PROPOSALS FOR Improving able Beggars to the best Advantage.  
ALL Laws that have hiterto been made in relation to the Poor, have been attended and rendered ineffectual by these following Dfficulties. 

1. Most or these Laws do appoint the employing them at Work, and Entertaining them within their own respective parochs and Shires, whereas it is very well known, that these parochs and Shires which produce most Poor, are least capable to afford them either Work or Entertainment.  
2. The executing of these Laws was committed to public Officers, such as Justices of Peace, Sheriffs, magistrates, &c. And the Conduct of such of these Officers as were diligent, was always, and ever will be rendered ineffectual by the neglect of others. By this means, when idle People were attack't in one part of the Nation, where these public Officers were diligent, they shifted away to another part where, these public Officers were less diligent, where they frequently would force Charity and Contribution from countrymen, who at the same time would have been very willing to have entertained and employed them in Countrey-work, but wanted Power to force them to it.  
3. The subject of Work, which in most of these Acts is chalk't out for these idle poor People, is such work as is used in formed Manufactories, and in most of these Acts, the putting of them to Work is founded upon Projects of erecting of Manufactories for that purpose; And this one Circumstance of all others, tends most to impede and disappoint such lasting Measures as might be found to employ the Poor constantly, thoroughly and certainly: For first, we have not at present so many formed Manufactories in the Kingdom, as will entertain at work the hundred part of the able idle Poor, and so they are at present unprovided until Manufactories are set up, and the Law shall run in Disorder and Desuetude before these Manufactories are erected; Beside, there is not so much Work to be wrought in all the formed Manufactories that can be set up in Scotland, at least for many years, as will be capable to afford employment or entertainment for half the Poor of the Nation, so that the remainder of the Poor are not provided for; And besides all this, though it is a plain Advantage to any standing Manufactories, to have a privilege to seize able idle People, and make them work for their Bread, yet it were a plain Burden to the Nation, to erect public Work-houses of purpose, where People should be brought together to work under the Conduct of Managers, &c. where the Product of their Work will not answer half the Expense, either through want of Skill in the Work-people, or want of Conduct, or unfaithfulness of the Managers, when at the same time, if every private Man were empowered to Seize, detain and possess such able idle People ▪ their Work should be communicat through the Nation to more Advantage, bo●h of their Owner● and the public. And as to the building of Work houses ●y certain Towns, enjoined by the Law, and for their receiving and entertaining at Work sturdy idle beggars, Experience hath discovered, that it is utterly ineffectual, nor indeed can it ever be made effectual: For neither have these Towns Ability to build such Houses, nor to support the Charge that will infallibly occur thereby, nor are there men to be found sufficiently qualified for such Performances, or whose Estate or Condition in the World will suffer them to follow such Methods, from which they can reap no particular Advantage to themselves.    
For supplying the defects of these Laws, It is humbly Proposed to the Consideration of this Session o● Parliament.  


1. That there be a Law made, by which any person whatsomever shall be empowered to seize beggars of whatsoever Sex or Age, wherever they shall find them actually begging.  
2. That the person so seized, shall become Servant to the Party seizer as Master for ever, and to his Heirs in absolute Property, to be employed by him, and disposed or sold by him as he shall think fit.  
3. That whatever the Servant shall acquire during his Service by his Labour or Industry, or what Wives or Children he shall get during that time, shall belong to his Master; but whatever did belong to him before his Service, or what shall fall to him by Succession or Donation, he shall have Power to dispose of the same at his pleasure ▪  
4. That the Master shall have an absolute Power of Correction in what manner he shall think fit, by his own private Authority, not extending to Death or Mutilation, and that this Punishment may either be inflicted in the Masters own Family, or by such as are by public magistrates appointed for such uses, who by the Act may be obliged to inflict the same, upon the application of the Master alone, and without any allowance of Fee for so doing.  
5. That the Master shall Entertain, Educat and Cloath his Servant with sufficient clothing and maintenance.  
6. That any man may have power to sell himself or Children as Servants, at such Rates as the Purchaser and he can agree.  
7. To prevent any persons being taken up unjustly, the party seizing shall be obliged within eight days after Seizure to present the party Seized to the next Justice of Peace, Sheriff or orher Magistrat within or without Burgh, and shall prove by the Oath of two sufficient Witnesses, that the party Seized was actually Begging. And shal get the name of the party seized Registrat in the Court-Books of the said Magistrat ▪ and shall receive a Certificat of his having so done, Signed by the foresaid Magistrat, and shall afterwards affix his own Mark or Name upon the party Seized by a Collar or any such Badge as he shall think fit.  
8. That no person presume to seize or meddle with any person carrying the Badge of another man, under the penalty of 500 marks Scots, besides Restitution.  
9. To prevent any Misfortues that might fall out by Seizing of People, who by some accident of shipwreck, Fire or such like, may be put to present Begging. Therefore no person is to be Seized, within holf a year after their said Misfortunes, providing they show a Testimonial, declaring the same under the hands of the magistrates of the place where the Misfortune did befall them.  
10. To retrieve Misfortunes occasioned by seizing of Children who perhaps either through Youthfulness, Ignorance or Discontent, may have gone a Begging from their Parents or Friends; Therefore, let all such be redeemable within the space of a Year, upon paying such Expenses, as their Masters may have been at in entertaining them.    
By what is above proposed the employing and providing for the able Beggars, will certainly take effect: For whereas formerly the putting of them to Work was manadged by Overseers, who not finding any present Advantage to themselves by their Diligence in the matter, did quiter neglect the same, or if any of them did carefully and diligently Discharge their Trust, the effects of their Diligence was disappointed by the neglect of others; But in this case People shall find a present plain Advantage, which shall be oommunicate immediately to all Degrees and Ranks of People. For if any Person of Quality hath a House to build, Gardens to cut out, Park dikes to build, Ditches or Hedges to make, Grounds to drain, Whins or Broom to root out, or such like, he cannot fail of having it done by the one half as cheap as formerly, by reason that he shall find a great many to Work for their Bread alone; If itis an Inferior Farmer, he has beside some of the Work spoken of above, Clodding of Ground in Seed-time, Hearding of Cattle, Shearing in Harvest, Grounds to clear of Stones, Whins or Broom, &c. If a Tradesman, he can have Servants more easy, and if he breeds any to his Trade, he has their Labour all their Life for his Recompense.  
It is to be observed, that this Proposal is not absolutely a new thing, for the 10th Act of the 22d. Parliament of K. Ja. 6. the same thing in some Measure is enacted, but hath never been effectual, partly by reason of some Methods and Qualifications, with which it is clogged, by which the practise of it is rendered uneasy, and partly by the little Advantage that could be got by it, by reason of the short time which was allowed for detaining of them; The same being only Temporary, and not for Life, as now is proposed.  
What is said above, does relate to able Beggars, and outting them to Work: As to entertaining of old and Infirm People, let former Laws be revived, which are sufficient; Especially seing the Number of Beggars will be reduced to a very small Compass by the Method proposed above.