ABSTRACT
It I l ; ~ t l riot always hcc11 so. 111 the IClitl(lle Ages commcrcc had Iiatl its appointccl ant1 rt:spcctetl place, ;~t i t l 111c hfcrcl~ant C o ~ n - paciics 11atl 1)c:c11 tlic rcal rnlcrs of t l ~ c City of J..o~~tlon. Botlt t l ~ c 'I'utlors ;II.I(I tltc Strrnrts liar1 courtc(l tile goorlnlill ant1 rcspcctccl lllc pox,v(!r of I)l~sincss mcli. I'ngeantry n r ~ t l tlig~tity z~rrroulidecl tilt: (;i~iltls \\ll~icli govcrr~ccl tllc ancic~it. 1,usincss world, rind landrtl gc~iir-y w l ~ o wned sliccp-rr~ris cor~ld lalie priclc in being also 'hlcrcl~;rti~s of tllc Stnplc'. Ynr~ngcr sons of county fariiilics wcrc quirc oftcn scnt to work for City Iliastcrs, aritl 11ot a fcw
'If I1;lICs. rose to bc powc:rfr~l m-'4 .- 7
-I'l~e 11icI1.1strinl i c v o l i ~ t i o ~ ~ c11:1ngvcl ~ 1 1 1 tl~is. I lie first niills, ljuilt in rcmotc vnllcys bcc;tr~sc tllry tlcpcntlctl o n water-ponrcr, had no pa!;cnlltry al,c)~~t tl~riii. 'T'llc.ir ';~l)l>rc-titicrs' wcrv very oftcrl forlntllin~;~, s l~ i l~~ jc t l n~liolcsalc from I .ontion parislres at tile age of seven, nli~li some mill-onrncrs ar;rc,ring to lakc one itliot arnong every twenty cl~iltlrc~i. 11 was a clcgt.arlatiorl of t11c ~ v l ~ o l c npprcnt i c c s l ~ i ~ sys~cnl, w l ~ i c l ~ , in spite of soriic. Imtl masters, Itncl IICCII for cc~l~rlr ics a soot1 ctluc;~tio~lnl ancl cco~iomic I~cginninp; to n ]my's career.
