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Excerpts From The Duke of York's Laws, 1665-75

From "Colonial Laws of New York," 1896

Assaults
Assaults are made either by Blowes or offering of hurtful blowes or at least by threatening and menacing speeches To rebuke an Officer with foule words, so that he departs with fear without doing his Office shall be taken for an Assault.

A servant or labourer [``workman'' in Roslyn copy.] convicted by Confession or two witnesses for Assaulting his Master Dame or Overseers shall be Imprisoned till the next Sessions, where he shall be brought to answer for the fault and shall receive what Corporall punishment the Court shall Adjudge Saving life & Member:

In defence of himself his wife Father or Mother Children or Servants a man may Lawfully use force to resist any attempt made to that purpose.

Bond Slavery
No Christian shall be kept in Bondslavery, villenage or Captivity, Except Such who shall be Judged thereunto by Authority, or such as willingly have sould, or shall sell themselves, In which Case a Record of such Servitude shall be entered in the Court of Sessions held for that Jurisdiction where Such Matters shall Inhabit provided that nothing in the Law Contained shall be to the prejudice of Master or Dame who shall by any Indenture or Covenant take Apprentices for Terme of Years, or other Servants for Term of years or Life.

Brewers
That no person whatsoever shall henceforth undertake the Calling or work of Brewing Beere for Sale, but only such as are known to have Sufficient Skill and knowledge in the art or Mistery of Brewer, That if any undertake for victualling of Ships or other Vessels or Master or owner of any such Vessels or any other person shall make it appear that any Beer bought of any person within this Government do prove unfit, unwholesome and useless for their supply, either through the insufficiency of the Mault or Brewing or unwholesome Cask, the Person wronged thereby, shall be and is hereby enabled to recover equal & Sufficient damage by Action against that Person that put the Beer to Sale.

Capitall Lawes
1. If any person within this Government shall by direct exprest, impious or presumptuous ways, deny the true God and his Attributes, he shall be put to death.
2. If any person shall Commit any wilful and premeditated Murder, he shall be put to Death.
3. If any person Slayeth another with Sword or Dagger who hath no weapon to defend himself, he shall be put to Death.
4. If any man shall slay, or Cause another to be Slain by lying in wait privily for him or by poisoning or any such wicked Conspiracy, he shall be put to Death.
5. If any man or woman shall lye with any Beast or Bruite Creature by Carnal Copulation they shall be put to Death, and the Beast shall be Burned.
6. If any man lyeth with mankind as he lyeth with a woman, they shall be put to Death, unless the one party were Forced or be under fourteen Years of age, in which Case he shall be punished at the Discretion of the Court of Assizes.
7. If any person forcibly Stealeth or carrieth away any [The words ``man or'' here occur in Roslyn copy.] mankind; He shall be put to death.
8. If any person shall bear false witness malliciously and on purpose to take away a mans life, He shall be put to Death.
9. If any man shall Traitorously deny his Majesties right and titles to his Crownes and Dominions, or shall raise Armes to resist his Authority, He shall be put to Death.
10. If any man shall treacherously conspire or Publiquely attempt to invade or Surprise any Town or Towns, Fort or Forts, within this Government, He shall be put to Death.
11. If any Child or Children, above sixteen years of age, and of Sufficient understanding, shall smite their Naturall Father or Mother, unless thereunto provoked and forct for their selfe preservation from Death or Mayming, at the Complaint of the said Father and Mother, and not otherwise, they being Sufficient witnesses thereof, that Child or those Children so offending shall be put to Death.