14 COBBETT'S f\.. 



things which men of property, above all others, ought 

 to wish to see maintained, seeing that, according to 

 the opinions of the greatest and the wisest of men, 

 they must sufler most in consequence of the abolition 

 of tnose laws ; because, by the abolition of those laws, 

 the right given by the laws of nature would revive, 

 :nid the destitute wouldtafo, where they now simply 

 (Irniand (as BLACKSTONE expresses it) in the name of 

 i IIP law. There has been some difference of opinion, 

 as to the question, whether it be theft or no theft ; or, 

 rather, whether it be a rri nnmd act, Qinotacrin'inal 

 art. for a person, in a case of extreme necessity from 

 want of food, to take food without the assent and e 

 against the will, of the owner. We have, amongst 

 our great lawyers, SIR MATTHEW HALE and SIR WIL- 

 LIAM BLACKSTONE, who contend (though as we shall 

 see, with much feebleness, hesitation, and reservation,) 

 that it is theft, notwithstanding the extremity of the 

 want; but there are many, and much higher authorities, 

 foreign as well as English, on the other side. Before, 

 however, -I proceed to the hearing of these authorities, 

 let me take a short view of the origin <>f th*> poor law* 

 in England; for that view will convince us, that, 

 though the present law was passed but a little more 

 than two hundred years ago, there had been something 

 to effect the same purpose ever since England had been 

 called England. 



14. According to the Common Law of England, 

 as recorded in the MIRROUR OF JUSTICES, a book which 

 was written before the Norman Conquest; a book in 

 ns \\vj\\ reputation, as a law-book, as any one in Eng- 

 land; according to this book, CHAPTER 1st, SECTION 

 3d, which treats of the "First constitutions made by 

 the antient kings;" according to this work, provision 

 was made for the sustenance of the poor. The words 

 are these : " It was ordained, that the poor should be 

 sustained by parsons, by rectors of the church, and 

 by the parishioners, so that hone of them die for \ranf 

 of sustenances Several hundred years later, the ca- 

 nons of the church show, that when the church had 

 become rich, it took upon itself the whole of the care 



