“Every Wednesday next ensuing the last of December, the whole youth of
every parish, that is to say, every man (not excepted by the foregoing
part of the order), being from eighteen years of age to thirty, shall
repair at the sound of the bell to their respective church, and being
there assembled in presence of the overseers, who are to govern the
ballot, and the constable who is to officiate at the urn, shall, after
the manner of the elders, elect every fifth man of their whole number
(provided that they choose not above one of two brothers at one
election, nor above half if they be four or upward) to be a stratiot
or deputy of the youth; and the list of the stratiots so elected
being taken by the overseers, shall be entered in the parish book, and
diligently preserved as a record, called the first essay. They whose
estates by the law are able, or whose friends are willing, to mount
them, shall be of the horse, the rest are of the foot. And he who has
been one year of this list, is not capable of being re-elected till
after another year’s interval.
“Every Wednesday next ensuing the last of January, the stratiots being
mustered at the rendezvous of their respective hundreds, shall, in the
presence of the jurymen, who are overseers of that ballot, and of the
high constable who is to officiate at the urn, elect out of the horse
of their troop or company one captain, and one ensign or cornet, to
the command of the same. And the jurymen having entered the list of the
hundred into a record to be diligently kept at the rendezvous of the
same, the first public game of this commonwealth shall begin and be
performed in this manner. Whereas there is to be at every rendezvous of
a hundred, one cannon, culverin, or saker, the prize arms being forged
by sworn armorers of this commonwealth, and for their proof, besides
their beauty, viewed and tried at the tower of Emporium, shall be
exposed by the justice of peace appertaining to that hundred (the said
justice with the jurymen being judges of the game), and the judges shall
deliver to the horseman that gains the prize at the career, one suit
of arms being of the value £20, to the pikeman that gains the prize
at throwing the bullet, one suit of arms of the value of £10, to the
musketeer that gains the prize at the mark with his musket, one suit of
arms of the value of £10, and to the cannoneer that gains the prize at
the mark with the cannon, culverin, or saker, a chain of silver being
the value of £10, provided that no one man at the same muster plays
above one of the prizes. Whosoever gains a prize is bound to wear it
(if it be his lot) upon service; and no man shall sell or give away any
armor thus won, except he has lawfully attained to two or more of them
at the games.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account