_How the monastery was removed from Westerhof to Mount St. Agnes_.
In the same year of the Lord 1398, on the 26th day of the month of
August, two days before the Festival of our Holy Father Augustine, did
that most kindly Lord Frederic, by the grace of God, Bishop of Utrecht,
issue a further licence. He did ever most faithfully promote the
interests of our House, and was our special patron, and he had compassion
upon the Brothers who were invested a short time before at Westerhof, in
that they were ill-content with the place, and ill-provided for there, by
reason of divers hindrances and impediments that were not agreeable to
the religious life. The Bishop therefore, hearing of these hindrances
and the true causes thereof, gave them licence to transfer themselves and
all their goods from the aforesaid place to Mount St. Agnes, so soon as
might be convenient, and to retain the same rights and privileges as he
had before conferred upon them. Thus for the second time they obtained
his full and gracious consent to their desires, and Conrad Hengel, then
Vice-Curate of Zwolle, likewise assented to their pious wishes.
Therefore on the eve of the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross they
returned to the place that they had long possessed and where the greater
number of their friends still continued to dwell, with blind John of
Ummen; they left, however, some few Lay Brothers at Westerhof to arrange
their affairs.
Moreover the Bishop of Utrecht had given them a licence for the
consecration of a burial-ground for the use of the monastery that they
should found on Mount St. Agnes. But when Hubert, the Bishop Suffragan,
came for this purpose and entered into Zwolle, he was not allowed to
continue his journey to the Mount until the Magistrates had first spoken
with the Lord Bishop of Utrecht, for they thought to dissuade him from
his opinion. From this cause the consecration of the burial-ground was
delayed for the space of a year, until the return of the Bishop of
Utrecht, for the said Bishop during the year had gone to the Curia at
Rome, and he ordered that the cause of both parties should be put off and
await his coming and presence on his return. But when he had come back
from Rome and entered his own country in safety, certain of our Brothers
came to him and asked him once more to give permission for the
consecration of the burial-ground, and he, yielding to the importunity of
his friends, did freely grant their petition. So he issued his commands
again and ordered the consecration of this place, for he loved it and
paid no heed to the complaints of the adversaries, since he preferred the
honour of God and the progress of religion rather than the unjust words
of worldlings, who, as is well-known, do often oppose the desires of good
folk. From that time forward he showed special love to the House on the
Mount, and extended to it yet fuller patronage, so that one day when he
was riding round the mountain on his way to Zwolle, he asked one of his
companions, saying: "What is this place, and what manner of men dwell
here?" and his Vicar answered him: "Beloved Lord, dost thou not yet know
that place? This is thy monastery, this is Mount St. Agnes, and the
Brothers of the Mount dwell there." And the Bishop made answer: "It is
well--may God preserve them."
It came to pass in this same year, 1398, in the month of September, when
the Plague was still amongst us that a well-disposed Lay Brother named
John, son of Faber, who was smitten with the pestilence, came from Zwolle
to the mountain, and sought hospitality in the name of God. And being
received in charity, his disease grew heavy upon him, and he died on the
Feast Day of St. Maurice the Martyr. But after his death certain of the
Clerks and Lay folk, being infected with the Plague, were taken from this
life after a little while, but several others grew whole of their
sickness, for the Lord had mercy upon them.
Lastly, on the day after the Feast of St. Francis the Confessor died
John, son of Nicolas of Campen, a Lay Brother of great age, who had been
the gardener.
On the day of the translation of our holy Father, Augustine Gerard Bou
left this bodily life. He was a man of great strength, who had been a
farmer, and his native land was Holland.
On the Feast of St. Calixtus, Pope and Martyr, died Hermann Restikey, a
Clerk of the diocese of Cologne; he was born in the town of Kempen, and
was well learned and skilled in singing and in binding books. When he
drew near to death he asked that a taper might be lighted quickly and
given into his hands, and holding this above his breast he began to say
devoutly and often to repeat: "Mary, Mother of Grace, Mother of Mercy, do
thou protect us from the enemy and receive us in the hour of death," and
having said this, he breathed forth his soul.
On the day after the Feast of the Eleven Thousand Holy Virgins, John of
Kempen fell asleep in the Lord; he was a devout Clerk of the diocese of
Cologne who had just been received into the Religious Order, but he died
or ever he could take the habit, for death was beforehand with him. He
was kinsman to the aforesaid Hermann, whom he had persuaded to withdraw
from the life of the world when he was Sublector in the town of Campen.
These greatly loved one another in life and death, they came from one
city and province, they were of one heart in their good purpose, and
alike steadfast therein. This John, who continued a longer space in the
service of God, was a man of great kindliness and sobriety, and was well
skilled in the work of husbandry. For at harvest time when all must
labour more than usual he was diligent in helping therein. And sometimes
at night he would gather in the crops of the poor, and often wearied
himself by this work of piety; but in this year the weather was very
rainy, and the crops were in such danger that he gathered in those that
grew in the watery places, and binding them into sheaves carried them on
his own shoulders out of reach of the waters.
On the Feast Day of the Saints Crispin and Crispian died Wichbold, son of
John of Deventer, a man of good lineage. For a long time he lived a
devout life in Zwolle, but afterward finished his days yet more devoutly
on the Mount. Being an eager lover of the Scriptures he edified many by
his holy discourse. On the Feast Day of St. Martin the Confessor, Henry
of Deventer fell asleep in Christ; he was a Clerk and the companion and
fellow citizen of Wichbold, and likewise a very humble and gentle man.
One day he was plastering the inner walls of the cells in the dormitory
of the Brotherhood with soft mortar in company with another Clerk. But
it happened that as the mortar was somewhat violently dashed on to the
wall some did come through the cracks of the battens into Henry's face
(for he was standing on the other side of the wall) and befouled him
greatly. But he who had done the deed, looking to see who had been
bespattered by the mortar, and seeing the Brother who was so greatly
loved with his face befouled, implored his pardon in dolorous wise. But
Henry was rather merry than vexed, and answered: "There is no hurt done,
be not disturbed. I care not for it." So gentle was he that none ever
saw him angered or heard him complain.
The day after the Feast of Brixius, Confessor and Bishop, died Hermann of
Laer, a man of great age who came from Campen.
On the Vigil of St. Thomas the Apostle, died Gerlac ten Water, a Clerk of
the town of Kampen. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and
was still in the flower of his youth, but in this same year he left the
world and his parents and entered the monastery with joy, and he made a
good end to his life when came the time appointed for him to die. These
were buried in the Chapel of St. Agnes, which afterward became the
Chapter House, because there was no other consecrated ground in the which
they could be buried. But as the space was very narrow, some were buried
in a neighbouring spot, because it was hoped that a burial-ground would
soon be consecrated there.
But in the year 1407, in the time of William Vorniken, the second Prior,
and after the consecration of the new chapel, the bones of some of these
Brothers were taken up and buried again in the other burial-ground on the
western side of the chapel, where now several Lay Brothers who knew them
lie buried also.
In the same year, on the Feast day of St. Martin, the Bishop, Brother
Egbert Linghen, the first Rector, invested two converts; their names
being Brother John, son of James of Hasselt, and Brother John Eme of
Zwolle.
In the year 1399, on the Feast of St. Gregory the Pope, Brother Godefried
of Kempen, who was born in the diocese of Cologne, was invested by the
first Rector. He was a skilful writer and singer, and he wrote one
missal for the High Altar, and three Antiphonaries, and likewise
illuminated several books. Also he painted and adorned the altars of the
church most beautifully with the figures of saints.