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ordained that no man should be served at dinner or supper
with more than two courses, except upon certain great
holidays specified, when he might be served with three.
This statute remained in force until 1829, but neither the
parish books nor the Magistrates' records, so far as they
have been examined, show that any penalty for an infringement
of the law in this respect was recorded.
. What the legislation omitted to provide for
Highways.
the public safety, and the common law failed to
remedy, was supplied by what would now be regarded as
Orders in Council. In 1204 King John issued an order to
the Sheriffs of London requiring them to repair the road
from London to Westminster. Mr. Walcott* states that a
hundred and fifty years later (1353) the heavily laden
wains, the carts and horses conveying the staple wares and
provisions broke up the highway where it was paved, and
wore it into deepening hollows, dangerous to all passengers.
Edward III. thereupon imposed a charge on all packs of wool
and other merchandise coming by land or water to the staple,
in order to repair the road from Temple Bar to the Abbey
Gates, and directed all persons living in the vicinity of
the staple to pave a certain distance in front of their
houses. The same author narrates that in the time of
Richard II. (1377), and the succeeding reigns, the carriageways
of King Street were in such a ruinous condition that
faggots were obliged to be thrown into the ruts to facilitate
the passage of the Royal carriages when the King went to
Parliament. Such extracts warrant the inference that no
local highway authority had yet been called into existence,
watchmen Nearly a century prior to the above period the
Statute of Winchester, 13 Edward I., 1285, had
recognised the powerful aid to be commanded from the
citizens. For the suppression of robberies each town was
required to provide twelve men to watch continually all
night, "from the sun-setting to the sun-rising." The method
* Also Allen, History of London, Vol. IV., p. 3; and Hughson, Vol. I., p. 78.