The Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond Part 13

CHAPTER III

25, 12. Jeremiah xxiii. 40.

25, 21. Cf. 1 Corinthians xii. 3.

26, 23. _Verba Mea._ The 5th Psalm in the Vulgate begins with these words.

31, 9. _Waltham._ The interview with Henry II. took place at Bishop's Waltham, in Hamps.h.i.+re, on the 21st February, 1182.

31, 15. _Geoffrey the Chancellor._ Geoffrey was a natural son of Henry II.--it is generally stated as by Fair Rosamond, though this is now discredited by the facts adduced in the _Dict. Nat. Biog._ He was successively Bishop of Lincoln (1173), Chancellor (1182), Archbishop of York (1191), and after a violent quarrel with King John, fled the country in 1207, dying in Normandy in 1212.

32, 5. Matthew xix. 30; Mark x. 31.

34, 23. _By the very eyes of G.o.d_: "per veros oculos Dei!" This was a favourite oath of Henry II. In a contemporary metrical life of St.

Thomas of Canterbury, the King is more than once made to exclaim "Par les oilz Dieu" (Rokewode, p. 115). William II. used to swear by "the holy Face of Lucca"; John by "the teeth of G.o.d" (Ramsay, _Angevin Empire_ (1903), p. 414).

35, 7. _Miserere mei Deus._ Psalm li.

CHAPTER IV

37, 24. _Threshold of the gate._ Samson alighted at what is now known as the "Norman Tower."

38, 4. _Martyri adhuc._ Rokewode gives on page 115 the text (with the musical notes) of this response, the words of which are: "Martyri adhuc palpitanti, sed Christum confitenti, jussit Inguar caput auferri: sicque Edmundus martyrium consummavit, et ad Deum exultans vadit." In a MS. (Digby 109) now at the Bodleian Library (which contains also a copy of Abbo's _Pa.s.sio_) this response comes after the 5th lesson of the office of St. Edmund.

39, 23. John vi. 6.

39, 24. _New seal._ A representation of this seal is given as the Frontispiece. It is taken from an instrument in the Archives of Canterbury Cathedral, dated 6 November, 1200, being an award in a dispute between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Canons of Lambeth, referred by Pope Innocent III. to Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln (for whom Roger, Dean of Lincoln, was subst.i.tuted), Eustace, Bishop of Ely, and Abbot Samson.

The seal represents Abbot Samson, vested in amice, alb, tunic, dalmatic, chasuble, rationale, and mitre. He holds a crozier in his right hand and a closed book in his left. The mitre is unusually large for the date. The inscription is broken, but in full reads thus: "Sigillum Samsonis Dei Gratia Abbatis Sancti Eadmundi." The counterseal (much smaller) displays the lamb bearing a cross, with the words round the circ.u.mference, "Secretum Samsonis Abbatis."

41, 9. _Thomas of Hastings._ Apparently the object of Thomas in introducing thus early his nephew, Henry of Hastings, to the notice of Samson, was to secure a recognition by the new Abbot of the claims of his family to the hereditary stewards.h.i.+p of the Liberty of St. Edmund.

By Charter of William I., Lidgate in Suffolk, and Blunham in Bedfords.h.i.+re (where the church is dedicated to St. Edmund), were given to one Ralph to hold in fee of the Abbot of St. Edmund by the service of Dapifer or Steward. Later, between 1115 and 1119, Abbot Albold granted the lands, with the office held by Ralph, to Maurice of Windsor and his heirs, and this grant was confirmed by King Stephen.

Maurice was succeeded by Ralph of Hastings, his nephew, and Ralph by William of Hastings, his nephew; and Henry, on whose behalf the claim of the stewards.h.i.+p was made to Samson, was William's son and heir. The Abbot admitted that his right was indisputable (the original Charters of William I., Abbot Albold, Stephen, and Henry II. [two] are quoted by Rokewode, pp. 118-120). But Samson's point seems to have been that Henry was too young to give personal service as Steward, and therefore "the business was deferred." Rokewode observes (p. 117): "Henry continued a minor in 1188, his office being then filled by Robert of Flamville, who held it at the time of his being one of the Wardens of the Abbey during the vacancy" (see p. 12). In Reece's _Breviary of Suffolk_ (1902) John of Hastings is given as Lord of the Manor of Lidgate in 1315.

CHAPTER V

43, 11. _Enclosed many parks._ At the Abbot's manor at Melford was an old deer park of very ancient foundation. It was called Elmsett or Aelmsethe, or the Great Park, and consisted chiefly of open wood. It was in olden times termed "Magnus Boscus Domini," and in the surveys of Edward I. and Henry VI. it is reckoned both as park and wood, the wood part being in the latter survey 217a. 2r. 34p. The whole was impaled round and stored with deer. (Parker's _Melford_, pp. 310-11).

43, 12. _beasts of chase._ The "Beasts of the Chase" in Angevin days were the buck, doe and fox: the "Beasts of the Forest" were the hart, hind and hare: and the "Beasts and Fowls of the Warren" were the hare, rabbit ("coney"), pheasant and partridge. The fox was coupled with the wolf in Canute's Forest Law, No. 27, as "neither forest beasts nor game." When the fox was made a Beast of the Chase cannot be ascertained with any precision. The same Law No. 27, protected "hares, rabbits and roedeer"; the last are not mentioned in later times. In addition to the animals above named, the otter was hunted--_vide_ Patent Rolls of Henry III. of 1221. The badger, polecat or wild cat (_catus_) and marten are specified as beasts which receivers of royal licences might hunt "with their own hounds" in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. There appears to be no such charter or licence granting leave to hunt "the King's great game" (deer): on the contrary, deer are often specially reserved.

43, 12. _Keeping a huntsman with dogs._ The St. Edmund breed of dogs seems to have been celebrated, as Richard I., when there was a difference between him and Samson as to the wards.h.i.+p of Nesta of c.o.c.kfield, wrote to the Abbot in a friendly way, and asked him for some of his dogs (page 148). The hunting dog of old times was probably a light sort of mastiff. Sometimes a breed was more celebrated for speed or for strength or for courage, as in the case of the hounds bred by the abbots of Bury. In the course of time the slighter varieties developed into the greyhound, and the thicker into the mastiff of modern times. Canute's Forest Law 31 forbade possession of "the dog which the English call greihounds" to the lower cla.s.ses.

Henry II.'s a.s.size of the Forest, given at Woodstock 1184, forbids (Clause 2) any one entering a royal forest with bow, arrows, dogs or greyhounds, save with special warrant. Clause 14 requires the lawing of mastiffs.

The Wardrobe Account of Edward I. for 1299-1300, records payment for maintenance of twelve "_fox dogs_." These were used to kill foxes in coverts previously netted round, so were not, probably, "running hounds." On April 11, 1279, Edward I. wrote to Charles of Salerno promising to send the harriers asked for by the latter: which seems to indicate that the English harrier had a high reputation at that period.

43, 16. _take part in the sport._ Strutt, in his _Sports and Pastimes_, observes:--"By the game laws of Canute, the dignified clergy were permitted to hunt in the forests belonging to the Crown; and their prerogatives were not abrogated by the Normans. Henry II., displeased at the power and ambition of the ecclesiastics, endeavoured to render these grants of none effect by putting in force (1157) the canon law, which strictly forbade the clergy to spend their time in hunting and hawking." Henry III.'s First Charter of 1217 gave leave to an archbishop, bishop, earl or baron to take two deer while pa.s.sing through a forest "by view of the forester"; or in the absence of that official the sportsman was to blow a horn on killing.

44, 14. _The Eight Hundreds._ These eight hundreds of Thingoe, Thedwastre, Blackbourn, Bradbourn, Bradmere, Lackford, Risbridge and Babergh, with the half hundred of Cosford (see line 18) const.i.tuted the Liberty of St. Edmund, as to which see note on page 238.

44, 15. _Robert of c.o.c.kfield._ See note to pp. 86, l. 18, on page 241, and cf. pages 254-6.

44, 24. _Hidages, foddercorn, hen-rents._ Hidage was a tax upon every hide of land; foddercorn an ancient feudal right that the lord should be provided with fodder for his horses; hen-rents were a common reservation upon inferior tenures.

45, 11. _Kalendar._ A transcript of this kalendar, which, as stated in the text (p. 45, l. 2) was completed by 1186, is now in the possession of Prince Frederick Dhuleep Singh. In the _History of the Hundred of Thingoe_ (1838) an extract from it relating to that Hundred is given on pp. xii.-xvii.

46, 1. _Hugh the subsacrist._ Jocelin says that Samson appointed Hugh subsacrist to William Wiardel, and shortly after (p. 47) made Samson the precentor sacrist. But this arrangement was probably short-lived, for the _Gesta Sacristarum_ (Arnold, ii. 290) says Hugh succeeded William as sacrist, and gives a lengthy list of the works he carried out in the church. In 1198, when the body of St. Edmund was examined, Hugh was present, and is described as sacrist (see p. 172).

50, 16. Omnia Caesar erat. Lucan, _Pharsalia_, iii. 108.

52, 5. Summa pet.i.t livor. Ovid, _Remedia Amoris_, 369.

52, 8. 1 John iv. 1.

52, 18. James ii. 13.

54, 9. _School of Melun_ (Meludinensium). John of Salisbury calls a scholar of Melun "Meludensis." Peter Abelard opened there, early in the twelfth century, a celebrated school for teaching Dialectic.

54, 23. Ecclesiasticus vii. 24.

57, 14. Strangulat inclusus dolor atque exaestuat intus. Ovid, _Tristia_, v. i. 63.

CHAPTER VI

62, 7. _Pulpit._ This pulpit, from which Samson preached in his native dialect of Norfolk, was one of the works of Hugo the sacrist (Arnold, ii. 291).

65, 3. _Norfolk Barrator._ See note to p. 18, line 9 (pages 226-7).

66, 21. _Sale of holy water._ Ducange cites the acts of a synod of Exeter in 1287, that from ancient times the profits arising from the distribution of holy water had been set apart to maintain poor clerks in schools.

68, 23. _Schools._ Samson is usually credited with having founded a town school in connection with the monastery. This may very likely have been the case, but I have found no direct evidence of it. It seems from this pa.s.sage that at any rate he provided free lodgings for poor scholars, and from p. 144 that he endowed the masters.h.i.+p of the schools with half the t.i.thes of Wetherden. There is a street at Bury St. Edmunds, just outside the precincts of the monastery, known as School Hall Street.

69, 3. _Manor of Mildenhall._ Edward the Confessor gave Mildenhall to St. Edmund's, but when Domesday Book was compiled it was in the hands of the Crown, being then worth 70. Amongst the Crown lands sold by Richard I. immediately after his accession was this manor, purchased, according to Jocelin, for 1,100 marks, of which 1,000 marks apparently went to the King, and 100 marks to Queen Eleanor (see p. 71, l. 3).

See also note to p. 72, l. 4, on page 235.

69, 5. _Expulsion of the Jews._ Arnold (i. 249) expresses the opinion that, "under the circ.u.mstances, this must have been the most humane course in the interests of the Jews themselves. All large English towns at this time were imperfectly policed, and the temper of the populace savage and uncertain. A riot having once been set on foot, the only hope of safety for the Jews was in taking refuge in some royal castle. There was no castle at Bury; to the Abbot alone could the survivors [from the ma.s.sacre in 1190] look for protection; and Samson knew that he had not sufficient force at his command to ensure it to them."

69, 6. _New hospital at Babwell._ The ruins of this hospital, dedicated to the Saviour, still exist in Northgate, beyond the railway arch. It was originally founded for a warden, twelve chaplains, six clerks, twelve poor gentlemen, and twelve poor women, and was the subject of numerous Charters, which will be found fully described in Chapter II. of the late Sir Wm. Parker's _History of Long Melford_ (1873). In the Feet of Fines for Suffolk, 1 John (1199), there are references to two deeds entered into by "Walter, Master of the Hospital of the Blessed Saviour outside the northern gate of St.

Edmund's." The Master of the Hospital had his manor at Melford and held his courts: which manor remains to the present day, as the _Manor of the Monks in Melford_. It was at St. Saviour's Hospital that Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, put up when he was arrested, in February, 1447, by Henry VI., who was in the town for the Parliament which met in the refectory of Bury Abbey.

70, 9. _Great roll of Winchester._ Domesday Book: the returns forming the basis of which were transmitted to a board sitting at Winchester, by whom they were arranged in order and placed upon record (Lingard, i. 249).

70, 19. _Custom of the realm._ This custom is described by Blackstone (_Commentaries_ [1844 ed.] i. 229) as an ancient perquisite called queen-gold or aurum reginae, due, in the proportion of 10 per cent., from every person making a voluntary offering to the King.

71, 1. _Ransom of King Richard._ Richard wrote to his mother from Haguenau on the 19th April, 1193, a letter notifying the 70,000 marks demanded for his ransom by the German Emperor Henry VI. To meet this, the monasteries of England handed over all their gold and silver to royal commissioners, and amongst the treasure delivered up by St.

Edmund's was the golden chalice given to the Abbey by Henry II. Queen Eleanor's release of it is printed in the _Monasticon_ (1821 ed.), iii. 154 (see also p. 146 of the _Chronicle_).