10 THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES
The Principal CollegiaIn the latter days of the Roman empire, Christian influences brought
about both a decline in slavery and the development of free labor. This
labor remained completely organized under the corporative form of the
collegia and each professional was compelled to join the college of his
trade. The institution realized the height of its development in the
fourth century.^9
At this time a distinction was made between public and private col-
leges. Public colleges included all the professions that were indispensa-
ble to sustaining the people: arms manufacture, horse breeding, public
transportation (naviculars), bakers, butchers, manufacturers and sup-
pliers of basic construction materials such as bricks and lumber. These
trades were regarded as public services. Their members called them-
selves not collegiati but corporati and, if it was necessary, they were
recruited from among the ranks of the condemned. Any individuals
involved in these services remained so their entire lives and at no time
had the right to sell their work.
The other professions made up the private colleges, which were
actually semi-public bodies. These included mainly the dendrophori and
tignarii, artisans specializing in woodwork. The college of the tignarii,
homebuilders, remained hugely important and was widespread through-
out the empire. Among the other colleges were the argentarii (bankers),
the lapidarii and marmorii (various categories of stone and marble
workers), the centonarii (garment manufacturers), the negotiares vini
(wine merchants) and the medici (doctors) and professori (teachers).
Generally speaking, the state granted each collegium a monopoly
on its trade. The members enjoyed certain advantages. For instance,
they were exempt from certain taxes and from being drafted for labor.
It was forbidden, however, for collegiates to change professions under
pain of surrendering all their property to the collegium. They could sell
their real estate and their slaves only to their colleagues. Moreover,
membership in a collegium was hereditary. If a member died with no
heir capable of taking his place in the profession, then the collegium
would inherit his assets.