In the city of Manila, on the twenty-first day of the month of January, one thousand five hundred and ninety-nine, the president and auditors of the royal Audiencia and Chancillería of these Philipinas Islands declared that, whereas it has come to their knowledge that both the notaries and the reporter [_relator_] [2] of this royal Audiencia and of the other jurisdictions of this court, collect fees for the trial of suits and other acts thereof in entirety from each of the parties at whose petition they may take action, saying that they should pay them entirely: therefore, because the aforesaid proceeding is to the great harm and damage of the parties, to make them thus pay what they do not owe, and since the aforesaid evil should be remedied, they ordered, and they did so order, now and henceforth, that the said notaries and reporter, or either of them, shall not collect in any way, or in any case, the fees owed by one of the said parties from the others, but that each one shall pay what he owes. On account of not paying the total fees, the party who would wish his suit to be tried, shall not have it delayed; but, as soon as he has paid his share, his suit shall be despatched with all celerity. And they declared that they charged, and they did so charge, their consciences with this; and furthermore, that whoever shall disobey this decree shall be convicted and sentenced to pay a fine four times as great as the sum thus exacted, for his Majesty's treasury, in addition to the fines which those who exact excessive fees incur. By this act they so declared, ordered, and decreed; and that this act shall apply to any person whom it concerns. Before me: _Pedro Hurtado Desquibel_ _An act decreeing that the attorneys shall not speak in suits wherein they shall not have been authorized to do so._