New-York tribune., 1894-04-22

49,, o,orr-,s,np hurghe~s hastened 10 forsake
the town where prosperity was s'uh'eu anu
liberty uncertain. and take UP ciuzehS"'p III
more thriving borough. Success ana e''dHOip"
ton went hand in hand; 70" the eIiec'S VI
manned and imperfect freedom were always u'S
astrous and far-reaching and there is not
single instance OF an English town which re-
mained in a state OF dependence ana "h'h was
at the same time prosperous in TRACE 1t - io'
wondered at that the burgher shouid nave oo"-
tracted a feeling Of settled in-wili' "hicn was
transformed into contempt. at the slght oI "iA
feudal enemy who had been so long an op''"Nie
In his way A successful opponent must De re-
snected and may be admired; but an opponent
whose only achievement must be the pu'uhs u"
his own defeat who rritates without weakening
his adversary, at last incurs scorn as wei aS
hatred. 1t was thus that the noble appeared TO the
medieval English citizen. The latter maze up
for obsequious poteness in the way Of trade by
malicious sarcasm when he was out OF MS sHoP'
And 80 Mrs Green writes:
The struggle OF the boroughs with their ieudd'
lords was matter OF little significance IN t,rE
land where. since the Conquest leuuaHsI"
from the point of view OF the hopie hftu - ~ ~
satisfactory a record. Fallen from lne hlHn
estate Of his brethren on the Continent despoiled
of his might by one strong king after anotheI
he saw himself condemned TO play In Eigianu
modest
exalted plane was even constralned 10 aSSui'iT !"
his relations to burghers and traders cohcla-
tory almost at times deprecatlng tone not pe-
cause he was lacking in "a high ana po,iPou,S P,
mind hut simply because his fortunes had sunk
low Hence the conflict In England was OF
very different character from the connlct aprodu
Fashions Of careful ceremonial indeed ione pre-
served the traditional sense OF iinpassapie pdi-
riers set between the dignity Of the great whose
daily needs We're supplied by the }ebor OF others,
and the low estate of those who had to depend
ton hpn
or peer Of the realm passed through any PARISH
all the bells We're accustomed to be ruhS
in honor of his person sd% ana e,",reScy. To Srve
and when THEIR letters were, upon an!
occasion. read in any assemblies the commons
and jOurneymen with an irreVereht Iaush q,
men, "evermore strutting who no store keep
gathered to see the noble go by in his robe oI
scarlet twelve yards wide with pendent sleeves
down on the ground and the furrur there!h set
amounting unto f20 or better" while tram OF
followers crowded after him. anXiously holding
up with both hands out of the filth OF the
medieval streets the wide sleeves made to slide
on earth" by their sides, and eagerly Watching
lest the ladies should fail to admire 1.-THE paits
behind; and the busy Knockers Of the market
place guessed that tailors and skinners must soon
carry their cloths and skins out INTO the ncIdS II
they would find space enough Ia cut out robes
like these But the fine garments and leisnrely
state of the great folk the hollow ornaments
of vanqushed feudalism were matters OF little
significance; the forces of the future lay rather
with the crowd of workers 20 right and left
with the men who watched the brave procession
sweep by and then gathered In their Common
House to declare that any burgher who put on
the livery Of a lord. or accepted his maintenance
and protection. should be blotted out Of he book
Of burgesses. and driven from their market-place
and assembly hall. and that he come not among
them in their congregations
In fact the lords. great ard little. were In the
condition Of those sometimes described as land
poor" The new methods OF trade and commerce
left them stranded. In oaken chests they boarded
the rich furs. the tapestries and fine linen. the
Flemish cloths, the cloth Of gold. the Eastern
damasks. the satlns and Sicilian silks. which
were indispensable TO their state. They laid
away in strong boxes perhaps in the well-walled
treasure-room Of some monastery ewers and gob
lets and basins Of gold and silver, the girdles
of gold silver gilt. the rings and brooches
and gems. the golden chains and collars upon
which they prded themselves. Yet the owner ~
all these valuable things was often in want Of a
few shngs He could maintain himself and
his dependents by the product of his estate. The
crowd in his train was made up OF mon who
preferred idleness to gain. who looked 10 every
war as means Of getting booty for themselves.
few shnGs a year in addition 10 the food
and clothing and protection they obtained
sufficed If most Of them were not robbers II
was not because nature failed to tempt them.
obtain nothing more than he gave. For money
which was scarce everywhere was nowhere go
scarce as in the houses Of the landed proprietors
who amid their extravagant display found one
thing always lacking-a few pounds to pay an
old debt to buy coat" Evidently the |
burghers in dealing with such impecuniosity
had every advantage in the long run. If the |
lord wanted cash. then he must come down with |
a grant or privilege that was worth the money !
The gold flowed to his hand readily when ht
had the power to make leases comforting rights !
Of trade. collection Cf tolls and the like in which
the busy burgher found profit Thus ''in the |
middle of the thirteenth century the mayor and |
burgesses Of Berkeley obtained from their lord |
freedom OF all kinds Of toll which he either de- |
manded or might demand Of them; and in the !
fourteenth century he rented TO them the tolls |
of the wha rfage and Of the market and received !
larger profits from this transaction than he |
gained from all the rent Of the borough" The |
lay nobleman was easy to deal with because OF
his lack Of money. because he lacked shrewdness |
at times and because he was practically single |
handed. He could indeed ga her armed force.
But men. alarms were OF value. except al rare |
intervals, in the contest which he had to wage |
with his stubborn townsmen. But there was an
other enemy who met the burgher practically on |
his own ground. This enemy never was In want |
OF cash and its powers of combination were never |
in allegiance. This enemy was the Church, repre- |
sented in each case by a bishop, an archbishop. |
an abbot. and backed by learning, acuteness. |
and an indifference to the moral law which the |
burghers might envy but could not often hope to /
rival. But there were openings for those who /
desired municipal freedom even in cases whore /
bishops concerned For while the bishop |
was usually an adversary whose wealth. influence. ]
political position and training made him far !
more formidable opponent than any secular /
lord" yet on the other hand he usually lived /
at some distance from the borough, and charged |
as he was with the administration Of his bishop /
ric and the estates Of the see besides all the busi