[1594/4/40]¹

Anent slauchter and trubling of parties in persute and defence of thair actionis

Oure soverane lord, having consideratioun of the manifald oppressionis done within this realme and for the maist pert occurring betuix parties contending in justice be proud and undantonit braggaris, boisteris and oppressouris, and understanding that thair wes ane act of perliament maid of lang tyme bypast first in the dayis of umquhile Marie, quene dowrier, his hienes guidame of worthie memorie, quhilk wes onlie temporall for the space of thre yeiris nixt following, and approvin be his hienes in his perliament haldin at Edinburgh in the moneth of Maii j^M v^C fourscoir four yeiris, quhairby it wes fund and declarit that gif ony persoun, ather persewar or defendar, suld happin to slay or wound to the effusioun of blude or utherwayes to invaid ane of thame, ane uther in ony sort quhairupoun thai micht be criminallie accusit, efter the rasing of the summondis or preceptis and lauchtfull executioun thairof or in ony tyme befoir the compleit executioun to be recoverit thairupoun, the committer of the slauchter, blude or invasioun in maner foirsaid, or being airt, pert, red or counsaill thairof, gif it be the defendar, he salbe condampnit at the instance of the persewar, gif he be on lyff; or incais of his deceis, the narrest of his kin quha is slane, without ony probatioun of the libell, except summar cognitioun to be tane of the slauchter, bludsched or invasioun befoir the justice or ony uther juge competent thairto. And gif the persewar slayis, woundis or invaidis the defendair as said is, or be airt, pert, red or counsaill thairof, cognitioun being tane incace the defender be on lyve, or incace of his deceis, the narest of the kin salhave absolvitour fra the persewaris libell. And gif the slayair, schedder of blude or invader as said is hes landis or lyfrentis and beis denuncit rebell and put to the horne for non finding of souirtie, or non comperance to underly the law for the said slauchter, bludsched or invasioun, in that cace the slayer, schedder of blude or invader incontinent efter the denunceatioun sall tyne the benefite of his lyfrent of quhatsumevir his landis, offices or commodities as in the saidis actis and statutis maid thairupoun at mair lenth is contenit, quhilk last act wes also temporall, to indure for the space of sevin yeiris. And now it being knawin to his hienes and the saidis estaitis how necessair the same is to be alwayes observit and kepit in continwall observance as ane universall law in all tyme cuming for repressing of the saidis invasionis, thairfoir his hienes, with avise of the saidis estaitis and haill body of this present perliament, ratifies, apprevis and affirmes baith the saidis first and secund actis, with the haill pointis, articles and conditionis contenit thairintill, and ordanis the same to stand as ane perpetuall law in all tyme cuming.