Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 16.djvu/277

Rh Thirdly, Whereas, in the said brief, the ministers and curates are required, "on the weekdays next after the Lord's day when the brief was read, to go from house to house, with their churchwardens, to ask and receive from all persons the said charity;" We cannot but observe here, that the said ministers are directly made collectors of the said charity in conjunction with the churchwardens, which however, we presume, was not intended, as being against all law and precedent: and therefore, we apprehend, there may be some inconsistency, which leaves us at a loss how to proceed: for, in the next paragraph, the ministers and curates are only required, where they conveniently can, to accompany the churchwardens, or procure some other of the chief inhabitants to do the same. And in a following paragraph, the whole work seems left entirely to the churchwardens, who are required to use their utmost diligence to gather and collect the said charity, and to pay the same, in ten days after, to the parson, vicar, &c.

In answer to this, we do represent to your grace our humble opinion, that neither we, nor our churchwardens, can be legally commanded or required to go from house to house, to receive the said charity; because your grace has informed us in your order, at your visitation, A. D. 1712, "That neither we nor our churchwardens are bound to make any collections for the poor, save in the church;" which also appears plainly by the rubrick, that appoints both time and place, as your grace has observed in your said order.

We do likewise assure your grace, that it is not in our power to procure some of the chief tants