to subscribe, he was sent for and reprimanded by his parish priest, and if still obdurate, handed over to his Bishop. There was little spontaneity about the charity of these times. A day's work meant a day's work in the sixteenth century. From the middle of March to the middle of September, the work hours were from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., with half an hour for breakfast, an hour and a half for dinner and the mid-day sleep which was allowed from May to August, while in winter the work hours were from sunrise to sunset.
To supply work for all was the duty of the State, and to this end we find abundant legislation, and the faint shadow of Protection creeping over the country. "The King's Highness," runs one Act, "calling to his most blessed remembrance the great number of idle people daily increasing throughout this his Realm, supposeth that one cause thereof is by the continued bringing into the same the great number of wares and merchandise made and brought out and from the parts beyond the sea into this Realm, ready wrought by manual occupation ; amongst which is linen cloth of divers sorts." Seeing then that his people buy ready-made linen, instead of spinning and
