INNS of C O U R T. 
72 
paid for by the fteward. He provides cheefe at his own 
expence, and aftigns to each his portion after dinner; for 
this he receives from every one in commons a dated week¬ 
ly allowance. It is the butler's province to call any Itu- 
dent guilty of a mifdemeanor to the bench-table, there to 
be reprimanded. He likewife provides torches for the 
folemn revels, together with a white rod and Haft' for the 
readers elect, which are the two next ancients in com¬ 
mons then prefent in the hall. The firft, who is deno¬ 
minated majler of the revels, is at all folemn revels to carry 
the white Itaff, and leads the feveral dances, or ancient 
meafures, conducting the whole fociety (all under bench¬ 
ers) round the hall at thofe times ; the other is to carry 
the white rod or verge, and is called majler of the ceremo¬ 
nies, who, Handing at the cupboard, with a loud voice 
doth thrice fummon the mafter of the revels to come forth 
and perform that duty. He was to notice fuch as were 
abfent on thefe occafions, and prefent them to the bench; 
to give information of fuch as wore hats, boots, or long 
hair, the latter of which was confidered anciently as a 
high enormity. The other butlers were to fee the tables 
covered in the hall, and cleared again at the end of every 
meal. The oldeft was to attend the bar-table, and the 
tables on that fide of the hall. The puifne, or fifth, but¬ 
ler, thofe on the other fide, and to ferve the different ta¬ 
bles there were bread and beer. This latter was to fay 
grace both before and after meat, with a dif inti and audible 
voice ; fan ding in term-time with his face towards the bench- 
table., and in vacation towards that of the bar. 
“ The chief cook had various perquifites, as the drip¬ 
ping and fcummings, the rumps and kidneys of loins 
of mutton, (which was the ancient fupper-fare.) He 
befides gave every Eafter-term a calves-head breakfaft 
to the whole fociety, for which every gentleman paid at 
leaft is. But, in ix Jac. I. this breakfaft was turned into 
a dinner, and appointed to be on the firft and fecond 
Monday in Eafter term. The price per head was regu¬ 
larly fixed, and to be paid by the whole fociety, as well 
abfent as prefent; and the fum thus collected, inftead of 
belonging folely to the cooks, was divided among all the 
domeftics of the houfe. The chief cook’s wages were the 
fame as the chief butler's. The tinder cook received 40s. 
The turn-broach a6s. 8d. The fcullions were paid by 
the cafual benevolence of the gentlemen. 
“The pannier-man, by the winding of his horn, fum- 
rnons the gentlemen to dinner and fupper. He all'o pro¬ 
vides muftard, pepper, and vinegar, for the hall; and hath 
for his wages yearly iii/. vir. viii^. and the fragments of 
certain tables ; viz. the bar-table, and thofe others in the 
middle of the hall,-which he ferves, and is to attend unto. 
“The office of trcafurer is of confiderable importance, 
and the perfon who fills it chofen yearly by the parlia¬ 
ment from among the readers. He is the fupreine officer 
of the whole fociety, and has the regulation of their con¬ 
cerns. He admits gentlemen into the fociety ; and, on 
fuch occafions, has power to remit or abate fines. He is 
to make fale of fuch chambers as are forfeited, or fall to 
the houfe by the death of its members. ■ He is the dif- 
burfer of the fociety’s'cafti, and has the power to make 
repairs to a limited extent; he may likewife compound 
and mitigate forfeitures, houfe-duties, rents of tenants, 
and other matters which concern the fociety. The dura¬ 
tion of this office was anciently unlimited, but by an order 
in 39 Eliz. it was made annual. The treafurer is not al¬ 
lowed falary. The under-treafurer tranfa£ls the active 
bufinefs of the above office, and, befides feveral privileges, 
has a ftated allowance and certain fees. He attends on 
the mafters of the bench at their parliaments and folemn 
affemblies, and is their clerk of parliament. He enters 
all matters of record ; is cufos rotulorum for the fociety, 
and receives fees or gratuities for fearching, copying, or 
certifying, of the records and orders of the houfe.” 
The manner of holding the parliaments is as follows : 
Firft, the benchers only, who have been readers, meet in 
the parliament-chamber, which is at the lower end of the 
hall, and take their places according to their feniority. 
Then the treafurer for the time being fits at the table bare¬ 
headed, and reads petitions, or propofes fuch other fub- 
je< 5 ts as are to be difcufled ; the under-treafurer Handing 
by as an attendant. If a difference of opinion occurs, the 
votes are taken feparately, beginning at the youngeft, and 
the majority determines it. Formerly none who had been 
called to the bench to read attended thefe parliaments till 
they had fulfilled the office of reader-, but that objection 
was afterwards difpenfed with. All new laws palled by 
the parliament are notified to fuch inferior members of 
the houfe as are in commons, by the high treafurer; and 
fuch members, by the orders of the fociety, are bound to 
attend every laft Friday of each term, (which is called a 
parliament of attendance,') and all abfentees are fubjeft to 
a forfeit of 3 s. 4d. 
The feveral degrees in this houfe were, ftudent, utter 
or outer barrifter, inner barrifter, cupboard-man, bencher % 
and from the benchers were ele&ed the readers. Admif- 
fion of ftudents was either generally or fpecially, and the 
fee was accordingly : if generally, five marks; if fpeci¬ 
ally, si. and, anciently, as much as 61 . 13s. 4d. unlefs the 
perfon had previoufly ftudied in an inn of chancery, in 
which cafe it was lefs. The admiffion of ftudents is en¬ 
tered, on payment of the fine, by the under-treafurer, 
though formerly a bond was firft given for his obferving 
the rules and orders of the houfe, and a fmall fee is after¬ 
wards paid to the chief butler and fenior waffipot. The 
ftudent muff: continue in commons two vacations, or fine, 
if generally admitted ; but, if fpecially, he is not bound to 
fuch attendance. 
On admittance, the ftudent was entitled to make pur- 
chafe of a chamber ; which, by the ancient cuftom of the 
houfe, he had an eftate in for the term of his life, if he fo 
long continued in the fociety, and kept commons at leaft 
fix weeks in every year,- otherwife it became forfeited to 
the houfe. And this chamber he was entitled to fell, the 
party purchafing having his own life in it; but the latter 
was to pay a fine of 61. for admittance; and if he hap¬ 
pened to die before fale made of the fame, it fell to the 
houfe. Students formerly ufed in the reading-times to 
carry the readers’ meat to the bench-tables, and Hill carry' 
up the meat at the reader’s feaft, and at the two other 
great feafts of All Saints and the Purification. “ They 
ufed alfo poft-revels upon fuch feaft-days, and every Sa¬ 
turday-night between the faid feafts, befides mafques and 
other difport in the time of Chriftmas.” 
After performance of the regular exercifes of the houfe, 
the ftudent was admitted to the degree of utter barrifier, 
anciently by the call of the reader, who was veiled with 
that power; but afterwards by the parliamentary a£t of 
the benchers. The ceremony of calling to the bar con- 
fifted merely in the notification of eleftion to the other 
barrifters, the entry of the name by the under-treafurer, 
and taking the oath of lupremacy at the cupboard. They 
were not allowed, however, to wear a bar-gown openly, 
or praclife, till they had continued their exercife of moot¬ 
ing for fome time afterwards in the inns of chancery. 
The next ftep to which the barrifter afeended was to 
the cupboard. Four of thefe ,cupboard-men, in the read¬ 
ing-times, argued cafes by turns, and were ufually the 
four fenior barrifters. No man was to become a cupboard- 
man unlefs he refolved to read in his turn, in which cafe 
he gave an expenfive treat. From cupboard-man the next 
degree was bencher ; then reader, which ufually fucceed- 
ed within two years after the party’s firft admittance to 
the cupboard ; though this was at the option of the bench, 
who rejected him if they faw fit 5 the cupboard-man, be¬ 
fore his eleflion as reader, being only a probationer. 
The reader eleft, on being called to the bench-table, 
where he was thenceforth to take his commons, was to 
give a garnilh of wine for his firft welcome ; and when 
his readings were finilhed, and he removed from the bar- 
table to the “ auncients’ table,” was to give likewife a fe¬ 
cond garnilh of wine for his firft welcome there. After 
which 
