The curates made their defence in a book of eighteen articles touching tithes and other oblations, the chief point being that every householder, time out of mind, had been bound to pay to God and the Church one farthing out of every 10_s._ of rent, a half-penny out of 20_s._ and so forth, on 100 days of the year; amounting in all to 2_s._ 1_d._ for every 10_s._ rent _per annum_. This manner of payment proving tedious, the curates and their parishioners came to an agreement that 1_s._ 2_d._ should be paid on every 6_s._ 8_d._ or noble, and this sum the curates had been receiving time out of mind, none reclaiming or denying. But, inasmuch as this payment by occupiers of houses was only ordained for a "dowry" to the parish churches of London which had no glebe lands, the curates demanded that all merchants and artificers, with other occupiers of the city, should pay personal tithes of their "lucre or encrece" according to the common law, and as "well conscyoned" men had been in the habit of paying in times past.(1157) The book of articles was laid before the Court of Common Council on the 16th February, 1528, by Robert Carter and six other priests, on behalf of their entire body. On the following 16th March the Court of Aldermen for themselves agreed to pay tithe at the forthcoming Easter according to the Bull of Pope Nicholas, and not after the rate of 1_s._ 2_d._ on the noble,(1158) whilst four days later the Common Council decided that, for the sake of convenience, bills should be posted in every parish church within the city showing the number of offering days (viz., eighty-two) and the amount to be offered by inhabitants of the city.(1159) So matters continued until, early in 1534, it was agreed to submit the whole question to the lord chancellor and other members of the council, who made their award a few days before Easter.(1160) It decreed that at the forthcoming festival every subject should pay to the parson or curate of his parish after the rate of 2_s._ 9_d._ in the pound, and 16 pence half-penny in the half-pound, and that every man’s wife, servant, child and apprentice receiving the Holy Sacrament should pay two pence. These payments were to continue to be paid "without grudge or murmur" until such time as the council should arrive at a final settlement.(1161) (M610)