ently of the best and worthiest of the Crafts, be the saids Provest, Baillies, and Counsel allanerly; and nane to be of the Counsel above twa year together, except they be Officemen, or be vertue of their offices be on the Counsel. Sicklike, anent the lytts to be Baillies, they sall not be dividet nor casten in four ranks, three to every rank, as they were wont to be, bot to be chosen indifferently, ane out of the twelff lytts, ane uther out of eleven lytts, the third out of ten, and the fourt out of nyne lytts. Anent the Deakens, that nane be electit Deaken, except he that has been an maister of his Craft twa year at the least; and that nane of them be continued in their office of Deakenship above twa year togidder. Last, in general, that nane have vote in lytting, voiting, or electing of the Provest, Baillies, Counsel, and Deakens, Dean of Gild, or Thesaurer, but the persons hereafter following allenarly, in manner after specifit.

ELECTION IN

SPECIAL

DEAKENS.

OF

AND to proceed in the said Election, It is found guid to begin at the choosing of the Deakens of Crafts, quhilks are fourteen in number, to wit, Chirurgyans, Goldsmyths, Skynners, Furriers, Hammer-men, Wrights, Masons, Tailyeours, Baxters, Fleshers, Cordiners, Websters, Waulkers, Bonnet-makers: Swa the Deakens now present shall stand and continue quhil the third Counsel Day before the auld time of election of the new Counsel, quhilk was on the Wednesday next preceeding the Feast of Michaelmass; upon the quhilk third Counsel Day, the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel now standand, extending to nineteen persons, and fra thence furth yearly, and ilk year, the Provest, Baillies and Counsel, constitute of the said twenty-five persons, sall call

in before them the saids Deakens of Crafts, every ane severally, and require their opinion and judgment of the best and worthiest of their Crafts. Thereafter, the saids Provest, Baillies, and Counsel, sall nominat and lytt three persons of the maist discreet, godly, and qualified persons of every ane of the saids Fourteen Crafts, maist expert hand-labourers of their awen Craft, Burgesses and Freemen of the Burgh, whereof the auld Deaken sall be ane, and cause deliver their names to the Deakens, every ane according to their Craft; quhilk Deakens, on the morn thereafter, sall assemble and convein their Crafts, and every Craft be themselves, furth of thir names sall elect ane person, wha sall be their Deaken for that year; and upon the next Counsel Day after the said Election, the auld Deakens, with some of the masters of their Crafts, sall present the new Deaken to the Counsel, quha sall authorize them in their offices.

NEW COUNSEL

NEXT, To proceed to the Election of OF DEAKENS. the New Counsel. The said day of presenting of new Deakens, the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel, now standand of nineteen persons, and fra then furth, the same day yearly, the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel of twenty-five persons sall choose furth of the saids Fourteen Deakens, sex persons to be adjoyned with the New Counsel for the year to come, and to have special vote in lytting and choosing of the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel; and the same day, the auld sex Deakens, quhilk was upon the Counsel the year preceeding, to be removed, and have na farther vote for that year, except some of them be of the num». ber of the new elected Deakens.

THEREAFTER, upon the Wednesday NEW COUNSEL OF MERCHANTS next, preceeding Michaelmass ilk year, AND CRAFTS. the Provest, Baillies, Dean of Gild, Thesaurer, and ten Merchants of the Counsel, and the said sex Deakens, and twa Craftsmen, and in the hail twenty-five persons, and twenty-sex votes, be reason of the Provest's twa votes, ordinarily standand at all tymes, sall conveen and choose the New Counsel, to the number of eighteen persons, to wit, the auld Provest, Baillies, Dean of Gild, and Thesaurer of that year, and the said sex Deakens to make thretteen persons thereof, and to them to be chosen three Merchants, and twa craftsmen, and thir persons to be callit the New Counsel: And gif ony person of the Merchants chosen upon the New Counsel, happens to be put on the lytt of an uther office, and promovit thereto, ane other sall be chosen in his room be the saids Provest, Baillies, and Counsel.

THRIDLY, To proceid to the choosing LYTTS OF MAof the Lytts to the Magistrats and GISTRATS. Office-men, sic as Provest, Baillies, Dean of Gild, and Thesaurer: Upon the Friday next thereafter, there sall conveen the said New Counsel of eighteen persons, and the auld Counsel, constitute of twelff persons, viz. ten Merchants and twa Craftsmen, the said new and auld Counsel, makand twenty Merchants and ten Craftsmen, and in the hail thretty persons, by the Provest's odd vote; quhilks persons solemnatly protesting before God, that they shall choose the persons whom they find maist meet, without favour, hatred, or ony kind of collusion; then sall begin and choose the lytts to the said Magistrates and Office-men, to every ane of them three lytts; that is to say, to the Provest, twa

lytts with himself; to the four Baillies, every ane of them three lytts, the auld Baillies not beand ane, except they be new chosen thereto; to the Dean of Gild, twa lytts with himself; and to the Thesaurer, twa lytts with himself; quhilks hail lytts sall be of the order and calling of Merchants, as said is.

GISTRATS.

ELECTION OF MA- FOURTHLY, To proceed to the electing and choosing of the said Magistrats and Office-men, upon the Tuesday nixt after Michaelmass yearly, there sall conveen the saids thretty persons of new and auld Counsel, and with them the rest of the Deakens of Crafts, quhilks are not of the Counsel, extending to eight persons; the hail persons swa conveenand, extending to thretty-eight persons by the said odde vote, thereof twenty Merchants, and eighteen Trades; quhilks persons sall begin at the lytts of the Provest, and every ane in their awen rank give their votes to sic as they find maist meet for the well of the Town, according to their conscience and knawledge, but feid or favour; and on whom the greatest number of votes sall fall, that he be sworn, receivit, and admittit Provest for that year; and swa to proceed thorow the lytts of the Baillies, Dean of Gild and Thesaurer, quhill the said Election be compleatly endit. The saids Provest, Baillies, Dean of Gild, Thesaurer, and Counsel, electit as said is, makand in the hail twenty-five persons; they only, and na uthers, sall have the full government and administration of the hail Common-weill of this Burgh, and in all things, as the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel thereof, or of any uther burgh had of before, or may have hereafter, be the laws or consuetude of this realm, infeftments and priviledges grantit to this Town be our Sovereign

Lords maist Noble Progenitors; except and always thir causes following, in the quhilks the hail fourteen Deakens of Crafts sall be callit and adjoyned with them to give their special vote and consultation thereinto, to wit, In election of the Provest, Baillies, Dean of Gild, and Thesaurer, as said is; In setting of Feus, or any manner of Tacks, attour the yearly rowping upon Martinmass-even; In giving of benefices and uther offices within Burgh; In granting of extents, contributions, emprimits, and sicklike; bigging of common warks; and in disponing of common good above the sum of twenty pound togidder.

WARNING OF

THE DEAKENS,
AND COUNSEL.

PROVIDING NEVERTHELESS, that the Deakens, not of the Counsel, nor ony of them, beand personally warned to that effect, and absenting themselves, swa oft the last Deacone, or any uther that was in lytt with him that yeir, sall supplie their room; and they beand personally warned, and absent, the rest compearand sall have power to proceed: gif ony of the Provest, Baillies, and Counsel be absent, the rest wha are present sall choose an uther in their room. And to avoid all suspicioun that has risen in times past, through the particular assemblies, conventiouns, and convocations, contrair the acts of parliment, and to the trouble of the quyet state of this Burgh.

CONVENTIONS.

It is agreit and concludit, that nather the Merchants amang themselves, nather the Crafts and their Deakens, or visitors, sall have or make ony particular or general conventions, as Deakens with Deakens, Deakens with their Crafts, or Crafts amang themselves, far less to make privat laws,