MENDICITY. 3$ 
the diffolution of monasteries (whence fome have dated 
our poor-laws) beggary was rife among us. Chaucer 
defcribing his friar, fays, 
He knew well the tavernes in every toun, 
And every hofteler and gay taplterre, 
Better than a lazar or a beggere. 
A further evidence is afforded by the famous “ Begg 
Petition againft Popery,” addreffed to Henry VIII. A. D. 
i <538, which Hates the plain truth in plain words : “ To 
the King our Sovereign Lord; Moll lamentably com- 
plaineth, their woful mifery unto your liighnefs, your 
poor daily bedemen, [who pray for your welfare,] the 
wretched hideous monfters (on whom fcarcely for horror 
any eye dare look), the foul unhappy fort of iepers, and 
other fore people, needy, impotent, blind, lame, and lick, 
that live only by alms ; how that their number is daily 
fo fore increafed, that all the alms of the well-difpofed 
people of this your realm is not half enough to fuftain 
them; but that, for very conftraint, they die for hunger.” 
Now, if this were the fa£l while the clergy were in full 
power, in full poifellion of the church-property, while 
abbeys and monafteries, and other institutions, ufually 
fuppoled to have been the feats of charity, were in full 
yigour, then it was not to the diffolution of them that 
the increafe of poor was alcribable : then the clergy, 
though bound by their inftitution to bellow one-third 
of their incomes on the poor, did not maintain them. To 
the regular incomes of religious perfons in office muff be 
added* that derived from the fuperltitious notions of the 
age. The prayers of the poor, in favour of their bene¬ 
factors, were fuppofed to poffefs great efficacy, even in 
the world *of fpirits; and the united fupplications of 
many “ daily bedemen,” faid every preacher on the fub- 
jeCt of charity, certainly contributed to the eternal hap- 
pinefs of the dead. Humanity, duty, and fuperftition, 
confpired to furnilh a fund for the indigent; and well 
had it been, if fuch only as had fair claims on this fund 
had received their maintenance from it. 
Par idles are eccleliaftical jurifdiCtions; and, fince Eng¬ 
land has ceafed to be catholic, the reliance of the poor 
has been transferred from the cloifter and the convent to 
the pariffi and the overfeer. The clergy, regular and ir¬ 
regular, have ceafed to enjoy that prodigious proportion, 
of the national land, with which miftaken charity had 
endowed the church; but the race of fturdy beggars has 
not ceafed. Other means of fupport have been devifed ; 
and they now plunder the laity, as formerly they plun¬ 
dered ecclefiaftics 5 they now follow trade and commerce, 
as they formerly followed the land. They reduce their 
occupation to a fyftem, and demand with greater obftre- 
peroufnefs than when they promifed a pilgrimage to our 
Lady of Pity in behalf of the pious good Chriftian out 
of whofe pocket they teazed a tardy donation. 
Catholic countries, at this day, are not free from men¬ 
dicant poor; but are peftered with fwarms of them in all 
parts, and very infolent they are: they follow ftrangers 
(at leaft) every-where; even into the churches, where 
they demand with moll perfevering and irreverent ur¬ 
gency. Who does not know that Napoleon did his 
utmoft to remove this blot on his government, from 
France ? His “ Houfes of Mendicity” were eftabliffied for 
this purpofe; but his intention failed, totally failed. 
The viciffitudes of life, during the long and lamentable 
war from which we are but barely emerged, afforded pre¬ 
texts for mendicity, at once numerous and powerful: 
they could not firmly be denied by the confiderate, nor 
could they be fuddenly detected. They were, therefore, 
rather overlooked than tolerated; but now, when peace 
allows us to direCl our attention to our internal con¬ 
cerns, this evil ffiould not he aifregarded. It is immoral; 
it is unchriftian •. it tends to harden the heart of thofe 
■ who have been impofed on, and it really has that efteCt: 
it chills genuine charity, fo that mocleft and unmerited 
. diftrefs is too often placed on a level with impollure; or 
the hand which is ftretched out to relieve it is mif- 
Vol XV. No. jojO. 
directed, if not paralyzed. It cannot be faid, that the 
refent age is hard-hearted; and that charity would not 
e exerciled unlefs ftimulated by fuch difguifes : the whole 
world knows to the contrary, never were inftitutions to 
meet cafes of diftrefs fo numerous as at this moment; 
and every day is calling, either publicly or privately, for 
fupport to new charities. Notwithftanding many very grofs 
impofitions, and very clear proofs of guilty perveriions, 
charity is more than the order —it is the rag-e —of the day. 
On the 8th of June, 1815, Mr. Rofe called the atten¬ 
tion of the lioufe of commons to the ftate of mendicity in 
and about the metropolis. He laid that a recent inftitu¬ 
tion of great utility had been the means of many inquiries 
into the fubjeCt. Mr. Martin, a gentleman connected 
with it, had calculated, from pretty good fources, that 
there were more than 15,000 beggars in and about 
the metropolis. Of thefe, fome had fettlements: they 
amounted to 6,690, of whom 4,150 were children, and 
2,540 adults. There were 2,604 who had fettlements in 
the country of England, of whom 1,137 were adults, and 
1,467 children. Thofe without fettlement were eftimated 
at 5,320, of whom 2,673 were children. There were Scotch 
and Irifti: the Scotch amounted to 504: 177 had no let- 
tlement whatever, and were foreigners. On the whole,, 
there were 9,283 children, and 6,000 adults, living by- 
begging; making 15,283. Some of thefe could occasion¬ 
ally earn as much as forty fhillings a-week; but, not be-, 
longing to benefit focieties, when they were ill their wive® 
and children went a-begging. The fupport of ail thefe 
people, taking them at 3s. a-day, and lie knew many re¬ 
ceived much more, would come to 328,000!. a-year foe 
the adults. The inconvenience in the ftr'eets was the 
leaft part of the evil. The great mifehief was, that tho 
children were brought up in all forts of idlenefs and vice. 
The beggars would feldom fend a child to the new fchoolsg 
which, in many cafes, had been of incalculable benefit; 
there were even inftances of the children educated therein 
having reformed their parents. Thefe fchools were now 
very confiderable. There was one for the army, and one 
for the navy; one which taught 1000 children in that 
neighbourhood, and which was greatly owing to the ex¬ 
ertions of Mr. Speaker, The plan of the inftitution which 
Mr. Martin was connected with was extremely good. 
There was an excellent eftablifliment, called the Strangers’ 
Friend, of which the managing perfons went' about to 
enquire into the fituation of thofe diftreffed perfons 
whofe modofty prevented them from public mendicity. 
There was alio the Refuge for the Deftitute, which was 
well known; and there was the Benevolent Irifh So¬ 
ciety. Mr. Role propofed a committee to confider of the 
ftate of public mendicity. He fuggefted that their objeCl 
might be, firft, to afeertain all the faCts, and then goniidey 
of the remedies. It would be prefumptuous to ftate lan- 
guine expectations in a matter wherein the beft and wifeft 
perfons had failed. Thofe, however, who had fettlements 
near the metropolis, Ihould be forced to go to their'lettle- 
ments; the fame might be faid of thofe from the country; 
the expenfe occafioned would be trifling compared with 
the evil. Thofe from Scotland and Ireland might be fen?; 
back. As to the foreigners, the Lafcars were under the 
care of the Eaft-India company. Many other foreign beg¬ 
gars might be fent to their own countries. The molt 
importunate heggars were foldiers and failors who were 
wounded, and who were, therefore, entitled to their pen- 
fion of-l8l. a-year. At Edinburgh and Hamburgh Ibme 
provisions had been made on this fubjeCt; and he flat¬ 
tered himfelf, that at leaft fomething might be done here. 
He then moved for “ a committee to enquire into the 
ftate of mendicity in the metropolis and its immediate 
neighbourhood.” This motion was agreed to, and the 
committee ordered accordingly. 
The committee proceeded with alacrity, and foon 
framed a Report, which was prefented to the houle on 
the nth of July, and ordered to be printed. The num¬ 
ber of mendicants i» fch§ metropolis was now djfenated 
% 'gi 
