[1584/5/13]¹

Ane act ratefeand the declaratour of the kingis majestie and his estatis tueching the treasounable attempt aganis his hienes at Ruthven and concerning the lait rebellioun and ayderis thairof

The kingis majestie and his thrie estatis assemblit in this present parliament ratefeis and apprevis and, for his hienes and his successouris, perpetuallie confirmis the declaratioun underwrittin maid be his hienes, with avise of his saidis estatis convenit in counsell, upoun the sevint day of September last bypast, of the quhilk the tennour followis:

Albeit the lait surprise and restraint of our maist noble persoun, perpetrat in August now bygane a yeir, wes ane crime of lesemajestie, haynous in it self, of dangerous sequell and maist pernicious exemple, meriting to be the mair aggravat that the greittest pairt of the committaris thairof, besidis thair allegeance and commoun dewtie of subjectis wer speciallie bound to us be monyfald benefitis and particulair obligationis, deserving thairby the grittar severitie and mair grevous punisment; yit we, being naturallie inclinit to mercie and according to our naturall dispositioun alwayis resolvit be clemencie to gif thame occasioun mair willinglie to returne to thair dewtie and be lufing and gentle demeanour, as it wer to deserve a mair assurit and voluntare obedience, and thairfoir have not onlie abstene from all rigour, bot also beside the custome of a maist clement prince, in privat spechis, publict answeris to severall ambassadouris directit towardis us be our darrest sister, the Quene of England, be our ambassadouris sent to hir, be diversis resolutionis in counsell and publict proclamationis, utterit our clemencie, promisit impunitie, offerit pardoun and full securitie of lyvis, landis and guddis to sic as wald akknawlege thair offence and returne to thair dew obedience, fullie satisfeand our selffis with sa moderat and slender declaratioun thairof as wes na wayis to thair hurt, lose or detriment, relenting the tymis² prefixt thairto and prorogating the same from tyme to tyme, and rather as ane fader seikand to recover his childrene, then ane soverane prince in ane comoun weill respecting his estate and suirtie, efter thair manifest disobedience, without ony proceding aganis thame, permittit sum of the ministeris and weill affectit baronis deall with thame, entrate thame and persuade thame thair dewtie, continowing (notwithstanding the wecht of thair crime and disobedience) of full intentioun that, be thair penitence, thair former offence and contempt suld altogidder be extinguissit and buriit in oblivioun. And albeit our clemencie and lang suffering hes not produceit sic effect, nor bene sua respectit be thame as they aucht, we have thocht guid to assemble oure nobilitie and estatis, be thair advise the mair solempnitlie to reiterat and fullie performe quhatsumevir we had in the word of a prince, and be advise of our counsell heirtofoir promittit and be thair advise to provyd substantiouslie, alsweill thair impunitie and full assurance with our honour and suirtie of³ persoun and estate, and also to beir record of oure mercie and longanimitie, quhatsumevir sall happin heirefter be the behaviour of the saidis personis to ensew. And seing we have omittit na guid meanis nor left ony thing undone that culd be wissit in a godlie, maist cairfull and maist clement prince, we and our nobilitie and estatis have resolvit and heirby do declair that quhasoevir sall heirefter repyne, continow in thair disobedience and contemne oure clemencie and sa lang suffering, we, oure saidis nobilitie and estatis presentlie assemblit will tak sic ordour as oure honour, suirtie of persoun and estate sall require and thair stubburnes and proud contempt sall deserve, and sall prosecute the said crime and sequell thairof aganis all sic that ather hes or sall stubburnlie repyne, persist in thair disobedience, contemne our clemencie or refuse to aknawlege thair offence, and thair assistaris, fautouris and pairtakeris quhatsumevir, quhilk we do promit in the word of a prince, and oure nobilitie and estatis have solemnitlie sworne to hald hand and assist to thair uttermest, quhilk we will be enacted and registrat in the bukis of our previe counsell and publissit at all mercatt croces and utheris placeis neidfull of our realme; and that the samyn may have the better auctoritie, we and our nobilitie hes subscrivit thir presentis at Haliruidhous, the vij day of December 1583 yeiris. And als it is statute⁴be our soverane lord and his thrie estatis in this present parliament that nane quhilkis wer authoris or of the foirknawlege of the said maist treasounable deid sall presume in tyme cumming to occupy or bruik place in his hienes previe counsell or college of justice or in ony publict office of the estate of this comoun weill, or repair unto his hienes court and presence, not being expreslie send for be his majestie under the pane of incurring of his hienes⁵ indignatioun. And becaus the lait treasounable rebellioun attemptit aganis his hienes persoun and estate is the sequell of the former committit at Ruthven, it is also statute and ordinit be his hienes, with advise of his saidis thrie estatis, that nane of his hienes subjectis in tyme cumming presume or tak upoun hand, be word or writt, to justefie and allow the said maist treasounable attemptat at Ruthven, or to keip in register or stoir ony bukis, ryme, act, band or writt quhatsumevir tending to the allowing and approbatioun of the same attemptat at Ruthven in ony sort, bot that the havaris of the saidis bandis, bukis, actis and registeris in thair handis bring in and present the same to his hienes and previe counsell betuix the dait heirof and the first day of Julii nixtocum, to be delete and cancellit under the pane of treasoun, with certificatioun to thame that faillies, panis of treasoun salbe execute aganis⁶ thame without favour in exemple of utheris. Attour, forsamekle as the lait maist treasounable conspiracie and rebellious attemptat at the burgh of Sterling, and intendit to have bene farder execute and prosecute aganis his hienes persoun auctoritie and estate and the comoun quietnes of the haill guid subjectis within this realme, was unpossible to be interprisit and set furtherwart be the few numer that kythit and planelie shew thame selffis authouris and avowaris of that wikit deid, wer not the reset, supplie, confort, intercomoning and countinenceis of utheris, thair favoraris and conspiratouris in the samyn cryme, thairfoir, in horrour of the said treasounable fact and terrour to utheris to attempt the like, it is statute and ordinit be oure soverane lord and his⁷ estatis assemblit in this present parliament that all personis that⁸ hes reset, suppleit, intercomonit with the rebellis or⁹ conspiratouris that laitlie in the moneth of Aprill last bypast surprisit his hienes castell and burgh of Striveling, or sic as wer with thame and publictlie assistit thame in thair rebellioun during thair abyding within the said burgh and castell, or efter the cumming of the Erll of Mar and Master of Glammes furth of Irland, and quhill thair fleing and intering agane within the realme of England, or hes sensyne or sall heirefter deall with thame, or that efter thair resait hes not nor sall not tak and present thame befoir his majestie and counsell, or quha hes writtin or ressavit writt or word fra thame be ony organe or instrument, direct or indirect, knowing of thair hant, moyan or traffique and kepit it secrete and unrevelit with all guidlie diligence, and all that hes aydit thame with horsis, viveris, cumpanie or convoy or reset thame in thair housis, ministring to thame help the better to accompleis thair foirsaid treasoun aganis his hienes persoun, nobilitie, counsell and croun, sall now, and in all tyme cumming, be esstemit, haldin¹⁰ and adjhiugeit giltie of the treasounable deidis of the saidis rebellis, tratouris and conspiratouris and as committaris of the cryme of treasoun, and salbe callit, persewit and punissit thairfoir with all rigour, in exemple of utheris.