ON THE PRICE OF LABOUR. 503 



was very widely diffused in the middle ages, and plans were 

 readily supplied. In many cases monk or college fellow superin- 

 tended the building ; as they did at Merton tower, when Edwards 

 probably designed the structure ; and as Wykeham did nearly 

 a century before, when, after having planned the building at 

 Windsor Castle, he constructed those of his college, or of Adder- 

 bury Church. Still there were occasions on which a regular 

 architect is employed. Thus in 1435, the abbot of Edmonds- 

 bury (Vol. Ill, p. 599, iii) hires an architect for the new building 

 (perhaps they may be still identified) at^io a year for himself 

 and his man, with board and livery. The engagement further 

 provides that the board and livery of the architect is to be that 

 of a gentleman (generosus\ that of his servant to be that of 

 a yeoman or servant (garcio). If the architect be absent from 

 the work for more than two days in each quarter he is to be 

 fined $d. a day, his servant $d. for the same breach of contract. 

 The abbot, by direction of the house, is to employ masons at his 

 discretion at 3.$-. a week in winter, 3^-. ^d. in the summer. It 

 is clear that beyond the rank assigned to him, the architect 

 (allowance or estimate being taken for his board) does not get 

 very much in excess of the masons employed under him ; for 

 taking the higher rate of payment at rather more than half the 

 year, the mason will have in wages about 8 10^. the year (and 

 it is probable from the prices levied on absence, that the number 

 of working days in the year was reckoned at 300), and that out 

 of the fee of 10 the master was supposed to receive 6 $s. 

 and the servant $ i$s. The board of the architect could not 

 be reckoned at more than $d. a day, of the servant than 2</., 

 while the livery, if one infers from analogous conditions, would 

 be 2os. for the architect, and js. for the servant. Such an 

 estimate will give from 11 to 12 for the former, and about 

 7 for the latter. But the hire of such an official must have 

 been exceptional. I have found no similar arrangement in 

 other and similar documents. The nearest parallel is that of 

 the principal mason of Cambridge, who in 1438 receives an 

 annual fee of i6s. Sd. besides his daily or weekly wages, and 



