England under Charles II. from the Restoration to the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1660-1678: English History from Contemporary Writers
Taylor, W. F.
1889
The Conventicle Act.
Ibid., p. 204. | |
While they [Lauderdale and Rothes] were going on with their affairs they understood that an Act had passed in the Parliament of England against all conventicles, empowering justices of peace to convict offenders without juries. . . Any meeting for religious worship at which five were present more than the family was declared a conventicle. And every person above sixteen that was present at it was to lie three months in prison, or pay £5 for the first offence; six months for the second offence, or to pay £20 fine; and for the third offence, being convict by a jury, was to be banished to any plantation except | |
123 | New England or Virginia, or to pay £100. All people were amazed at this severity. But the bishops in Scotland took heart upon it, and resolved to copy from it. So an Act was passed almost in the same terms. And at the passing it lord Lauderdale in a long speech expressed great zeal for the Church. |