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l..!T«, Stc; anJ though he (houlJ not himfciroccafion nny iin- 

 iiccrlfar)' dcluy in obllaclc to the paymrut of a lols, he will 

 not be over-ai.xioiii tJ remove the doubts of othera : btliJcs, 

 h; ought not, by uiijerwritirjj the p:illoy, to deprive the 

 pjirtiec of lii< uiibialTed teftimony, in cnfe ol dilpiite. 



If ail a^oiit or broker, meaning to appropriate the pre- 

 mium til lii.nfelf, and mke the chance of a fafe arrival, rc- 

 prtfcnt to liii tmploycr that an iiifiimnce has been effected 

 ajjrecably to his inllriiCtions, tlie principal may inanitai.i 

 trover for the policy njraiiiil the accent or broker ; and, upon 

 jjroof of a lofs, he <l\all recover to the fame amonnt as he 

 would hive been entitled to rtcc.ver a^ainil the uiidei writers, 

 if a policy had been ifli£\.*d. Marlhallon Infui-ance, vol. i. 

 tioe InsvRANCK and PoLiCV. 



lUoKERS, />;?.v, a fort of petty dealers in drapery, who 

 iell Irc^nicn'.s or remnau'suf oluth«, itufTs, Glks, and the like, 

 at nnJcr price. 



Urokf iis,_^3(-/f, are lliofe employed to buy and fell Hinrcs 

 in the joint lloek of a company or corporation ; and alfe, in 

 the public funds. The negotiations, &c. of thefc brokers 

 are reg;ulated by ftat. 6 Geo. I. cap. i8. and 7 and lo Geo. 

 41. cap. S. which, among other things, enact, that contracts 

 in the nature of wagers, &c. incur a penalty of 500I. and 

 by the fale of ftock, of which the ftller is not pofTcffcd, and 

 which he does not transfer, a forfeit of lool.; and coiitrafts 

 for fale of ar.v llock, of which the contractors are not actually 

 po(l'e(fed, or to which they are not entitled, are void, and the 

 parties ai^rceing to fell, &c. inctir a penalty of ^oc\.; and that 

 brokers keep a book, in which all contraiSts, with their dates, 

 and the names of the parties conctrntd, Ihall be entered, on 

 -pain of ijol. : thefe enactments, however, are little regarded 

 by the gamblers in the public funds. Sec Stock-jolbing. 



Urokers cf hotifehohi funnlurc. See AypRAiSERS. 



Brokers, paun, are perfons who keep fliops, and let 

 out money to neccflitous people upon pledges, for the moil 

 part on exorbitant intereft. Thtfe are more properly called 

 pawn-takers, or tally-men, fometimes fripcrs, or friperers. 



Of thtfe is to be undcrllood the ftatutc of i Jac. I. c. 2 1 . 

 by which it is enafted, that the fale of goods, wrongfully 

 gotten, to any broker in London, Weftminller, Southwark, 

 or within two miles of London, Ihall not alter the property 

 thereof. If a broker, having received fuch goods, fhall not, 

 upon the rcqucil of the right owner, truly difcover them, 

 liow and when he came by them, and to whom they are con- 

 veyed, he (hall forfeit the double value thereof to tl-.e faiJ 

 owner. 



But th;re are feveral excellent regulations refpefting pawn- 

 brokers of later date. By (lat. 25 Geo. IIL c. 48. pawn- 

 brokcTs arc r.nnually to take out a licence on a lol. itanip, 

 within tlie bills of mortality, and 5I. in any other part of trie 

 kingdonn, for each (hop kept, under a penalty of /jol. By 

 Hat. 29 Geo. IIL c. 57. conlirmed by ttats. ji Geo. III. 

 c. 52. and ,5.3 Geo. III. c. j;,}. pawnbrokers are allowed 

 the follov.-ing rates of profit for intereft and warclioufe- 

 room. For every pledge upon v.iiich there has not been lent 

 above 23. 6d. one halfpenny, for any time during which the 

 faid pledge fhall remain in pawn, not exceeding one month, 

 and the fame for every month afterwards, including the 

 current month in which fuch pledge fliall be redeemed ; 

 for 5.-., one penny; for 7s. 6d., one penny half-penny ; for 

 los., two-pence; for 12s. <1d., twopence h?.lf-penny ; for 

 15s., three-p.nce ; for 17s. (5d., thrce-pjnce half-penny ; for 

 il., four-pence; and fo on progredively and in proportion 

 for any fum not excccjing 40s. ; and for cvcr^• fum exceed- 

 ing 40s. and nu exceeding lol , at the rate of .;d. and no 

 more for the loan of every 20s. of fuch money lent by the 

 mouth ; a.id fo in proportion for any fradional fum. A 



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party applying for the redemption of goods pawned, within 

 fcven days'after the expiration of any month, n-ay redeem 

 them without paying any thing for the feveii days ; and ap- 

 plying after feven days, and within fixteen days, pays tlic 

 pr'olit for one month and the half of another month ; but 

 after the txpii-alion of the firll fourteen days, the paw.i. 

 broker may take for the whole month. He is required to 

 mr.ke entries, and to give duplicates. Any perfon Iraudu- 

 lently pawning the gojds of another, and convicted before 

 a jullicf, Oiall forfeit 23S. and the value of the goods pawned, 

 &c. to he afccrtained by the juflice; and on failure of pay- 

 ment, be committed to the houfe of correction for not more 

 than three monltis, nor lefs than one month, and be pub- 

 licly whipped ; the forfeitures being applied to the fatis- 

 faction of the injured party, and the defraying of colls, and 

 the overplus, if any, to the poor of the parifli. Any perfon 

 counterfeiting or altering a duplicate, may be ftized and 

 taken before a j'.illice, who is to commit the offender to the 

 houfe of correction for not more than three months, nor 

 lefs than one. If a perfon fliall oiler to pawn any goods, 

 refilling to give a fatisfaftory account of hiniftlf and the 

 goods ; or if there be reafon to fu(p;£t that the goods are 

 ftolen ; or if any perfon, not entitled, dial! attempt to re- 

 deem goods pawned ; they may be taken before a jnllice for 

 examination : and if it appear that the goods were llolen or 

 illegally obtained ; or that the perfon attempting to redeem 

 them has no title or pretence to the fame, the juftice is to 

 commit him to be dta'.t with accordi::g to law, provided 

 the nature of the ofTeiice (liall authorize fuch comm.itrr.ent by 

 any other law ; or otherwife, for not more than three montiis, 

 Ror lefs than one. A juftice may grant a fearch-wanant, 

 and a peace-officer break open doors, and reftore the goods, 

 if found, to the owner. If pawn-brokers rcfufe to deliver 

 up goods pltdgtd within one year, on tender of the money 

 lent and intereft, a juftice is empowered, on conviction, to 

 commit them till the goods be delivered up, or rtafonablc 

 fatisfaCt'.on be obtained. Goods may be fold bv public 

 auction after the expiration of one year; being expofed to 

 public view, and catalogues of them publiflied, and two ad- 

 vertifements of fale by the pawnbroker to be nifcrted in fomc 

 ncwfpaper, two days at leall before the fir.ft day's fale, under 

 penalty of 5I. to the owner. Pawnhr.,kers, receiving notice 

 from tlie owners of goods before the expiration of a year, 

 are not allowed to difpofe of them, till after the expiration 

 of tiirce m.onths from the end of the faid year. They are 

 to enter an account of fales in their books of all goods 

 pawr:ed for upwards of tos. ; and the overplus, in cale of 

 (ale, fliall, upon demand wiihin three years, be paid to the 

 owner, neceiiary intereil, c('fts, &c. being dtdufted ; and 

 refufal to pay the overplus (hall incur a forfeiture of treble 

 the fum lent, to be levied by di.lrefs. Pawnbrokers fiiall 

 not purchafe goods in their cuftody, or fufier them to be re- 

 deemed for that purpofe ; nor lend money to any perfon ap- 

 pearing to be under twelve years of age, or intoxicated, or 

 purchafe duplicates of other pawnbrokers, or buy any 

 goods befjre eight in the forenoon, and after feven in the 

 evening ; nor receive any goods in pawn before eight in the 

 forenoon, or after nine at night, between Michaelmas and 

 Lady-day; and before feven in the forenoon, and after ten 

 at night, during the remainder of the year, except the even- 

 ings of Saturday, and thofe preceding Good Friday and 

 Chriftmas day ; nor carry on the trade on any Sunday, 

 Good Fri.lay, or Chriftmas day. Pawnbrokers are to place 

 in their fliops, a table of rates allowed by this aft ; and 

 they are required to have their Chriftian and furname, and 

 bufinefs, written over the door, under a penalty of lol. h.-Jf 

 to the informer, and half to the poor. Pawnbrokers offend- 



incr 



