eners found their avocations fenced about. The citizens did
not welcome the appearance of casual strangers, any more than the
presumption of the foreigner who came and settled amongst them. Almost
of necessity the former class resorted for food and shelter to the
public-houses, which were of two kinds--the inns kept by hostelers, and
the lodging-houses kept by herbergeours. These places of resort were
supplemented by cook-shops answering to our modern restaurants.

In the time of Edward I. an ordinance was passed that "No Portuguese or
Germans shall keep hostels, but that persons of those countries shall
lodge with freemen of the city." It has been supposed that by "freemen"
are intended native freemen, but this is doubtful, since cases occur of
strangers and foreigners being admitted to the freedom for the very
purpose of becoming hostelers and herbergeours. Even when this privilege
was granted them, they were not suffered to compete on equal terms with
the Englishman, being required to keep their houses "in the heart of the
City," and rigidly excluded from the more profitable regions on the
banks of the Thames.

The necessity of hostelers and herbergeours being freemen was due
apparently to the survival of the old Saxon law of frank-pledge, which
was still in force at the close of the reign of Edward III. No hosteler
or herbergeour might entertain a stranger longer than a day and a night,
unless he undertook to answer for his guest's behaviour, and he was left
in no uncertainty as to the course of conduct he was expected to pursue
towards the always undesirable alien. In many respects his position
resembled that of a master of a workhouse rather than a speculative
tradesman. Thus, at times when it was forbidden to carry arms in the
City, it became his duty to take possession of his guests' arms and
retain them until the strangers departed. If the latter did not comply
with his demand, they were fined and imprisoned. At other times, when
the regulations were not so severe, he had to tell his guests that they
were not to carry arms after curfew rang, or go wandering about the
streets of the City. Should it happen that urgent business compelled a
guest to be absent from the hostel for a night, the keeper was obliged
to warn him, with the best grace he might, that he must take care to be
back as soon as possible.

Obviously there would have been much unfairness in making hostelers and
herbergeours answer for the misdeed