A. D. 1547. ' 9^' 



* arm, or leg. — A juftice of peace may bind a beggar's man-cliild ap- 

 ' prentice to the age of fourteen years, and a woman-child to the age 



* of twenty years, to any that will require them ; and if the faid child 

 ' run away, then his mafter may retain and ufe him for the term 

 ' aforefaid as his flave * — All impotent, maimed, and aged perfons, who 

 ' cannot be taken for vagabonds, lliall have convenient houfes pro- 

 ' vided for them, and otherwife fhall be relieved in the cities or towns 

 ' where they were born, or were moft converfant, by the fpace of three 

 ' years, by the willing and charitable difpofition of the parifliioners, 

 ' and none other fhall be fuffered to beg there.' This very lame claufe 

 contains an exprefs contradiction, the firil part of it being an injundioii 

 in behalf of the poor, and the latter part leaving it to the willing and 

 charitable difpofition of people. Such provifions for the difabled and 

 aged poor are to be foimd in the ftatute-book both before and after 

 this time ; but as they were merely recommendatory, they always prov- 

 ed ineffeiftual. 



At this time, it feems, the antient city of York was much decayed. 

 A ftature of the fame year [c. 9.], i"epreients its declenfion in the fol- 

 lowing terms, viz. ' In that city and fuburbs there are many parifh- 

 ' churches, which heretofore (the fame being well inhabited and re- 

 ' plenifhed with people) were good and honefl livings for learned in- 

 ' cumbents, by reafon of the privy tithes of the rich merchants, and 

 ' of the offerings of a gi"eat multitude ; which livings being now fo 

 ' much decayed by the ruin and decay of the faid city, and of the trade 

 ' of merchandize there, the revenues and profits of divers of the fame 

 ' benefices are not, at this prefent time, above the clear yearly value of 

 ' L I : 6 : 8 ; fo that a great fort of them are not a competent and hon- 

 ' ell living for a good curate ; yea, and no perfon will take the cure, 

 ' but that of neceffity there is iome chantry-prieft, or elfe fome late re- 

 ' li^ious perfon {i. e. monk), being a ftipendiary, taken and appointed 

 ' to the faid cure and benefice, which, for the moft part, are unlearned 



* and very ignorant perfons : ^Vherefore the mayor and recorder of 

 ' that city, and the ordinary or his deputy, and fix juftices of peace in 

 ' the faid city, are hereby empowered to unite the laid parifhes into 



* fewer number, viz. fo many of the faid parifhes into one parifh, as 



* fhall to them be thought convenient to be a living for one honeft in- 

 ' cumbent, fo as the clear yearly value exceed not L 20. Tl;ie fuper- 

 ' fluous churches ftiall be pulled down, toward the reparation and en- 



* largement of the other churches,, or of the bridges of the faid city, 

 ' and the relief of the poor.' The reft of this ad contains a provifion 



* Tlie word flave is repeated here feven times, and twice more in a claufe, not tranfcribed, con. tm- 

 iiig clerks attainted or coiivictcd. 



Nz 



