THE OBEDIENTIARIES (_continued_)
7. THE INFIRMARIAN AND HIS WORK
The official appointed to have the care of the infirm and sick should have
the virtue of patience in a pre-eminent degree. “He must be gentle,” says
one Custumal, “and good-tempered, kind, compassionate to the sick, and
willing as far as possible to gratify their needs with affectionate
sympathy.” When one of the brethren was seized with any sickness and came
to the infirmary, it was the infirmarian’s first duty to bring thither the
sick man’s plate, his spoon, and his bed, and to inform the cellarer and
kitchener, so that the sick man’s portion might be assigned to him in the
infirmary refectory.
Whenever there were sick under his charge the infirmarian was to be
excused, as far as was necessary, from regular duties. He said Mass for
the sick, if he were a priest, or got some priest to do so, if he were
not. If the sick were able to recite their Office, he said it with them,
provided lights, if necessary, and procured the required books from the
church. Whatever volumes they needed for reading he borrowed from the
aumbry in the cloister; but he was warned always to take them back again
before the cantor locked up the cupboard for the night. If there were
more than one monk sick at the same time and they could help themselves,
the infirmarian was then to go to the regular meals in the refectory; but
he was to return to his charges as soon as possible and see that they had
been properly served. He always slept in the infirmary, even when there
were no sick actually there, and this because he had always to be ready
for any emergency. Out of the revenue assigned to his office he had to
find whatever might be necessary in the way of medicine and comforts for
the sick. He was charged to keep the rooms in the infirmary clean, the
floors sparsely covered with fresh rushes, and to have a fire always
burning in the common-room when it was needed. According to one set of
English directions, the infirmarian was advised always to keep in his
cupboard a good supply of ginger, cinnamon, peony, etc., so as to be able
at once to minister some soothing mixture or cordial when it was required,
and to remember how much always depended in sickness on some such slight
act of thoughtful sympathy and kindness.
The mediæval rules of the infirmary will probably strike us, with our
modern notions, as being strangely strict upon the sick. The law of
silence, for instance, was hardly relaxed at all in the infirmary; the
sick man could indeed talk about himself and his ailments and necessities
to the infirmarian at any time, and the latter could give him every
consolation and advice; but there was apparently no permission for general
conversation, even among the sick, except at the regular times for
recreation; even at meal times the infirm ate in silence and followed, as
far as might be, the law of the convent refectory.
[Illustration: BROTHER JOHN OF WALINGFORD THE INFIRMARIAN OF ST. ALBAN’S]
The brethren who were unwell were not all received in the infirmary for
treatment. There were some monks sick, as one set of regulations points
out, who were ailing merely from the effect of the very monotony and the
necessarily irksome character of the life in the cloister; from the
continued strain of silence; from the sheer fatigue of choral duties, or
from sleeplessness and such-like causes. These did not need any special
treatment under the infirmarian’s care; they required rest, not medicine;
and the best cure for them was gentle exercise in the open air, in the
garden or elsewhere, with temporary freedom from the strain of their daily
service. Those who had grown old in their monastic service were to find a
place of rest in the infirmary, where they were to be specially honoured
by all. They too, however, had to keep the Rule as far as they were able
without difficulty, and were to remember, as one English Custumal reminds
them, “that not even the pope could grant them a dispensation contrary to
their vows.” So they had to keep silence, for instance, if possible, and
especially the great night silence after Compline.
The curious practice of periodical blood-letting, regarded according to
mediæval medical knowledge as so salutary, formed part of the ordinary
infirmarian’s work. The operation was performed, or might be performed, on
all, four times a year, if possible in February, April, September, and
October. It was not to take place in the time of harvest, in Advent or
Lent, or on the three days following the feasts of Christmas, Easter, or
Pentecost. The community were operated upon in batches of from two to six
at a time, and the special day was arranged for them by the superior in
Chapter, who would announce at the proper time that “those who sat at
this or that table were to be blooded.” In settling the turns,
consideration had, of course, to be paid to the needs of the community.
The weekly server, for example, and the reader, and the hebdomadarian of
the community Mass were not to be operated upon during the period of their
service; and when a feast day was to be kept within four days of the
blood-letting, only those were to be practised on who could be spared from
the singing and serving at the necessary ecclesiastical functions of the
feast.
From first to last, the operation of blood-letting occupied four days, and
the process was simple. At the time appointed, the infirmarian had a fire
lighted in the calefactory, if it were needed, and thither, between Tierce
and Sext, if the day was not a fast, or between Sext and None if it were,
the operator and his victims repaired. If the latter desired to fortify
themselves against the lancet, they might proceed beforehand to the
refectory and take something to eat and drink. During the time of healing,
after the styptic had been applied and the bandages fastened, the
discipline of the cloister was somewhat mitigated. The patient, for
instance, could always spend the hours of work and reading in repose,
either lying on his bed or sitting in the chapter-room or cloister, as he
felt disposed. Till his return to full choir work, he was not to be bound
to any duty. If he were an obedientiary or official, he was to get someone
to see to his necessary duties for him during the time of his
convalescence. If he liked to go to the Hours in choir, he was to sit; he
was never to bend down or do penance of any kind, for fear of displacing
the bandages, and he was to go out of the church before the others, for
fear of having his arm rubbed if he were to walk in the ranks. During the
three days of his convalescence he said his Compline at night in the
chapter-room or elsewhere and then went straight to bed before the
community. Though he had still to rise for Matins with the others, after a
brief visit to the church he was allowed to betake himself to the
infirmary and there to say a much shortened form of the night Office with
the infirmarian and others. When this was done he was to return at once to
bed. In the refectory the monk who had been “blooded” received the same
food as the rest, with the addition of a half-pound of white bread and an
extra portion, if possible, of eggs. On the second and third days this was
increased in amount, and other strengthening food was given to him. In
some places these meals were served in the infirmary after the
blood-letting; and it was directed that the infirmary servant should on
the first day after the bleeding get ready for the patients sage and
parsley, washed in salt and water, and a dish of soft eggs. Those who
found it necessary to be cupped or scarified more frequently, adds one set
of regulations, had to get leave, but were not to expect to stay away from
regular duties on that account.
8. THE ALMONER
The conventual almoner was not necessarily a priest; and although, as his
name imports, his chief duty was to distribute the alms of the monastery
to the poor, there were generally many other functions in behalf of the
brethren which he had to discharge.
“Every almoner must have his heart aglow with charity,” says one
writer. “His pity should know no bounds, and he should possess the
love of others in a most marked degree; he must show himself as the
helper of orphans, the father of the needy, and as one who is ever
ready to cheer the lot of the poor, and help them to bear their hard
life.”
In order to distribute the alms of the house the almoner might be absent
from the morning Office, and although he should be discreet and careful in
his charities, not wasting the substance of the monastery, he should at
the same time be kind, gentle, and compassionate. He should often visit
the aged poor and those who are blind or bedridden. If amongst his
numerous clients for assistance he ever found some who, having been rich,
had been brought to poverty, and were perchance ashamed to sit in the
almonry with the other poor, he should respect their feelings, and should
try and assist them privately. He should submit without manifesting any
sign of impatience to the loud-voiced importunity of beggars, and must on
no account abuse or upbraid them, “remembering always that they are made
to the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Christ.”
The general measures for the relief of poverty were in the hands of the
almoner; but he is told that should he find that his charity to any
individual was likely to be continuous, he must consult the superior; and
in like manner, when anyone has been a pensioner of the house, the almoner
must not stop the usual relief without permission. Whilst engaged with
Christ’s poor in the almonry, in ministering to the wants of the body, he
should never forget those of the soul, and should, as a priest, when
opportunity served, speak to them about spiritual matters, of the need of
Confession and the like. He had charge of all the old clothes of the
religious, and could distribute them as he thought fit, and before
Christmas time he was enjoined not to omit to lay in a store of stockings,
etc., so as to be able to give them as little presents to widows, orphans,
and poor clerks.
To the office of almoner belonged the remnants of the meals in the
refectory, the abbot’s apartments, the guest-house and the infirmary. At
the close of every meal one of the weekly servers took round a basket to
collect the portions of bread, etc., which the monks had not consumed, and
after the dinner the almoner could himself claim, as left for him,
anything that was not guarded by being covered with a napkin. In many
places, on the death of a monk, it was the almoner’s duty to find the
community an extra portion for the labour involved in the long Office for
the dead, and to remind them to pray for the soul of the deceased. In some
monasteries, on the other hand, the almoner daily received a loaf and one
whole dish of food that the poor person who received it might pray for the
founder of the monastery. In most houses, too, upon the death of any
member of the establishment, a cross was put in the refectory upon the
table in front of the place where the dead monk had been accustomed to
sit, and for thirty days the full meal of a religious was served and given
to the poor, that they might pray for the departed brother.
The almoner also superintended the daily maundy, or washing the feet of
the poor selected for that purpose. At Abingdon, for example, every
morning, after the Gospel of the morning Mass, the almoner went to the
door of the abbey, and from the number of those waiting for an alms he
chose three, who subsequently had their feet washed by the abbot,
according to the approved custom. After this maundy they were fed and
sent away with a small present of money. On the great maundy, on the
Thursday before Easter, it was the almoner’s duty to select the deserving
poor to be entertained--sometimes they were to be equal in number to the
number of the community--and after they had had their meal, the almoner
furnished each religious with a penny to bestow upon the poor man he had
served.
As an ordinary part of his office the almoner had also a good deal to do
with any monastic school, other than the claustral school for young
religious, which was connected with a monastery. There, young clerks were
to have free quarters in the almonry, and the almoner was frequently to
see them set to argue one against the other, to sharpen their wits. He was
to keep them strictly, or, as it was called in those days of belief in
corporal punishment, “well under the rod,” and he had to find, out of the
revenues of his office, all “discipline rods” both for the boys and for
use in the monastic Chapter. On feast days, when there were no regular
lessons, these young clerics were to be set to learn the Matins of the
Office of the Blessed Virgin; or to practise writing upon scraps of
parchment. If they did not learn, and especially if they would not, the
almoner was to get rid of them, and fill their places with those who
would.
As before noted, to the almoner belonged, at least partially, the duty of
attending to the mortuary-rolls or notices of deaths. That is to say, he
had to supervise the “breviators,” or letter-carriers, who were sent to
announce the death of the brethren, or who came with such rolls. He
received the rolls, and gave them into the hands of the cantor to copy and
to notify to the community. If it were the mortuary-roll of a prelate,
and especially if it announced the death of the head of any associated
monastery, the superior was to be informed at once, in case he should
desire to add to the roll something special about the dead; that is, more
than the mere name of the place, which was simply meant to testify that
the notice had been seen and read in Chapter. Whilst the bearer of the
roll was waiting to receive back his “brief,” he was to be entertained
liberally in the almonry. Sometimes the almoner was to get the cantor to
multiply copies of the death-notice, and these he at once despatched far
and wide by the hands of such poor people as were tramping the country and
called at the monastery for assistance.
Amongst the miscellaneous duties of the office of almoner, in some places
that official had to see that the mats under the feet of the monks in the
choir were renewed each year for the Feast of All Saints. He had also to
find the rushes for the dormitory floor. From St. Dunstan’s Day, May 19th,
till Michaelmas the cloister was kept strewn with green rushes, which the
almoner had to find, as well as all the mats used in the cloister and on
the stairs, and also in some houses the bay-leaves or “the herb-benet, or
common hedge avens,” to scatter in the refectory and cloister at Easter.
At the time of the long processions also on the Rogation days, two of the
almonry servants, standing at the church door, were wont to distribute
boxwood walking-sticks to such of the community who through age or
infirmity needed them to walk with.
[Illustration: END OF MORTUARY ROLL THOMAS BROWN, BISHOP OF NORWICH D.
1445]
The almoner, says one Custumal, should remember that from his office might
be derived great spiritual gain. He should keep before his mind our
Lord’s words: “I was hungry, and you gave me to eat,” etc. For this reason
alone he should ever be gentle and kind to the poor, for in them he was
really ministering to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He ought to endeavour
to be seldom, if ever, without something to give away in charity, and he
should try to keep a supply of socks, linen and woollen cloth, and other
necessities of life, so that if by chance Christ Himself were at any time
to appear in the guise of a poor, naked, and hungry man, “He might not
have to depart from His own house unfed, or without some clothes to cover
the rags of His poverty.”
9. THE GUEST-MASTER
In mediæval days the hospitality extended to travellers by the monastic
houses was traditional and necessary. The great abbeys, especially those
situated along the main roads of the country, were the halting-places of
rich and poor, whom business, pleasure, or necessity compelled to journey
on “the King’s highway.” For this and many other causes, such as the
coming to the monastery of people desiring to be present at church
festivals and other celebrations, visits of the relatives of monks, and of
those who were concerned in the business transactions of a large
establishment, the coming and going of guests was probably of almost daily
occurrence. The official appointed to attend to the wants of all these and
to entertain them on behalf of the monastery was the _hospitarius_ or
guest-master.
The official guest-master had the reputation of the religious house in his
hands. He required tact, prudence, and discretion in a full measure.
Scribbled on the margin of a monastic chartulary as a piece of advice,
good indeed for all, but most of all applicable to the official in the
charge of the guests, are the following lines:--
“Si sapiens fore vis, sex serva quæ tibi mando
Quid dicas, et ubi, de quo, cui, quomodo, quando.”
Which may be Englished thus:--
“If thou wouldst be wise, observe these six things I command you,
Before speaking think _what_ you say and _where_ you say it; _about_
and _to_ whom you talk, as well as _how_ and _when_ you are
conversing.”
On the other hand, the guest-master is frequently warned that he must
certainly be neither too stand-off, silent, or morose in his intercourse
with strangers. And, as it is part of his duty to hold converse with
guests of all sorts and conditions, with men as well as women, “it becomes
him,” says one Custumal, “to cultivate,” not merely a facility of
expression in his conversation, but pleasing manners and the gentle
refinement which comes of and manifests a good education. All his words
and doings should set the monastic life before the stranger “in a
creditable light,” since it becomes him to remember the proverb: “Friends
are multiplied by agreeable words, enemies are made by harsh ones.”
The guest-master’s first office was to see that the guest-house was always
ready for the arrival of any visitor. He was to make certain that there
was a supply of straw sufficient for the beds; that the basins and jugs
were clean inside and out; that the floors were well swept and spread with
rushes; that the furniture was properly dusted, and that, in a word, the
whole house was kept free from cobwebs and from every speck of dirt.
Before the coming of an expected guest the master was personally to
inspect the chamber set apart for him; to see that there was a light
prepared for him should he need it; that the fire did not smoke; and that
writing materials were at hand in case they were required. Moreover, he
was to ascertain that all things were ready in the common rooms for his
entertainment. When it was necessary to procure something that was
needful, the master could enter the kitchen, which was, of course,
otherwise out of the enclosure for the monks generally. He was to get coal
and wood and straw from the cellarer; the cups, platters, and spoons that
were required from the refectorian; and the sub-cellarer was to arrange as
to the food itself. At Abingdon the guest-master had a special revenue to
be spent upon what must have been a source of very considerable expense in
those days, the shoeing of the horses of travellers generally who came to
the abbey, and especially of those belonging to religious and to poor
pilgrims. People also at various times left small bequests for this as for
other monastic charities. In the same abbey, the guest-master had also a
small yearly sum, charged on a house in the town, which had been left by
“Thurstin the tailor,” to help to entertain poor travellers, as a memorial
of the day when he and his wife had been received into the fraternity of
the monastery.
When word was brought to the guest-master of the arrival of a guest, he
was charged forthwith to leave whatever he was about, and to go at once to
receive him, as he would Christ Himself. He was to assure him--especially
if he were a stranger--of the monastic hospitality, and endeavour from the
first to place him at his ease. He was to remember what he would wish to
be done in his own regard under similar circumstances, and what he would
desire to be done to himself he was to do to all guests. “By showing this
cheerful hospitality to guests,” says one English Custumal, “the good name
of the monastery is enhanced, friendships are multiplied, enmities are
lessened, God is honoured, charity is increased, and a plenteous reward in
heaven is secured.” The whole principle of religious hospitality, as
practised in a mediæval monastery, is really summed up in the words of St.
Benedict’s Rule: _Hospites tamquam Christus suscipiantur_--Guests are to
be received as if they were Christ Himself.
Directly the guest-master had cordially received the new-comer at the
monastery gate, he was to conduct him to the church. There he sprinkled
him with holy water and knelt by him, whilst he offered up a short prayer
of salutation to God, into whose house he was come safely after the perils
of a journey. After this the master conducted his guest to the common
parlour, and here, if he were a stranger, he begged to know his name,
position, and country, sending to acquaint the abbot or superior if the
guest was one who, in his opinion, ought to receive attention from the
head of the house. When the guest was going to stay beyond a few hours, he
was taken after this first and formal reception to the guest-house, where,
when he had been made comfortable, according to the Rule, the master
arranged for the reading of some passages from the Scriptures or some
spiritual work. If the strangers were monks of some other monastery, and
the length of their visit afforded sufficient time, he showed them over
the church and house, and if they had servants and horses he sent to
acquaint the cellarer, that they too might receive all needful care. If a
conventual prior came on a visit he was to be given a position and portion
of food, etc., similar to that of the prior of the house, and every abbot
was to be treated in all things by the monks like their own abbot. For
each monk-guest the master got from the sacrist four candles, and the
chamberlain found the tallow for the cressets in the guest-house. It was
the master’s duty to see that the guests kept the rules, which were to be
made known to them on their first coming. Strangers were entertained for
two days and nights by the house without question. If any of them wished
to speak with one of the monks, leave had to be first obtained from the
superior.
When the guest desired to say the Office, books and a light were to be
provided in the guest-hall, and the master was to recite it with him if he
so desired. If on great feasts guests desired to be present in the church
for Matins, the master called them in ample time, waited for them whilst
they rose, and then with a lighted lantern accompanied them to the choir.
There he was to find them a place and a book and leave them a light to
read by. Before Lauds he came to them with his lantern to take them back
to their chambers that they might again retire to bed till the morning
Office.
Either the guest-master, or his servant, had to remain up at night till
the fires were seen to be protected and the candles put out. If the guest
was obliged to depart early in the morning, the master had to obtain the
keys of the gate and of the parlour from the prior’s bedplace. After
having let the visitor out, he was charged to take care to relock the
doors and to replace the keys. At all times when guests were leaving the
master was bound to be present, and before wishing them Godspeed on their
journey, he was instructed to go round the chambers, “in order,” says one
Custumal, “to see that nothing was left behind, such as a sword, or a
knife; and nothing was taken off by mistake which belonged to his charge
by his Office, and for which he was responsible.” With the departure of
guests came the duty of seeing that everything in the guest-house was put
in order again, and was ready for the advent of others.
10. THE CAMERARIUS, OR CHAMBERLAIN
The chief official duties of the chamberlain of a religious house were
concerned with the wardrobe of the brethren. He consequently had to know
what and how much clothing each religious ought to have by rule, and what
in fact he had. For this purpose he was provided with an official list of
what was lawful, or required, and from time to time with his servant he
had to examine the clothing of the monks, removing what was past repair,
and substituting new garments for the old, which were placed in the
poor-cupboard to satisfy the charitable intentions of the almoner. In the
distribution of these cast-off clothes, however, it was to be remembered
that those who worked for the monastery had first claim, if they were in
need, upon the old garments of the monks which had found their way to the
poor-cupboard.
It is somewhat difficult to discover exactly the amount of underclothing
considered sufficient for religious, especially as in most places there
seems to have been little difficulty in furnishing more, if there was any
particular reason shown for additional clothing. Three sets, however, of
shirts, drawers, and socks, seem to have been an ordinary allowance for
priests and deacons, and probably two sets for others; with two tunics,
scapulars, and hoods, and two pairs of boots. These last were over and
besides the “night-boots,” which were apparently made of thick cloth, with
soles of some heavy noiseless material, such as our modern felt.
The chamberlain by virtue of his office had also to provide the
laundresses and superintend their work. These necessary servants were to
mend as well as wash all sheets, shirts, socks, etc., and all clothes that
needed regular cleansing and reparation. All underclothing was to be
washed, according to one set of rules, once a fortnight in summer, and
once every three weeks in winter. Great care was to be taken that no
losses should occur “in the wash,” and all the clothes sent to the tub
were to be entered on “tallies,” or lists, and returned in the same way
into the charge of the official.
The chamberlain, according to the amount of his work, could generally have
a monk as assistant chamberlain either for a time, or continuously.
Amongst the duties assigned to this assistant was that of looking to the
repairs needed in the clothes, which in a large establishment were
sometimes very heavy. In one of the Custumals, any monk who wanted a
garment repaired, had to place it in the morning in one of the bays of the
cloister leading to the chapter-house, Thither each day came the assistant
chamberlain to see what had been placed there, and what was wanted. He
then carried what he found to the tailor’s shop and fetched it again when
the repairs had been executed. This necessary establishment was generally
well organised. For example, at Abingdon there were four lay officials
and five helpers in the tailor’s department. The first had charge of the
skins and furs; the second was the master tailor; the third the master
cutter; and the fourth was called the “proctor of the shop”; and his
office was to see that all materials had been supplied by the camerarius,
that there was a store of cloth and skins, an abundance of needles, pins,
and thread, and a sufficiency of knives and scissors, and wax for the
thread. The proctor of the shop also had charge of the lights and fire,
and he himself slept in the shop and was responsible for its safe custody.
[Illustration: GLOUCESTER CLOISTERS, THE LAVATORY]
The camerarius by his office had to provide all the cloth and other
material necessary for the house. For such purposes he had to attend at
the neighbouring fairs, whither merchants brought their goods, where he
purchased what was necessary. For such matters he frequently had the use
of a cart and horse, with its driver. When vendors of cloth came to the
monastery the chamberlain had to interview them, and, if necessary,
entertain them out of the revenue attached to his office.
In mediæval times, when patent methods of heating were unknown and windows
were often unglazed or badly glazed, the cold of our northern climate
required the general use of skins and furs as lining to the ordinary
winter garments for protection from the weather and draughts. The cloister
was no exception, especially when the monks had to spend some hours each
night in their great unwarmed churches; and so we find in the Custumals
that the camerarius was warned to prepare a store of lamb-skins and
cat-skins before the cold set in, and he was granted a special supply of
salt for the purpose of curing them. He had charge also of the boots of
the community; and, at one place at least, three times in the year he had
a right to a supply of pigs’-fat from the kitchener, in order that he
might compound the grease with which the community liberally anointed the
leather of their boots to keep it supple and to make it weather-proof.
On the chamberlain of every monastic house devolved also the duty of
making preparation for the baths and for the shaving, etc., of the
brethren. He had to purchase linen cloth for the towels in the cloister
lavatory, for the monks’ baths, and for the general feet-washing each
Saturday. He was charged always to keep an eye upon the lavatory, and,
when it was frozen in the winter, he was told to see that there were hot
water and warm dry towels for the monks’ use. He had also to buy the wood
needful to warm the water for the baths, which were to be taken by all,
three or four times in the year; and he had to keep by him a store of
sweet hay to spread round about the bathing tubs for the monks to stand
on. From November to Easter he was to provide hot water for the general
feet-washing on Saturdays, and on Christmas Eve he was charged to see that
a good fire was kept burning in the calefactory, so that when the monks
came out from their midnight Mass and Office, they should find a warm room
and plenty of hot water to wash in after their long cold vigil in the
church. For all these occasions, too, the camerarius had to provide a
supply of soap, as well as for the washing of heads and for shaving
purposes.
In Cluniac monasteries, at least, the arrangements for shaving had also to
be made by the chamberlain. The brother who undertook the office of barber
kept his implements--razors, strop, soap, and brushes, etc.--in a small
movable chest, which usually stood near the dormitory door. When necessary
he carried it down to the cloister, where, at any time that the community
were at work or sitting in the cloister, he could sharpen up his razors or
prepare his soaps. When the time of the general “_rasura_” came, the
community sat silently in two lines, one set along the cloister wall, the
other facing them with their backs to the windows. The general shaving was
made a religious act, like almost every other incident of cloister life,
by the recitation of psalms. The brothers who shaved the others, and those
who carried the dishes and razors, were directed to say the _Benedicite_
together before beginning their work; all the rest as they sat there
during the ceremony, except of course the individual actually being
operated upon, said the _Verba mea_ and other psalms. The sick, and those
who had leave, were shaved apart from the rest in the warmer calefactory.
It would seem that the usual interval between the times of shaving the
monks’ tonsures was about three weeks; but there was always a special
shaving on the eve of all great festivals. Sometimes in monasteries
situated in towns the work of shaving was performed by a paid expert. In
the Winchester chamberlain’s account-roll, there are entries for such
payments, as, for example, “for thirty-six shavings, 4{s}. 6{d}.”
According to custom, the chamberlain had also to find, out of his
revenues, various little sums for specified purposes. For example, from
the same Winchester rolls it appears that he paid 20_s._ to each monk, in
three portions of different amounts, apparently as pocket-money; he also
year by year paid the money for wine on Holy Innocents’ Day for the
boy-bishop celebration; he kept several boys in the school, and also
defrayed the cost of a student at Oxford University. At Abingdon, in the
same way, from rents received by him, the chamberlain had to furnish each
of the monks with threepence to give to the poor whose feet were washed on
Maundy Thursday. The chief virtues which should characterise the true
monastic chamberlain are stated to be, “wisdom and learning, a religious
spirit, a mature judgment, and an upright honesty.”
11. THE MASTER OF NOVICES
The master of novices was, of course, one of the most important officials
in every religious house. So far we have spoken of the obedientiaries, who
were immediately concerned with the management of the whole monastery; and
the novice-master is placed here, not because his was a less dignified or
a less important office, but because he was officially concerned merely
with those who were being proved for the religious life. The master of
novices, we are told, was to be a man of wide experience and strength of
character. “A person fitted for winning souls,” is St. Benedict’s
description of the ideal novice-master. It is obvious that he should be
able to discern the spirits and prove them; to see whether their call to
the higher life was really from God, or a mere passing inclination or
whim.
During the year of his probation the novice was in complete subjection to
his master. The postulant, who came to beg for admission into religion,
usually remained in the guest-house for four days; after that time, in
some houses, he came to the morning Chapter for three consecutive days,
and, kneeling in the midst of the brethren, urged his petition to be
allowed to join their ranks and to enter into holy religion in their
monastery. After the third morning, if his request was granted, he was
clothed in the habit of a monk, and was handed over to the care of the
novice-master, who was to train him, and to teach him the practices of the
religious life; whose duty it was to test him and to prove him; and who,
for a whole year, was to be his guide, his master, and his friend.
One walk of the cloister, generally the eastern side, was assigned to the
use of the novices. In their work and life they were to be separated, as
much as possible, from the rest of the community except in the church, the
refectory, and the dormitory. Even in these places they were to be still
under the immediate control and constant watchful care of their master.
From the day of their reception the systematic teaching of the rules and
traditional practices of the religious life, which was imparted in the
noviciate, was commenced. The first lesson given the novice was how he was
to arrange the monk’s habit and cowl, which were new to him; how to hold
his hands and head; and how to walk with that modesty and gravity which
become a religious man. These minutiæ were not always so easy to acquire;
and to most, frequently presented some difficulty. The neophyte was next
shown how he should bow, and when the various kinds of bows were to be
made. If the bow was to be profound, it was pointed out to him how he
could tell practically when it was correctly made, by allowing his crossed
arms to touch his knees. Then he was instructed how to get into his bed in
order to observe due modesty, and how to rise from it in the morning, in
the common dormitory. In a word, he was exercised in all the usual
monastic manners and customs.
After these first lessons in the external behaviour of a monk, the novice
was taught the necessity and meaning of such regulations as custody of the
eyes, silence, and respect for superiors and other brethren, both outward
and inward. Step by step he was drilled in the exercises of the regular
life, and taught to understand that they were not mere outward
formalities, but were, or ought to be, signs of the inward change of soul
indicated by the monk’s cowl.
The cloister was the novice’s schoolroom. His master assigned to him a
definite place amongst his fellows, and after the morning Office he sat
there in silence with the book given him, out of which to learn some one
of the many things a novice had to acquire during the year of probation.
The Rule: the prayers and psalms he had to learn by heart: the correct
method of singing and chanting and reading: and sometimes even the
rudiments of the Latin language, without a knowledge of which the work of
a choir brother was impossible, were some of his daily studies; and hard
work enough it was to get through it all in twelve fleeting months. His
master, however, was ever at hand to help him and to encourage him to
persevere, if he only showed the real signs of a call to the higher life.
Before beginning their work the novices always had to recite a _De
profundis_ and a prayer, as an exercise in decorum and deliberation. Not
more than three of them were to use the same book together. At times there
must have been a considerable amount of noise, for in practising the
reading, singing, and chanting they were all directed to make use of the
same tone, as they would have to do in the church or refectory. The
novice-master began their exercises with them, but he could pass them on
for this kind of drilling to someone else, provided he was competent and a
staid and true religious.
Thrice during the year of probation, if the novice persisted in his
design, his master brought him to the morning Chapter, where on his knees
he renewed his petition to be received as one of the brethren. At length,
as the end of the year approached, a more solemn demand was made and, the
novice having been dismissed from the Chapter, the master gave his
opinion, and the verdict of the convent was taken. If the vote were
favourable to the petitioner, a day was appointed for him to make his
vows, and, having pronounced these with great solemnity, he received the
kiss of peace from all as a token of his reception into the full charity
of the brotherhood. In some Orders, certainly amongst the Benedictines,
the ceremony concluded with a formal and ceremonious fastening of the hood
of the newly professed over his head. This he wore closed for three days,
as a sign of the strict retreat from the world, with which he began his
new life as a full religious; and just as our Lord was buried in the tomb
for part of three days to rise again, so was he buried to the world to
rise again to a new life. At the morning Mass of the third day the
superior with some ceremony unfastened the hood, and the late novice
joined the ranks of the junior monks, who for some years after their
profession still remained under the eye and guidance of an immediate
superior called the junior master.
12. THE WEEKLY OFFICIALS
To complete the account of the officers of a monastery some few words are
necessary about the officials, whose duties lasted merely for the week.
The first of these was known as the _hebdomadarian_, or the priest for the
week. In most places, apparently, the hebdomadarian began his labours with
the vespers on Saturday and continued them till the same time the
following week. It was his chief duty to commence all the various
canonical Hours during his week of office. He gave all the blessings that
might be required; he blessed the holy water and, on the proper days, the
candles and ashes. He gave even the blessings bestowed upon the weekly
servers on the Sunday morning. Besides these duties it was his office to
sing the High Mass on all days during the week, and in monasteries where
there were two public Masses, during the week which followed his week of
service, he took the early Mass and assisted at the second.
A second weekly official was the _antiphoner_, whose duty it was to read
the Invitatory at Matins. He did so alone on ordinary days, and sang it
with an assistant, or even with two or more, on greater feasts. He gave
out, or intoned, the first Antiphon at the Psalms, the Versicles, the
Responsoria after the Lessons, and the _Benedicamus Domino_ at the
conclusion of each Hour. He also read the “Capitulum,” or Little Chapter,
and whatever else had to be read at the morning Chapter.
Amongst the other weekly officials may be noted the servers and the reader
at meals. These brethren could take something to eat and drink before the
community came to the refectory, in order the better to be able to do
their duty. The reader was charged very strictly always to prepare what he
had to read beforehand and to find the places, so as to avoid all
likelihood of mistakes. He was to take the directions of the cantor as to
pronunciation, pitch of the voice, and the rate at which he was to read in
public. If he were ill, or for any other reason was unable to perform his
duty, the cantor had to find a substitute. The servers began their week of
duty by asking a blessing in church on Sunday morning. They were at the
disposal of the refectorian during their period of service, and followed
his directions as to waiting on the brethren at meal times, preparing the
tables, and clearing them after all had finished. With the reader, and
other officials who could not be present at the conventual meals, they
took theirs afterwards in the refectory.