cause to be written down in a roll (in rotulo) every day, upon the day the purchases are made, the price of the articles thus purchased and provided for daily consumption, together with the other expenses of the same day, so that at the end of every day, or at least at the end of every week (as may seem most convenient to the master of the house) a faithful account may be rendered to the said master, or to his substitute if he be absent (which shall be done in the presence of the deans or at least of two fellows) in order that, by so doing, it may appear the more clearly in good time whether these providers for the community be negligent or diligent, and that, if it should appear that they are negligent, the master of the house may provide speedily other trusty and sufficient persons, before any serious injury

accrue.

(18.) Of the almoner of the house and his office.

Since the whole aforesaid college has been altogether founded with charitable almsgivings, we consider it both worthy and just that one of the more devout scholars of the house be elected every year to superintend the distribution of alms, as mentioned above, of the almsgivings of the scholars, first, (since well regulated charity begins at home,) providing for two or three grammatical scholars (gremials), as already mentioned, and afterwards trustily and seasonably distributing alms to others, as may seem best to accord with the pious intents of charity; and, although from the present estimation of your property, your alms may as yet be very slight, yet by the Lord's permission they shall become more plentiful, when in time you shall arrive at an increase of fortune; and this we most earnestly desire for you with our whole heart.

(19.) Of the internal servants of the house.

Since, as is before stated, it behoves the master to be absent upon external business, in the manors belonging to

the house, in different places, sometimes far, and sometimes. near, whenever it may be needful, we ordain that he shall have an honest servant (garcio) who shall follow him, whenever he may need to be absent, and shall serve him in his chamber, and tend his horse as well within as without the house, when absent on a journey, and shall also serve the scholars in hall and at table, as far as his occupations will permit; and that other common servants be employed in the interior service of the house, as many and according as the master of the house, in concert with the deans, may determine, not in excess, but in moderate number, consideration being had of the means of the house, and proper wages shall be paid them according to the judgment of the said master and deans.

(20.) Of the porter of the house.

And, that the gate of the house may not be open to all persons indifferently, good or bad, honest or dishonest, the master shall as speedily as can conveniently be done, take care, in concert with the deans, prudently to provide such a good and careful porter as shall know how to distinguish one person from another, and he shall open and shut the gate at the proper time, for the decency of the scholars, and the convenience and honour of this our said house. And his office shall be regulated in this manner, namely, that after a certain hour, to be fixed by the aforesaid master and deans, as may seem most fitting to them, no scholar shall come in or go out unless he have some reasonable cause, to be approved by the master as he may think fit; and that he who shall do the contrary shall be summarily punished by the master in concert with the deans; that any such transgressor moreover, if discovered, shall be altogether dismissed from the house, as for any greater misdeed, as is stated further on in regard to criminal scholars; and that the porter, if he shall have permitted him voluntarily and of his

knowledge thus to come in or go out, shall be punished in the same manner, as a partner in the misdeed.

(21.) Of the number of the scholars.

Since the means of this our aforesaid house, as we have already stated, scarcely suffice for even the slender maintenance of fifteen persons (one of whom is the master, and the others are the scholars), and not more, we ordain, enact, and decree, that when by the mediation of God's protection the means of the house shall have increased for their suitable maintenance, and not before they shall have thus increased, the number of scholars may be augmented at the discretion of the bishop of Ely, in concert with the major and senior part of the aforesaid scholars (as is agreeable to right); and that in such a case, these scholars shall be chosen, nominated, presented, and admitted according to the proper forms, as has been fully noted in the chapter Of the nomination of the scholars, and that, if, on the contrary, they be perchance nominated, presented, or admitted, contrary to those forms and without observing the aforesaid conditions, all such nominations, presentations, and admissions shall be ipso facto null and void, and no right shall be acquired in the aforesaid house by any such nomination.

(22.) of those preventing the number of scholars from being increased.

Since, (as justice persuades us,) when the goods of the said house, by the intermediation of divine providence, and the charitable aid of the faithful, shall have come to increase, the number of the scholars ought also to be augmented as far as the means of the house may permit, we enact, in imitation of Merton Hall, and moreover ordain, that the said number shall be defined by the master and deans in concert with all the scholars in common, and shall be moreover determined by a congregation of the scholars especially

assembled for this purpose; and if any obstacle be offered by the master or one or more of the scholars of the said house, for the sake of their own selfish interests or a greater abundance of provisions, in order to prevent the number of scholars from being increased in proportion to the increase of the means of the house, (in case they be scholars,) that they shall be compelled by the master in concert with the deans, by such punishment as may seem just to them, to desist from their opposition; and, if any one be obstinate and refuse to desist from such opposition, he shall be altogether expelled from the house, as if for a misdeed of a more serious nature. But if it be the master who thus offers any impediment to the augmentation of the scholars, he shall be thrice admonished within the space of two days by the deans of the said house to desist from his opposition, which if he fail to do, then he shall be denounced by the said deans to the bishop of Ely, who shall remove the said master from his rule, as if for some serious misdeed, unless he excuse himself with good reason; upon which the aforesaid scholars shall freely provide themselves and the house with a new master, according to the forms given above. We consider, however, that all that regards the punishment in this matter should be modified in instances where the opposer openly puts forward a legitimate and evident cause for his opposition, as in the case of litigation about property with a powerful adversary, or of a contribution imposed by the church for its own appropriate uses, or of a subsidy for the holy land, or of a sudden demand or levy for prince or prelate, or of the burning or falling down of houses or churches, or of a mortality among the herds and flocks, or other similar cases, which, although they may exist in fact, it is not possible easily to enumerate, under which circumstances we desire that they may be excused from this punishment, as justice dictates.

OF THE SCHOLARS' PROBATION AND STUDIES. 21

(23.) Of the year of probation of the scholars to be admitted.

In order, however, that the master and scholars of our aforesaid house may be able to judge as to the abovementioned qualifications of the scholars about to be admitted as perpetual scholars of the said house, we enact and ordain that, when any shall be on the point of being admitted, they shall be received for a year of delay, for the sake, as it were, of a previous probation, so that, at the expiration of the year, if they have laudably conducted themselves according to the said qualifications, and if it be so proved and testified by the master and the two deans and three senior scholars of the house, they shall at last be nominated, presented, and admitted as perpetual scholars of the house, according to the forms above indicated.

(24.) In what faculties the scholars are bound to study.

We enact and moreover ordain, that the persons to be henceforth admitted into our aforesaid house as perpetual scholars, for the purpose of applying themselves to the study of letters, shall be bound to devote themselves to the study of arts, Aristotle, canon law, or theology; in such wise, however, that the greater part do diligently apply themselves to the study of the liberal arts until, having, in the judgment of the master and of the fellows, or at least of the major and sounder part of them, made laudable progress and being competently instructed in the said knowledge, they shall be in a fitting state to betake themselves to the study of theology; but that two, and not more (at the same time), shall be free to study in canon and civil law, and one in medicine, those, in fact, who may be determined upon by the discretion of the master and scholars, or the majority of them, under the obligation of their oath, as the more suitable and apt for these studies, to whom a dispensation shall be granted by the master, in virtue of