It is the highest honour of an ecclesiastical
dignitary to communicate his counsel in times of difficulty to
his sons and
the chief men
of the churches. We have therefore resolved to lay before you an
unusual event which lately happened among us at York, O venerable
lord and excellent father …
… The brothers of York, of whom we speak, were moved, as we said,
by an immeasurable horror, because they seemed in no way at all
or hardly at all to be fulfilling the vow of their profession,
and feared lest they should run in vain, if fitting vengeance were
to fall upon men who were guilty of so great disobedience to their
vow
… their number grew to thirteen, all of whom made it their aim to
strive for the correction of their manner of life according to
the Rule of St
Benedict, nay, rather, according to the Gospel.
… [they] tried to explain in a friendly manner to
the abbot the question which was being discussed … but [he], somewhat
simple
and uneducated was terrified at the novelty of the new idea.
…
[they pleaded] ‘let us at least change the manner
of our life and possessions in accordance with the rule of our
profession;
otherwise we are not monks but dead men.’
… Abbot Geoffrey was not over-pleased with what he said, for it is
difficult to alter long-established habits at the sudden appearance
of virtue, but he asked the prior to put down in writing how best
their ideas could be carried out. Richard [the prior] willingly
agreed to this.
… When these things began to be spread among the other monks in the
form of suspicions and rumours, a sudden madness seized them, and
broke into such malevolence that they thought nothing but exile
or close imprisonment was fit punishment for such a man and his
friends.
… Filled with groundless fears that they should be confined with
a strictness beyond the ordinary rule [the Rule of St Benedict] the
rest of the monks began to rage with hate against the prior and
his companions after the manner of the Pharisees.
