222 THE WILD-FLOWERS OF SELBORNE 



attend on some of their fellow paupers in sickness and 

 distress." The matter was reported to the vestry, 

 which quickly brought the refractory paupers to their 

 senses by stopping their pay. On another occasion 

 the following resolution was unanimously passed by 

 the Vestry: "It was decidedly resolved that in future 

 all description of relief whatever should be withheld 

 and refused to be granted to all persons who may 

 stand in need of parish relief, when the party so apply- 

 ing for assistance shall be in the habit of frequenting 

 public houses, or maintaining any description or sort 

 of dog whatever." 



In the year that followed the close of the great 

 French war, the country thickly swarmed with desti- 

 tute persons, passing along the high roads from village 

 to village. The relief of these crowds of paupers, many 

 of them discharged soldiers and mariners, was a serious 

 drain on many parishes. Some of these indigent 

 persons were provided with " passes," which entitled 

 them to some small relief, usually twopence, from the 

 various parishes through which they passed on their 

 way to their "place of settlement." Some idea of the 

 number of these people may be gathered from the 

 entries in the Churchwardens' Book, which reveal the 

 fact that in the month of May, i8i6, over 150 persons 

 with passes were thus relieved. Later on, one winter's 

 night near Christmas, " 88 people with and without 

 passes " were relieved, " some very badly off," and 

 "some with sickness," to whom the churchwardens 

 gave 5s. id. During the winter months of 1817-18, 

 more than six hundred persons "with passes" passed 

 through the village and were relieved by the church- 

 wardens, who added the remark — •" a great many more 

 than ought to be." 



