THE STATUTES at Large, &c.
Anno Regni GULIELMI III. decimo.
AT the Parliament begun at Westminster the four and twentieth Day of August, Anno Dom. 1698. Tenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord WILLIAM the Third, by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c, And from thence continued by several Prorogations to the Sixth Day of December 1698, being the firs Session of this present Parliament.'
CAP. I.
An Act for Granting an Aid to his Majesty, for disbanding the Army and other necessary Occasions
Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That the Army and all the respective Regiments, Troops, Companies, Officers and Soldiers of the said Army, within the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick Tweed, shall, on or before the six and twentieth Day of March one thousand six hundred ninety-nine,be disbanded, except such Regiments, Troops and Companies confisting only of his Majesty's natural same born Subjects, not exceeding seven thousand Persons, Commission and Non-commission Officers included, as before the first Day of March one thousand six hundred ninety-eight, shall be particularly expressed in and by his Majesties Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of England, in which Proclomation the particular Number only of each Regiment, Troop and Company shall be expressed.[ruff 1]
And be it further enacted and declared. That immediately from and after the said six and twentieth Day of March one thousand six hundred ninety-nine, the said Army, Regiments, Troops and Companies (except as before is excepted) is and are hereby actually disbanded.
And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That immediately from and after the said six and twentieth Day of March one thousand six hundred ninety-nine, all the Regiments, Troops and Companies. Officers and Soldiers, within the Kingdom of Ireland, not being his Majesty's natural born Subjects, be and are hereby enacted and declared to be actually disbanded.
And be it further enacted, That all other the Army, Regiments, Troops, Companies, Officers and Soldiers, within the said Kingdom of Ireland, shall, on or before the first Day of May, one thousand six hundred ninety-nine, be disbanded, except such Regiments, Troops and Companies consisting only of his Majesty's natural born Subjects, not exceeding twelve thousand Persons, Commission and Non-commission Officers included, as before the tenth Day of April one thousand six hundred ninety-nine, shall be particularly expressed in and by his Majesties Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal of Ireland, in which Proclamation the particular Number only of each Regiment, Troop and Company shall be expressed.
And be it further enacted and declared, That immediately from and after the said first Day of May one thousand six hundred ninety-nine, the said Army, Regiments, Troops and Companies in Ireland (except as before is excepted) is and are hereby actually disbanded.
And be it further enacted and declared. That all such Forces within the said Kingdom of Ireland, not hereby directed to be disbanded, which shall be maintained within that Kingdom, shall be maintained at the sole Charge of the said Kingdom of Ireland.
And be it further enacted, That all and every Commission-officer and Officers who shall exercise any Power or Authority over the Soldiers in their respective Regiments, Troops or Companies after such Officer or Officers shall be disbanded, and every Person or Persons that shall wittingly and wilingly Advise, Frame, Contrive, Countersign or put in Execution any Proclamation, Commission, Act, Order or Command whatsoever, for continuing together any of the said Regiments, Troops or Companies, or Parts of Regiments, Troops or Companies after they shall be disbanded as asorefaid, he or they so offending shall incur and sustain the Pains, Penalties and Forfeitures limited, ordained and provided in and by the Statute of Provision and Prammiire made in the sixteenth Year of King Richard the Second ; and. being thereof lawfully convicted, shall from thenceforth be disibled, during his Life, to sue or implead any Person in any Action Real or Personal in his own Right, or to make any Gift, Grant, Conveyance or other Disposition of any his Lands, Tenements, Goods or Chattels which he hath to his own Use, either by Act executed in his Life-time, or by his last Will or otherwise, or to take any Gift, Conveyance or Legacy to his own Use: And none of the said Soldiers or Non-commissioned Officers disbanded, as aforesaid, shall, after the Space of two Days after such disbanding, continue together above ten in a Company.- ↑ Note; this Act in the later Editions is said to be expired, but 2. Whether in part it is not still in Force?
