RICHARD CHANCELOR a.d. 



1553- 



partie defendant home to his house, and useth him as 

 his bond-man, and putteth him to labour, or letteth him 

 for hier to any such as neede him, untill such time as 

 his friends make provision for his redemption : or else 

 hee remaineth in bondage all the dayes of his life. 

 Againe there are many that will sell themselves to 

 Gentlemen or Marchants to bee their bond-men, to 

 have during their life meate, drinke and cloth, and at 

 their comming to have a piece of mony. yea and some 

 will sell their wives and children to bee bawdes and 

 drudges to the byer. Also they have a Lawe for 

 Fellons and pickers contrary to the Lawes of England. 

 For by their law they can hang no man for his first 

 offence ; but may keepe him long in prison, and often- 

 times beate him with whips and other punishment : and 

 there he shall remaine untill his friends be able to bayle 

 him. If he be a picker or a cut-purse, as there be very 

 many, the second time he is taken, he hath a piece of his 

 Nose cut off, and is burned in the forehead, and kept 

 in prison till hee finde sureties for his good behaviour. 

 And if he be taken the third time, he is hanged. And at 

 the first time he is extremely punished and not released, 

 except hee have very good friends, or that some Gentle- 

 man require to have him to the warres : And in so 

 doing, he shall enter into great bonds for him : by which 

 meanes the countrey is brought into good quietnesse. 

 But they be naturally given to great deceit, except 

 extreme beating did bridle them. They be naturally 

 given to hard living aswell in fare as in lodging. I 

 heard a Russian say, that it was a great deale merrier 

 living in prison then foorth, but for the great beating. 

 For they have meate and drinke without any labour, 

 and get the charitie of well disposed people : But being 

 at libertie they get nothing. The poore is very innumer- 

 able, and live most miserably : for I have seene them 

 eate the pickle of Hearring and other stinking fish : 

 nor the fish cannot be so stinking nor rotten, but they 

 will eate it and praise it to be more wholesome then 



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