Nevertheless where commercial privileges were at stake the distinction was rigidly preserved by every means in the possession of the townsmen. The tenser's fine was maintained up to the present century, though not without considerable difficulty. On every hand there were evidences that the companies had outlived their usefulness. Friction was everywhere injuring the social machine. Competition and individualism had taken the place of custom and co-operation. At Winchester there were grievous complaints of intruders who did "use Arts, Trades, Misteries and manual occupations ... without making any agreement or composition for soe doing, contrary to the said antient usage and custome, tending to the utter undoeing of the freemen ... and decay of the same City." Everywhere the records of the companies detail little else than summonses to intruders to take up their freedom and notices of actions at law against them for refusing to do so. General demoralisation prevailed, and the existence of a class holding such an equivocal position as that of the unfree tradesmen did not help to mend matters. The case of John Bromhall which has been mentioned above illustrates the general looseness which prevailed in all departments of municipal administration. A ludicrous incident which happened at Shrewsbury in connection with the tensers in later years is recorded by Gough in his _Antiquities of Myddle_, published in 1834. "This Richard Muckleston was of a bold and daring spirit, and could not brook an injury offered to him. He commenced a suit against the town of Shrewsbury for exacting an imposition on him which they call tentorshipp, and did endeavor to make void their charter, but they gave him his burgess-ship to be quiet." The companies were preserved from repetitions of this strange indignity by the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, in consequence of which there could no longer be any invidious distinction between freemen and non-freemen, hansarii and custumarii, gildsmen and tensers. APPENDIX II. AUTHORITIES CITED. Abram, W. A.--Memorials of the Preston Guilds. An Account of the Poll for Members of Parliament for the Borough of Shrewsbury etc. (1747). Boeckh, A.--Public Economy of Athens, translated by George Cornewall Lewis (1842). Brentano, Lujo--On the history and development of Gilds and Origin of Trade-Unions. "Britannia Languens, or a discourse of trade." (1680.) Bryce, J.--The Holy Roman Empire (1887). Cowell--A Law Dictionary: or the Interpreter etc. (1727). Cunningham, W.--The Growth of English Industry and Commerce (1885). Dugdale, W.--Antiquities of Warwickshire. Ebner, Dr Adalbert--Die kloesterlichen Gebets-Verbruederungen bis zum Ausgange des Karolingischen Zeitalters (1891). Eden, Sir F. M.--The State of the Poor. Eyton, W.--Antiquities of Shropshire. Farquhar--The Recruiting Officer. Foucart--Les Associations religieuses chez les Grecs.