The
Cantor Must Sing The Processional Hymns Which Are Sung On Entering
The Church, But He Is Exempt From Taking
His turn of being
hebdomadary by reason of his intoning the offices; and he is to
write down the names
Of those who celebrate low masses and of those
who get them said by proxy; and he is to report these last to the
prior that they may be punished. The cantor or his delegate is to
read in the refectory during meal times and during infirmary time,
and he who reads in the refectory is to have a quart [?] of bread,
as also are the two junior monks who wait at table. The cantor is
to instruct the boys in the singing of the office and in morals,
and is to receive their portions of bread, wine and pittance, and
besides all this he is to receive one florin for each of them, and
he is to keep them decently; and the prior is to certify himself
upon this matter, and to see to it that he victuals them properly
and gives them their food.
"The sacristan is to provide all the lights of the church whether
oil or wax, and he is to give out small candles to the hebdomadary,
and to keep the eight lamps that burn both night and day supplied
with oil. He is to keep the lamps in repair and to buy new ones if
the old are broken, and he is to provide the incense. He is to
maintain the covered chapel of St. Nicholas, and the whole church
except the portico of the same; and the lord abbot is to provide
sound timber for doors and other necessaries. He is to keep the
frames {62} of the bells in repair, and also the ropes for the
same, and during Lent he is to provide two pittances of eels to the
value of eighteen groats for each pittance, and one other pittance
of dumplings and seasoning during rogation time, to wit, five
dumplings cooked in oil for each person, and one quart of bread and
wine, and all the house domestics and serving men of the convent
who may be present are to have the same. At this time all the
monks are to have one quarter of a pound of cheese from the
sacristan. And the said sacristan should find the convent two
pittances during infirmary time and two pints {63} of wine, and two
suppers, one of chicken and salt meat, with white chestnuts,
inasmuch as there is only to be just so much chicken as is
sufficient. Item, he is to keep the church clean. Item, he has to
pay to the keeper of the church one measure of barley, and eighteen
groats for his clothes yearly, and every Martinmas he is to pay to
the cantor sixty soldi, and he shall place a {64} . . . or boss
{65} in the choir during Lent. Also he must do one O in Advent and
take charge of all the ornaments of the altars and all the relics.
Also on high days and when there is a procession he is to keep the
paschal candle before the altar, as is customary, but on other days
he shall keep a burning lamp only, and when the candle is burning
the lamp may be extinguished.
* * *
"As touching the office of infirmarer, the infirmarer is to keep
the whole convent fifteen days during infirmary time, to wit, the
one-half of them for fifteen days and the other half for another
fifteen days, except that on the first and last days all the monks
will be in the infirmary. Also when he makes a pittance he is to
give the monks beef and mutton, {66} sufficient in quantity and
quality, and to receive their portions. The prior of the cloister,
cantor, and cellarer may be in the infirmary the whole month. And
the infirmarer is to keep a servant, who shall go and buy meat
three times a week, to wit, on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays,
but at the expense of the sender, and the said servant shall on the
days following prepare the meat at the expense of the infirmarer;
and he shall salt it and make seasoning as is customary, to wit, on
all high days and days when there is a processional duplex feast,
and on other days. On the feast of St. Michael he shall serve out
a seasoning made of sage and onions; but the said servant shall not
be bound to go and buy meat during Advent, and on Septuagesima and
Quinquagesima Sundays he shall serve out seasoning. Also when the
infirmarer serves out fresh meat, he is to provide fine salt. Also
the said servant is to go and fetch medicine once or oftener when
necessary, at the expense of the sick person, and to visit him. If
the sick person requires it, he can have aid in the payment of his
doctor, and the lord abbot is to pay for the doctor and medicines
of all cloistered persons.
"On the principal octaves the monks are to have seasoning, but
during the main feasts they are to have seasoning upon the first
day only. The infirmarer is not bound to do anything or serve out
anything on days when no flesh is eaten. The cellarer is to do
this, and during the times of the said infirmaries, the servants of
the monastery and convent are to be, as above, on the same footing
as those who are in religion, that is to say, half of them are to
be bled during one fifteen days, and the other half during the
other fifteen days, as is customary.
"Item, touching the office of cellarer, it is ordered that the
cellarer do serve out to the whole convent bread, wine, oil, and
salt; as much of these two last as any one may require reasonably,
and this on all days excepting when the infirmarer serves out
kitchen meats, but even then the cellarer is to serve his rations
to the hebdomadary.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 71 of 74
Words from 71557 to 72575
of 75076
