[A1567/12/4]¹

Anent the messe abolischit and punisching of all that heiris or sayis the samin

Item, our soverane lord, with avise of his derrest regent and thre estatis of this present parliament, ratifyis and apprevis the act underwrittin maid in the parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the xxiiij day of August, the yeir of God ane thousand fyve hundreth thre scoir yeiris, and of new in this present parliament statutis and ordanis the said act to be as one perpetuall law to all our soverane lordis liegis in all tymes to cum, of the quhilk, the tennour followis: The quhilk day, forsamekle as almychtie God, be his maist trew and blissit word, hes declarit the reverence and honour quhilk sould be gevin unto him, and be his sone Jesus Christ hes declarit the trew use of the sacramentis, willing the samin to be usit according to his will and word, be the quhilk it is notour and perfytelie knawin that the sacramentis of baptisme and of the body and blude of Jesus Christ hes bene in all tymes bypast corruptit be the papisticall kirk and be thair usurpit ministeris, and presentlie, notwithstanding the reformatioun alreddy maid according to Goddis word, yit not the les, thair is sum of the said papis kirk that stubburnlie perseveris in thair wickit idolatrie, sayand messe and baptisand conforme to the papis kirk, prophanand thairthrow the sacramentis foirsaidis in quyet and secreit placis, thairthrow nouther regardand God nor his holie word; thairfoir it is statute and ordanit in this present parliament that na maner of person or personis, in ony tyme cuming, administrat ony of the sacramentis foirsaidis, secreitlie or in ony uther maner of way, bot thay that ar admittit and havand power to that effect; and that na maner of person nor personis say messe, nor yit heir messe, nor be present thairat, under the paine of confiscatioun of all thair gudis, movabill and unmovabill, and punischeing of thair bodyis at the discretioun of the magistrat within quhais jurisdictioun sic personis happinnis to be apprehendit for the first fault, banischeing of the realme for the secund fault, and justifying to the deith for the thrid fault; and ordanis all schireffis, stewartis, bailleis and thair deputis, provestis and bailleis of burrowis and utheris jugeis quhatsumever within this realme to tak diligent sute and inquisitioun within thair boundis quhair ony sic usurpit ministerie is usit, messe saying or thay that beis present at the doing thairof, ratifyand and apprevand the samin, and tak and apprehend thame to the effect thay the panis abone writtin may be execute upon thame; and thairfoir of new decernis and ordanis the contravenaris of the samin in ony tyme heirefter to be puneist according to the panis of the foirsaid act abone reheirsit.