No Partying or Gambling with Recipients of Church/State Charity for Chemnitz!

Irresponsible people, who can work and yet do not want to, likewise who nourish themselves delicately, and dress expensively, so that their squandering becomes irresponsibility, should also in no way be helped with alms or subsidies. The misuse of alms, even if done through deception and the ignorance of the custodians, shall be sharply and earnestly punished according to the knowledge of the officials and judges and the situation of the matters and persons. This includes those who, against regulations, have not refrained from begging, or in some way have shown themselves inappropriate. They should be similarly seriously punished, according to the measure of the transgression.

Our serious opinion is, if somebody draws those, who are being assisted from the poor treasury, into partying and gambling, and otherwise gives them beer and things to party, or who gambles with them, such a person not only receive nothing for the partying and gambling that should follow, but rather, if they have received or taken in anything directly because of this, the bartender and the fellow gamblers be required by our officials to give it back to the poor. And furthermore, as the situation and the nature of the matter dictates, they be punished, being required to pay a fine to the poorbox.

Chemnitz' Braunschweig-Woelfenbuettel Church Order of 1569, trans. A. Smith.