to his
guild; some were for 'common and middling folks,' while kings and
princes were members of others. A great deal of good was done by these
companies, for each, besides aiding and protecting its own members,
usually had some other charity. For instance, the guild at Lincoln fed
yearly as many poor as there were members of the guild; and another
kept a sort of inn for the shelter of poor travelers. The guilds
played an important part in the life of the time. Well, as I was
saying, when a boy had chosen the trade which was to his taste, he
went to the city, and was apprenticed to a member of one of the
guilds, with whom he usually lived. The boys were called 'prentices.
Their life was not an easy one, and yet, it seems to me that they must
have enjoyed it. In those days, there were great tournaments and grand
processions of kings, with hundreds of servants and followers, all
splendidly dressed in brilliant colors. Men wore magnificent clothes
of silks and velvets and cloth-of-gold, with costly jewels, such as
ropes of pearls; and their servants, whose duty it was to go before
their masters on the street, wore suits of livery with the silver
badge of their master. London in those days was a wonderfully busy
place! On board the ships sailing up the river were men in strange
costumes, from foreign lands. The 'prentices would often stop work to
watch a company of Portuguese sailors pass, or a gorgeous procession
of bishops with their retainers; and from this little verse we know
that they did not always return very quickly to their duties. Do you
know this?

"'When ther any ridings were in Chepe,
Out of the shoppe thider would he lepe;
And till that he had all the sight ysein,
And danced well, he would not come again.'

"There were always processions, too, in winter as well as in summer,
for the people seemed not to mind rain or storm in the least. The boys
had many holidays,--there were frequent pageants, feasts, and
celebrations of all kinds,--and on the whole, I think they must have
been very happy in spite of the long hours of work, don't you?
Another curious custom was the keeping of cudgels in every shop for
the use of the 'prentices, in case of a fight--and I imagine that they
were numerous. Now, come close to me, children, while we cross this
street; there's the Abbey right ahead of us."

As they entered the north transept of Westminster Abbey, the dim
light, in contrast to the sunshine ou