XXIII. Confirmatio Prioris etconuentus Couentrensis de ordinationе vicarie de Whalleye per dominum Rogerum de Northburgh episcopum, nobis facta.

OMNIBUS Cristi fidelib} presens scriptum visuris vel audituris, ffrater Henr. prior Couentr. et eiusdem Loci conuentus salutem in dño. Noueritis nos literas venerabilis patris dñi Rogeri dei gratia Couentr. et Lich. episcopi inspexisse in hec verba. Uniuersis sanete matris ecclesie filijs (4-c. ut supra usq.

well seasoned." On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the general consisted of beans and vegetables, besides which there was a pittance, which might be four eggs or cheese. On other days, the general, besides the vegetables, might be fish or five eggs." And the author adds, " No one can accuse this diet of excess, yet it was

beyond the rule of St. Benedict, and it is known that Stephen de Alberic

succeeded in establishing a much more strict rule than that at Cluney. They rejected dishes of divers kinds of food in the refectory, grease also, and whatsoever was opposed to the purity of the rule. It is known that they did not eat fish, even eggs seem to bo excluded, and milk was only used at the season of harvest, and that not as a pittance, but as one of the two dishes allowed by the rule."

¿rtt. De aatfjaucne. 221

ad illud in fine in folio prox. precedente, et consecrationis nostre nono.) Nos autem ordinationem predictam ratam habentes et gratam, eam auctoritate ecclesie nostre cathedralis, et sigilli capituli nostri muni- mine duximus confirmandam. Dat. Couentr. die martis prox. post festum sancti Dunstani archiepiscopi anno dñi m°ccc° xxxj.