| 150
§. 12. |
Poor.
The distinction of Parishes in England, I
find attributed to Theodorus,
Archbishop, who died An. Dom. 690. (almost One thousand years
since;
for thus it is written of him, as it is cited out of a MS. Excitabat
fidelium
devotionem & voluntatem in quarumlibet provinciarum Civitatibus, necnin
villis, Ecclesias Fabricandi, Paræcias distinguendi, assenfus regios
procurando,
ut si qui sufficientes construere, earundem perpetuo Patronatu gauderent,
&c.
Beda Ecclesiast. Historic. notis Wheel. p. 399.
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Chap. 73. |
| §. 13. |
The causes of
Set the Poor at work by a Stock; &c.
these Taxations To
Relieve the impotent, by Money.
are three.
Put forth Apprentices,
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And this last, scil. their putting forth
and taking of Apprentices, may
well be termed a special work, and seminary of Mercy. |
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| Apprentices. |
But in putting forth of these Apprentices, there
must be regard had to
the Master, the Child, and the Parents. |
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The Master, scil. his ability, and honesty;
otherwise by some device,
or hard intreaty, they may provoke their Apprentices to depart, or
run
away. |
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Secondly His Trade or Faculty, lest the
Apprentice consume his time without
learning any thing: For the word Apprentice cometh of the word apprendre,
id est, ad-doscere, or discere, and sheweth, that they are to
be bound to,
and brought up in, taught and instructed by the Master in some Art, Mystery,
or Trade. |
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To these two, the Justices of Peace must have
an eye. |
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And withal, the Justices at their Monthly Meetings
should do well
(once in three or four Quarters) to cause the Officers of every Town to
bring them a Note in writing of all the Poor in the Town which are overburthened
with Children, and of the names and ages of their Children;
and also a Note of the Names of all those in their Parish that are fit
to take Apprentices; and so from time to time to put out and place the
Children. |
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The Child, scil. to put them out timely,
and while they are young and
tractable (so as they be above the age of seven years) otherwise by reason
of their idle and base Educations, they will hardly keep their Service,
or
imploy themselves to work. |
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And by the Statute 7 Jac. cap. 3. Children
which be above the age of
fifteen years, are not thought fit, or allowed to be first bound out as
Apprentices, but are to be forced to work, or to go to service; and if
they refuse, they are to be sent to the House of Correction, or bound
over to their Good Behaviour, and sent to the Assizes or Sessions of the
Peace. |
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So all single persons under the age of thirty,
being warned by two
Justices of the Peace, to put themselves into Service by a day prescribed
them, if they do not accordingly, but shall still continue living idlely
out of Service, not having visible means of their own to maintain them,
they are to be sent to the House of Correction, or bound over, &c.
ut supra. |
Co. Lit. 17. |
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The Parents, scil. to take away such as are
brought up to live idlely
and loosly, or else such as are a burden to their Parents, ' and whose
Parents
are least able to relieve them. |
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Again concerning the Masters; all persons of
ability are compellable to
take Apprentices according to this Statute; yea, if they be of ability |
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