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<DATE>2014-07-14</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140527.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="proclamation">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD><FIGURE>
<FIGDESC>arms of London</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE> By the Mayor.</HEAD>
<HEAD><HI>To the Alderman of the Ward of</HI> <GAP DESC="blank"> </HEAD>
<P>_WHEREAS among the many Enormities that are too frequently practi&s;ed within this City and the Liberties thereof, I have taken particular notice of the Profanation of the Lords day by the &s;o general Re&s;ort to Publick hou&s;es, where great part of the day is taken up and wa&s;ted in idle or un&s;ea&s;onable Di&s;cour&s;es, if not wor&s;e imployment. Having al&s;o heard frequent complaint made of a &s;trange &s;ort of Women (called Night-walkers) who go about the Streets in the Evening, tempting and inticeing Apprentices and others to Lewdne&s;s; I have purpo&s;ed by Gods ble&s;&s;ing and the con|current Endeavours of your Self and the re&s;t of my Brethren the Aldermen, to puni&s;h and &s;uppre&s;s the &s;ame as far as in me lies. And I do earne&s;tly de&s;ire and entreat you to take the be&s;t care you can for preventing thereof within your Ward: And there being a late Act of Parliament made in the <HI>29^t^h^.</HI> Year of his Maje&s;ties Reign, for better Ob&s;ervation of the Lords day, whereby it is Enacted, <HI>That all Per&s;ons &s;hall on every Lords day apply them&s;elves to the Ob&s;ervation of the &s;ame, by exerci&s;ing them&s;elves thereon, in the Duties of Piety and true Religion, publickly and privately, and that no Per&s;on &s;hall do or exerci&s;e any bu&s;ine&s;s or work of their ordinary Callings on any part of the &s;ame day (works of Nece&s;&s;ity and Charity excepted) and that every Per&s;on of the Age of Fourteen Years or upwards Offending in the Premi&s;&s;es, &s;hall for every &s;uch Offence forfeit the Sum of Five &s;hillings to be Levyed by Di&s;tre&s;s by any Con&s;table or the Church-wardens of the Pari&s;h upon a Warrant from a Ju&s;tice of Peace, after the party &s;hall be Convicted by view of &s;uch Ju&s;tice, or the Parties Confe&s;&s;ion, or the Oaths of one or more Witne&s;&s;es, and being Pro&s;ecuted for the &s;ame within Ten days after the Offence Committed.</HI> Notwith|&s;tanding which Act, and a Precept lately I&s;&s;ued out for the Ob&s;ervation thereof; Vintners and Keepers of Ale-hou&s;es and Coffee-hou&s;es do take liberty to follow their Callings on that day, and entertain Per&s;ons
<PB REF="2"> in their Hou&s;es, contrary to the intention of the &s;aid Act; That the &s;ame therefore may be better Ob&s;erved hereafter, I earne&s;tly de&s;ire You, by Your Beadle or otherwi&s;e, to cau&s;e warning once more to be given to all Vintners, keepers of Ale-hou&s;es, Coffee-hou&s;es, and other Publick-hou&s;es within Your Ward, that they forbear to harbour Gue&s;ts in their Hou&s;es on that day (other than &s;uch Victuallers as Dre&s;s and Sell Meat in their Hou&s;es for &s;uch as cannot otherwi&s;e be provided, which is exempted out of the &s;aid Act.) And I earne&s;tly recommend to You, that the Con&s;tables and the Church-wardens of the &s;everal Pari&s;hes within Your Ward may have notice given them, and be directed to Inform Me or &s;ome other Iu&s;tice of Peace from time to time of all Per&s;ons that &s;hall Offend herein, to the end the Penalties afore&s;aid may be Levyed upon them; and their Licen&s;es (if Ale-hou&s;e or Coffee-hou&s;e keepers) be taken from them. And I likewi&s;e de&s;ire You to give a &s;trict Charge to the &s;aid Con&s;tables that they Carefully and Diligently Ob|&s;erve and Apprehend both all &s;uch Night-walkers as afore&s;aid, and bring them before Me or &s;ome other Iu&s;tice of Peace to be dealt withal and puni&s;hed according to their demerits; as al&s;o to Seize and Apprehend all Vagrants and Common Beggars who are Idle and V&s;ele&s;s, and de&s;erve to be puni&s;hed as the Law hath directed, by Whipping, and then &s;ending them from Pari&s;h to Pari&s;h to the place where they were Born, if known, el&s;e to the place where they la&s;t dwelt for a year, to be &s;et to work, or if that be not known, then to the Pari&s;h they la&s;t pa&s;t through without puni&s;hment. Which the Con&s;table is to do, and the Law enjoyns upon him on pain of forfeiture of <HI>Ten &s;hillings</HI> for every failer, or he may be Indicted.</P>
<P>And whereas it was given Me in Charge by the Lord Chief Baron of the <HI>Exchequer,</HI> when I took My Oath at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> That due care might be had of the Watches within this City: I do therefore recom|mend to You, That the &s;aid Con&s;tables may be further enjoyned to Ob&s;erve the times pre&s;cribed for Set|ting and Ri&s;ing of their Watches, and to have con&s;tantly their full Numbers of Watchmen, according to the Act of Common Council made in the Mayoralty of Sir <HI>John Robin&s;on,</HI> on pain to be indicted and pro&s;ecuted for every default therein; And that your Beadle do di&s;tribute Copies hereof to the &s;everal Per|&s;ons concerned. In all which particulars afore&s;aid, I hope you will be very Careful, being matters where|in the Honour of God, and the Publick Weal of this City are &s;o greatly concerned.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given <DATE>this 2^d^. day of <HI>November</HI> 1681. And in the 33^t^h^. year of his Maje&s;ties Reign.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Wag&s;taffe.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P>Printed by <HI>Samuel Roycroft,</HI> Printer to the Honourable City of <HI>LONDON.</HI> 1681.</P>
</DIV1>
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