eorr . rSrrtlrJ wr6rur rus lrollls vl a l,vutlrlultwEallll.

I
;iji
iil
i

\ruL)lug

L/

tuPrar tu ug

iil
,iiir ill
iii
rli

sure, men talk freely of the public welfare-but look after thei' orivate interests only. [n Utopia where nothing is private, they serious ncern themselves with public affairs. Assuredly in both cases they acr rasoot-

27.

FOR THE RELIET OF THE

R,

bly. For, outside Utopia, how many are there who do not realize that, unless they make some separate provision for themselves, however flourishing the commonwealth, they will themselves starve? For this reasonl
necessity compels them to hold that they must take account of themselves rather than of the people, that is, of others. On the other hand, in Utopia, where everything belongs to everybody, no one doubts, provided only that the public granaries are well filled, that the individual will lack nothing for his private use. The reason is that the distribution of goods is not niggardly. In Utopia there is no poor man and no beggar. Though no man has anything, yet all are rich. For what can be greater riches for a man than to live with a ioyful and peaceful mind, free of all worries not troubled about his food or harassed by the querulous demands of his wife or fearing poverty for his son or worrying about his daughter's dowry, but feeling secure about the livelihood and happiness of himself and his family: wife, sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, great-great-grandsons, and all the long line of their descendants that gentlefolk anticipate? Then take into eccount the fact that there is no less provision for those who are now helpless but once worked than for those who are still working. At this point I should like anyone to be so bold as to compare this fairness with the so-called justice prevalent in other nations, among which, upon my soul, I cannot discover the slightest race of justice and fairness. What brand of iustice is it that any nobleman whatsoever or goldsmith-banker or moneylender or, in fact, anyone else from among those who either do no work at all or whose work is of a kind not very essential to the commonwealth, should attain a life of luxury and grandeur on the basis of his idleness or his nonessential work? In the meantime, the common laborer, the carter, the carpenter, and the farmer perform work so hard and continuous that beasts of burden could scarcely endure it and work so essential that no commontil/ealth could last even one year without it, Yet they earn such scanty fare and lead such a miserable life that the condition of beasts of burden might seem far preferable. The latter do not have to work so incessantly nor is their food much worse (in fact, sweeter to their taste) nor do they entertain any fear for the future. The workmenr on the other hand, not only have to toil and suffer without return or pro6t in the present but agonize over the rhought of an indigent old age. Their daily wage is too scanty to suffice even for the day: much less is there an excess and surplus that daily can be laid by for their needs in old age.

of the l6rh I1._:::l"I'r'_r:*lornf c!a1ge-sof the. poor "$rury in Engl aooptron ot An Act for rhe. Relief ry{ t 59g, which-r
i-. rs r, e/en barely" ey'en a barelv suffici was no longer the province of the ctltrth, .iit t Ja U*"' by.the .T:_:?: each plish- to provide syite. k was the dutl gove\mcnt in -?:..n_1.::p,ed nr.na ;;;.i
11,.,^091. I : could vuru
i

rll
,,l1

ill ii:

\no

p ri c p t., ; h. ; ;; id !not d o w ntheirn own livelihoods, ;l/,y;,; idrrur earn rnerr rarn llvelrhoods,";

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+'fJ;,Xtr.,Tlff ,:'','*':',ii:,i?,l{:[?:'#liiXt"J*
Poor Relief A

:ii

of 1598

of all

Be it enacted bil, the ity of this presenr parlian: Churchwardens oi rish, and four subsrantial hous . . . who shall be noriipdted yearly in Easter ;;;k; r;;;; seal of two-or more Jft".s tf," peace in the same co, in or near the same p ::? the same parish; and they part of them shall,/ake p::r or rnem snalfake orderyom time to time by and wir :: :yo o.,n ore s/ch Justices o\,peace for setting [o work c

:i::iyl:::.:",1r9.
such,*h"l

tf l:::1.h. B/"f\welring po\lf

perenrs

and m/intain rheir chil\n, hnJrtro .tt ,r"n pa :"- unmarri or.unmarried/ashaving no means or l:.-f \maintain them use no d^.ily tr.ede life to ff taxationget their livilg by; and also to ra otherwisepy or :..::. *,::y't"y.raxerton of every iinhab$nt and every occr ln.the saiy'parish in such compet.nt,rm\d sums of mone think fi/a convenient stock of.flax, hemp) conventenr stocl( of,flax, hemp,\ool, thread, ir ware and stuff to set the pooi.o\*ork, and al sums y'f money for and towards the necessarf of tfre i, and. such other among them il;g \i.f pbe, and not lld;/lt.d:

shau\ot Uy tr,. s.iJ"p;;r;;;'il

?y::l a/d.to do.and execute ali other things,

I: out of the same.parish according to the ab\ity l:: the. puning out.oisuch childien \ a;;p;;
i, *.rii;E:o;r;
as to

of tt

ftock.T.o.tlrerwise concprning the premises,

t: Which said Church*."dens,'rnd Overseers so to

them\iall