Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/121

 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 79 Every baker is to have his known seal on the broad, so that lie may not gainsay it when found bad.' Every woman who brews for sale within the jurisdiction of the city is to make good beer according to the price of corn and the appointed assize, on pain of amercement to the king on conviction by the bailiffs. A brewer not free of the city cannot brew within the city jurisdiction without compounding with the bailiffs. In like manner no man, whatever his trade, not free of the city, can keep a shop, or sell or buy within its jurisdiction, without compounding with the bailiffs. Every cart sold in the city to a non-freeman pays to the king a halfpenny. The fullowing are the petty customs of the city, viz.— A stone of wool brought separately into the city by a non-freeman pays a farthing to the king ; two together a farthing ; three a halfpenny ; four or five, the like sum ; six or seven, 3 farthings ; eight. Id. ; and if one man brings nine stone, either separately or together, at one time, he shall pay 2d. to the king for pesage, of whatever franchise he be. And the like duty is payable for cheese, butter, lard {oinct) and suet, as in the case of wool. In these cases as much is due for each separate half weight as for whole weight ; and where pesage attaches to articles brought for sale, it is payable by whatever weight it may be weighed, and whatever be the franchise of the owner. If any private person or stranger conceals the pesage due from him beyond a night, he is liable to amercement iu pro- portion to his offence. When taillage is levied in the city by command of the king, or for the common business of the city, six sworn prudeshomes are to be chosen by common assent, three from the twenty-four and threo from the commonalty, to assess the taillage and to collect and lawfully expend and account for it. And when the mayor, bailiffs, or other prudeshomes, are absent for the common profit of the city, and at the common expense, they must account to the above six without delay on their return ; and if any prudchome of the city advances money for the use of the city, it is to be lent by tally, and repaid by the hands of the same six. When provision is to be made for " drinking the gild merchant," the trades of the city are by common assent to seek suitable persons of good repute to collect the gild (or to entertain the gild ?), each of whom ought to have goods to the value of 4:1. or more ; and those who shall be so chosen (?) shall be lotted into 4 houses (lilotez a quatre meisuns) according to the immemorial usage. And when the gild merchant has been drunk, the 4 houses shall assemble themselves to see what they shall have levied and can levy ; and if any trespass has been done, amendment is to be made by common assent ; and if any house be worth more than another, it is to be charged according to its value. The money so levied on the 4 houses is to be paid over to the above-mentioned six prudeshomes, who are sworn to account to the prudeshomes of the city twice a year by tally or writing. If any of the twenty-four finds a foreigner within the city jurisdiction who owes him a debt^ he may himself compel him by distress to come Itcfore the bailiffs. And no freeman of the city ought to give anything to the bailiffs ' See the charter to Winchester, ."> John, in 1 llyiner, Oi! ed. lUlC.