Editing Begging (section)

===Great Britain===
''A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors, vulgarly called vagabonds'', was first published in 1566 by [[Thomas Harman]]. From early modern England, another example is [[Robert Greene (16th century)|Robert Greene]] in his [[coney-catching]] pamphlets, the titles of which included "The Defence of Conny-catching," in which he argued there were worse crimes to be found among "reputable" people. ''[[The Beggar's Opera]]'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay. ''The Life and Adventures of [[Bampfylde Moore Carew]]'' was first published in 1745. There are similar writers for many European countries in the early modern period.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

According to [[Jackson J. Spielvogel]], "Poverty was a highly visible problem in the eighteenth century, both in cities and in the countryside... Beggars in Bologna were estimated at 25 percent of the population; in Mainz, figures indicate that 30 percent of the people were beggars or prostitutes... In France and Britain by the end of the century, an estimated 10 percent of the people depended on charity or begging for their food."<ref>Jackson J. Spielvogel (2008). "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=fwxLkRmd-4QC Western Civilization: Since 1500]''". Cengage Learning. p.566. {{ISBN|0-495-50287-1}}</ref>

The British [[Poor Law]]s, dating from the [[Renaissance]], placed various restrictions on begging. At various times, begging was restricted to the [[disability|disabled]]. This system developed into the [[workhouse]], a state-operated institution where those unable to obtain other employment were forced to work in often grim conditions in exchange for a small amount of food. The [[welfare state]] of the 20th century greatly reduced the number of beggars by directly providing for the necessities of the poor from state funds.