law of this realm forever; and the same are by Their said Majesties, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons in parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, declared, enacted and established accordingly.

II. And be it further declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid, that, from and after this present session of parliament, no dispensation by non obstante of or to any statute or any part thereof shall be allowed, but that the same shall be held void and of no effect, except a dispensation be allowed of in such statute, and except in such case as shall be specially provided for by one or more bill or bills to be passed during this present session of parliament.

III. Provided that no charter or grant or pardon, granted before the three and twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty-nine, shall be any ways impeached or invalidated by this act, but that the same shall be and remain of the same force and effect in law and no other than as if this act had never been made.

240. Act Restoring Charter of London

(1690, May 14. 2 William and Mary, c. 8. 6 S. R. 171.)

WHEREAS a judgment was given in the court of king's bench

in or about Trinity term, in the five and thirtieth year of the reign of the late king Charles the Second, upon an information in the nature of a Quo Warranto, exhibited in the said court against the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London, that the liberty, privilege and franchise of the said mayor and commonalty and citizens, being a body politic and corporate, should be seized into the king's hands as forfeited: and forasmuch as the said judgment and the proceedings thereupon is and were illegal and arbitrary; and for that the restoring of the said mayor and commonalty and citizens to their ancient liberties of which they had been deprived tends very much to the peace and good settlement of this kingdom; be it declared and enacted by the king and queen's most excellent Majesties, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons in this present parliament assembled and by authority of the same, that the said judgment given in the said

court of king's bench, in the said Trinity term, in the five and thirtieth year of the reign of the said king Charles the Second, or in any other term, and all and every other judgment given or recorded in the said court for the seizing into the said late king's hands the liberty, privilege or franchise of the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London of being of themselves a body corporate and politic, by the name of the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London, and by that name to plead and be impleaded and to answer and to be answered, or in what manner or words soever such judgment was entered is, shall be and are hereby reversed, annulled and made void to all intents and purposes whatsoever, and that vacats be entered upon the rolls of the said judgment for the vacating and reversal of the same accordingly.

II. And be it further declared and enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London shall and may forever hereafter remain, continue and be, and prescribe to be, a body corporate and politic in re facto et nomine by the name of mayor and commonalty and citizens of the city of London, and by that name and all and every other name and names of incorporation, by which they at any time before the said judgment were incorporated, to sue, plead and be impleaded and to answer and to be answered, without any seizure or forejudger of the said franchise, liberty and privilege, or being thereof excluded or ousted, for or upon any pretence of any forfeiture or misdemeanour at any time heretofore or hereafter to be done, committed or suffered; and the said mayor and commonalty and citizens of the said city shall and may, as by law they ought, peaceably have and enjoy all and every their rights, gifts, charters, grants, liberties, privileges, franchises, customs, usages, constitutions, prescriptions, immunities, markets, duties, tolls, lands, tenements, estates and hereditaments whatsoever, which they lawfully had or had lawful right, title or interest of, in or to, at the time of the recording or giving the said judgment or at the time or times of the said pretended forfeitures.

241. The Triennial Act

(1694, December 22. 6 & 7 William and Mary, c. 2.

W

WHEREAS by the ancient laws and statutes of this kingdom frequent parliament sought to be held, and whereas frequent and new parliaments tend very much to the happy union and good agreement of the king and people, we Your Majesties' most loyal and obedient subjects, the lords spiritual and temporal and commons in this present parliament assembled, do most humbly beseech Your most excellent Majesties, that it may be declared and enacted in this present parliament, and it is hereby declared and enacted by the king and queen's most excellent Majesties, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons in this present parliament assembled and by the authority of the same, that from henceforth a parliament shall be holden once in three years at the least.

II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that within three years at the farthest from and after the dissolution of this present parliament, and so from time to time forever hereafter within three years at the farthest from and after the determination of every other parliament, legal writs under the great seal shall be issued by directions of Your Majesties, your heirs and successors, for calling, assembling and holding another new parliament.

III. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that from henceforth no parliament whatsoever, that shall at any time hereafter be called, assembled or held, shall have any continuance longer than for three years only at the farthest, to be accounted from the day on which by the writs of summons the said parliament shall be appointed to meet.

IV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that this present parliament shall cease and determine on the first day of November, which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred ninety-six, unless Their Majesties shall think fit to dissolve it sooner.

WE

242. Treason Trials Act

(1696. 7 & 8 William III. c. 3. 7 S. R. 6.)

THEREAS nothing is more just and reasonable than that persons prosecuted for high treason and misprision of treason, whereby the liberties, lives, honour, estates, blood and posterity of the subjects may be lost and destroyed, should be justly and equally tried, and that persons accused as offenders therein should not be debarred of all just and equal means for defence of their innocencies in such cases; in order thereunto and for the better regulation of trials of persons prosecuted for high treason and misprision of such treason, be it enacted by the king's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and the commons in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the five and twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred ninety-six all and every person and persons whatsoever, that shall be accused and indicted for high treason, whereby any corruption of blood may or shall be made to any such offender or offenders or to any the heir or heirs of any such offender or offenders, or for misprision of such treason, shall have a true copy of the whole indictment, but not the names of the witnesses, delivered unto them or any of them five days at the least before he or they shall be tried for the same, whereby to enable them and any of them respectively to advise with counsel thereupon, to plead and make their defence, his or their attorney or attorneys, agent or agents, or any of them requiring the same, and paying the officer his reasonable fees for writing thereof, not exceeding five shillings for the copy of every such indictment; and that every such person so accused and indicted, arraigned or tried for any such treason as aforesaid or for misprision of such treason, from and after the said time, shall be received and admitted to make his and their full defence by counsel learned in the law, and to make any proof that he or they can produce by lawful witness or witnesses, who shall then be upon oath, for his and their just defence in that behalf; and in case any person or persons so accused or indicted shall desire counsel, the court before whom such person or persons shall be tried or some judge of that court shall and hereby is authorized and required immediately, upon his or their request, to assign to such person and persons such and so many counsel, not exceed

ing two, as the person or persons shall desire, to whom such counsel shall have free access at all seasonable hours; any law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding.

II. And be it further enacted, that from and after the said five and twentieth day of March in the year of our lord one thousand six hundred ninety-six, no person or persons whatsoever shall be indicted, tried or attainted of high treason, whereby any corruption of blood may or shall be made to any such offender or offenders or to any the heir or heirs of any such offender or offenders, or of misprision of such treason, but by and upon the oaths and testimony of two lawful witnesses, either both of them to the same overt act, or one of them to one and another of them to another overt act of the same treason; unless the party indicted and arraigned or tried shall willingly, without violence, in open court confess the same, or shall stand mute or refuse to plead, or in cases of high treason shall peremptorily challenge above the number of thirty-five of the jury; any law, statute or usage to the contrary notwithstanding.

IV. And be it further enacted and declared by the authority aforesaid, that if two or more distinct treasons of divers heads or kinds shall be alleged in one bill of indictment, one witness produced to prove one of the said treasons, and another witness produced to prove another of the said treasons, shall not be deemed or taken to be two witnesses to the same treason within the meaning of this act.

V. And to the intent that the terror and dread of such criminal accusations may in some reasonable time be removed, be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that from and after the said five and twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred ninety-six, no person or persons whatsoever shall be indicted, tried or prosecuted for any such treason as aforesaid, or for misprision of such treason, that shall be committed or done within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales or town of Berwick upon Tweed, after the said five and twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred ninety-six, unless the same indictment be found by a grand jury within three years next after the treason or offence done and committed.

VI. And that no person or persons shall be prosecuted for any such treason or misprision of such treason, committed or done or to be committed or done within the kingdom of Eng