Inasmuch as the policy of the gilds proscribed the action of free competition, it was necessary for them, in order to sustain their reputation, to provide in some way, that the products should be exactly what they pretended to be. To this end they legislated carefully as to the quantity and quality of raw material to be used, and provided for supervision through the stages of manufacture to the sale of the finished product. The _cervoise_ (a drink somewhat resembling ale) should have no constituents save grain and water. The beater of metal-leaves must have a certain alloy of gold in his silver leaves. The bead-makers must not string beads which are not perfectly rounded. The haberdashers complain of the appearance of “several pieces of bad work to the damage of all the common weal, every day, by reason of the lack of proper restriction.” At Amiens,[9] the locksmiths were forbidden, for fear of thievery, to make a key unless the lock was produced, and the butchers to _souffler la viande_, to mix tallow in the lard, to sell dog, cat or horse flesh. In Paris, boxes whose locks were made with ‘hinges’ were summarily burned, and fines were incurred for putting old locks on new furniture and new locks on old furniture. Trimmings of silver were forbidden on bone knife-handles for fear the makers should sell them for ivory, and knife-handles must not be covered with silk, brass- or pewter-wire, lead or iron, because inside, they were only deal, and might deceive an ignorant buyer. Hemp and flax must not be used in the same rope.[10] If a tailor spoilt a valuable piece of cloth by bad cutting, and the _gardes_ ascertained it, he had to make restitution to the client, and pay a fine, 3 _sous_ to the king and 2 _sous_ to the _confrérie_. If an artisan did the spoiling, he paid the master, and worked for one day, without pay, for the _confrérie_.[11] Chandlers seem to have been especially open to temptation. Too heavy a weight of wick is expressly regulated against in the provision that four pounds of tallow should carry only a quarter-pound of wick. Wax tapers must not be adulterated with tallow. Gilds in danger of usurping each other’s business were jealous of privileges. A tailor must not mend old clothes, nor a rag-man make new clothes. A curious controversy arose from the fact that clothes restored by the old-clothes dealers were frequently mistaken for new. It was finally decided that this latter gild must not press, fold and hang old garments for fear of this deception.