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<p n="297">ABstract of an Act of Parliament made in the<lb></lb>
Twelfth year of Her Majesty's Reign,<lb></lb>
Intitled, An Act for reducing the Laws<lb></lb>
relating to Rogues, Vagabonds, sturdy<lb></lb>
Beggars and Vagrants, into One Act of<lb></lb>
Parliament; And for the more effectual<lb></lb>
Punishing such Rogues, Vagabonds, Stur-<lb></lb>
dy Beggars and Vagrants, and sending<lb></lb>
them whither they ought to be sent.</p>
<p n="298">1. THAT all Persons pretending themselves to be Patent-Gatherers, or Collectors<lb></lb>
for Prisons, Goals, or Hospitals, and wandring abroad for that Purpose; all<lb></lb>
Fencers, Bear-wards, Common-Players of Interludes, Minftrels, Juglers; all<lb></lb>
Persons pretending to be Gypsies, or wandring in the Habit or Form of counter-<lb></lb>
feit Egyptians, or pretending to have Skill in Physiognomy, Palmistry, or like<lb></lb>
crafty Science, or pretending to tell Fortunes, or like phantaftical Imaginations,<lb></lb>
or using any subtle Craft, or unlawful Games or Plays; all Persons able in Body,<lb></lb>
who run away, and leave their Wives or Children to the Parish, and, not having wherewith otherwise<lb></lb>
to maintain themselves, use Loytering, and refuse to work for the usual and common Wages; and<lb></lb>
all other idle Persons wandring Abroad and begging (except Soldiers, Mariners or Sea-faring Men<lb></lb>
licenced under the Hand and Seal of some Justice of Peace, setting down the Time and Place of<lb></lb>
Landing, the Place to which, and the Time within which, they are to pass, while they continue<lb></lb>
in the direct Way and during the Time so limited) shall be deem'd Rogues and Vagabonds.<lb></lb>
<note type="authorial" place="margin">Description<lb></lb>
of a Rogue<lb></lb>
and Vaga-<lb></lb>
bond.</note>
</p>
<p n="299">2. That if, after the <rs type="date" id="LMSMPS50203_date82">1st of August 1714</rs>
<interp inst="LMSMPS50203_date82" type="date" value="17140801"></interp>
, any such Rogue or Vagabond shall be sound in any Parish<lb></lb>
or Place, wandering begging or misordering him or herself as aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the<lb></lb>
Constable or other Officer of such Parish, or any other there dwelling or being, to apprehend such<lb></lb>
Rogue or Vagabond, and convey him or her before some Justice of Peace in or near such Parish or<lb></lb>
Place, In Case the Constable or other Officer neglect to use his best Endeavour to apprehend such<lb></lb>
Rogue or Vagabond, it shall be deem'd a Neglect of his Duty. If any other Inhabitant of such Parish,<lb></lb>
being charged by a Justice of Peace or other lawful Authority, shall refuse or neglect to use his best<lb></lb>
Endeavour to apprehend and deliver to the Constable, or carry before a Justice of the Peace where<lb></lb>
no Constable or other Officer can be found, any such Rogue or Vagabond who shall be seen or known<lb></lb>
to resort to any House to beg or gather Alms, and found guilty, by Oath of one or more credible<lb></lb>
Witnesses, before any one Justice of Peace, forfeits 10 s. to the Poor of the same Place, to be levied<lb></lb>
by Distress. In case any Person apprehend such Rogue or Vagabond and bring him before a Justice<lb></lb>
of Peace, the Justice may reward such Person by ordering, under his Hand and Seal, the Constable<lb></lb>
or other Officer where such Rogue was found begging and pass'd unapprehended, to pay 2 s. to the<lb></lb>
Person so apprehending. If the Constable, or other Officer, refuse Payment on Demand, the Ju-<lb></lb>
stice by Warrant may levy 20 s. on the Constable's Goods, and allow to the Person apprehending 2 s.<lb></lb>
and other Recompence for his Trouble, Loss of Time and Expences, as he shall think fit.<lb></lb>
<note type="authorial" place="margin">Duty of<lb></lb>
Constable<lb></lb>
and Inha-<lb></lb>
bitants.</note>
</p>
<p n="300">3. The Justices of Peace of every County, City, Etc. or any Two of them, some Time be-<lb></lb>
fore the Quarter-Sessions, or after, shall meet and command the Constables in their several Divisions<lb></lb>
(who shall be assisted with sufficient Men of the same Places) to make a general Privy-search in One<lb></lb>
Night, for Rogues, Vagabonds and sturdy Beggars, and bring them before any Justice, or Justices of<lb></lb>
Peace of the same County, City Etc.<lb></lb>
<note type="authorial" place="margin">Privy<lb></lb>
search for<lb></lb>
Rogues.</note>
</p>
<p n="301">4. Where any Person apprehended in any Manner aforesaid is brought before a Justice of Peace,<lb></lb>
he is to examin and inform himself as well by the Oath and Examination of the Party, as of any<lb></lb>
other Peron, or by other Ways and Means, of the Condition and Circumstances of the Person ap-<lb></lb>
prehended, Place of Abode, or Birth, the Substance of which to be put in Writing, and Subscrib'd<lb></lb>
or sign'd by the Party, and transmitted to the Quarer-Sessions, to be kept on Record; If it appear<lb></lb>
such person hath obtained any legal Settlement, then to be sent to the Place of last legal Settlement,<lb></lb>
in such Manner as other Persons, likely to be chargeable to the Parish, are to be sent; if it cannot be<lb></lb>
found such Person hath gain'd any legal Settlement since Birth, then the Justice, or Justices, are by<lb></lb>
a Pass, under Hand and Seal (directed to the Constables of the Parish, or Place where such Rogue<lb></lb>
or<lb></lb>
<note type="authorial" place="margin">Method of<lb></lb>
proceeding <lb></lb>
against <lb></lb>
Rogues,</note>
</p>
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