“ Item 2. ofculator. argent.
“ Item i. ofculatorium cum ojfe digit! auricular.— S'- Johannis
Baptijiees.
tc Item i. parvam crucem cum V. reliquih.
“ Item i. anulum argent, et deauratum St. Edmundi
“ Item 2. ofculat. de coper.
“ Item i. junctorium St. Ricardiu.
“ Item i. pefiett St. Ricardi*"
The fiaurum, or live flock, is quite ridiculous, confifting only
of " 2 vacce, i fus, 4 hoggett. et 4 porcell.” viz. two cows,
one fow, four porkers, and four pigs.
3 How the convent came by tbe bone of the little finger of S a in t J o h n th e B a t t i f l
, , t s J f i does not appear .• probably the founder, while in P a l i f in e , purchafed it among the
^ A f ia t ic s , who were at that time great traders in relics. We know from the beft authothat
as foon as H e ro d had cruelly beheaded that holy man “ his difciples came
vYO “ 2nd took up the body and buried it, and went and told J e f u s . " Matt. iv. i z.— Far-
—-^»^ther would be difficult to fay.
* November 2° ’ 111 the calendar> Edmund king and martyr, in the 9th century. See
Y S , t~.i " , . d alfo a Sanelus Edmundm in God-win, among the archbifliops o f Canterbury, in the 13th
ag v ^ / _ __ century j his furname Rich, in 1234.
/ ° April 3, ibid. Richard biffiop o f Cbichejier, in the 13th centuryj his furname De la
Wichy in 1245.
Jundlorium, perhaps a joint or limb o f St. Richard j but wEat particular joint the re-
ligious were not fuch ofteologifts as to fpecify. This barbarous word was not to be
found in any di&ionaiy confulted by the author.
* “ Peaen inter minifteria facra recenfetur, quo fcil. facerdotes ac clerici, antequam
“ m ecclefiam procederent, crines peflerent. E quibus colligitur monachos, tunc
tempons, non omnino tonfos fuifle.” £)u Frefne.
T h e author remembers to have feen in great farm houfes a family comb chained to a
yofi: for the ufe o f the hinds when they came in to their meals.
l e t t e r
L E T T E R XIX.
S tjspe died towards the end of the year 1453, as we m3J hip-
pofe pretty far advanced in life, having been prior forty-four
years.
On the very day that the vacancy happened, viz. January 26,
1453-4, fub-prior and convent petitioned the vifitor— “ vos
“ unicum levamen noftrum, et fpem unanimiter rogamus, quart
tinus eligendum ex nobis unum confratrem de gremio noftro,
“ in noftra religione probatum et expertem, licenciam veftram
.« paternalem cum plena libertate nobis concedere dignemini
“ graciofe.” Reg. Waynfiete, tom. I.
Inftead of the licenfe requefted we find next a commiflion
“ cuftodie prioratus de Selebourne durante vacatione,” addrefled
to brother Peter Berne, canon-regular of the priory of Selebourne,
and of the order of St. Augufiine, appointing him keeper of tbefaid
priory, and empowering him to colledt and receive the profits
and revenues, and “ alia bona” of the faid priory; and to exer-
cife in every refpeft the full power and authority of a prior; but
to be refponfible to the vifitor finally, and to maintain this fupe-
riority during the bilhop’s pleafure only. This inftrument is
dated from the bilhop’s manor-houfe in Southwark, March 1,
1453-4, and the feventh of his confecration.
D d d After