Legislation

Act discharging all of the town who are not members of parliament or have necessary attendance there

Forasmuch as our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering the great confluence of people from all corners of the country which heretofore and do daily resort to this town of Edinburgh without any necessary affairs requiring their own presence, which tends to the prejudice of the lieges and is needlessly expensive and may be the ground and occasion of great disorders, therefore our sovereign lord and estates of parliament straitly inhibit and discharge all our sovereign lord's lieges, except such as have necessary and important affairs with his majesty and the parliament, to repair and come to this town hereafter during his majesty's abode here and sitting of the parliament; and also command and charge all our sovereign lord's lieges who are presently in town and are not members of parliament nor other necessary attendance to repair to their own homes and dwellings and retire of this town within 24 hours after the publication hereof, under all highest pain to be inflicted on the contraveners for their disobedience to his majesty's command. And ordain publication to be made hereof by sound of trumpet at the market cross of Edinburgh, to be proclaimed by the lyon himself, that none pretend ignorance hereof.