46 A MEDIAEVAL CITY

religious. The Church's festivals were recognised
as holidays. Much money was given and be-
queathed for the foundation of chantries, which
with their priests have their place also in the
educational life of the city.

The merchants lived well. They were rich from
trade, and through the corporate guilds governed
their own trades both legislatively and executively ;
the highest offices in civic life were theirs; they
lived in houses as splendid as they cared to have
them; they furnished their homes with quantities
of silver plate, both for use and for ornament, for
this was the most suitable outlet for superfluous
wealth in days when modern facilities for investment
did not exist; they wore clothes of fine material,
richly trimmed ; they were honoured citizens ; the}'
were earnest in religion and their benevolence to the
Church is very remarkable. They were forming a
lesser aristocracy now that they were becoming
owners of agricultural land as well as town property.
They had the benefits of wealth and comfort, while
they were shrewd enough to avoid the penalties of
advertised riches. A typical instance of a successful
merchant who rose to high positions .was that of
Sir Richard Yorke, who was Mayor of the staple of
Calais and Lord Mayor of York in 1469 and 1482,
and member of Parliament. A window in St. John's
Church, Micklegate, in commemoration of him is still
to be seen. A shield bearing his arms (azure, saltire
argent) appears in the glass ; another bears the arms
of the Merchants of the Wool staple of Calais. He
was knighted by Henry VII. when that king was in
York in 1487.

Masters took apprentices, who themselves gene-
rally beca,me masters in their turn. The conditions
of apprenticeship were ruled in detail by the guilds,