Butcher hathbeenfor several days past advertised that there are two
Green Bulls to be baited near the pound in the said Street (meaning
that they are to be baited in the yard adjoining to the house of the
said Nichols) And the said Nichols gives out that after the said
Bulls have been baited they are to be tilled and the Flesh of them
given to the poor of the said parish, and that the admittance money
is to be laid out in Bread to be given with the Meat, And moreover
that the said Bulls are the Gift of some Gentleman in the parish
But that the Petitioners are well assured that they are only artfull
Insinnatious of the said Nichols, and that the said Bulls are to be
baited for the whole and sole Benefit of the Said Nichols And
being done under a pretence of Charity, which he imagines
prevents the Nusancefor anbeing taken Notice of But Whatsoever
his pretence may be the Petitioners complain that this Bull
baiting occasions the Assembling of a great Number of Loose and
disorderly Persons to meet together, who are not only a Nusance
and Annoyance to the Neighbours but when the Sport is over
(as they call it) these idle and rascally Fellows go about the Town
in Gangs, and commit all Manner of disorderly Riots to the great
Damage and Disturbance of many of his Majestys Liege Subjects
And the Petitioners humbly prayed that this Court will take the
Premisses into Consideration, and give such Orders thereupon as
Shall effectually prevent the Nusance complained of under which
Petition it is mentioned That the Petitioners durst not set their Names
to their Petition, because should the said Nichols and his Bull baiters
havebe any wife informed of the persons who made this Complaint
they would go indanger of Looseing their Lives by these desperate
Fellows This Court upon Consideration of the Premisses is of Opinion
that the Riotous Assemblies of Loose idle and disorderly Persons
occasioned by the Bullbaiting so advertised is a great grievance and
dangerous to his Majestys Liege Subjects and may occasion great
Mischiefs to be done to the publick And doth therefore for the preventing
such Mischiefs for the Future Order that it be and it is hereby recomended
and referred unto his Majestys Justices of the Peace for the said
County of Middx residing or actingin or nearin Finsbury Division in the said
County (within which Division the aforesaid Yard of the said Nichols doth lye)