WHEREAS many Idle Persons re­fuse to Work at their Lawful Cal­ling and Labour on several Days in the Year, on pretence that the same is Dedicated to some Saint, or pretended Saint, Patron, or pretended Patron, for whom they have, or pretend to have, Reverence or Respect: And chuse rather to spend such Days in Idleness, Drunkenness, and Vice, to the Scandal of Religion, rather then following and Working in their Lawful Calling and Vsual Imployment, which hath beén found by Expe­rience to tend very much to the Impoverishing and hindring the Improvement of this King­dom. For Remedy whereof,

Be it Enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in this present Parliament Assem­bled, and by the Authority of the same, That if any Common Labourer, being Hired, or other Servant retained, shall Refuse to Work upon any other Day then the several Days hereafter mentioned, being thereunto Required, upon the Vsual and Accustomed Wages, (That is to say) All Sundays in the Year. The Day of the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord JESUS Christ. Of the Epiphany. Of the Con­version [Page 4] of Saint Paul. Of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. Of Saint Mathias the A­postle. Of the Annunciation of the Blessed Vir­gin. Of Saint Mark the Evangelist. Of Saint Phillip and Jacob the Apostles. Of Saint Bar­nabas the Apostle. Of the Ascension of Our Lord JESUS Christ. Of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. Of Saint Peter the Apostle. Of Saint James the Apostle. Of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. Of Saint Mathew the Apostle. Of Saint Michael the Arch-Angell. Of Saint Luke the Evangelist. Of Saint Simon and Saint Jude the Apostles. Of All-Saints. Of Saint Andrew the Apostle. Of Saint Thomas the Apostle. Of the Nativity of Our Lord. Of Saint Stephen the Martyr. Of Saint John the Evangelist. Of the Holy-Innocents. Munday and Tuesday in Easter Weék. Munday and Tuesday in Whitson Weék. The Twenty Third of October. Fifth of November. The Thirtieth Day of January, and Twenty Nineth Day of May, Yearly. And that no other Day, Except the Days aforesaid, and such other Days as on some Extraordinary Occasions shall hereafter be set a-part, by Order of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, or the Chief Governor or Governors of this Kingdom, for the tune being, shall be kept, or Commanded to be kept Holy, or to Abstain from Lawful Bodily Labour. Every such Person or Persons so Re­fusing, being thereof Lawfully Convicted by his, or their own Confession, or by the Testimony of one, or more, sufficient Witness, or Witnesses, up­on Oath, before any Iustice of the Peace, in any County, Mayor, or other Chief Officer of any [Page 5] City, Burrough, Town or Corporation, who shall have power by Vertue of this Statute to minister such Oaths where the Offence shall be Committed, or the Party Offending Apprehended, shall For­feit the Sum of Two Shillings, to be paid at such time, or to such Person as by the said Iustice of the Peace, or other Chief Officer aforesaid, shall be appointed, to be Disposed of to the Poor of the Parish where such Offence shall be Committed. And if such Offender or Offenders shall Neglect or Refuse to pay the said Sums to be Assessed or Appointed, as aforesaid, then the said Iustice of the Peace, or other Head-Officer, aforesaid, shall Commit all and every such Offender and Offenders to some Constable, or other Inferior Officer of the County, City, Town, or Corpo­ration, where the said Offence shall be Commit­ted, or the Party Apprehended, to be Publickly Whipped; which Punishment shall be Publickly Inflicted and Executed upon such Offenders, within the space of Twenty Four Hours after such Order made.

And be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Constable or Inferior Officer, afore­said, Do Refuse, or Do not at the Commandment of any Iustice of the Peace, or other Chief Officer of any County, City, Town, or Corporation, Execute by himself, or by some other, to be by him procured, the Punishment aforesaid, upon all such Offenders; That in that Case it shall and may be Lawful for the said Iustice of the Peace, and all and Every other Iustice or Iustices of the Peace, or Chief Officer of any such County, Ci­ty, Town, or Corporation, upon sufficient In­formation thereof, to bind over such Constable, or [Page 6] Inferior Town-Officer, to the next General-Quarter-Sessions of the Peace, or General Assizes, or Goal-Delivery, which shall first happen there, to be proceéded against for such his Contempt: And in Case he shall be found Guilty thereof, upon Ex­amination of One or more Witness or Witnesses, he shall be Fined at the Discretion of the Court, so as such Fine for Every such Offence Do not Ex­ceéd the Sum of Twenty Shillings.

Provided always, That no Iustice of the Peace, or Head-Officer of any Town or Corporation, Do Execute this Statute for any Offence Done unto himself, or whereof Complaint was not made within Ten Days after such Refusal to Work, as aforesaid: And all Iustices of Assize and Goal-Delivery are hereby Required to give this Act in Charge at Every Assize or Goal-Delivery within the several Counties of their Circuits; and to Enquire of, Hear and Determine the Neglect of all Iustices of the Peace, and o­thers in the Due Execution of this Statute.