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The perils of gossip
The German Cistercian, Idungus of Prufung, criticised the
chatter of Cluniac monks.
He complained that they eagerly gossiped after the daily chapter
meeting 'by permission of the order', and compared the noise to the
din in a tavern full of sots where the men talked 'with their fellow
spouses' and the women drinkers chatted with their companions. Idungus
warned of the perils of such behaviour: 'from the permission to chatter
arises the wherewithal for brawling. From the brawl come threats
and acrimony, so much so that at times it is necessary to recall
the chapter by striking the wooden tabula'.
[Idungus, Dialogue, I: 23 (pp. 36-7).]
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