[Footnote 475: In spite of the provision for overlooking regulations, says an order of leet for the year 1475, "divers craftsmen of this city now late have made divers conventicles and ordinances unlawfully against the common public of this city. And amongst others the craftsmen of dyers' craft have made an unlawful ordinance, that is to say that none of them should colour nor dye but under a certain form amongst themselves ordained upon certain pains ... ordained by surety of writing and oaths unlawful in that behalf. It is therefore ordained by this leet ... the said unlawful and hurtful ordinances made by the said dyers and all other unlawful ... ordinance made in every other craft ... and the unlawful oaths and writings made for the same be utterly void, quashed and annulled." None were in future, the order continues, to be bound by these rules, and masters suing others of their fellowship for not obeying them were to be fined £10. The largeness of the sum, and the fact that precautions were taken to have this order proclaimed once a year, "so that craftsmen might have knowledge" of the penalties incurred by any breach of the same, prove that the corporation was thoroughly alarmed and determined to suppress the movement (_Leet Book_, 418).] [Footnote 476: _Leet Book_, 558.] [Footnote 477: _i.e._ combs for combing wool.] [Footnote 478: _Leet Book_, 181-2.] [Footnote 479: _Leet Book_, 303. In 1515 the crafts were commanded to give in their books so that the fines might be moderated at the mayor's discretion. A refusal to give in the books of regulations was to be visited by a fine of 100s. New rules were also to be enregistered in the mayor's book, and a 20s. fine taken from any craft for every month that a rule had been observed without the mayor's knowledge and licence (_ib._, 645-6).] [Footnote 480: Green, _Town Life_, ii. 100.] [Footnote 481: _Leet Book_, 92.] [Footnote 482: _Ib._, 573. In a later version of the rule (_Ib._) this matter is worked out in detail. Each apprentice put in surety in £5 to perform his covenant. If the lad broke it, it was only by handing over the £5 to the craft that the master could immediately take an apprentice in his place.] [Footnote 483: _Leet Book_, 687.] [Footnote 484: _Ib._, 774, 778.] [Footnote 485: _Ib._, 792. The masters of crafts exercised a particular form of oppression in forcing apprentices to take oaths on entering their service (_cf._ "the unlawful oaths of the dyers") perhaps to the effect that they would not set up in business after their apprenticeship was over. The craft masters were forbidden by leet to cause others to take an oath on "any point of their occupation" under penalty of a fine of 100s. "without any pardon" (_Ib._ 654).]