Kuhl — Chaucer's Burgesses. 
653 
When the victuallers were in power prices of foods, espe¬ 
cially fish, climbed the scale. In order to enhance the price, 
fish for consumption in London were hidden across the 
river in Southwark, till unfit for food. * 1 When the free¬ 
traders resumed power prices naturally fell. There was to 
be no monopoly in the sale of fish, “but it shall be lawful 
for any freeman of the City to have vessels, nets, and other 
necessaries”. 2 A loaf of bread or a draught of ale could be 
bought for a farthing, and a large number of coins (to the 
value of 80 lbs. sterling) of that denomination were minted 
at the Tower, “so that the baker and taverner should have no 
excuse for not giving change for a halfpenny.” 3 The reasons 
of the non-victuallers are too obvious when one recalls re¬ 
cent spectacular attempts for publicity by one or two 
Mayors in our own country. 
This clash between the two parties reached its height in 
October, 1386, when ten of the non-victualling companies 
openly denounced Mayor Brembre in Parliament. 4 
This brings us to our second point, viz.: that Chaucer 
does not choose from any of these petitioners. This is highly 
interesting, for some of these companies were indisputably 
weaker, others equally powerful, and one more powerful 
than those selected by the poet. 5 Before proceeding into 
the details of this petition let us recall that Chaucer sat at 
this meeting of Parliament, and therefore heard the com¬ 
plaints. 
The ten companies who petitioned were the Mercers, 
Cordwainers, ‘Foundours,’ Sadlers, Painters, Armourers, 
Hazlitt’s Livery Companies (London, 1892), are inaccurate in many 
places and wholly uncritical. 
1 Letter-Book, H, pp. 192 f. 
2 Ibid., p. 191. 
3 Ibid., p. 183. Cf. Intro, p. XXXIV. Even parsons had refused farth¬ 
ings “for the purpose of putting a stop to the currency of such small 
money . . . and also in order to make people offer more than a farthing.” 
The Mayor and his Council ordain, however, that “thenceforth no one 
shall offer at vigils of the dead or like case more than one farthing a mass, 
and if he fail to obtain change for a halfpenny he shall leave without 
making any offering.” Ibid., p. 183. 
4 Rot. Part., III. pp. 225 ff. The Drapers, to whose company North¬ 
ampton belonged, did not petition. 
5 If we omit the Mercers and Embroiderers (who were also aldermen) 
there were two, Cordwainers and Sadlers, who had four representatives 
to the Common Council, consequently as powerful as those selected by 
Chaucer. Mercers had six, therefore were more powerful. For a fuller 
discussion see infra, pp. 655ff. 
