The Company and the Trade. i8i 



Statute 5 Eiiz. books is that of the 5th Ehzabeth, c. 4, 

 c- 4- entitled "An Acte touching dyvers 



orders for artificers Laborers servantes of Hus- 

 bandrye and Apprentices," many of the enact- 

 ments of which sound curious in times hke the 

 present. This statute enacted inter alia that no 

 artificers (in which category Saddlers are expressly 

 included) should take any workman to work with 

 him for a less time than one year. It also enacted 

 that the rates of wages of artificers, husbandmen, 

 labourers, and workmen should be ascertained 

 yearly by Justices, &c., in Sessions, certified into 

 Chancery, approved by the Privy Council, and 

 proclaimed by the Sheriffs. The most important 

 enactment of this statute, however, so far as it 

 ^ ^ ^ concerned the Company, was Section 



Trades to be ^ ^ . 



learned by ap- xxiv., which ordaiued that "it shall 



prenticeship. , ^ ^1, 



not be lauiull to any pson or psons, 

 other than suche as nowe doo laufully use or 

 exercise any Arte Misterye or Manuell Occu- 

 pacon, to sette uppe occupie use or exercise anye 

 Crafte Misterye or Occupacon nowe used or occu- 

 pied within the realms of Englande or Wales 

 Excepte he shall have been brought uppe therein 

 seaven yeares at the least as Apprentice in maner 

 and fourme abovesald, nor to sete anye person on 

 woorck in suche Misterye Arte or Occupacon being 

 not a workman at this Day Except he shall have 

 bene Apprentice as ys aforesaid orels having 

 served as an apprentice as ys aforesaid shall or 

 will become a Journeyman or be hyred by the 

 yere ; upon payne that every p'son willingly 



