner be of Sufficient ability of Body to Labour such Person or
Persons not having a Wife or Child or Children under twelve Years
of Age shall be and are hereby Obliged to serve for a time not ex-
ceeding five Years to any person or persons who are or shall be
inclined to Purchase the time of Servitude of such Debtor or Debtors
and that the respective sheriffs in whose Custody the aforesaid
Debtors or any of them are be and are hereby Authorized and Obliged
to summon two Justices of the Peace in the respective Counties at the
request of the said Prisoners as soon as Conveniently may be after
the end of this Session of Assembly and after giving five Days
Notice at the Court House of the Respective Counties of the intended
Sale of such Debtor or Debtors expose to sale in the Presence of the
said Justices Such Debtor or Debtors and the time of his or their
Servitude to the Highest Bidder and the Money arising from such
Sale shall be as Effects of such Debtor or Debtors in the hands of
the respective sheriffs subject as aforesaid to a distribution in man-
ner aforesaid and the sale and service of such Debtor or Debtors as
aforesaid is hereby Directed to be taken as full and sufficient acquittal
and discharge against all Debts and from such Debtor or Debtors
before such sale Provided that in case it shall appear to the Satisfac-
tion of the said Justices that any of the said Debtors have Offered
since their Confinement to make satisfaction to their Creditors by
Servitude and that their Creditors have refused to accept the same
that the time such Debtors have been confined in Prison shall be
deemed and Taken as part of the aforesaid five Years and that
they shall be Obliged to serve only for such time as will compleat
five Years from the Day of such Offer of Servitude and that in case
any such Single Persons as aforesaid have been confined in Prison
for five Years or any Longer time that the said Persons so Con-
fined shall be Discharged upon the same Terms and in the same
manner that Persons having Families are by this Act Directed to
be discharged
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[Prisoners,
if single, to
be sold for
Five Years.]
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