These companies, as I shall show, are the roots of the
whole government of the city. For the liveries that reside in the
same ward, meeting at the wardmote inquest (to which it belongs
to take cognizance of all sorts of nuisances and violations of
the customs and orders of the city, and to present them to the
court of aldermen), have also power to make election of two sorts
of magistrates or officers; the first of elders or aldermen of
the ward, the second of deputies of the same, otherwise called
common councilmen.
"The wards in these elections, because they do not elect all
at once, but some one year and some another, observe the
distinction of the three tribes; for example, the scazon,
consisting of ten wards, makes election the first year of ten
aldermen, one in each ward, and of 150 deputies, fifteen in each
ward, all which are triennial magistrates or officers, that is to
say, are to bear their dignity for the space of three years.
"The second year the metoche, consisting of eight wards,
elects eight aldermen, one in each ward, and 120 deputies,
fifteen in each ward, being also triennial magistrates.
"The third year telicouta, consisting of a like number of
wards, elects an equal number of like magistrates for a like
term. So that the whole number of the aldermen, according to that
of the wards, amounts to twenty-six; and the whole number of the
deputies, to 390.
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