Section IX Writing upon Paper before stamped, or stamped with too low a Duty;

Penalty £500; Officer, &c. offending; Penalty; Attorney offending, Disability; No Instruments, &c. written before Paper stamped good, till £5 paid to the King and Money for the Stamp; Such Deed, &c. not Evidence; Receipt for the same produced on Oath; Counterfeiting Stamp or selling, Felony.

And be it further enacted That if any person or persons shall ingrosse or write or cause to be ingrossed or written upon any Velum Parchment or Paper any of the matters or things for which the said Velum Parchment or Paper is hereby charged to pay any Duty before such time as the said Velum Parchment or Paper shall be marked or stamped as aforesaid or upon which there shall not be some Stampe or Marke resembling the same or shall ingrosse or write or cause to be ingrossed or written any matter or thing upon any Velum Parchment or Paper that shall be marked or stamped for any lower duty then the duty by this Act payable for what shall be soe ingrossed or written such person soe offending shall for every such Offence forfeite the su[m]me of Five hundred pounds one moiety thereof to theire Majesties and the other moiety to him or them that will informe or sue for the same as aforesaid; And in case any Clerke Officer or Person who in respect of any publicke Office or Employment is or shall be entituled or entrusted to make ingrosse or write any Records Deedes Instruments or Writengs by this Act charged to pay a Duty as aforesaid shall be guilty of any Fraude or Practice to deceive theire Majesties of any dutye by this Act payable by makeing ingrosseing or writeing any such Record Deede Instrument or Writeing or causeing the same to be made ingrossed or written upon Velum Parchment or Paper not marked or stamped according to this Act or upon which there shall not be some Stampe or Marke resembling the same or upon Velum Parchment or Paper marked or stamped with any Marke or Stampe which he shall knowe to be counterfeited or by ingrosseing or writeing any such Deede Instrument or other Writeing upon Velum Parchment or Paper that shall be marked or stamped for a lower duty as aforesaid That then every such Clerke Officer or Person soe guilty of any such Fraude or Practice and being thereof lawfully convicted shall (over and above the penaltye aforesaid) forfeite his Office Place or Employment respectively and be disabled to hold or enjoye the same for the future And if any Attorney belonging to any Courte whatsoever shall be guilty of any such Fraude or Practice as aforesaid and be convicted thereof he shall be disabled for the future to practice as an Attorney; And if any Deede Instrument or Writeing whatsoever by this Act charged with the payment of a duty as aforesaid shall contrary to the true intente and meaneing thereof be written or ingrossed by any person or persons whatsoever (not being a knowne Clerke or Officer who in respecte of any publicke Office or Imployment is or shall be entituled to the makeing writeing or ingrosseing the same) upon Velum Parchment or Paper not marked or stamped according to this Act or upon Velum Parchment or Paper marked or stamped for a lower duty as aforesaid that then and in every such case there shall be due answered and paid to theire Majesties (over and above the dutye aforesaid) for every such Deede Instrument or Writeing the su[m]me of Five pounds; And no such Record Deede Instrument or Writeing shall be pleaded or given in Evidence in any Court or admitted in any Courte to be good usefull or availeable in Lawe or Equitye untill aswell the said duty as the said su[m]me of Five pounds shall be first paid to theire Majesties use and a Receipte produced for the same under the Hand or Hands of some of theire Majesties Officers which shall be appointed to receive the dutyes above menc[i]oned and untill the Velum Parchment or Paper on which such Deede Instrument or Writeing shall be written or made shall be marked or stamped with a lawfull Marke or Stampe and theire Majesties Officer or Officers last menc[i]oned are hereby enjoyned and required upon payment or tender of the said duty and su[m]me of Five pounds unto him or them to give a Receipte for the same and to marke or stampe the said Velum Parchment or Paper with the Marke or Stampe that shall be proper for such Deede Instrument or Writeing respectively and if any person or persons whatsoever shall att any time or times hereafter counterfeite or forge any Stampe or Marke to resemble any Stampe or Marke which shall be provided or made in pursuance of this Act or shall counterfeite or resemble the Impression of the same upon any Velum Parchment or Paper thereby to defraude theire Majesties theire Heires and Successors of any the dutyes hereby granted or shall utter vend or sell any Velum Parchment or Paper with such counterfeite Marke or Impression thereupon knowing such Marke or Impression to be counterfeited then every such person soe offending being thereof convicted in due Forme of Lawe shall be judged a Felon and shall suffer Death as in cases of Felony without the Benefitt of Clergye:-