The Second Year of Anne - CHAP. XIV.

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The Second Year of Anne.

A.D. 1703

CHAP. XIV.

An Act for Naturalizing of all Protestant Strangers in this Kingdom.

WHEREAS in the parliament held at Dublin the eighth day of May, in the thirteenth year of the reign of our late sovereign lord King Charles the second, and by divers prorogations held and continued to the seventh day of April, in the fourteenth year of his said Majestie's reign, a certain act of Parliament was made and passed, intituled, An Act for encouraging

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Protestant strangers and others to inhabit and plant in the kingdom of Ireland; which said act, as to the naturalizing the strangers thereby intended to be naturalized, had continuance only for the term of seven years from the end of the said Parliament: and whereas the said act has been found to be beneficial to this kingdom; be it enacted by the Queen's most excellent Majesty, 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, That the said act, and all and every clause, article, and provisoe therein contained, so far forth as the same concerns or relates to the incouraging of Protestant strangers, is hereby revived, and shall be in full force to all intents and purposes, saving such alterations as herein after is mentioned and expressed, for and during the term of five years from the twenty fifth day of March, which shall be in the year of our lord God one thousand seven hundred and four, and shall continue to the end of the next sessions of Parliament which shall be held in this kingdom after the determination of the said five years.

II. Provided always, That no person or persons shall have the benefit of the said act until he, she, or they shall, instead of the oaths of allegiance and supremacy mentioned in the said act, take the several oaths mentioned and appointed to be taken in Ireland, by an act of Parliament made in England in the third year of the reign of the late King William and Queen Mary, intitutled, An act for the abrogating the oath of Supremacy in Ireland, and appointing other oaths; being in the same form herein after mentioned, (viz.)

I A. B. do sincerely promise and swear, that I will be faithful and bear true

allegiance to her Majesty Queen Anne. So help me God.

I A.B. do swear, that I do from my heart, abhor, detest, and abjure, as impious and heretical, that damnable doctrine and position, that princes excommunicated, or deprived by the Pope, or any authority of the see of Rome, may be deposed or murdered by their subjects, aor any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign prince, person, prelate, state or potentate, hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superiority, preeminence, or authority ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm. So help me God.

And shall also make and subscribe the declaration following, (viz.)

I A.B. do solemnly and sincerely, in the presence of God, profess testify, and declare, That I do believe, that in the sacrament of the Lord's -Supper, there is not any transubstantiation of the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, at or after the consecration thereof, by any person whatsoever; and that the invocation or adoration of the Virgin Mary, or any other saint and the

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sacrifice of the mass, as they are now used in the church of Rome, are superstitious and idolatrous. And I do solemnly, in the presence of God, profess, testify, and declare, that I do make this declaration, and every part thereof, in the plain and ordinary sense of the words read unto me, as they are commonly understood by Protestants, without any evasion equivocation, or mental reservation whatsoever, and without any dispensation already granted me for this purpose by the Pope, or any other authority or person whatsoever, and without any hope of dispensation from any person or authority whatsoever, or without believing that I am, or can be acquitted before God or man, or absolved of this declaration, or any part thereof, although the Pope or any other person or persons, or power whatsoever should dispense with or annul the same, or declare that it was null and void from the beginning.

And shall also take the oath following.

I A.B. Do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify, and declare in my conscience, before God and the world, That our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne is lawful and rightful Queen of this realm, and all other her Majestie's dominions and countries thereunto belonging. And I do solemnly and sincerely declare, that I do believe in my conscience, that the person pretended to be prince of Wales, during the life of the late King James, and since his decease, pretending to be, and taking upon himself the style and title of, King of England, by the name of James the third, hath not any right or title whatsoever to the crown of this realm, or any other the dominions thereunto belonging: and I do renounce, refuse, and abjure, any allegiance or obedience to him. And I do swear, that I will bear faith and true allegiance to her Majesty queen Anne; and her will defend to the utmost of my power against all traiterous conspiracies and attempts whatsoever, which shall be made against her person, crown, or dignity. And I will do my best endeavour to disclose and make known to her Majesty, and her successors, all treasons and traiterous conspiracies, which I shall know to be against her or any of them. And I do faithfully promise to the utmost of my power to support, maintain, and defend the limitation and succession of the crown against him the said James, and all other persons whatsoever, as the same is and stands limited by an act, intituled, An act declaring the rights and liberties of the subject, and settling the succession of the crown to her present Majesty, and the heirs of her body, being Protestants: and as the same by an other act, intituled, An act for the further limitation of the crown, and better securing the rights and liberties of the subject, is and stands limited, after the decease of her Majesty, and for default of issue of her Majesty, to the princess Sophia, electoress and dutchess dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body being protestants. And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear, according to these express words by me

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spoken, and according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words, without any equivocation, mental evasion, or secret reservation whatsoever. And I do make this recognition, acknowledgment, abjuration, renunciation, and promise, heartily, willingly, and truly, upon the true faith of a Christian.

So help me God.

III. Provided always, That no person or persons, alien, stranger, or foreigner,who by virtue of this or the aforesaid act shall be naturalized, or made free of any corporation, shall have any power to serve as member or members in the present or any future Parliament in this kingdom, or to vote in the election of any member to serve in this present Parliament, or any future Parliament in this kingdom, nor to serve as a magistrate in any city, borough, or town corporate in this kingdom, or to vote in the election or choice of any magistrate or officer in any city, borough, or town corporate, where he or they shall be made free.

IV. Provided always, that such freedom in any city, borough, or town corporate, shall not be of any use to any such alien, stranger, or foreigner, nor continue longer than while he, she, or they shall dwell or reside in such city, borough, or town corporate; anything in the said act, or this present act to the contrary notwithstanding.

V. And for the greater encouragement of Protestant strangers to come and reside in this kingdom: be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all such strangers, who shall come and settle in any corporation in this kingdom, shall be freed from all manner of corporation taxes, and from being obliged to undergo any corporation offices, that shall bring an expence along with them, for the term of seven years after their coming into this kingdom.

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