Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/381

 Ch. 9. to be their parihioners, they cannot be removed merely becaue likely to become chargeable, but only when they become actually chargeable. But uch certificated perons can gain no ettlement by any of the means above-mentioned; unles by renting a tenement of 10𝑙. per annum, or by erving an annual office in the parih, being legally placed therein: neither can an apprentice or ervant to uch certificated peron gain a ettlement by uch their ervice.

are the general heads of the laws relating to the poor, which, by the reolutions of the courts of jutice thereon within a century pat, are branched into a great variety. And yet, notwithtanding the pains that have been taken about them, they till remain very imperfect, and inadequate to the purpoes they are deigned for: a fate, that has generally attended mot of our tatute laws, where they have not the foundation of the common law to build on. When the hires, the hundreds, and the tithings, were kept in the ame admirable order that they were dipoed in by the great Alfred, there were no perons idle, conequently none but the impotent that needed relief: and the tatute of 43 Eliz. eems entirely founded on the ame principle. But when this excellent cheme was neglected and departed from, we cannot but oberve with concern, what mierable hifts and lame expedients have from time to time been adopted, in order to patch up the flaws occaioned by this neglect. There is not a more neceary or more certain maxim in the frame and contitution of ociety, than that every individual mut contribute his hare, in order to the well-being of the community: and urely they mut be very deficient in found policy, who uffer one half of a parih to continue idle, diolute, and unemployed; and then form viionary chemes, and at length are amazed to find, that the indutry of the other half is not able to maintain the whole.