512
APPENDIX D.
ship and every other advantage of the guild. And let him that
introduceth more guests than he ought, Withoutleave of the stew-
ard and the caterers, forfeit his entrance. And if any of our fel-
lowship should pass away from us, let each brother contribute a
penny over the corpse for the soul’s helo or pay..........bro-
thers : and if any one of us should be afflicted with sickness within
sixty..........we arc to find fifteen men who shall fetch him,
and if he be dead, thirty, and they shall bring him to the place
which he desired to go to, while he lived. And if he die in this
present place, let the steward have warning to what place the
corpse is to go : and let the steward warn the brethren, the greatest
number that he can ride or send to, that they shall Comethither and
worthily accompany the corpse and bear it to the minster, and
earnestly pray there for the soul. It is rightly ordained a guild-
ship if we do thus, and well fitting it is both toward God and
man : for we know not which of us shall first depart.
“ Now we have faith through God’s assistance, that the afore-
said ordinance, if we rightly maintain it, shall be to the benefit of
us all. Let us earnestly from the bottom of our hearts beseech
Almighty God to have mercy upon us, and also his holy apostle
St. Peter to make intercession for us, and take our way unto eter-
nal rest, because for his sake we have gathered this guild together :
he hath the power in heaven to admit into heaven w,homso he
will, and to exclude whomso he will not, even as Christ himself
spake unto him in his gospel : Peter, I give to thee the kej s of
heaven, and whatsoever thou wilt have bound on earth, the same
shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou wilt have unbound
on earth, the same shall be unbound in heaven. Let us have
hope and trust in him, that he will guide us here in this world,
and after death be a help to our souls. May he bring us to eternal
rest ! Amen ! ”
THE GUILD AT EXETEK.
“ This assembly was collected in Exeter, for the love of God, and
for our soul’s need, both in regard to our health of life here, and
to the after days, which we desire for ourselves by God’s doom.
CORPORATE EXISTENCE.
513
Now we have agreed that our meeting shall be thrice in the twelve
months ; once at St. Michael’s Mass, secondly at St. Mary’s Mass,
after midwinter, and thirdly at Allhallows Mass after Easter; and
let each gild-brother have two sesters of malt, and each young
man1 one sester, and a sceat of honey ; and let the mass-priest at
each of our meetings sing two masses, one for our living friends,
the other for the dead : and let each brother of common condition
sing two psalters of psalms, one for the living and one for the
dead ; and at the death of a brother, each man six masses, or six
psalters of psalms ; and at a death, each man five pence ; and at
a houseburning each man one penny. And if any one neglect the
day, for the first time three masses, for the second five, and at the
third time let him have no favour, unless his neglect arose from
sickness or his lord’s need. And if any one neglect his subscrip-
tion at the proper day let him pay double. And if any one of this
brotherhood misgreet another, let him make boot with thirty
pence. Now we pray for the love of God that every man hold
this meeting rightly, as we rightly have agreed upon it. God
help us thereunto.”
THE GUILD AT CAMBRIDGE.
“ In this writ is the notification of the agreement which this bro-
therhood hath made in the thanes’ gild of Grantabrycg. That is
first, that each gave oath upon the relics to the rest, that he would
hold true brotherhood for God and for the world, and all the bro-
therhood to Suppoithimthathath the best right. If any gild-
brother die, all the gildship is to bring him where he desired to
lie ; and let him that comcth not thereto pay a sester of honey ;
and let the gildship inherit of the dead half a farm, and each gild-
brother contribute two pence to the alms, and out of this sum let
what is fitting be taken to St. √E6cl'8ry⅛'. And if any gild-brother
have need of his fellows’ aid, and it be made know n to the reeve
nearest the gild (unless the gild-brother hiɪnself be nigh) and the
1 The meaning of emit is not certain in this passage. It maj ιrnph a
sériant, but I think it more likely that mereh young fɪeemen are intended,
who were not full citizens, and were therefore not reckoned full gegjldan.
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