English Gilds.*

the journeymen led at last to the entire suppression of their fraternities . In many parts of Germany , however , they existed till the present century . But while in Germany and France the working class was thus completely organised , and even to

a certain degree governed itself under the superintendence of the masters , we must ask whether a similar state of things did not exist among English working men ? The " Acte towchinge Victuallers and Handicraftsmen , " 2 nd and 3 rd

Edw . VI ., c . 15 ( 1549 ) , forbids , it is true—jointly with the conspiracies and covins of the sellers of victuals "to sell their victuals at unreasonable

p rices " —all " confederacies and promises of the artificers , handicraftsmen , and labourers ; not only that they should not meddle with one another's work , and perform ancl finish what one hath begun ; but also to constitute and appoint how

much work they shall do in a day , and what hours and times they shall work ; " and , besides , "that they should not make nor do their works but at a certain rate . "

As to the general position of the workmen in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , and , especially as to the relations between masters and men , we find from the ordinances of the English Clothworkers , that " controversies between the

livery and their apprentices were to be settled in the old way before the master at the Common Hall , " ancl that "journeymen should make no unlawful assemblies , brotherhoods , congregations , and Hockings together . " The gild statutes of the

sixteenth ancl seventeenth centuries further ordain regularly , that " no person of the mystery was to hire himself to a person of another mystery , where greater wages were offered ; no journeyman should work with any of another fellowship , if he

can be set on work by a freeman of his own art ;" no member was to suffer his apprentice or servant " to buy and sell to his own use , or that of persons of other mysteries , " such practice having brought masters " to an after deale and sore damage . "

As the craft gilds everywhere had sunk down to mere societies for the investment of capital , ancl as their dividends depended entirely on the exclusion of competition , it was unavoidable that the spirit of gain should lead them to restrictions

which became always more oppressive for the public . The annoyances they caused were consi - derably increased by a process which , after the sixteenth century , was of frequent occurrence in all countries ; those craft gilds namely , which had

hitherto comprised kindred crafts , split up into several , according to the individual trades . Thesethen watched each other with the utmost jealousy in order to prevent encroachments on their mutual rights , and continually fought each other in endless

lawsuits . Thus , for instance , the Fletchers and Bowyers in London separated themselves into two corporations in the reign of Elizabeth . The craft gilds maintained a number of regulations , which protected the working men , and in consequence of

which their material position appears comfortable and free from cares , if compared with that of thefactory hands at the beginning of this century , when these regulations no longer existed . Uprisings of working men are therefore to be found

in those days only in consequence of infringements of gild regulations . But as for a reformation of the craft gilds according to the interests of the working men , the latter were not powerful enough to carry it out against their masters . These still

held together in their gilds , and did not yet , as in later times ( and as formerly the patricians ) , rivaleach other in weakening competition .

The first loan to the kings by the gilds in England was made to Henry VIII ., in 1554 . Thereupon followed , under the pretence of a holy zeal for the purity of religion , the most shameless confiscation of the whole property of the craft gilds

in favour of the king ' s private purse , by 37 th-Henry VIII ., c . 4 , and 1 st Edward VI ., c . 14—for the donations of which this property consisted had always in Roman Catholic times been charged with yearly payments for supporting chantries for

the souls of the respective donors . The corpora tions of London had to redeem their property with £ 18 , 700 . From this period the extracting of money from the trading corporations became a regular source of supply to the government . In

most manifold ways Elizabeth , and afterwards James and Charles , contrived to screw out of the companies their wealth . This was especially managed by the granting of patents for monopolies , and for the oversight and control of

different trades , to courtiers , by which the public suffered quite as much as the companies . During the Civil War too , and the Commonwealth , the companies had to suffer great exactions and

oppressions . But the causes of the overthrow of the craft gilds arose in the bourgeoisie itself . These causes were , the rise of large capital , ancl its investment in manufacture . The 2 nd and 3 rd Philip and