[1581/10/30]*[print] [email] [cite] [preceding] [following]
Our sovereign lord, with advice of his three estates and whole body of this present parliament, ratifies and approves the acts made by his highness's noble progenitors concerning the importation of bullion, with this addition: that every customs officer and clerk of cocket in time coming shall take such surety or pledges as he will answer for that bullion equivalent to the goods transported shall be delivered to the master of our sovereign lord's coin-house between then and the next exchequer thereafter following, and at that hearing of the customs officer's accounts, that he be comptrolled upon the quantity of the bullion delivered into the coin-house according to the letters of receipt of the master coiner, and what rests above that, the said customs officer be answerable thereof; providing that in case any of the goods customed happens to perish by chance or to be taken away by greater force, the lords auditors of the exchequer, being certified and persuaded of the truth thereof, shall grant reduction of the quantity of the bullion at their discretion; and for every ounce delivered to the master coiner of utter fine silver, he shall pay to the merchant 40s and make account of the profit thereof in coined money to our sovereign lord's use.