Humble proposal to prevent the beginnings of theft, viz. the picking pockets of handkerchiefs

AN HUMBLE
PROP OS A
To prevent the Beginnings of Theft,
viz.
The Picking Pockets of Handkerchiefs,
IT is a much more defireable Thing to obviate and prevent the committing of Crimes,
than to panifh the Criminals * and the Proverb teftifies, That if there were no Receivers
there mtild be no Thieves.
And, as moll of our common Thieves and Robbers may be fuppos’d to arife, and bet
train’d up, from the Picking of Pockets, as the general School and firlt Education in and
for the Art of Thieving-, and their ready Way of getting Money for their Handkercheifs
by felling them to Brokers of old Goods, (of whom there are many in all the Out-Parts
of the Town) being the Original and grand Temptation, whereby Children are' dra wn
young into the Grime, and very often by the Perfwafion of their own evil Parents * it might
be a good Means to fave great Numbers from the Gallows and Tranfportation, and the
committing innumerable moft flagitious Crimes, both againft God and Man, if the Op^or*
tunities of felling fuch their ftolen Goods were efFedtually prevented.
And as there is a very good Law already againft the buying of ftolen Goods, knowing
them to be ftolen * but which is of little or no Ufe in Refpea to Handkerchiefs, they being
(generally) fo much alike, that 5tis impoffible for thj Proprietors to own them •, fo that the
Brokers ezpofe them, publickly, in their Shops to |aie, without Danger from that Law.
And the Houfe having lately been pleas’d to order the bringing in of a Bill for the farther
preventing of Robbery, &c.
It is hereby humbly propos’d, that (towards fuch good End) a Claufe be inferted therein
to this, or the like Efled, viz. That if any Ferfon fall thereafter buy or fell, or offer or expofl
for or to Sale, any fecond-hand Handkerchief (or that fall appear fo to be, or to have been manor
njed) made of or mix'd with Silk, and being of any mix'd Colours whatfoever, or of any foie or entire
Colour, wholly Black, or wholly White, only excepted, and be thereof duly convicfed. He or She fo
(fending, fall be adjudg'd and declar'd to be. Guilty of the faid Crime of buying folen Goods, know-
ing them to he folen and fall fuffer according to the late Statute, in fuch Cafe made and provided.
N. B. That, inafmuch as it is ufual for Women of Subftance to buy confiderahle Num¬
bers of Handkerchiefs, and Neck* Hand kerchiefs made of Cambrick, Muflin, and other
Linnen Cloth •, and of Crape of divers Colours ^ as alfo of Sattin and other Silks, wholly
Black, or wholly White, many of which may happen, (after being worn) to be fold at
the fecond-hand, and oftener, to Brokers, amongft other fecond hand Goods * and it might
feem fevere to make a Law to reftrain People from felling their old Goods under fo great
a Penalty : The Propofer has therefore made the particular Diftin&ions, as above, to obviate
any Objections of that Nature.
But few of any of the particular Sorts laft mention’d can be fuppos’d ever to fall to the
Pick-Pockets Lot, their moft general and ufual Prizes being Mens Pocket-Handkerchiefs of
Silk, who feldom (how rich fbever) buy any great Numbers of them at a Time * and
as to rich Men, they afn be under but little Necefflty to fell their old Pocket-Handker-
cheifs 5 and poor Men have feldom any to fpare.
And the Broker buying (therein) great Pennyworths of tjie Pick-Pockets, who (ret) get
fomething for what coft them nothing but their Crime-, the chief Inconvenience of fuch a
Claufe mutt center upon the Thieves and their Cuftomers* fo that they (if any) muft be
the Petitioners againft it: For little or no Benefit doth ever arife to Perfons of honeft
Minds, by the buying and felling thofe fecond-hand Handkerchiefs i^ery fcw fucjj ^en
em caring to lay out their Money in a Commodity that carries Theft in the very Coun¬
tenance of it, J
Thefe Matters (for the ptthlick Good) being mo ft humbly offer'd to
the wife Con/idtration of the Honourable Houfe,
By J. D. Gent.