ITEM, Our Soveraine Lord, with advise & consent of my Lord Regent, and the three Estaites of this present Parliament, hes statute, and ordained, that the halie band of marriage, made be all Estaites and sorts of men and women, to be als lawful and als frie, as the Lawe of God hes permitted {366} the samin, to be done, without exception of person or persones. And hes declared, and declares, that secunds in degrees of consanguinitie, and affinitie, and all degries outwith the samin, contained in the word of the Eternal God, and that are not repugnant to the said word, might, and may lawfully marry at all times sen the viij. day of March, the zeir of God ane thousand five hundreth fiftie aucht zeiris, notwithstanding ony Law, statute, or constitution maid in the contrare. And ratifyis and apprevis all the said mariages done sen the said day. And the bairnis gottin, or to be gottin in sik Mariage, to be as lauchful, asweil toward their successioun to landis, heritages, or ony uther liberties, as ony bairnis gottin in Mariage, and to be repute and esteemed, in all time to cume, lauchfullie gottin, in lauchful Mariage, notwithstanding any Lawes, statutes, constitutions, or Actis, maid, or to be maid in the contrare.