force together; be it enacted, That [certain acts1 recited] shall be . . . void and of none effect.

II. Be it also enacted. . . first, That all persons above the age of fourteen years, being hereafter set forth by this Act of Parliament to be rogues, vagabonds or sturdy beggars and... taken begging in any part of this realm, or taken vagrant wandering and misordering themselves contrary to the purport of this present Act of Parliament ..., shall upon their apprehension be brought before one of the justices of the peace or mayor or chief officer of cities, boroughs and towns corporate ... and . . . be presently committed to the common gaol..., there to remain without bail until the next sessions of the peace or general gaol delivery...; at which sessions or gaol, delivery if such person be duly convict of his or her roguish or vagabond trade of life, either by inquest of office or by the testimony of two honest and credible witnesses upon their oaths, that then immediately he or she shall be adjudged to be grievously whipped and burnt through the gristle of the right ear with a hot iron of the compass of an inch about ...; which judgment shall also presently be executed, except some honest person, valued at the last subsidy next before that time to £5 in goods or 208. in lands, or else some such honest householder as by the justices of peace... shall be allowed, will of his charity be contented presently to take such offender . . . into his service for one whole year next following; ... and if such rogue or vagabond so taken into service depart within the said year from the said service against the will of him that so taketh him or her into service, that then such rogue or vagabond shall be whipped and burnt. . . as is aforesaid.

IV. And be it further enacted, That... if after the said punishment executed... the said person... after threescore days next after he shall be so marked, . . . being of the age of eighteen years or above, do eftsoones fall again to any kind of roguish or vagabond trade of life, that then the said rogue ... be deemed a felon, and shall suffer and forfeit as a felon, except some honest person valued [as above] of mere charity will be contented . . . to take him or her into his service for two whole years... and if such rogue or vagabond so taken into service 1 1 22 H. VIII. 12: 3 & 4 E. VI. 16: 5 Eliz. 3.

depart within the same two years from his or her said service against the will of him that so took him or her, that then such rogue or vagabond shall be deemed a felon in all respects and shall suffer and forfeit as a felon . . .

V. And for the full expressing what persons shall be intended within this branch to be rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars ... it is now set forth... that all persons that be or utter themselves to be proctors or procurators . . . without sufficient authority..., and all other idle persons . . . using subtle, crafty and unlawful games or plays, and some of them feigning themselves to have knowledge in physiognomy, palmistry or other abused sciences, . . . and all persons being whole and mighty in body and able to labour, having not land or master nor using any lawful merchandise, craft or mystery . . .; and all fencers, bearwards, common players in interludes and minstrels, not belonging to any baron of this realm or towards any other honourable personage of greater degree; all jugglers, pedlars, tinkers and petty chapmen; which said fencers [&c.] shall wander abroad and have not licence of two justices of the peace. . .; and all common labourers being persons able in body using loitering, and refusing to work for such reasonable wages as is taxed and commonly given...; and all counterfeiters of licences, passports and all users of the same, knowing the same to be counterfeit; and all scholars of the universities of Oxford or Cambridge that go about begging, not being authorised under the seal of the said universities . . .; and all shipmen pretending losses by sea, other than such as shall be hereafter provided for; and all persons delivered out of gaols that beg for their fees... not having licence from two justices of the peace..., shall be deemed rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars...

XVI. And forasmuch as charity would that poor, aged and impotent persons should as necessarily be provided for, as the said rogues, vagabonds and sturdy beggars repressed, and that the said aged, impotent and poor people should have convenient habitations and abiding places throughout this realm to settle themselves upon, to the end that they nor any of them should hereafter beg or wander about; it is therefore enacted, That the justices of the peace... mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, and

other officers of every city, borough, riding and franchise ... shall at or before the said feast of St Bartholomew next coming ... make diligent search and inquiry of all aged, poor, impotent and decayed persons . . ., which live . . . by alms of the charity of the people . . ., and shall upon that search made, make a register book containing the names and surnames of all such... poor people...; and ... shall . . . appoint . . . meet and convenient places by their discretions to settle the same poor people for their habitations and abidings, if the parish within the which they shall be found shall not or will not provide for them; and shall also . . . number all the said poor people within their said several limits, and thereupon (having regard to the number) set down what portion the weekly charge towards the relief and sustentation of the said poor people will amount unto within every their said limits; and that done, they . . . shall... assess all the inhabitants dwelling... within the said limits to such weekly charge as they and every of them shall weekly contribute towards the relief of the said poor people, and the names of all such inhabitants taxed shall also enter into the said register-book together with their taxation; and also shall . . . appoint or see collectors for one whole year to be appointed..., which shall collect the said proportion, and make delivery of so much thereof... to the said poor people, as the said justices . . . and other officers shall appoint them; and also shall appoint the overseers of the said poor people by their discretions, to continue also for one whole year; and if they do refuse to be overseers, then every of them so refusing to forfeit 108. for every such default.

...

XVII. And be it further enacted, That the mayor of the city of London and the mayors . . . and other head officers of every other city, borough, or town corporate . . ., and the constables or tithing-men of every hundred, rape and wapentake... shall once every month . . . make a view and search of all the aged, impotent and lame persons within the precinct of their jurisdictions, and... presently see the same poor people not there born nor dwelling within the said three years (except leprous people and bedridden people) to be conveyed... to the next constable, and so from constable to constable the directest way, till the said persons be brought to the place where he or she was

born or most conversant by the space of three years next before, and there to be put in... one of the abiding-places in that country appointed...

XVIII. And be it further enacted, That if any of the said poor people... refuse to be bestowed in any of the said abidingplaces... or after they be once bestowed... do depart and beg, then the said person so offending for the first offence... to suffer as a rogue or vagabond in the first degree of punishment set forth by this Act, and if he do the second time offend, then to... suffer as a rogue or vagabond in the last degree of punishment set forth by this Act.

XXI. And be it further enacted, That if any person being able to further this charitable work will obstinately refuse to give towards the relief of the said poor people or do wilfully discourage others... the said obstinate person ... shall presently be brought before two justices of the peace . . . to show the cause of his obstinate refusal or wilful discouragement and to abide such order therein as the said justices shall appoint; if he refuse so to do, then to be committed to the next gaol... there to remain until he be contented with their said order and do perform the same.

XXII. And it is also further enacted, That if any of the said aged and impotent persons, not being so. . . impotent but that they may work in some manner of work, shall be by the overseers of their said abiding-place appointed to work, if they refuse, then in form aforesaid to be whipped and stocked for their first refusal, and for the second refusal to be punished as in case of vagabonds in the said first degree of punishment.

XXIII. Provided... that three justices of peace. . . of and with the surplusages of the said collections and forfeitures, (the said poor and impotent people satisfied and provided for,) shall in such convenient places within their said shires as they shall think meet, place and settle to work the rogues and vagabonds that shall be disposed to work, born within their said counties or there abiding for the most part within the said three years, there to be holden to work by the oversight of the said overseers, to get their livings and to live and to be sustained only upon their labour and travail.

XXIV. [Beggars' children may be bound out to service.]

XXV. [Forfeitures under this Act to be applied to the relief of the poor.]

XXVI. And be it further enacted, That three justices of peace within all the shires of this realm, whereof one to be of the quorum, shall have full power . . . to hear and determine all causes (except forfeitures of justices of peace) that shall come in question by reason of this present Act.

XXXVIII. Provided always, that whereas by reason of this Act the common gaols . . . are like to be greatly pestered with a more number of prisoners than heretofore hath been... it shall be lawful for the justices of peace of every shire, at their general quarter sessions . to rate and tax every parish within the said shires at such reasonable sums of money for the relief of the said prisoners as they shall think convenient, so that the said taxation doth not exceed above 6d. or 8d. by the week out of every parish; and that the churchwardens of every parish shall every Sunday levy the same...

FOURTH PARLIAMENT: SECOND SESSION.

Feb. 8-March 15, 1576.

18 ELIZ. CAP. III.

An Act for the setting of the poor on work, and for the avoiding of idleness.

I. For some better explanation and for some needful addition to the statute [14 Eliz. 5] be it ordained. . .

IV. ... That in every city and town corporate within this realm a competent store and stock of wool, hemp, flax, iron or other stuff by order of the mayor . . . or other head officers... shall be provided; and that likewise in every other markettown or other place where (to the justices of peace in their general sessions yearly next after Easter shall be thought most meet) a like competent store and stock of wool [&c.] or other stuff as the country is most meet for . . . shall be provided, the said stores and stocks in such cities and towns corporate to be committed to the custody of such persons as shall by the mayor