CHAPTER IV.

INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND LIFE.

The great Guilds and their Position—Guild of Woollen-weavers (Arte della Lana)—Guild of Cloth Merchants (Catimala)—Guild of Silk-weavers (Arte della Seta)—Guild of Money-changers (Cambia)—Tuscan Money-changers Abroad—Positions of Money-changers in France and England—Bankruptcy of the large Banks—Financial Distress at Home—Revival of Commerce in the Beginning of the Fifteenth Century—Customs of the Money Exchange—General Feeling of the Citizen Class—Regulations for the Beautifying and Security of the Town—Character of the Populace—Habits and Customs in the Fourteenth Century—Popular and Church Festivals—St. John’s Day—Merry-making and Pastimes of the People—The Florentines in the Beginning of the Fifteenth Century 67