Anno primo Edwardi sexti.
CAP. III.
An Act for the punishing of Vagabonds, and for the reliefe of the poore and impotent persons.
"FOrasmuch as idlenesse and vagabondrie is the mother and roote of all thefts, robberies and all evill sites and other mischiefes, and the multitude of people given thereto hath alwayes bene heere within this realme very great, and more in number (as it may appeare) then in other regions, to the great impoverishment of the Realme, and danger of the Kings highnesse subiects; the which idlenesse and vagabondry all the Kings highnesse noble progenitours, Kings of this Realme, and this high Court of Parliament hath often and with great travell gone about and assayed with godly Acts and Statutes to represse; yet untill this our time it hath not had that successe which hath beene wished, but partly by foolissh pitie an mercie of them which should have seene the said godly Lawes executed, partly by the perverse nature and long accustomed idlenesse of the persons given to loytering, the said godly Statutes hitherto have had small effect, and idle and vagabond pesons, being unprofitable members, or rather enemies of the common wealth, have bene surfred to remaine and increase, and yet so doe, whom if they should be punished by death, whipping, imprisonment, and with other corporall paine, it were not without their deserts for the example of others, and to the benefite of the common wealth, yet if they could be brought to be made profitable, and do service, it were much to be wished and desired:" Be it therefore enacted by the Kings highnesse, with the consent of the Lords spirituall and temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, and by authoritie of the same; first that all Statutes and Acts of Parliament heretofore made for the punishment of vagabonds and sturdie beggers, and all articles comprised in the same, shall be from hencefoorth repealed, voyd, and of none effect.
II. Secondly, that whosoever after the first day of Aprill next following, man or woman being not lame, impotent, or so aged, or diseafed with sicknesse, that hee or she cannot worke, nor having lands or tenements, fees, annuities, or any other yeerely revenues, or whereon they may finde sufficiently their living, shall either like a sverving-man wanting a master, or like a begger, or after any such other sort be lurking in any house or houses, or loitering, or idle wandering by the high wayes side, or in streetes, cities, townes, or villages, not applying themselves to some honest and allowed art, science, service, or labour, and so doe continue by the space of three dayes or more together, and not offer themselvues to labor with any that will take them, according to their facultie; and if no man, otherwise wil take them, do not offer themselves to worke for meate and drinke, or after they bee so taken to worke, for the space agreed betwixt them and their master, doe leave their worke out of convenient time, or runne away; that then every such person shall bee taken for a vagabond, and that it shalbe lawfull for every such master offering such idle person service and labour, and that being by him refused, or who hath agreed with such idle person, and from whom within the space agreed of service, the said loiterer hath runne away, or departed before the ende of the covenant betweene them, and to any other person esspying the same, to bring or cause to be brought the said person so living idle and loiteringly, to two of the next Justices of the peace there reliant or abiding, who hearing the proofe of the idle living of the said person by the said space living idle, as before sfaid, approoved to them by two honest witnesses, or confession of the partie, shall immediately cause the same loiterer to be marked with a hot iron in the breast, the marke of V. and adjudge the same person living so idle, to such presentour, to bee his slave, to have and to holde the said slave unto him, his executours, or assignes for the space of two yeeres then next following, and to order the said slaves as followeth; that is to say, to take such person adjudged a slave with him, and onely gising the said slave bread and water, or small drinke, and such reffusfe of meate as he sfhall thinke meete, cause the said slave to worke by beating, cheining, or otherwise, in such worke and labour (how vile soever it bee as hee shall put him unto. And if any manner of slave, either for loytering, or for the cause before rehearsed so adiudged, shall within the space of the saide two yeeres heere appointed runne away, depart, or absent him from his saide master by the space of fourteene dayes together, without licence: it shall not onely bee lawfull to his said master to pursue and fetch him againe by venue of this Act, but also, to punish such faulte by cheines or beating as is aforesaid: and against the deteinour, if any man dee wiliingly deteine him, knowing him to be a slave, as is aforesaid, to have an Action of Trespasse, and recover thereby in damages tenne poundes, besides the costes and charges of the suite for so deteining his saide slave. And further, every such master shewing and prooving by two sufficient witnesses, the saide offence and fault by his running away before two Justices of Peace of the same Countie, whereof the one to be of the Quorum, the same Justices shall cause such Slave, or loiterer to bee marked on the forehead, or the ball
