XXX

%

_ The PREFACE.

to Taxes of that Nature and Denomination only, which were fubfifiing at theTimes of the Dates of thefe Exemptions, for the prefent Charter not only ex-onerates the Heralds from the federal particular Tallages herein fpecified , buttc from any other grant hereafter to be made to that King, his Heirs,“ or Succedor s Kings of England by Authority of Parliament, or other-<c wile”, which is the Scope through the whole Tenour of thefe Letters Patents.Then as a particular Favour 'tis herein farther direBed, that the bare Pro-duction of thefe Letters Patents to the Treaforer, Barons, Commißoners, orAjfeffors ßould be fujf cient Authority for their Difcharge, however it happens ,that thefe Officers fimetimes recurred to the other Method herein alfo preferibed,by profecuting Writs direBed out of Chancery under the Great Seal for the Al-lowance hereof whereby we are happily furnißed with Records of the Judge-ment of the Chancery and Exchequer Courts, which being too long to betnferted here at large, may be confulted in the Rolls of the Exchequer, bear-ing Date 6 Oct. 13 Eliz. 14 July 13 Eliz. Term. Trin. 1 Jac. 1. zy Apr.5 Jac. i. Term. Mich. 15 Car. z. rot. 53. Palch. 16 Car. z. rot. 15.In all thefe Writs this Exemption Charter is recited, and the Treaforer, Ba-rons of the Exchequer, all Commifßoners, Ajfeffors, and ColleBors, and allother Officers and Minifers within the Kingdom, are commanded not to com-pell any of the Officers of Arms therein refpeBively mentioned, by their properNames and Titles, to any Contribution to the Payment of the Tax granted byParliament, either for their temporal Goods or Moveables, their Lands , Tene-ments, or Poffeßons within this Realm, but that they remain quit and exone-rated, and in Cafe any Di f refs had been made, the fame ßould be releafed, andthat they ßould not be moleßed for any Sum towards the Aid, though a Cer-tificate had or ßould be made into the Exchequer. There may be probably fe-veral other fuch Entries, though for faving this Expence, it was a frequentCufiom for the Kings Remembrancer to certify this Exemption to the ColleBorsof the Taxes of the Places, wherein any of thefe Officers had real or perfino lEfiates, whereof the ColleBor hath fiveral difiinB Certificates in his Cufiody.

Thus thefe Oficers were difiharged from the Payment of Impofitions laidby Parliament, till after the Commencement of the Reign of King William,when there was an expreß Claufe infirted in the Land-Tax, that no priviledgedPlace or Perfon, body politick or corporate ßould be exempted from that Affejf-ment, which indeed was taking away this Exemption by a Statute in this par-ticular fmpofition only : This very Claufe feems firongly to ' imply, that inCafe the fame had been omitted out of this AB, this Exemption would havebeen valid, notwithfianding the mofi general Words contained in that Law.And it may be hoped that this Freedom from Impofis continues in as legal Force,as it ever did, in all other Infiances, wherein the fame is not exprefsly takenaway by efpecial Words in the Statutes which grant any Aids. Ed. VI.takes Notice of the Reafonablenefs of this Exemption in his Time, upon Occafim ofthe Decay of the Profits and Advantages antiently belonging to thefe Officers,which is much fironger in the pre feilt Age, when their Incomes are reduced tothat Degree, as fiarce to afford the Heralds a bare neceffary Subfifiance.

As