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In the parliament held at Holyroodhouse, 30 April 1573, these laws, statutes and constitutions were devised, concluded, statute and ordained by the right high, excellent and mighty prince, our sovereign lord James VI, by the grace of God, king of Scots, with advice and consent of a noble and mighty lord, and his right trusty cousin James [Douglas], earl of Morton, lord Dalkeith etc., regent to his majesty, his realm and subjects and three estates of this realm, assembled and convened to that effect, of the which laws and constitutions the tenor follows:
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It is found and declared by our sovereign lord, [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, that in all times past, since the true and Christian religion was publicly preached, avowed and established within this realm, namely, since the month of August 1560, it has been, is and in all time coming shall be, lawful that whatsoever person or persons joined in lawful matrimony, husband or wife, diverts from others' company without a reasonable cause alleged or deduced before a judge, and remains in their malicious obstinacy by the space of four years, and in the meantime refuses all privy admonitions, the husband of the wife or the wife of the husband, for due adherence, that then the husband or the wife shall call and pursue the obstinate person, offender, before the judge ordinary, for adherence. And in case no sufficient causes be alleged, wherefore no adherence should be but that the sentence proceeds against the offender refusing to obey the same, the husband or the wife shall submit themselves to the superior magistrate, namely, the lords of session, and shall obtain letters in the four forms conforming to the sentence of adherence; which charge being condemned and therefore being denounced rebel and put to the horn, then the husband or the wife to suit the spiritual jurisdiction and power and require the lawful archbishop, bishop or superintendent of the country where the offender remains to direct privy admonitions to the said offender, admonishing him or her as before for adherence; which admonitions, if he or she contemptuously disobeys, that archbishop, bishop or superintendent to direct charges to the minister of that parish where the offender remains, or in case there be none or that the minister will not execute, to the minister of the adjacent kirk thereto, who shall proceed against the said offender with public admonitions; and if they be condemned to the sentence of excommunication, which once being pronounced, the malicious and obstinate defection of the party, offender, to be a sufficient cause of divorce and the said party, offender, to forego and lose their tocher and wedding gifts.
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The which day it was statute and ordained by our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, that no manner of person or persons within this realm, stranger nor others whatsoever, bring home [wine] within the same realm, except to be sold to all our sovereign lord's lieges of the prices and in manner following: that is to say, the tun of Bordeaux wine and Bordeaux bound for £24 the tun, and the pint thereof to be sold for 12d; the tun of Hautpois wine to be sold for £22 the tun, and the pint to be sold for 12d; the tun of Cognac wine grown within the river of Charente for £20 the tun, and the pint thereof to be sold for 10d; and the tun of Rochelle wine to be sold for £16 the tun, and the pint thereof to be sold for 8d; and that the said pint be of the measure of Stirling; and this act to endure for the space of three years next and immediately following 1 August 1573, under the pain of confiscation of the whole wine, the two parts to the king's use and the third to the apprehender.
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Forasmuch as it is understood the great and exorbitant prices the small salt is lately risen to within this realm, which heretofore has never been seen or heard within the same, and there is no reason that the said strange dearth and novelty should be suffered to continue, but the occasion thereof to be timeously remedied; therefore our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], his dearest regent, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, statutes and ordains that no small salt be transported out of this realm at any time hereafter, at the least for the space of three years next after the date of this present act, under the pain of confiscation of the salt, as also of the ships, vessels and other moveable goods of the persons, transporters thereof; providing always that the pain of this act extend not against strangers of Norway and others of the east parts who bring in timber in this realm, for which they are privileged by this present act to transport salt for the exchange of their money, conforming to the acts made of before.
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Item, forasmuch as it is considered that by packing of salmon, herring and white fish by the merchants and other inhabitants of this realm, there is great hurt and damage sustained by the buyers thereof, and great slander sustains the whole nation, through the default of a few number, in so far as every trafficker with such merchandise causes the coopers make their barrels and trees of such quantity as he pleases for his own particular profit, not keeping therein one universal measure; and therefore it is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], his dearest regent, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, that every salmon barrel to be made hereafter shall contain 12 gallons of the Stirling pint, and that every barrel of herring and white fish contain nine gallons of the same stop; and that the cooper, maker of the barrel, shall burn and mark the same with his own proper mark, so that the buyer may be assured the same contains such quantities; and whoever fails herein, being called and convicted thereof, shall be punished according to the laws made thereupon of before.
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Item, forasmuch as it is considered the heavy damage and hurt sustained by the neighbours of Edinburgh, Canongate and others, the suburbs thereabouts, who left their lands and heritages and goods for acknowledging our sovereign lord's most just authority, by the which their lands and heritages were demolished, wrecked and burned by his highness's declared traitors and rebels, being within the castle and burgh of Edinburgh, and their assisters, the said lands being in debt for sundry annualrents; which persons, heritors of the said annualrents, are now pursuing the said lands for the arrears on them, notwithstanding they are demolished and burned as said is; therefore our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, declares the said lands burned and demolished as said is, not to be obliged to make complete payment of the annualrents owning forth thereof, but the same to be defaulted according to the acts made of before concerning the payment of the annualrents owned forth of the lands lying within the said burgh, burned of before by the power of England, then enemies to this realm, and the parties, owners of the said annualrents, not to have further action except according to the act of parliament made concerning the payment of annualrents owned forth of the said burned lands, seeing the demolition aforesaid is done by our sovereign lord's declared traitors, which is alike to the persons damaged as if the same had been done by foreign enemies; providing this act extend to none but to such as assisted and took part with our sovereign lord during the time of these late troubles and continues therein.
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Item, it is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, that the acts and statutes made of before against the carrying of forbidden goods out of this realm be diligently put into execution in time coming; and likewise that none of the subjects of this realm take upon hand to carry or transport out of this realm any manner of linen cloth, linseed, made candle or other tallow whatsoever, eating butter, cheese, tanned hides or made shoes, under the pain of escheat thereof and the whole remaining goods of the buyers and transporters thereof to our sovereign lord's use.
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Item, forasmuch as it is heavily complained that the whole slayers of all kind of fish within this realm do not regard the acts made by our sovereign lord's dearest predecessors of before, which is that when herring and white fish are slain, they ought to bring the same to the adjacent burghs and towns, where the persons, slayers thereof, dwell, to the effect that our sovereign lord's lieges may be first served; and if abundance occurred, that they might be salted and transported by free burgesses; through not doing of the which, our sovereign lord is greatly defrauded of his customs and his highness's lieges want the fruit of the sea, appointed by God for their nourishment, and the burgesses and free men of burghs disappointed of their traffic and commodity. Therefore our sovereign lord, with advice and consent of [James Douglas, earl of Morton], my lord regent's grace, the three estates and whole body of this present parliament, ordains that all manner of fisheries that occupy the sea and other persons whatsoever that happen to slay herring or white fish upon the coast or within the isles, or outwith the same within the firths, bring them to free ports, there to be sold commonly to all our sovereign lord's lieges, and the rest to free men, whereby his majesty's customs be not defrauded and his highness's lieges not frustrated of the commodity appointed to them by God, under the pain of confiscation and loss of the vessels of those that come in the contrary hereof, and escheating of all their moveable goods to our sovereign lord's use.