[1587/7/26]¹

Anent the parliament

²Oure soverane lord, now being of lauchfull and perfite aige, and considering the decay of the forme, honour and majestie of his supreme court of parliament be occasioun of the trubles that hes ocurrit sen the deceis of his derrest guidschir, King James the Fyft of worthie memory, and willing to restoir the same to the auncient ordour, dignitie and integritie, hes thocht expedient and, be advise of his thre estaitis assemblit in this present parliament, statuitis and ordanis as followis:

That thair salbe na confusioun of personis of the thrie estaitis: that is to say, na ane persoun sall tak upoun him the functioun, office or place of all the thrie estaitis or of tua of thame, bot sall only occupie the place of that self estait quhairin he commounlie profesis him self to leif and quhairof he takis his styll.

That incais ony erle, lord or barroun of parliament, prelat or burgh, being lauchfullie wairnit, absentis thame selff fra parliament without lauchfull and sufficient excuis admittit and allowit be the lordis articles, oure soverane lord and his thrie estaitis presentlie convenit hes ordanit and ordanis that ane pecuniall pane salbe modifiet and tane of every ane of the non compeirantis in maner following: that is to say, of everie erle, thrie hundreth pundis; of everie lord, ij^C lib; of everie prelat, j^C lib.; and of everie burgh, j^C merkis. And that sic as accompanies not the kingis majestie on horsbak decentlie with fute mantillis frome his hienes palice to the parliament hous salbe repute for absentis and incur the same panis as gif thai wer absent; and lettres salbe direct to poynd and distrenye thair landis or guidis thairfoir, or to pay the samin within ten dayes under the pane of rebellioun; and gif thai failye, to put thame to the horne, that the samin panis may be inbrocht to oure soverane lordis use.

Gif ony of the ordiner herauldis, pursevantis, maisteris or trumpettis salbe noted absent frome the parliament, or, being present, performis not that quhilk becumis thame of deweties (without lauchfull excuse maid and allowit, as said is), everie ane of thame being noted sall amite and tyne ane yeiris fie for the first fault and for the second fault salbe deprived.

That every estait salhave thair severall apparrell in semelie fassioun, conforme to the patroun thairof, quhilk the kingis majestie sall caus mak and command to be observit under the pane of tua hundreth lib. of the persoun failyeand and debarring of thame furth of the parliament hous.

Item, that the nowmer of the lordis of articles be equall in ilk estait, and that the fewest nowmer of everie estait be sex and the maist number ten.

Item, that na advocat nor preloquutour be onywayes stoppit to compeir, defend and reasoun far onie persoun accusit in parliament for tressoun or utherwyse, bot that quhatsumever pairtie accusit salhave full libertie to provide him selff of advocattis and preloquutouris in competent number to defend his lyff, honour and land aganis quhatsumevir accusatioun, seing the intenting thairof sould not prejuge the pairtie of all lauchfull defensis as gif it wer pro confesso that the accusatioun wer trew, annulling all actis maid in the contrair heirof of befoir.

Na foirfaltouris lauchfullie and ordourlie led in parliament, nor na decisionis past in parliament betuix pairtie and pairtie be proces efter cognitioun of the caus, salbe callit in questioun be ony inferiour juge.

And our soverane lord, with avise foirsaid, declairis, statuitis and ordanis that the ordour abonewrittin salbe inviolablie observit in all tyme cuming as the necessar and lauchfull forme of all parliamentis, and faythfullie promittis to do or command na thing quhilk may directlie or indirectlie prejuge the libertie of frie voiting and ressoning of the saidis estaitis or ony of thame in ony tyme cuming.