blazon of the City of London  
By the Mayor.  
THE Right Honourable the Lord Maior, minding and intending, by God's help and the concurrent Endeavours of his Brethren the Aldermen, to discover, punish, and suppress to the uttermost of his power, as the proper Work and most incumbent Duty of his Office, those manifold Corruptions, Abuses, and Disorders, which have broke in and of late times more exceedingly increased upon us, to the Dishonour of Religion, and Scandal of the Government of this City; hath thought it not unnecessary to make some public mention of such as are most obvious and notorious, with the Penalties and Punishments attending; thereby to admonish and forewarn, not only the Citizens and Inhabitants in general to reform and avoid those and the like Evils and Enormities in their private Capacity and Conversation, but more particularly such who are in Office and under greater Obligation to assist in Execution of the Laws Established against the said Offences: Of which sort are  
Profane Cursing & Swearing. First, Profane CURSING and SWEARING, for which the Law hath appointed a Penalty of Twelve pence, to the use of the Poor, to be paid and levied for every Offence; or (where no Distress can be had) to sit three hours in the Stocks.  
Profaning the Lord's Day. PROFANATION of the LORDS DAY by Sports and Tippling in Taverns, Inns, Alehouses, and Coffeehouses, during Divine Service; the Statutes inflicting on all Persons who shall meet to sport, tipple, or use any unlawful Exercises on that day, Three shillings four pence for every Offence; and where no distress can be had, to sit three hours in the Stocks; and Ten shillings on every Vintner, Innkeeper, or Alehousekeeper, that shall suffer any such Drinking or Tippling in his House.  
Bawdy-Houses. Maintaining Houses suspected of Common BAWDRY, for which by Law the Offenders are to find Sureties for the Good Behaviour; and every Constable upon Information of Men or Women of evil report, resorting to such suspected Houses, may take and carry the Parties before a justice of Peace to find Sureties for the Good Behaviour.  
Gaming-Houses. Keeping of Common GAMING-Houses, which every justice of the Peace may enter, and arrest and imprison the Housekeepers, till they find Sureties no longer to keep such unlawful Gaming.  
Drunkenness. Idle and lose People. The odious Sin of DRUNKENNESS; the Punishment by Law being, for the first Offence Five shillings, or six hours sitting in the Stocks; and for the second Offence to find Sureties for the Good Behaviour, or for want of Sureties to be committed to the Gaol: And like Surety for the Good Behaviour is to be found by common Drunkards, Haunters of Alehouses or Taverns, Common Gamesters, and suspected Persons, who live idly, and yet far well and are well apparelled, having no Estate whereon to live (Except upon Examination they shall give good account of their Living.)  
Tippling. Moreover no Person may sit or continue, or be suffered to sit or continue Tippling or Drinking in any Tavern, Victualling-house, Alehouse, Coffee-house, or other Tippling-house, (unless invited by a Traveller, during his necessary Abode there, and Handicraftsmen, Labourers, and Workmen for one hour at Dinner upon the Working-day, or sojourning or lodging there, or that they be allowed by two justices of the Peace) upon the Penalty of Ten shillings for every Offence upon the Master of such House; and upon the Person that shall continue drinking Three shillings Four pence. And by the ancient Custom of the City none may remain to tipple or drink in any such House after Nine of the Clock at Night.  
And therefore all Constables and other Officers whom it doth or may concern, are required to take care for discovering and bringing to Punishment whosoever shall offend in the Premises: And for that end they are to enter into any suspected Houses , and into any Tavern, Inn, Alehouse, Victualling-house, Coffee-house, or other Tippling-house, or Gaming-house, to search for such disorderly Persons, as shall be found mis-behaving themselves, tippling, or otherwise doing contrary to the said Laws, and to levy the Penalties and cause the Offenders to come before some of his Majesty's justices of the Peace of this City, to be dealt withal according to Law.  
And whereas the Streets and Common Passages, and all Places of Public Meeting and Resort, are exceedingly pestered and annoyed by Vagrants and Beggars, and that for suppressing and avoiding of that greatest living Nuisance, especial Resolution is taken to put in execution against them the good Laws in force with all Strictness and Severity: The said Constables therefore are charged and required to apprehend all Rogues, Vagabonds, and sturdy Beggars, that shall be found begging, vagrant, wand'ring, or mis-ordering themselves within their respective Parishes and Precincts; and such of them as shall appear to have Dwellings or Abode within the City or Liberties to carry to Bridewell, there to be received and dealt withal according to Law, and others to punish and pass away from Parish to Parish the next straight way to the Parish where they were born, if the same may be known by the Parties Confession or otherwise; or if it be not known, then to the Parishes where they last dwelled, before the same Punishment, by the space of one whole year; or if that cannot be well known, then to the Parishes to which they last passed without Punishment; upon the Penalty and Forfeiture of Ten shillings for every default. Also every Inhabitant is to apprehend such Beggars, etc. as he shall know to resort to his House to beg or receive Alms, and carry or cause them to be carried to the next Constables; upon like Penalty or Forfeiture of Ten shillings for every Offence. And such Constable is thereupon to punish and pass away such Beggar as aforesaid, upon the Penalty of Twenty shillings for every default.  
And that the Dwellings of all Constables may be known, and themselves more readily found, they are forthwith (which of late hath been neglected) to have their Staffs duly placed or fixed at their Street-doors in open view of all Passengers; and themselves to remain constantly at home, or leave some other fit and able Persons to perform their Office in their Absence. And the several Wards and Parishes are without delay to provide (where any are wanting) and to repair, and from time to time sufficiently to maintain Cages, Stocks, Posts, and other Instruments for correcting and punishing this sort of Offenders, as the Law requires.  
And moreover, the two Marshals of this City are commanded (according to the ancient express Orders of their Place and Duty) to be on horseback, and their Men, with the Beadles of the four Hospitals that shall be thereunto appointed, on foot, sometimes with them, and sometimes without them, as occasion shall require; and to ride and walk about, and compass all the Streets, Lanes, Alleys, and Corners of the City and Liberties, every day, duly and diligently; and so dispose and divide themselves, that once every day they or some of them may survey every Quarter of the City: And that, as they pass through the Streets, they apprehend all Vagrants and wand'ring Rogues and Beggars, Men, Women and Children, and carry them either to Bridewell, or to the Constable of the Place where they shall be apprehended, to be conveyed and passed as the case shall require and is before directed. They are also to take notice of, and present such Constables as they find remiss and negligent of their Duty in this Service, to the end they may he prosecuted and punished according to Law. And for their more Readiness herein, are to take Information from the Beadles of the Wards of the Names and Dwelling-Places of every Constable within their several Wards, and of each ones several Precinct, that so they may find them easily upon all Occasions.  
And the said Marshals are to keep an exact and true Note, in writing in a Book, of every Vagrant, wand'ring Rogue, and Beggar, which shall be apprehended by them, and delivered to any Constable, or carried by them immediately to Bridewell, together with his Surname and Name of Baptism, and the Place of his or her Birth, and if that cannot be found, the Place of his or her last Dwelling, or if there be no such, than the Place where he or she last passed through without Correction.  
Also the Porter of Bridewell is to keep a Book wherein he shall truly enter the Surname, Name of Baptism, Place of Birth, and other the Premises of or concerning every such Person which shall be delivered into the Custody of that Hospital.  
Likewise for the Health and Cleanliness of the City, all Inhabitants, Householders, and others concerned, are warned and required to keep the Streets before their Houses and Ground duly paved and swept, and the Soil to be taken up and kept in Baskets, Tubs, or other Vessels, till the coming of the Raker, upon pain of Three shillings Four pence; and not to throw or suffer any Ashes, Dirt, or other Filth to be cast out into the Streets before their own Ground or Houses, upon pain of Five shillings; nor before their Neighbours, or any Church or Churchyard, or other public Place or Building, or into any Common Sink, Vault, Watercourse, or Sewer, upon pain of Twenty shillings; (being the respective Penalties for every Offence in those several Cases provided by a late Act of Parliament) And the Scavengers to see the said Streets accordingly swept and cleansed, or the Offenders prosecuted and punished, and the Soil, Dirt, and Rubbish daily taken up and carried away by the Rakers, as by the said Act and several other Acts, Orders, and late Precepts in that behalf hath been enjoined and directed.  
Moreover, for the Common Safety and Peace of the City, and Convenience of all whose Affairs may occasion them to travel or walk abroad at seasonable hours in the dark of the Evenings, all Inhabitants are required duly to hang and keep out their Candle Light to the accustomed hour; and the Constables to set and continue their Watches at such times, and of such number of able Men, and in all other respects, as by Acts of Common Council in this behalf is directed and appointed.  
And forasmuch as the Franchises and Liberties of this City are of late years much invaded and violated by Foreigners, Strangers, Aliens, and others taking upon them the Employment of Brokers upon the Royal Exchange, London; His Lordship doth Order with the Advice aforesaid; That no Person or Persons whatsoever shall at any time hereafter use the Feat or Exercise of a Broker, or by any means deal or intermeddle as a Broker, between Merchant and Merchant, or other Buyer or Seller within the said City and Liberties for Fee or other Profit, unless he be first duly admitted, and sworn to deal truly betwixt the Buyer and the Seller, and bound by Recognizance, according to a late Act of Common Council in that behalf, and upon the Penalties therein contained.  
And his Lordship doth declare, That he will not only deem it a good and acceptable Service in any, who, from good and honest Intentions, shall bring Complaint or Information of any the  or other like Offences against His Majesty's Peace and the quiet Estate and Government of this City; but will give all just Encouragement and Rewards also (where the Law directs) to such honest and well-meaning Persons as shall employ themselves to this purpose for the Public Welfare.  
And to the end that no Constable or other Officers or Ministers of justice, may be any ways discouraged in their lawful, diligent, and vigorous Prosecution of the premises; It is provided, That if they or any of them shall be resisted in the just and lawful Execution of their Charge and Duty, or in any wise affronted or abused, they shall be encouraged, maintained, and vindicated by the justice, Order, and Authority of the Court of Aldermen, and the Offenders prosecuted and punished according to Law.  
Dated at the Guild-hall, London, the 7th of November, 1671 in the Three and twentieth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord CHARLES the Second, by the Grace of GOD, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c, 
 GOD SAVE THE KING.   

Printed by Andrew Clark, Printer to the Honourable City of LONDON, at his House in Aldersgatestreet. MDCLXXI.