246 History of the Evglish Landed Interest. 



From all this it is clear that the provision for the poor by 

 the monasteries was in no way eleemosynary but compulsory. 

 These religious communities were the trustees of national funds 

 for pauper maintenance, not the irresponsible possessors of the 

 nation's tithe. Even their splendid hospitality must be placed 

 under the same category. The visitor was the nation's guest, 

 and his board and lodging provided for out of the national 

 tithe. If this had been otherwise, by what right or excuse 

 could the law have interfered, as it so often did, to provide 

 for the proper distribution of the Impropriator's Tithe? By 

 the 35 Ed. I. c, 1, s. 1, it is enacted as follows: "Whereas 

 religious houses were founded and lands given to them, to the 

 intent that clerks and laymen might be admitted therein, sick 

 and feeble men might be maintained, hospitalit}'', alms-giving, 

 and other charitable deeds might be done, and that in them 

 prayers might be said for the souls of the founders and their 

 heirs ; the abbots and other governors of the said houses, and 

 certain aliens their superiors, have laid heavy taxes upon the 

 same, whereby the number of religious persons of the said 

 houses and other servants therein being oppressed, the service 

 of God is diminished, alms being not given to the poor, the 

 sick and feeble, the healths of the living and souls of the dead 

 be miserably defrauded, hospitality, alms-giving, and other 

 godly deeds do cease ; it is ordained that religious persons shall 

 send nothing to their superiors out of his majesty's kingdom 

 and dominion." 



Thus early was attention drawn to this foreign drain on the 

 national resources, which ultimately proved the main cause for 

 the suppression and confiscation of monasteries by Henry VIII. 

 But this was not the first national interference with the dis- 

 tribution of Church endowments. By 3 Ed. I. c. 1, the abuse 

 of the monastic hospitality by the constant visits of great men 

 was checked. Nor did the Legislature ever withdraw its watch- 

 ful eye, as is proved by the statute of Articulo Cleri in Edward 

 II. 's reign, by 2 Hen. V. c. 1, and other later enactments. 



The statute 12 Rich. II. c. 7, in which impotent beggars were 

 compelled to remain either in the cities and towns where they 

 happened to be residing at the time of proclamation, or if the 



