[1599/7/12]¹

Act anent usurie

The kingis majestie, his nobilitie, counsall and estaittis presentlie convenit, remembering how that thair hes bene diverse actis of parliament and conventionis maid heirtofoir aganis the withgait and libertie quhilk sindry avaricious and godles persones hes tane to exact and lift sik exorbitant and intolerable proffite and usurie for the leane of thair money and is now commounlie used within this cuntrie, to the offence and displeasour of God and to the wraik and undoing of sa grit numeris of his majesteis guid subjectis; the dew executioun of the quhilkis actis hes bene gritlie hinderit and frustrat be the craftie and subtile conditionis of the said godles and avaricious persones quha lend out thair money upoun bandis and obligationes, and either retenis the annuell in thair awin handis, comprehende the same within the principall soume, obscureing and concealing the proffite quhilk thay ressave for the same, and takis thair securitie be plaine forme of obligatioun for pament of the haill soume, baith principall and annuell, and borrowit monie; and as gif na sic oker and usurie had bene allowit or deducit thairintill, quhairthrow the dew forme of tryall of that pernitious and unlawfull trade is hinderit and prejugit. For remeid quhairof, and for the better tryell of the said usurie in tyme cuming, it is statute and ordanit that in the tryall of usurie the criminall pane salbe dispensit with and the pecuniall pane insisted upone, and that the tryell salbe depositionis of witneses or aith of pairtie at the optioun of his majesteis thesaurare and advocat; and gif the pairtie refuis to gif thair aith, the saidis estaitis declairis that the samyn salbe haldin pro confesso.