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208 YORK.
every six weeks they were to meet together to offer up
special prayers for the welfare of the sovereign and
the good governance of the realm, for the brethren
and sisters living and dead, and for all who had done
them good or shown them kindness. This gild had
no lands or tenements,' nor any possessions, " save only
the properties needed in the playing of the beforenamed
play."
The return made by the Gild of St. John Baptist
in York is^ touching in its sim'plicity. Its primary
object "is to cherish brotherly love." " No brother
shall be so bold as to do wrong to any one, thinking
that the gild will back him up."
This gild also states
that it " has no goods other than what are raised by
yearly payments."
But most of them had property both in lands and
houses in addition to the fund which was raised by
the yearly payments of the members, and the entrancemoney
which was paid on the admission of each new
associate.
The Yorkshire returns include three gilds at Beverley
and three at Hull. There were doubtless many
more in the great shire of York, but their returns have
not been preserved. Some picturesque touches occur
in the returns from Beverley. On the feast of
St. Elene the fairest youth that can be found is to be
picked out and "clad as a queen like to St. Elene."
An old man is to go before him bearing a cross, and
another old man carrying a shovel, " in token of the
finding of the Holy Cross." These headed the long
line of brethren and sisters of the gild as they swept
along in solemn procession, " with much music," to