First, we will consider the protection of the workman. Before a _Weaver_ might set up in business for himself he must pay xij_d._ to the Alderman of his Gild for the inspection of his workhouse by the searchers, who would search whether his workhouse were ‘good and able’ or not. If they were satisfied on this point, then the owner was permitted to begin business on payment of an ‘upsett’ of iij_s._ iiij_d._ No woman was allowed to work at this trade within the town upon pain of xl_s._ Nor might a _Tailor_ keep any manner of workman tailor employed within his dwelling-house. Again, no _Joiner_ might withhold his servant’s wages over the space of six days after the same were due. If he did, the servant could get from the Warden an order for their payment, and the master’s penalty for disobeying this order was xij_d._ For the protection of the masters there were corresponding laws:— If any of the brotherhood of the _Bricklayers_, being at work with any man, do, in the time of his work, resort unto the alehouse or do play at dice, cards, or any other unthrifty game, he shall forfeit and pay for every time so doing viij_d._ So also, in the rules of the _Shipwrights_, a very heavy penalty was imposed upon the workman who for mere caprice threw down his tools and left his work unfinished:— If any person shall be lawfully retained in work by the day, and shall unjustly and unlawfully leave or depart from the same until such time as the same work shall be fully finished, he shall forfeit and pay to the master warden for every such offence forty shillings of lawful money of england. The protection of the public was equally well looked after. No person might set up or keep an Inn, unless he could make and furnish four comely and decent guest beds; and every _Innholder_ was obliged to have in his house, ready-made, four bottles of hay, to be shown to the searchers at all times when they came to make search. Thus the comfort of both man and beast was ensured to travellers. All manufactured goods were to be open to inspection by the searchers of the particular Gild, and any scamped or fraudulent goods were ‘seized and forfeited.’ Thus a rule of the _Shoemakers’ Gild_ stated that— The searchers shall well and diligently search and try all boots, shoes, buskins, slippers and pantoufles,[43] whether they be made of leather well and truly tanned and curried, and well and substantially sewed with good thread, well twisted and made and sufficiently waxed with wax well rosined, and the stitches hard drawn with hand leathers. Boots and shoes made under these regulations were intended to last in wear for a substantially long time, and brown paper inner soles and wooden heels would stand a poor chance of passing the inspection of the searchers. On the shelves of the Hull Museum may be seen some pairs of boots made and worn two hundred and fifty years ago, and still almost ‘as good as new.’