, to buy 'a pig in a poke.' Another
clause of the same act seems equally gratuitous: 'Provided always,
that after the merchants have bought the same clothes to carry, and do
carry them out of the realm, they may tack them and fold them at their
pleasure, for the more easy carriage of them.' What a very
accommodating statute!

And it really is reasonable, in comparison with other enactments on
the same subject. In the ninth year of Henry VIII., for instance, an
act was passed for 'avoiding deceits in making of woollen clothes,'
containing a whole series of troublesome regulations, such as the
following: 'That the wool which shall be delivered for or by the
clothier to any person or persons, for breaking, combing, carding, or
spinning of the same, the delivery therefore shall be by even just
poise and weight of averdupois, sealed by authority, not exceeding in
weight after the rate of xii pound seemed wool, above one quarter of a
pound for the waste of the same wool, and in none other manner; and
that the breaker or comber do deliver again to the same clothier the
same wool so broken and combed, and the carder and spinner to deliver
again to the said clothier yarn of the same wool, by the same even
just and true poise and weight (the waste thereof excepted), without
any part thereof concealing, or any more oil-water, or other thing put
thereunto deceivable.

'Item, that the weaver which shall have the weaving of any woollen
yarn to be webbed into cloth, shall weave, work, and put into the web,
for cloth to be made thereof, as much and all the same yarn as the
clothier, or any person for him, shall deliver to the same weaver,
with his used mark put to the same, without changing, or any parcel
thereof leaving out of the said web; or that he restore to the same
clothier the surplus of the same yarn, if any shall be left not put in
the same web, and without any more oil brine, moisture, dust, sand, or
other thing deceivably putting or casting to the same web, upon pain
to forfeit for every default three shillings and four pence.

'Item, that no manner of person buy any coloured wool, or coloured
woollen yarn, of any carder, spinner, or weaver, but only in open
market, upon pain of forfeiture of such wool and yarn so bought.' And
so on: these, in fact, are but the beginning of a series of
regulations, which it would tire the reader to peruse throughout.

One would think, that shoes and other leather manufactures are among