Excerpt from Diplomatarium Anglicum AEvi Saxonici: A Collection of English Charters, From the Reign of King AEthelberht of Kent, A. D. DC. V. To That of William the Conqueror; Containing I. Miscellaneous Charters, II. Wills, III. Guilds, IV. Manumissions and Acquittances In the third portion will be found the articles of' Constitution of some Of those corporations or fraterni ties known under the general denomination of guilds. These may, with great probability, be traced back to the sacrificial feasts of the heathens, and were, no doubt, the germ of the municipal system of the Germanic nations. Of these associations there were three kinds Ist. Trade Guilds; 2nd. Frith, or Peace Guilds; 3rd. Guilds instituted for social or religious purposes. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.