II.] POOR MAN'S FRIEND. 41 



and the towns were pretty thickly spread too ; and, as 

 to "civilization" and "refinement," let this law rela- 

 tive to a youth under age, be compared with the new 

 orchard and garden law, and with the tread-mill 

 affair, and new trespass law! 



50. We have a law, called the VAGRANT ACT, to 

 punish men for begging. We have a law to punish 

 men for not working to keep their families. Now, 

 with what show of justice can these laws be main- 

 tained? They are founded upon this; the first, that 

 begging is disgraceful to the country ; that it is de- 

 grading to the character of man, and, of course, to 

 the character of an Englishman ; and, that there is 

 no necessity for begging, because the law has made 

 ample provision for every person in distress. The 

 law for punishing men for not working to maintain 

 their families is founded on this, that they are doing 

 wrong to their neighbours ; their neighbours, that is 

 to say, the parish, being bound to keep the family, if 

 they be not kept by the man's labour ; and, therefore, 

 his not labouring is a wrong done to the parish. The 

 same may be said with regard to the punishment for 

 not maintaining bastard children. There is some 

 reason for these laws, as long as the poor-laws are 

 duly executed; as long as the poor are duly relieved, 

 according to law ; but, unless the poor-laws exist; 

 unless they be in full force ; unless they be duly exe- 

 cuted ; unless efficient and prompt relief be given to 

 necessitous persons, these acts, and many others ap- 

 proaching to a similar description, are acts of bare- 

 faced and most abominable tyranny. I should say 

 that they would be acts of such tyranny ; for generally 

 speaking, the poor-laws are, as yet, fairly executed, 

 and efficient as to their object. 



51. The law of this country is, that every man, 

 able to carry arms, is liable to be called on, to serve 

 in the militia, or to serve as a soldier in some way or 

 other, in order to defend the country. What, then, 

 the man has no land; he has no property beyond 

 his mere body, and clothes, and tools ; he has no- 

 thing that an enemy can take away from him. What 



