THE

PREAMBLE AND PRINCIPAL PARTS

OF THE

BILL

WHEREAS feveral Hospitals and Infirmaries have of late

been established and maintained by voluntary Charities, to the great Comfort of the Poor: And whereas fuch Charities would probably become more general, were Men of great Station, Fortune, and Credit, appointed to receive the Contributions of welldifpofed Perfons, and to see the fame duly applied, by which many of the Poor might be better taken care of, and the Rates for their Maintenance in Time be leffened; be it therefore enacted, That in every County within that Part of Great Britain called England, and Dominion of Wales, every Peer and Lord of Parliament refiding within the County, the Lord Lieutenant of the County for the time being refiding in the County, the Cufos Rotulorum for the time being likewife refiding in the County, the High Sheriff for the time being, the Knight or Knights of the Shire for the time being, every Bishop, Dean, and Archdeacon for the time being, having Jurifdi&tion in the County, or any Part thereof, and every Perfon refiding in the County, poffeffed of land lying therein, either Freehold or Copy

hold,

hold, for his own Life, or fome greater Estate, of the yearly Value of Three Hundred Pounds, registering his Name at fome General Quarter Seffion of the Peace for the faid County, fhall be a Corporation by the Name of "The Guardians of the Poor" of the faid County; and by that Name fhall be capable to fue and be fued in all Courts of Law and Equity, and of taking Money, Goods, or Chattels, of any Perfon or Perfons whatsoever; and shall have Power to relieve or employ any poor Perfons who want Relief, of any Age or Sex, which shall belong to, or shall be found within the faid County, for fuch Time, and in fuch Place, and in fuch Manner, as to them fhall feem meet; and they shall have a common Seal, with fuch Device as they, from time to time, shall appoint; and they are hereby impowered to build, purchase, or hire fuch Houses for the Use of the Poor, as they shall think proper, with Land not exceeding forty Acres to each of the faid Houses; and fuch poor Perfons as they shall relieve or employ in the said House, they may discharge from thence at their Pleasure, and order them to be corrected during their Stay there; and may appoint fuch Officers and Servants under them as they shall think proper; and may make By-laws, Rules, and Orders under their Seal, and alter them at Pleasure.

And be it further enacted, that every Person who gives to the faid Guardians One Hundred Pounds for the Ufe of the Poor, shall be a Guardian himself, from the time it is received, for a Year enfuing; if Two Hundred Pounds, for Two Years; and fo on in Proportion; and during his Time of fo being a Guardian, shall have equal Power and Authority with the Guardians abovementioned.

And be it further enacted, that any Five of the Guardians shall be a Quorum, to do any Act or Thing which the Guardians by this Act are impowered to do.

And be it further enacted, that the Guardians fhall deliver in the State of their Account, under their Seal, at every General Quarter Seffion next after Easter and Michaelmas, there to be filed and kept on Record; but shall not be answerable for the fame, unless any five Guardians complain, by Petition to the Judges of Affize in their Circuits, of any Fraud or Injustice in any of the other Guardians; in which Cafe they fhall examine fummarily into the Complaint; and if the faid Judges fee Cause, shall declare and adjudge fuch Guardian or Guardians incapable of acting in that Capacity for the future, and impose a Fine on him or them not less than ten Pounds, or more than fifty Pounds, which fhall be forthwith paid to the other Guardians for the Ufe of the Poor; and if any fuch Complaint fhall appear to the faid Judges to be frivolous or vexatious, they may impofe a Fine on the Complainants, not less than ten Pounds, or more than fifty Pounds, to be paid and applied for the Use of the. Poor, in Manner aforefaid.

RE

RELIGIO PHILOSOPHI:

OR

THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALITY AND CHRISTIANITY,

ILLUSTRATED FROM

A VIEW OF THE UNIVERSE, AND OF MAN'S SITUATION IN IT.