CITIES, rise of. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the proprietors of land lived principally on their own estates; the towns were inhabited by mechanics and tradesmen, chiefly in the condition of slaves. The people, to whom it was granted as a privilege that they might give away their own daughters in mar riage without the consent of their lord, and that upon their death their own chil dren and not their lord should succeed to their goods, must have previously been in entirely or nearly the same state of villanage as the occupiers of land in the country. They seem to have been much on a level with the hawkers and pedlars of modern times.
They were generally obliged to pay some tax or toll for the privilege of sell ing their goods at particular places. As this source of revenue was thought of some importance by the feudal sove reigns and lords, in order to ensure its re gular payment, they were induced in many instances to farm it out for a certain sum to the inhabitants of different towns, who, in order enforce its payment by the traders, were invested with the pow ers and privileges still possessed by the corporations of cities and boroughs. A
town thus became a privileged place, of which traders were not only the inhabi. tants, but the governors, at least in allthat related to internal management.
The turbulent feudal lords were often incited by the riches of the burghs to at tempt to plunder their houses and ware houses ; hence the owners naturally fear ed and hated the lords; the sovereigns of the different states of Europe, for other reasons, likewise hated and feared the lords ; this served as a bond of union between the sovereigns andthe corporate towns, and enabled the towns to gain great privileges from those sovereigns who most needed their assistance, as King John in England ; and in sonic in stances to become independent, as was the case with the little republics of Italy, and the imperial cities in Germany.