A. D. 1696. 677 



Scottifh parliament did not relifli it, any more than one of a fimilar kind 

 propofed by the famous Law, 



We are now come to a very diftrefsful part of the reign of King Wil- 

 liam, viz. the deplorable ftate of the filver coin ef England ; which 

 fome think began to appear towards the clofe of King Charles's, and 

 more evidently in King James IPs, i-eign ; but ftill more foon after the 

 acceflion of King William and Queen Mary, when the broad lilver 

 hammered money appeared to have been greatly damaged and leflened. 

 The firft law for redrefs of it, after that period, was in an a6t [4, 5 Gul. 

 et Mar. c. 14] for review of the quarterly poll, (long fince expired, and 

 therefor not in the printed flatute-book) which only enacted in fub- 

 ftance, that whoever fhould refufe to receive in payment any cracked 

 money of the current coin of the kingdom, fhould forfeit L5 for every 

 offence. But this law rather increafed than lelTened the evil. 



By an ad intended to prevent counterfeiting and clipping the coin of 

 the kingdom, it appeared, ' that the filver coins had been greatly dimi- 

 ' niflied by clipping, wafhing, grounding, filing, and melting ; and that 

 ' many falfe and counterfeit coins had alfo been clipped for the better 

 ' difguifmg thereof; whereby what remained undipped and undimi- 

 ' niflied came to be deemed of much greater value in tale than the di- 

 ' miniflied money ;' fo that mofl: of the hammered money was thereby 

 reduced to about half its jufl value, to the great difgrace of the nation, 

 and which brought the public fecurities, as tallies, &c. to 40 per cent 

 difcount. It was therefor enafted, that if any perfon fliall thenceforth 

 exchange, receive, or pay, any broad, undipped filver money for more 

 in value than the fame was coined for, he fhall forfeit Lio for every 20/" 

 thereof. 



II) None fhall cafi; ingots or bars of filver, or mark them in imitation 

 of Spanifh bars, under the penalty of L500. 



III) None fhall buy, fell, nor have in cuflody, any clippings or filings 

 of coin, under a like penalty. 



IV) None fhall tranfport any melted filver till firfl: marked at gold- 

 fmiths-hall, and a certificate, upon oath, made by the owner, that the 

 fame is lawful filver, and that no part of it was (before it was melted) 

 the current coin of this kingdom, nor clippings therefrom, nor of plate 

 wrought within this realm. 



V) None but goldfmiths and refiners fliall deal in buying or felling 

 filver bullion. 



VI) When bullion is feized on fhip-board, and queftioned whether 

 EnglKh or foreign, the proof fliall lie upon the owners thereof, that the 

 fame was foreign. With a provifo, for the king to export a quantity of 

 700,000 ounces of bullion for paying his troops beyond fea. [6, 7 GuL 



in,c. 17.] 



But as thefe meafures could not anfwer the end propofed, and as- 



