Preindustrial city beggars were numerous and many worked without affliction

Evidence

As you pass through the streets you note that they are teeming with beggars. Some appear to be members of religious orders, others are lame or maimed, but many seem to have no bodily afflictions. Of the beggars, many are children; some are with adults, but large numbers “work” alone. — Lyn H. Lofland, World of Strangers_ Order and Action in…, 161