But the Law being lately Determined to be otherwise And that
no Justice on a Supposition of his being Interested can Acts for the
parish in which he resides in passing the poor to their proper
Settlements And by the same reason No Justice as an Inhabitant
can pass Vagrants Or do any other parochial Business wherein
he may in the remotest Consequence be affected however Minute
or Inconsiderable his Interest may be

Your petitioners are apprehensive that the Law as it is now
Declared will produce many Inconveniences in all parts of the
Kingdom but especially in this Town and County to which the
Loose Idle & disorderly persons resort from all places And if they
cant be passed away by those Justices Who are likely to be the
greatest Sufferers by them It is not to be Expected others will
Exert themselves with the same diligence to Remove a Nusance
which does not Affect themselves nor the parish in which they
Reside.

That many parishes will be put to great & unnecessary Expences
& their Officers to needless Trouble in Carrying their poor from Justices
to Justice to be Examined & passed which Justice will probably Live
in many Instances at a great Distance from each other as well as
from the parish from whence the poor are to be Carried.

Since the Law is thus Construed there must be a failure of
Justice For the Laws relateing to the poor cannot be Executed in
many Corporations, Who according to their Constitution can have no
Justices of the peace qualifyed to Act unless they are Resident
within the Corporation.

That if a Constant & uniform practice for many Years is
not Sufficient to determine or ascertain the Law Justices cannot
know how to Act And this Difficulty added to the many Intricacies
& Defects in the Laws relateing to the poor as well as in other
Laws & the Danger every Justices is exposed to in Executing of
them are found by Experience greatly to discourage Gentlemen
of Fortune & Character from acting as Justices. It not being a
Sufficient Security to them that they Act according to the Letter
or true meaning of the Law (wherein only They desire to be secured
unless They are also Critically exact in every form & Nicety
which the greatest Lawyers will hardly pretend to

That your petitioners cannot on this occasion but Lament
the want of proper Forms to be Setled and approved of by the Judges
of the proper Courts in these as well as in many other Cases which
would as we Humbly Conceive tend very much to the Due Execution
of the Laws And Incourage Gentlemen to Act without these Tears
& apprehensious They now so Justly lye under.

They beg leave also to represent the very many Suits in Law
that arise from Doubts about Settlements & the exorbitant
Expences parishes are put to on this Account which your petrs.
Accribly Conceive might be prevented by a Clear & more Effectual
Declaration where & in what places the poor shall be settled.

Your petrs. beg leave also to observe that the present Law
relateing to Rogues & Vagabonds And the methods therein prscibed
found by experience to be very Inconvenient & excessively expensive
witht. answering the purposes Intended.

Your petrs. therefore humbly pray this Houble House
would take the prmes into consideracon & do therein
as in their great Wisdom They Shall think [..]
and your petrs. shall ever pray Etc.