Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	peace_n	quarter_n	session_n	4,917	5	10.2956	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44144	A discourse touching provision for the poor written by Sir Matthew Hale ...	Hale, Matthew, Sir, 1609-1676.	1683 (1683)	Wing H241; ESTC R11202	17,579	98

afford them For instance a Poor Man and his Wife though able to work may have four Children two of them possibly able to work two not able The Father and the Mother are not able to maintain themselves and their Family in Meat Drink Cloathing and House-rent under ten Shillings per Week and so much they might probably get if imployed This amounts to 26. l. per Annum if there were forty such Families in a great Parish and they lived upon this Exhibition colleited by rates it would arise to above 800. l. per Annum which in many Parishes Exceeds the yearly Value of their Lands or Rents yet when these Persons are kept on work thus much must be gotten by them and without a supply Equivalent to this they must live by Begging or Stealing or Starve Therefore the second Provision is 2. For those Poor that are able to work and in reference to them it gives power to raise Stocks by rateing the Parishioners and setting the Poor on work The defects of this Provision are 1. In the Execution of the Law already made for let any man look over most of the Populous Parishes in England indeed there are rates made for the relief of the Impotent Poor and it may be the same relief is also given in a narrow measure unto some others that have great Families and upon this they live miserably and at best from Hand to Mouth and if they cannot get work to make out their livelyhood they and their Children set up a trade of Begging at best But it is rare to see any Provision of a Stock in any Parish for the relief of the Poor And the reasons are principally these 1. The Generality of People that are able are yet unwilling to Exceed the present necessary charge they do choose to live for an hour rather than project for the future and although possibly trebling their Exhibition in one grofs sum at the beginning of the year to raise a Stock might in all probability render their future yearly payments for seven years together less by half or two thirds than what must be without it yet they had rather continue on their yearly Payments year after year though it Exhaust them in time and make the Poor nothing the better at the years End 2. Because those places where there are most Poor consist for the most part of Trades-men whose Estates lye principally in their Stocks which they will not endure to be searched into to make them contributary to raise any considerable Stock for the Poor nor indeed so much as to the ordinary Contributions But they lay all the rates to the Poor upon the Rents of Lands and Houses which alone without the help of the Stocks are not able to raise a Stock for the Poor although it is very plain that Stocks are as well by Law rateable as Lands both to the relief and raising a Stock for the Poor 3. Because the Church-Wardens and Overseers to whom this power is given are Inhabitants of the same Parish and are either unwilling to charge themselves or displease their Neighbours in Charging more than they needs must towards the Poor And although it were to be wished and hoped that the Justices of Peace would be forwardly to Enforce them if they might though it may concern them also in point of present profit yet if they would do any thing herein they are not impowered to and Overseers to do it who most certainly will never go about it to burden as they think themselves and displease their Neighbours unless some Compulsary power were not only lodged by Law but also executed in some that may have a power over them to inforce it or to do it if they do it not and to do it effectually if they do it either partially or too sparingly 4. Because People do not consider the inconvenience that will in time grow to themselves by this neglect and the benefit that would in a little time accrue to them by putting it in practise if they would have but a little patience as shall be shewen hereafter 2. The second Defect is in the Law itself which are these 1. No power in the Justices of Peace or some Superintendent power to compel the raising of a Stock where the Church-Wardens and Overseers neglect it 2. The act chargeth every Parish apart where it may be they are able to do little towards it neither would it be so effectual as if three four five or more contiguous Parishes did contribute towards the raising of a Stock proportionable to their Poor respectively 3. There is no power for hireing or erecting a common House or place for their common Work-House which may be in some respects and upon some occasions useful and necessary as shall be shewen CHAP. III. The Remedy propounded 1. THAT the Justices of the Peace at the Quarter Sessions do set out distribute the Parishes in their several Countiesinto several Divisions in Each of which there may be a Work-House for the common use of the respective Divisions wherein they are respectively placed viz. one two three four five or six Parishes to a Work-House according to the greatness or sinalness and accommodation of the several Parishes 2. That at that Sessions the Church-Wardens and Overseers of the Poor of the respective P Parishes bring in their several rates for their relief of their respective Poor upon Oath And that the said Justices do assess three four or five yearly Pays to be levyed and collected at one or two entire sums within the time prefixed by them for the raising of a Stock to set the Poor within those Precincts on work and to build or procure a convenient Work-House for imploying the Poor if need be in it and for lodging Materials and for instructing Children in the Trade or Work 3. That there be yearly Chose by the said Justices a Master for Each Work-House with a convenient Salary out of the said Stock or the proceed thereof to continue for 3 years and two Overseers to see the Issuing and return of the said Stock and to take the accounts quarterly or monthly of the Master as they shall think fit 4. That the Stock be delivered to the Overseers and by them Issued to the Master as there shall be occasion and that they also from time to time receive the proceed of the said Stock and the accompts for the same 5. That at the End of every year the Master and Overseers give up their accounts to the two next Justices of the Peace at times by them prefixed and publickly notifyed to the Inhabitants of Each Precinct to the End that they may take any Exceptions to such accounts if there be cause 6. That the Master and Overseers of every respective Work-House stand and be incorporate by the name of Master and Overseers of their respective Precincts and capable to take in Succession by will or otherwise Lands Goods or Money or other Legacies or Gifts for the

Benefit of the Poor within their respective Precincts 7. That they also be accomptable as well to their respective Successours and also to the Justices of the Peace at their Quarter Sessions for the benefit and proceed and Imployment of such Gifts and Bequests 8. That they be disabled to grant any Lands to them given or bequeathed for any longer term then one Year and at an improved Rent 9. That if any Person that is able to work and not able to maintain himself shall refuse to do so he may be forced thereunto by Warrant of two Justices of Peace by Imprisonment and moderate correction in such Work-House 10. If any Person imployed by the Master shall imbezill or wilfully prejudice or spoil his work he shall upon complaint and proof thereof by the Party grieved to any Justice of Peace and by Warrant from him receive Imprisonment or moderate correction by Warrant of such Justice These be the heads of that Provision I could wish for the setting the Poor on work which is but an Essay and may receive Alterations or Additions upon consideration The Benefits that would come by this Method would be very many and great I shall set down some of them that occur to me 1. By Incorporating of these Work-Houses which are the best kind of Hospitals charitable minded Persons would have as it were a Pillar whereunto to fasten their Charity which would prevent many Difficulties in the faithfull Administrations thereof and would invite Benefactors 2. Whereas Hospitals provide for some few Poor Impotent People this would prevent Poverty and in a little tract of time bring up hundreds to be able to gain their lively hoods 3. Whereas in that State that things are our Populousness which is the greatest blessing a Kingdom can have becomes the burden of the Kingdom by breeding up whole Races and Families and successive Generations in a mere Trade of Idleness Thieving Begging and a barbarous kind of life which must in time prodigiously increase and overgrow the whole face of the Kingdom and eat out the heart of it This course within one seven Years alters the whole State of this Disorder and brings People and their Children after them into a Regular Orderly and Industrious course of life which will be as natural to them as now Idleness and Begging and Theeving is For no Person will have need to Beg or Steal because he may gain his living better by Working And no man will be so vain and indeed hurtfull to the Publique as to give to such as Beg and thereby to encourage them when he is sure they may gain their living by Working And all the Laws against Vagrants Beggers and Wanderers will be then Effectually put in Execution when we may be sure they may be imployed if they will But till that the interdicting and punishing of the Beggers and Givers seems to me a most unreasonable piece of Imprudence as well as Uncharitableness 4 By this means the Wealth of the Nation will be increased Manufactures advanced and Every Body put into a capacity of Eating his own Bread for upon what imaginable account can we think that we should not be as able to improve our Populousness to our Wealth as well as Holland and Flanders and Berbadoes if we had but their Industry and Orderly Management If it be said their Disposition is more Industrious than ours It is true in that condition that matters are ordered but if we had the same Industrious Education we should have the same Industrious Disposition let a man one that hath been bred up in the Trade of Begging he will never unless complelled fall to Industry and on the other side it is a wonderful Necessity indeed that shall bring one bred up in Civility and Industry to Beg as is Easily observable in many poor Places and Families And were there no other Benefit to the Kingdom in general nor to the particular Places where such Work-Houses shall be settled but this although the Stock were wholly lost in four Years it would be an abundant Recompence by the accustoming the poor sort to a Civil and Industrious course of life whereby they would soon become not only not burdensom but profitable to the Kingdom and the Places where they live 5. By this means there would soon be an Improvement of the several Manufactures of the Kingdom both for the necessary Consumption of the Kingdom and for Exportation whereby our Trade Outward would exceed our Trade Inward which Outward Trade as it is the Basis and Foundation of all our Trade Inward And the Excess and Overballance of our Trade Outward to our Trade Inward is the only means not only to keep our Money at home but to gain an increase of Money and so advanceth the true Intrinsique Wealth of the Kingdom for as of our Hand if our Trade Outward Exceed our Trade Inward the Excess must of Necessity be returned in Money or Bullion so if our Trade Inward Exceed our Trade Outward the Excess must be made good from hence in Money which must needs insensibly impoverish the Kingdom and Experience makes us know it to be true Now the Advance of our Manufactures would be by this means plainly Evident for Woollen Manufactures or Cloath the Staple Commodity of this Kingdom would be more these other Woollen Manufactures as Kersyes Serges Baize which though now confined to several parts of the Kingdom as Devonshire Norfolk Colchester would be by this means diffused over the whole Kingdom and those Places which have little of Woollen Manufacture as Lincolnshire Northamptonshire and other Counties would soon fall into it So likewise knitting of Stockings Capps Wast-Coats and the like 2. Our Linnen Manufactures as Linnen Cloath Laces of all forts Nets Sails c. would become native and supply the Want of the Kingdom and prevent the necessity of Importation of Linnen Cloath from Holland and France of Laces from Flanders And as this trade is in some degree used in Lancashire Leicestershire and some other Places so it would be communicated to other Places of the Kingdom And it is very considerable the numbers of Poor that would be by this means imployed in dressing of Hemp and Flax Spinning Weaving Whitening and the like And if any shall say we want the Materials terials and we want those that should instruct the Poor in the Ordering of them The Answer is at hand If once the Manufacture were begun to be put into a Method by this way all men would quickly sow Hemp and Flax in some Parcels of their Tillage and possibly some Lands that were not so fit for other Tillage would be imployed in this two Acres of Hemp and Flax in every Parish would imploy multitudes which now People neglect to sow because they have no way to vent or imploy it And for Instructors when once the alarm is abroad of such a design it will draw over Workmen from other Forreign Parts and by this means we gained or at least