_How Brother William Forniken was chosen to be the second Prior in the
House of Mount St. Agnes_.
In the year of the Lord 1408, on the Vigil of Ascension Day, Brother
William Vorniken, from the Monastery at Windesem, was chosen to be Prior
of Mount St. Agnes. He was the second Prior of our House, which he ruled
for seventeen years, being a lover of poverty and discipline. After that
he was taken away from us he was promoted to the Superior House at
Windesem, and became Father General of all our Order. He it was who
looked to the roofing of the church, the making of new stalls in the
choir, and the provision of fair vestments to be worn by priests and
servers on festivals. Also he enlarged the borders of the monastery, and
surrounded the whole with a wall of stone; he built a new dwelling for
the husbandmen and placed a byre for cattle near the gate, likewise in
the year of his departure he began to make a mill and to build a brewery.
In several places he planted trees of divers kinds, of which some were
fruit trees; and he made smooth the slopes of the mountain, which for the
most part still remained steep, and this he did by carrying away the
sandy soil.
He ordered the altars to be beautified with pictures, and good store of
books to be written for the choir and the library. Yet in the midst of
all these things poverty and simplicity were dear to him, and with his
own hand he illuminated many books. He took divers Lay Brothers to dwell
with him, for he saw with the eye of charity that they would earn the
reward of eternal life by faithfully cleaving to their holy labours, and
living the common life under obedience. Some of these he received as
Donates, others he invested with the habit of Converts.
During the years that he was Prior he invested fourteen Clerks, whose
names, with the days of their investiture, are written hereafter.
In the year 1408, on the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, was invested
Brother Nicholas Creyenschot, a native of the town of Kampen, a youth in
years but upright in character.
In the year 1410, on the Feast of All Saints, two Brothers were invested
together, namely, Wermbold, a priest of Kampen and kinsman to John of
Ummen, and Gerard Ae of Utrecht.
In the year 1411, on the Vigil of the Nativity, three Brothers were
invested together, namely, John the son of Gerard, John Bowman, and
Gerard son of Wolter, a Convert; all these came from Zwolle. In the year
1413, on the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, was invested
Brother John of Lent, a town one mile from Zwolle. In the year 1418, on
the Vigil of the Nativity, three Brothers were invested together, namely,
Rudolph of Oetmersen in Twenthe, Otto Lyman of Goch in Geldria, and Henry
the son of James of Zwolle.
In the year 1421, on the Vigil of the Nativity, two Brothers were
invested: namely, Henry, son of William, of Deventer, and Deric Veneman
of Zwolle.
In the year 1423, on Easter Eve, two Converts were invested, namely,
Gerard ten Mollen of Zwolle, and Gerard Hombolt of Utrecht.
In the year of the Lord 1424, on the Feast of the Annunciation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, these three Brothers were invested: John Lap of the
town of Neerden in Holland, Christian Anversteghe of Campen, and Helmic
Braem of Herderwijck in the State of Geldria.