. And this
Office of Overseer keeps all people within a peaceful harmony of
Trades, Sciences, or Works, that there be neither Beggar nor Idle
Person in the Commonwealth.

"The third Office of Overseership is to see particular Tradesmen
bring in their work to the Storehouses and Shops, and to see that
the waiters in Storehouses do their duty.... And if any Keeper of a
Shop or Storehouse neglect the duty of his place ... the Overseer
shall admonish him and reprove him. If he amend, all is well; if he
doth not, the Overseer shall give orders to the Soldiers to carry
him before the Peacemaker's Court, and if he reform upon the
reproof of that Court, all is well. But if he doth not reform, he
shall be sent by the Officers to appear before the Judge's Court,
and the Judge shall pass sentence--That he shall be put out of that
House and Employment, and sent among the Husbandmen to work in the
Earth: and some other shall have his place and house till he be
reformed."

"Fourthly, all ancient men, above sixty years of age, are General
Overseers. And wheresoever they go and see things amiss in any
Officer or Tradesmen, they shall call any Officer or others to
account for their neglect of duty to the Commonwealth's Peace; and
they are called Elders."

THE OFFICE OF A SOLDIER.

"A Soldier is a Magistrate as well as any other Officer; and indeed
all State Officers are Soldiers, for they represent power; and if
there were not power in the hands of Officers, the spirit of
rudeness would not be obedient to any Law or Government, but their
own wills. Therefore every year shall be chosen a Soldier, like
unto a Marshall of a City, and, being the Chief, he shall have
divers soldiers under him at his command to assist in case of need.
The work of a Soldier in times of peace is to fetch in Offenders,
and to bring them before either Officer or Court, and to be a
protector to the Officers against all disturbances."

THE WORK OF A TASK-MASTER.

"The Work or Office of a Task-master is to take those into his
oversight as are sentenced by the Judge to loose their Freedom, to
appoint them their work, and to see they do it."

THE WORK OF A JUDGE.

"THE LAW ITSELF IS THE JUDGE OF ALL MEN'S ACTIONS; yet he who is
chosen to pronounce the Law is called Judge, bec