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Parliament; as also all such who do or shall profess the Roman
Catholic religion.

XVI. That all votes and elections given or made contrary, or not according to these qualifications, shall be null and void; and if any person, who is hereby made incapable, shall give his vote for election of members to serve in Parliament, such person shall lose and forfeit one full year's value of his real estate, and one full third part of his personal estate; one moiety thereof to the Lord Protector, and the other moiety to him or them who shall sue for the same.

XVII. That the persons who shall be elected to serve in Parliament shall be such (and no other than such) as are persons of known integrity, fearing God, and of good conversation, and being of the age of twenty-one years.

XVIII. That all and every person and persons seised or possessed, to his own use, of any estate, real or personal, to the value of two hundred pounds, and not within the aforesaid exceptions, shall be capable to elect members to serve in Parliament for counties.

XIX. That the Chancellor, Keeper, or Commissioners of the Great Seal shall be sworn, before they enter into their offices, truly and faithfully to issue forth and send abroad writs of summons to Parliament, at the times and in the manner before expressed: and in case of neglect or failure to issue and send abroad writs accordingly, he or they shall for every such offense be guilty of high treason and suffer the pains and penalties thereof.

XX. That in case writs be not issued out, as is before expressed, but that there be a neglect therein, fifteen days after the time wherein the same ought to be issued out by the Chancellor, Keeper, or Commissioners of the Great Seal; that then the Parliament shall, as often as such failure shall happen, assemble and be held at Westminster, in the usual place, at the times prefixed, in manner and by the means hereafter expressed; that is to say, that the sheriffs of the several and respective counties, sheriffdoms, cities, boroughs, and places aforesaid within England, Wales, Scotland, and Treland, the Chancellor, masters, and scholars of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the mayor and bailiffs of the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and other places aforesaid respectively, shall at the several courts and places to be appointed as aforesaid, within thirty days after the said fifteen days, cause such members to be chosen for their said several and respective counties, sheriffdoms, universities, cities, boroughs, and places aforesaid, by such persons, and in such manner, as

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if several and respective writs of summons to Parliament under the Great Seal had issued and been awarded according to the tenor aforesaid; that if the sheriff, or other persons authorized, shall neglect his or their duty herein, that all and every such sheriff and person authorized as aforesaid, so neglecting his or their duty, shall, for every such offense, be guilty of high treason, and shall suffer the pains and penalties thereof.

XXI. That the clerk, called the Clerk of the Commonwealth in Chancery for the time being, and all others, who shall afterwards execute that office, to whom the returns shall be made, shall for the next Parliament, and the two succeeding triennial Parliaments, the next day after such return, certify the names of the several persons so returned, and of the places for which he and they were chosen respectively, unto the council; who shall peruse the said returns and examine whether the persons so elected and returned be such as is agreeable to the qualifications, and not disabled to be elected: and that every person and persons being so duly elected and being approved of by the major part of the council to be persons not disabled, but qualified as aforesaid, shall be esteemed a member of Parliament and be admitted to sit in Parliament, and not otherwise.

XXII. That the persons so chosen and assembled in manner aforesaid, or any sixty of them, shall be, and be deemed the Parliament of England, Scotland, and Ireland; and the supreme legislative power to be and reside in the Lord Protector and such Parliament, in manner herein expressed.

XXIII. That the Lord Protector, with the advice of the major part of the council, shall at any other time than is before expressed, when the necessities of the state shall require it, summon Parliaments in manner before expressed, which shall not be adjourned, prorogued, or dissolved without their consent, during the first three months of their sitting. And in case of future war with any foreign state, a Parliament shall be forthwith summoned for their advice concerning the same.

XXIV. That all bills agreed unto by the Parliament shall be presented to the Lord Protector for his consent; and in case he shall not give his consent thereto within twenty days after they shall be presented to him, or give satisfaction to the Parliament within the time limited, that then, upon declaration of the Parliament that the Lord Protector has not consented nor given satisfaction, such bills shall pass into and become laws, although he shall not give his con

sent thereunto; provided such bills contain nothing in them contrary to the matters contained in these presents.

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XXV. That Henry Lawrence, Esq. . . . 1 or any seven of them, shall be a council for the purposes expressed in this writing; and upon the death or other removal of any of them the Parliament shall nominate six persons of ability, integrity, and fearing God, for every one that is dead or removed; out of which the major part of the council shall elect two and present them to the Lord Protector, of which he shall elect one; and in case the Parliament shall not nominate within twenty days after notice given unto them thereof, the major part of the council shall nominate three as aforesaid to the Lord Protector, who out of them shall supply the vacancy; and until this choice be made, the remaining part of the council shall execute as fully in all things as if their number were full. And in case of corruption or other miscarriage in any of the council in their trust, the Parliament shall appoint seven of their number and the council six, who, together with the Lord Chancellor, Lord Keeper, or Commissioners of the Great Seal for the time being, shall have power to hear and determine such corruption and miscarriage, and to award and inflict punishment, as the nature of the offense shall deserve, which punishment shall not be pardoned or remitted by the Lord Protector; and, in the interval of Parliaments, the major part of the council, with the consent of the Lord Protector, may, for corruption or other miscarriage as aforesaid, suspend any of their number from the exercise of their trust, if they shall find it just, until the matter shall be heard and examined as aforesaid.

XXVI. That the Lord Protector and the major part of the council aforesaid may, at any time before the meeting of the next Parliament, add to the council such persons as they shall think fit, provided the number of the council be not made thereby to exceed twenty-one, and the quorum to be proportioned accordingly by the Lord Protector and the major part of the council.

XXVII. That a constant yearly revenue shall be raised, settled, and established for maintaining of ten thousand horse and dragoons and twenty thousand foot in England, Scotland, and Ireland, for the defense and security thereof, and also for a convenient number of ships for guarding of the seas; besides two hundred thousand pounds per annum for defraying the other necessary charges of administration of justice and other expenses of the government, which

1 The names of fifteen members follow.

revenue shall be raised by the customs, and such other ways and means as shall be agreed upon by the Lord Protector and the council, and shall not be taken away or diminished, nor the way agreed upon for raising the same altered, but by the consent of the Lord Protector and the Parliament.

XXVIII. That the said yearly revenue shall be paid into the public treasury, and shall be issued out for the uses aforesaid.

XXIX. That in case there shall not be cause hereafter to keep up so great a defense both at land or sea, but that there be an abatement made thereof, the money which will be saved thereby shall remain in bank for the public service and not be employed to any other use but by consent of Parliament, or, in the intervals of Parliament, by the Lord Protector and major part of the council.

XXX. That the raising of money for defraying the charge of the present extraordinary forces, both at sea and land, in respect of the present wars, shall be by consent of Parliament, and not otherwise: save only that the Lord Protector, with the consent of the major part of the council, for preventing the disorders and dangers which might otherwise fall out both by sea and land, shall have power, until the meeting of the first Parliament, to raise money for the purposes aforesaid; and also to make laws and ordinances for the peace and welfare of these nations where it shall be necessary, which shall be binding and in force until order shall be taken in Parliament concerning the same.

XXXI. That the lands, tenements, rents, royalties, jurisdictions, and hereditaments which remain yet unsold or undisposed of by act or ordinance of Parliament, belonging to the Commonwealth (except the forests and chases and the honors and manors belonging to the same; the lands of the rebels in Ireland, lying in the four counties of Dublin, Cork, Kildare, and Carlow; the lands forfeited by the people of Scotland in the late wars, and also the lands of Papists and delinquents in England who have not yet compounded), shall be vested in the Lord Protector to hold, to him and his successors, Lords Protectors of these nations, and shall not be alienated but by consent in Parliament. And all debts, fines, issues, amercements, penalties, and profits, certain and casual, due to the "Keepers of the Liberty of England by Authority of Parliament," shall be due to the Lord Protector, and be payable into his public receipt, and shall be recovered and prosecuted in his name.

XXXII. That the office of Lord Protector over these nations shall be elective and not hereditary; and upon the death of the Lord Pro

tector another fit person shall be forthwith elected to succeed him in the government; which election shall be by the council, who, immediately upon the death of the Lord Protector, shall assemble in the chamber where they usually sit in council; and, having given notice to all their members of the cause of their assembling, shall, being thirteen at least present, proceed to the election; and, before they depart the said chamber, shall elect a fit person to succeed in the government, and forthwith cause proclamation thereof to be made in all the three nations as shall be requisite; and the person that they, or the major part of them, shall elect as aforesaid, shall be, and shall be taken to be, Lord Protector over these nations of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the dominions thereto belonging. Provided that none of the children of the late king, nor any of his line or family, be elected to be Lord Protector or other chief magistrate over these nations, or any the dominions thereto belonging. And until the aforesaid election be past, the council shall take care of the government and administer in all things as fully as the Lord Protector, or the Lord Protector and council are enabled to do.

XXXIII. That Oliver Cromwell, Captain-General of the forces of England, Scotland, and Ireland, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the dominions thereto belonging, for his life.

XXXIV. That the Chancellor, Keeper or Commissioners of the Great Seal, the Treasurer, Admiral, Chief Governors of Ireland and Scotland, and the Chief Justices of both the Benches, shall be chosen by the approbation of Parliament; and, in the intervals of Parliament, by the approbation of the major part of the council, to be afterwards approved by the Parliament.

XXXV. That the Christian religion, as contained in the Scriptures, be held forth and recommended as the public profession of these nations; and that, as soon as may be, a provision, less subject to scruple and contention and more certain than the present, be made for the encouragement and maintenance of able and painful teachers, for instructing the people, and for discovery and confutation of error, hereby, and whatever is contrary to sound doctrine; and until such provision be made, the present maintenance shall not be taken away or impeached.

XXXVI. That to the public profession held forth none shall be compelled by penalties or otherwise; but that endeavors be used to win them by sound doctrine and the example of a good conversation.

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