{37} Furthermore, he is to keep beds in the monastery
for the use of guests, and other monks shall return these beds to
the chamberlain on the departure of the guests, and it shall be the
chamberlain's business to attend to this matter. Item, delinquent
monks are to be punished within the monastery and not without it.
Item, the monks shall not presume to give an order for more than
two days' board at the expense of the monastery, in the inns at S.
Ambrogio, during each week, and they shall not give orders for
fifteen days unless they have relations on a journey staying with
them, or nobles, or persons above suspicion, and the same be
understood as applying to officials and cloistered persons. {38}
"Item, within twelve months from date the monks are to be at the
expense of building an almshouse in S. Ambrogio, where one or two
of the oldest and most respected among them are to reside, and have
their portions there, and receive those who are in religion. Item,
no monk is to wear his hair longer than two fingers broad. {39}
Item, no hounds are to be kept in the monastery for hunting, nor
any dogs save watch-dogs. Persons in religion who come to the
monastery are to be entertained there for two days, during which
time the cellarer is to give them bread and wine, and the pittancer
{40} pittance.
"Item, women of bad character, and indeed all women, are forbidden
the monk's apartments without the prior's license, except in times
of indulgence, or such as are noble or above suspicion. Not even
are the women from San Pietro, or any suspected women, to be
admitted without the prior's permission.
"The monks are to be careful how they hold converse with suspected
women, and are not to be found in the houses of such persons, or
they will be punished. Item, the epistle and gospel at high mass
are to be said by the monks in church, and in Lent the epistle is
to be said by one monk or sub-deacon.
"Item, two candelabra are to be kept above the altar when mass is
being said, and the lord abbot is to provide the necessary candles.
"Any one absent from morning or evening mass is to be punished by
the prior, if his absence arises from negligence.
"The choir, and the monks residing in the monastery, are to be
provided with books and a convenient breviary {41} . . . according
to ancient custom and statute, nor can those things be sold which
are necessary or useful to the convent.
* * *
"Item, all the religious who are admitted and enter the monastery
and religion, shall bring one alb and one amice, to be delivered
into the hands of the treasurer and preserved by him for the use of
the church.
* * *
"The treasurer is to have the books that are in daily use in the
choir re-bound, and to see that the capes which are unsewn, and all
the ecclesiastical vestments under his care are kept in proper
repair. He is to have the custody of the plate belonging to the
monastery, and to hold a key of the treasury. He is to furnish in
each year an inventory of the property of which he has charge, and
to hand the same over to the lord abbot. He is to make one common
pittance {42} of bread and wine on the day of the feast of St.
Nicholas in December, according to custom; and if it happens to be
found necessary to make a chest to hold charters, &c., the person
whose business it shall be to make this shall be bound to make it.
"As regards the office of almoner, the almoner shall each day give
alms in the monastery to the faithful poor - to wit, barley bread to
the value of twopence current money, and on Holy Thursday he shall
make an alms of threepence {43} to all comers, and shall give them
a plate of beans and a drink of wine. Item, he is to make alms
four times a year - that is to say, on Christmas Day, on
Quinquagesima Sunday, and at the feasts of Pentecost and Easter;
and he is to give to every man a small loaf of barley and a grilled
pork chop, {44} the third of a pound in weight. Item, he shall
make a pittance to the convent on the vigil of St. Martin of bread,
wine, and mincemeat dumplings, {45} - that is to say, for each
person two loaves and two . . . {46} of wine and some leeks, - and
he is to lay out sixty shillings (?) in fish and seasoning, and all
the servants are to have a ration of dumplings; and in the morning
he is to give them a dumpling cooked in oil, and a quarter of a
loaf, and some wine. Item, he shall give another pittance on the
feast of St. James - to wit, a good sheep and some cabbages {47}
with seasoning.
"Item, during infirmary time he must provide four meat suppers and
two pints {48} (?) of wine, and a pittance of mincemeat dumplings
during the rogation days, as do the sacristan and the butler. He
is also to give each monk one bundle of straw in every year, and to
keep a servant who shall bring water from the spring for the
service of the mass and for holy water, and light the fire for the
barber, and wait at table, and do all else that is reasonable and
usual; and the said almoner shall also keep a towel in the church
for drying the hands, and he shall make preparation for the mandes
on Holy Thursday, both in the monastery and in the cloister.
Futhermore, he must keep beds in the hospital of S. Ambrogio, and
keep the said hospital in such condition that Christ's poor may be
received there in orderly and godly fashion; he must also maintain
the chapel of St. Nicholas, and keep the chapel of St. James in a
state of repair, and another part of the building contiguous to the
chapel.
