Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/359

 and Se?itime?its. 339 chant guilds, by whom they were founded, began to affume a greater degree of importance, and they were ufually intended for the general benefit of the town, but were combined with an ecclefiaftical eftabliih- ment for performing fervices for the fouls of the members of the guilds, in confequence of which, at the Reformation, they became involved in the fuperilitious ules, and were dillblved and refounded in the reign of Edward VI., fo that they are now generally known as king Edward's foundations. The great objed of thefe fchools was to give the inltrudlion neceflary for admillion into the univerfities j and they were in fome degree the anfwer to an appeal which came deeply from the mafs of the people, — for there was at this time a great fpontaneous eagernefs for learning, both for the fake of the learning itfelf, and becaufe it was a road to high diftinftion, which was not open to the malfes in any other direction. It was a very common pradice for poor youths to go about the country during vacation time, to beg money to keep them at fchool during term. In Piers Ploughman, among the objeds of legitimate charity, the writer enumerates money given to — Settejcolers to f cole. Or to Jom othere crajtes. — Piers Ploughman, Vis., 1. 4,525. And in the popular complaints of the burden of taxation, involuntary and voluntary, the alms given to poor fcholars are often enumerated. Independent, however, of what may be confidered more efpecially as fcholarlliip, a confiderable amount of inftrudion began now to be fpread abroad. Reading and writing were becoming much more general accomplilhments, efpecially among ladies. Among the amufements of leifure hours, indeed, reading began now to occupy a much larger place than had been given to it in former ages. Even flill, popular literature — in the fhape of tales, and ballads and fongs — was, in a great meafure, communicated orally. But much had been done during the fourteenth century towards fpreading a tafte for literature and knowledge ; books were multiplied, and were extenfively read ; and wants were already arifing which foon led the way to that moll important of modern dil- coveries, the art of printing. Moll gentlemen had now a few books, and men