About forty of the gilds were allowed to have as many apprentices as they liked. Among these were the corn-dealers, the gold-beaters, the ale-brewers, green-grocers, farriers, drawers of iron wire, millers, shoe-makers and the _barilliers_. Usually, however, the number was limited to one or two. The mercers, the fullers, weavers of silk-stuffs, knife-handle and blade makers were allowed to have two, while the rope-makers, pewterers, precious stone dealers, braid-makers, drapers, goldsmiths, and shield-makers contented themselves with one. The motives for such limitation were at least _double_: the altruistic reason was that the master should not have too many to teach well; the self-protective reason was that the gild should at no time be swamped in competition by too many (prospective) masters. The term of apprenticeship was also most scrupulously fixed. The conditions are usually a definite term without payment of fee or a term gradually lessened according to the increase in the size of the fee. The haberdashers and the pewterers could fix the duration of apprenticeship at will; other terms vary from 3 to 8, to 10-12 years, with fees varying from 20 Parisian _sous_ (5 fr.) to 100 Parisian _sous_ (20 fr.), by means of which the apprentice could buy off part of his time of service. There seems, however, to have been no attempt to make the time directly proportionate to the costliness of the raw material and the difficulty of the process, or the skill required in the craft. The rope-makers require an apprenticeship of 4 years, the brass-wire drawers 6 years, the chest-makers 7 years, the makers of iron shields 8 years, the curriers of shoe-leather 9, the jewellers 10, and the coral and shell bead-makers 12 years. The wool-weavers demand 4 years plus 4 _livres_, 5 years and 3 _livres_, 6 years and one _livre_, or 7 years without fee. Power over the length of term resided of course in the hands of the masters, and the rules contain only the minimum requirement. We read, “No one can or ought to take or have more than two apprentices, and he cannot take them for less than 7 years of service and twenty _sous_ of Paris, which apprentices must give to the masters; or at 7 years without money, but more money and longer service he can require if need be.” How irrational the terms were may be seen from the fact that while the goldsmith’s term is 10 years, the brass-wire drawers (a far less “skilled” gild) required 10 years and 20 _sous_, or 12 years and no fee, and that of three bead-making gilds, one demanded 6 years and 46 _sous_, another 10 years and 46 _sous_, and the third 12 years without possible shortening of the term. If the apprentice, however, bought off part of his regular term, the master was not permitted to take another apprentice till the complete period was over. An extra apprentice was sometimes allowed if the wife of a master knew the trade. “No one of the craft aforesaid can have more