ought to be of _their own company_, though,
from mistake or design, many of them are free of others. For the
wardens, being by their charters and the statutes appointed to survey,
assay, and mark the silver-work, are to be chosen from members, such
choice must sometimes fall upon them that are either of other trades, or
not skilled in their curious art of making assays of gold and silver,
and consequently unable to make a true report of the goodness thereof;
or else the necessary attendance thereon is too great a burden for the
wardens. Therefore they (the wardens) have appointed an _assay master_,
called by them their deputy warden, allowing him a considerable yearly
salary, and who takes an oath for the due performance of his office.
They have large steel puncheons and marks of different sizes, with the
leopard's-head, crowned; the _lion_, and a certain _letter_, which
letter they change alphabetically every year, in order to know the year
any particular work was assayed or marked, as well as the markers. These
marks," he adds, "are every year new made, for the use of fresh wardens;
and although the assaying is referred to the assay master, yet the
_touch-wardens_ look to the striking of the marks." To acquaint the
public the better with this business of the assay, the writer of the
"Touchstone" has prefixed a frontispiece to his work, intended to
represent the interior of an assay office (we should suppose that of the
old Goldsmiths' Hall), and makes reference by numbers to the various
objects shown--as, 1. The refining furnace; 2. The test, with silver
refining in it; 3. The fining bellows; 4. The man blowing or working
them; 5. The test-mould; 6. A wind-hole to melt silver in, with bellows;
7. A pair of organ bellows; 8. A man melting, or boiling, or nealing
silver at them; 9. A block, with a large anvil placed thereon; 10. Three
men forging plate; 11. The fining and other goldsmith's tools; 12. The
assay furnace; 13. The assay master making assays; 14. This man putting
the assays into the fire; 15. The warden marking the plate on the anvil;
16. His officer holding his plate for the marks; and 17. Three
goldsmiths' small workers at work. In the office are stated to be a
sworn weigher to weigh and make entry of all silver-work brought in, and
who re-weighs it to the owners when worked, reserving the ancient
allowance for so doing, which is 4 grains out of every 1 lb. marked, for
a re-assay yearly of all the silver wo