[1584/5/17]¹

²Against reduction of forfeitures for nullity of process, and that none travail nor give counsel to that effect, without special warrant of the king's majesty and estates in parliament

The king's majesty, remembering the many rebellious and treasonable deeds perpetrated against his majesty and their³ most noble progenitors, with the greater audacity and contempt, for that they have found the forfeitures led against some persons, authors of the like treasons of before, reduced and taken away in the minorities of his highness and of [Mary], the queen, his dearest mother, upon the pretence of some alleged nullities found in the processes, the principal causes and crimes, for which the said persons were forfeited, not being purged; for remedy of the which abuse, and that all men may rather eschew to incur the fearful spot of treason to themselves, their houses, and posterity in time coming, it is statute and ordained by our sovereign lord and his three estates in this present parliament that no process of forfeiture for treason committed against the king and his estate already standing in force, or that shall happen to be deduced against any persons for crimes of lese-majesty in time coming, shall at any time hereafter be reduced for any pretended cause of nullity that may be alleged to be in the process, until first the cause and crime for the which the forfeiture was led be freely remitted to him by our sovereign lord, or that he be purged effectually and the party tried and found acquitted thereof; but in case it shall please his highness or his successors at any time hereafter to restore any forfeited persons or their posterity, that shall only be granted to them by way of grace, and that no advocates, writers or others, his highness's lieges, presume or take upon hand to travail, solicit or give counsel in contradiction to the order appointed in this present act, without special warrant of his highness and his three estates in parliament, under the pain of being reputed as favourers and partakers with traitors and to underlie the pain and punishment due thereof.