STATUTES. 483 



by themselves, or else with sureties, by the discretions of the 

 justices, mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, or other head officers, no more 

 to play, haunt or exercise from thenceforth in, at or to any of 

 the said places, or at any of the said games. 



16. No manner of artificer or craftsman of any handicraft or Persons pro- 

 occupation, husbandman, apprentice, labourer, servant at hus- tibited to play 



bandry, journeyman or servant of artificer, mariners, fishermen, '^^ uniawtul 

 ■ 11,.., ■ , T^ ., games out 01 



watermen or any servmg-man, shall from the said Feast of Christmas {c}. 



the Nativity of St. John Baptist, play at the tables, dice, 



cards, or any other unlawful game, out of Christmas, under 



the pain of twenty shillings, to be forfeit for every time ; and 



that all justices of peace, mayors, bailiffs, sheriffs and all 



other head officers, and every of them, finding or knowing 



any manner of person or persons using or exercising any 



unlawful games, contrary to this present statute, shall have 



full power and authority to commit every such offender to 



ward, there to remain without bail or mainprise until such 



time that they so offending be bounden by obligation to the 



king's use in such sums of money as by the discretions of the 



said justices, mayors, bailiffs, or other head officers shall be 



thought reasonable, that they or any of them shall not from 



henceforth use such unlawfal games. 



17. All other statutes made for the restraint of unlawful All other 

 games, or for the maintenance of artillery, as touching the statutes made 

 penalties or forfeitures of the same, shall be from henceforth agamst uulaw- 

 utterly void ; and that all informations, plaints, actions or suits and'tor the 

 that shall be taken or sued upon any part of this statute, shall maintenance 

 be commenced within the year after the offence committed and of artillery 

 done, or otherwise no advantage or suit thereof to be taken. '^^P'^"' ^ ' 



18. And where any such forfeitures shall happen to be found Within what 

 within the precincts of any franchise, leet, or lawday, then the *™^ '^y ^™' 

 lord of the same franchise, leefc or lawday to have the one gecutedupon 

 moiety thereof, and the other moiety thereof to any of the this statute 

 king's subjects that will sue for the same in any of the king's and who shall 

 courts, by action, information, bill or otherwise, in which action ^^^'^ ^^^ ^°^' 

 or suit the defendant shall not be admitted to wage his law, 



nor any protection nor essoin shall be allowed ; and where 

 such forfeitures shall be found out of the precinct of any 

 franchise, leet or lawday, that the moiety of all such forfeitures 

 shall be to the king, our sovereign lord, and the other moiety 

 thereof to any the king's subjects that will sue for the same by 

 bill, plaint, action, information or otherwise, in any of the 

 king's courts, in which suit or action the defendant shall not be 

 admitted to wage his law, nor any protection or essoin shall be 

 allowed. 



19. And to the intent that every person may have knowledge Proclamation 

 of this Act, and avoid the danger and penalties of the same, be of ^''^^ statute. 



(c) 1 Lutw. 1. 



I I 2 



