[1579/10/54]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
†Anent the supplicatioun gevin in be the chancellair, president and remanent senatouris of the college of justice, makand mentioun that quhair be the institutioun of the said college they ar authorizet to sitt and decide upoun all actionis civile, and nane utheris to have vote with thame, and oure said soverane lordis dearest gudesir King James the Fyft, of worthie memorie, institutar of the said college, promittit in the said institutioun thairof that he sould not be ony privat writting, charge or command at the instance of ony personis, desire thame to do utherwise in ony mater that sould cum befoir thame, bot as justice requirit, or to do ony thing that may brek the statutis maid be thair predicessouris, the first senatouris of the said college at his hienes command and doing of justice, and that he wald gif na credite to ony man that wald muremure the saidis lordis or ony of thame be doing of wrang and unhonestie, bot they sould be callit befoir him, and, gif they wer foundin culpable, to be punishit thairfoir efter the qualitie of the fault or dimerit; and gif they wer fundin clene and innocent, the personis complening to be punishit with all rigour and nevir to have credit agane with his hienes, as in the said institutioun, ratifeit be parliament, at mair lenth is contenit. Nevirtheles, within thir few yeiris bipast, oure soverane lordis authoritie and thair jurisdictioun is greitlie troublit and callit in doubt be ressone of sindrie privy writtingis and charges direct aganis them be oure said soverane lord and his privie counsale, sumtyme to forbeir to proceid in civile cause befoir the intenting thairof, sumtyme to stay the proces and remit the cause to the parliament, quhilk syndle hauldis, and thairthrow diverse partiis ar oftymes frustrat and dilayit of justice, and sumtymes efter the decreitis gevin the executioun thairof ar stoppit, as sindrie of the nowmer of the said college awaiting on the saidis lordis of articles can specialie declair, quhilk, as it tendis to thair discrediting, sua it bringis contempt to oure soverane lordis authoritie and castis the partiis havand thair cause in process (to quhome justice sould alwayis be patent) in greit doubt quhen they fynd not ane outgait to have thair causs decidit quhair they ar intentit; and the kingis majestie, his parliament and privie counsale salhave litill tyme and opportunitie to considder his hienes awin affairis and the cause of the commounweill gif that, at the inoportune sute of privat partiis, the civile cause ordourlie belanging to the jugement of the college of justice salbe brocht befoir thame; thairfoir oure soverane lord, with avise of his thrie estaitis of this present parliament, hes declarit, decernit and ordanit, lyk as they, be the tennour heirof, declaris, decernis and ordanis the saidis lordis of counsale and sessioun to proceid in all the saidis civile cause intentit and depending befoir thame, or to be intentit, and to caus execute thair decreittis alrady gevin, or to be gevin, notwithstanding ony privat writing, charge or command at the instance of ony persone or personis direct or to be directit in the contrair.
[1579/10/55]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
†Forsamekle as it is hevely murmurit be diverse liegis of this realme that oure soverane lord electis and chesis young men without gravitie, knawlege and experience, not havand sufficient leving of thair awin, upoun the sessioun, and that sum of thame, be thame selffis, thair wiffis or servandis, takkis buddis, brybis, guidis and geir, sua that justice, in effect, is cost and sauld; for remeid quhairof, the kingis majestie, with avise of his thrie estaitis of this present parliament, statutis and ordanis that nane of the lordis of sessioun alrady ressavit, or to be ressavit, naither be thame selffis or be thair wyffis or servandis, tak, in ony tyme cuming, buddis, brybis, guidis or geir fra quhatsumevir persone or personis presentlie havand, or that heirefter salhappyne to have, ony actionis or cause persewit befoir thame, outhir fra the persewar or defendar, undir the pane of confiscatioun of all thair movable guidis that dois in the contrair, the ane half thairof to be applyit to oure soverane lord and the uther half to the reveilar and tryar of the saidis budtakaris. And further decernis and ordanis the saidis budtakaris to be displacet and deprivit simpliciter of thair offices quhilkis they beir in the college of justice and to be declarit infame, and als to be punishit in thair personis at the kingis majesties will. And siclike oure said soverane lord, with avise foirsaid, hes declarit and declaris that in all tyme cuming, quhen ony ordinar place vaikis in the sessioun, that oure said soverane lord sall presentt and nominat thairto ane man that feiris God of gude literature, undirstanding of the lawes, of gude fame, haveing sufficient leving of his awin and quha can mak gude expeditioun and depasche of materis concerning the liegis of this realme, quha salbe first sufficientlie tryit and examinat be ane nowmer of the saidis ordiner lordis; and incaise that persone presentit be the kingis majestie be not found sa qualifiit be thame as is befoir descrivit, oure soverane lord, with avise of his saidis thrie estaitis of this present parliament, declaris that it salbe lesum to the saidis lordis to refuise the persone presentit to thame and the kingis majestie to present ane uther sa oft as he pleas quhill the persone presentit be foundin qualifiit for useing of the said place. And siclike oure said soverane lord, with avise foirsaid, hes declarit and declaris that the president of the said college of justice salbe chosine be the haill senatouris thairof of the conditionis and qualiteis abonewrittin, quhethir he be of the spirituall or temporall estate, for cheising and electioun of quhome the kingis hienes and estaitis foirsaidis dispense with that part of the first institutioun of the college of justice beirand that the president sould be of the spirituall estate and ane prelat constitut in dignitie. And alsua declaris that in absence of the chancellair and president, now being and that salhappyne to be for the tyme, it salbe lesum to the saidis lordis to elect and cheise ony ane of thair nowmer quhome they think qualifiit and worthiest as said is, quha salbe callit vicepresident, for useing of the said office, calling of maitaris, repeating of allegeances proponit be the advocattis at the bar, collecting of the lordis voitis and pronunciatioun of thair decreitis and interloquutouris ay and quhill the returnyng of the saidis chancellair or president.