_Of the building of the first House on Mount St. Agnes_.
But after the passing of the Master, who must ever be held in
remembrance, the new branch of his planting ceased not to bear fruit;
moreover the heaven shed dew upon it from above, as Gerard at the end of
his life had promised, so that our land yielded increase in her season;
and the men above named continued to carry into effect the intention
which they had formed in their minds. The chief mover in this holy work
was James Wittecoep, the son of one Thomas Coep, a man who had been a
magistrate in the town of Zwolle; and he did all that in him lay to
promote the foundation of an house on the mountain for the servants of
God. Goswin Tyasen, who afterward became a Canon Regular at Windesheim,
assisted him in this business, for he, relying upon the goodness of God,
and having the ear of his fellows, was eagerly desirous to move them to
choose this place. There were others also of like purpose, but these two
were the chief men amongst them, and they all relied upon the help of
their friends, but especially upon the co-operation of the mercy of God
by Whose nod all things are determined. Therefore they besought the
heritors of Bercem and Nemel, joint owners of the farm, to grant them a
portion of the land, and the site where now the Monastery is builded, and
the owners thereof did freely grant their request and gave them the land
for the Brothers to dwell in. When they had obtained the power to build
upon the spot pointed out to them aforetime by Master Gerard, they set in
order a small house, at the bottom of the mountain, that had been given
to them by a certain matron, and some labourers assisted them in this
work. This house was builded of logs and earth, but was only roofed in
above with common thatch. But when this poor little habitation, on an
humble site on the lower part of the mountain was builded, no man dwelt
there, because it lacked household stuff; yet certain of the Brothers
whose hearts were set on the completion of the work would visit it, and
sometimes one or two would sleep upon the straw there, in their clothes,
but for their food they either brought somewhat with them or returned to
their friends in the town.
Scarce have I known of any place or house that was begun in so great
poverty, and yet came, in despite of divers hindrances, to so great an
increase of prosperity; but Jesus our Saviour Himself began in the
deepest poverty, and His lack did make rich Holy Church. This house
therefore, poor at first, unknown and hidden, did deserve in process of
time to be more widely increased through the blessing of our Father in
Heaven, Who doth ever turn His Face toward lowly things, but doth look
from afar upon the lofty. For as wealthier persons came and brought
their goods into the common stock, the place whose beginning was so poor,
and its outward appearance so lowly, grew to be a yet fairer vineyard of
the Lord of Sabaoth. For the tillers of the farm and the country folk of
the land of Bercem and Nemel, seeing that an house was now builded on the
mountain and that devout men had come together there to serve God in
humility and simplicity, gave and assigned to them and their successors
the aforesaid place in honour of Holy Religion, and that prayers might be
offered for them and their friends; which grant they did also confirm in
writing to any others whom God Almighty should see fit to associate with
them. In regard to this holy gift and this pious request made by consent
of the owners of the place, there was but one deed executed relating to
the first and original foundation. This is attested by the seals of many
honest men, and in it is given a short description of the manner of the
Common Life and of the wholesome rule so far as this same was applicable
to the conditions of the Brotherhood in the early days. These things
were done and finished in the year of the Lord 1386 on the Friday before
Palm Sunday, and a year and a half after the death of the aforesaid
Master Gerard.