ing or intending, that he so obtaining the said benifice, shall freely and clearly remit the said money so borrowed?

68. Item; What and how many benefices the master of this house doth occupy, and keep in his own hands?

69. Item; Whether the same benefices be appropriate and united to this house by sufficient authority?

70. Item; Whether the master of this house doth make distributions amongst the parishioners of the benefices appropriate, and doth keep and observe all and singular other provisions and ordinances specified and expressed in the appropriations of the same benefices? Exhibeant omnes et singulas Appropriotiones, una cum Ordinationibus et dolationibus Vicariatuum.

71. Item; Whether he do promote unto such benefices as be of his gift, sufficient and able persons in learning, manners, and virtue ?

72. Item; Whether any brother of this house do serve any parish church, being appropriate and united to the same, and how many churches appropriate be so served?

73. Item; Whether the master of this house hath and possesseth any benefice with cure, or any other dignity with his abbey? Si aliquod tale habet, Dispensationem exhibeat.

74. Item; Whether the master of this house, at any time since he was first made abbot, or master, did know or believe that he was suspended, or excommunicated, either by the law, or by any judge; and whether be, knowing or supposing himself so to be, did sing mass in the mean time, and before he was absolved?

sa addantur hæc.

75. Item; Whether this monastery hath good and sufficient enclosure, and whether the doors and windows be diligently kept shut, so that no man can have entry into the same, or any part thereof, at in convenient times?

Propter quod necessarium erit Visitatori circumire monasterium, ac videre, ac rimare dispositionem ædificiorum, et an sint aliqua loca pervia per quæ secrete intrari possit; et una secum habeat abbatissam cum duabus aut tribus senioribus monialibus, a quibus tum interroget, an ostia monasterii singulis quibusque noctibus sub clavibus clausa teneantur, et quæ earum monialium senis confectarum, vel an abbas ipsa clavium custodiam tempore nocturno habeant et teneant: nam non est tutum clavium custodiam junioribus committere. 76. Item; Whether strangers, men or women, useth commonly to have communication with the sisters of this house, without license of the abbess or prioress, specially in secret places, and in the absence of their sisters?

77. Item; Whether any sister of this house were professed for any manner of compulsion of her friends and kinsfolk, or by the abbess or prioress?

78. Item; Whether any of the sisters of this house useth to go forth, any whither out of the precinct thereof, without special licence of their abbess or prioress?

79. Item; Whether any sister doth use her habit continually out of her cell?

80. Item; Wherein every one of you occupieth herself, beside the time of divine service?

81. Item;

81. Item; Whether any sister of this house hath any familiarity with religious men, secular priests, or lay-men, being not near of kin unto them?

82. Item; Whether any sister of this house hath been taken and found with any such accustomably so communing, and could not shew any reasonable cause why they so did ?

83. Item; Whether any of you doth use to write any letters of love or lascivious fashion, to any person, or receive any such, or have any privy messengers coming and resorting unto you, or any of you, with tokens or gifts, from any manner of secular person or other?

84. Item; Whether any of you doth use to speak with any manner of person, by night or by day, by grates or back windows, or other privy places within this monastery, without licence of your head?

85. Item; Whether the confessor of this house be a discreet man, of good learning, virtue, and honest behaviour, of good name and fame, and whether he hath been always so taken?

$6. Item; How ofttimes in the year the sisters of this house useth to be confessed and communicated?

II. General Injunctions to be given on the King's Ilighness's behalf, in all Monasteries and other Ilouses, f whatsoever Order or Religion they be. Cott. Libr. Cleop. E. IV.

First; that the abbot, prior, or president, and all other brethren of the place that is visited, shall faithfully, truly, and heartily, keep and observe, and cause, teach, and procure to be kept and observed of other, as much as in them may lie,

all and singular contents, as well as in the other of the king's highness succession,given heretofore by them, as in a certain profession lately sealed with the commou seal, and subscribed and signed with their own hands: also, that they shall observe and fulfill, by all the means that they best may, the statutes of this realm, made, or to be made, for the suppression and taking away of the usurped and pretended jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, within the realm; and for the assertion and con firmation of the authority, jurisdicti on, and prerogative of our most noble sovereign lord the king, and his su cessors; and that they shall dilgently instruct their juniors and youngers, and all other committed to their care, that the king's power is, by the laws of God, most excel lent of all under God in earth; an that we ought to obey him afore al other powers, by God's prescript, and that the bishop of Rome's jarisdiction or authority, heretofor usurped, by no means is founded established by holy scripture: but that the same, partly by the craft and deceit of the same bishop of Rome, and by his evil canons and decretals, and partly by the tolera tion and permission of princes, by little and little hath grown up; and therefore now, of most right and equity, is taken away and clean expelled out of his realm.

Also, that the abbot, prior, of president and brethren, may be de clared, by the king's supreme power and authority, ecclesiastical, to be absolved and loosed from all manner of obedience, oath, and profession. by them heretofore perchance promised or made to the said bishop of Rome, or to any other in his stead, or occupying his authority, or

any

ny other foreign prince or person. nd, nevertheless, let it be enjoined > them, that they shall not promise r give such oath or profession to ny such foreign potentate hereafter. And if the statutes of the said order eligions, or place, seem to bind them o obedience or subjection, or any ther recognizance of superiority to he said bishop of Rome, or to any ther foreign power, potentate, peron, or place, by any ways, such tatutes by the king's grace's visiors be utterly annihilate, broken, nd declared void and of none effect; nd that they be in no case bounden or obligate to the same; and such tatutes to be forthwith utterly put orth and abolished out of the books ›r muniments of that religion, order, or place, by the president and his brethren.

Also, that no monk or brother of this monastery by any means go forth of the precinct of the same.

Also, that women, of what state or degree soever they be, be utterly excluded from entering into the limits or circuit of this monastery or place, unless they first obtain licence of the king's highness, or his visitor.

Also, that there be no entering into this monastery but one, and that by the great fore-gate of the same, which diligently shall be watched and kept by some porter, specially appointed for that purpose, and shall be shut and opened by the same, both day and night, at couvenient and accustomed hours; which porter shall repel all manner of women from entrance into the said monastery.

Also, that all and singular brethren and monks of this monastery take their refections altogether, in a place called the Misericorde, such

days as they eat flesh, and all other days in their refectory: and that at every mess there sit four of them, not of duty demanding to them any certain, usual, or accustomed duty or portion of meat, as they were wont to do; but that they be con tent with such victuals as is set before them, and there take their re fections soberly, without excess, with giving due thanks to God; and that at every such refection, some chapter of the New Testament, or Old, by some of the said brethren, be read and recited to the other, keeping silence and giving audience to the same.

Also, that the abbot and president do daily prepare one table for himself and his guests thither resorting, and that not over-sumptuous, and full of delicate and strange dishes, but honestly furnished with common meats: at which table the said abbot, or some senior in his stead, shall sit to receive and gently entertain the strangers, the guests.

Also, that none of the brethren send any part of his meat, or the leavings thereof, to any person; but that there be assigned an almoner, which shall gather the leavings, both of the covent and strangers tables, after that the servants of the house have had their convenient refections, and distribute the same to poor people; among whom special consideration be had of such, before other, as be kinsfolk to any of the said brethren, if they have like power and debility as other be; and also of those which endeavour themselves, with all their will and labour, to get their living with their hands, yet cannot fully help themselves, for their chargeable houshold and multitude of children: yet let not them be so cherished, that they shall