New-York tribune., 1880-01-11

lhe monastery. Dut lew WOIus are requIeu
to explain the reason why there was such q
well-stocked larder at Dragsbury.
Why the provisions themselves should have
disappeared to such a wholesale extent was
quite another matter; so far as the Abbot and
the Father Hospitaller were concerned, they
were unable to explain it at all.
The Abbey of Dragsbury at the period OF
which ! speak (Which is any year during the
Middle Ages that, entirely to suit your own
pleasure and convenience, You would like to Sc
lect) was one of the wealthiest aud best-reputed
converts in Catholic England. There were then
Choose your own time, my dear readers) hap
PLY no Poor Laws in this now Overrated Il
mean pOOr-rated) country. The destitute were
relieved at the gates of the inconsistencies; and it
would have been thought foul shame II the
most arrant rogue of humping beggar had
been sent empty away from Il monastic porch.
The so-called lazy monks were relieving-0ff-
GERS, Overseers, and boards of guardians all IN
one. Now and again, = some especially lncor-
rigible impOStOr made his appearance at DIags-
bury, the Abbot would cause the knave to be
laid in the stocks for an hour or two, or a
sound drubbing to be administered to hlm
but the varlet was sheltered and fed neverthe-
less. II there had been timber for his heels
and whipcOrd for his back as grace before
meat the meat itself, with root to cover
him and straw to lie upon, came aitofWaTus'
In an age of uustinted hospitality, that dls-
nenscd at Dragsbury Abbey was even eXcep-
ti0nally generous. There were two stately
hosDitd or guest-halls one inside the abbey
gates where INDECENT scholars, distressed mar
inprs. itlnerant traders who had been plUndered
of their merchandise by the freebooers Win
whom the country swarmed, pamers, ana wan
dering penitents were nobiy entertained lhe
other, occupying range OF spaGiouSs
outbuildings, forming, indeed, klhd I 9I
medieval casual-ward, in which ali
manner of tramps, beggars, rogues
proctors, manned. disbanded soldiers too Tee
bic to turn thieves, and others either deIeI,
licts of warfare or "cankerS Of q CAIN WOlII
and a long peace,p were harbOred, and found
coarse but abundant fare Obviously IT was
necessary to keep well-stOcked larder to
nroyide for the needs of a continuous and
multitudinous army of hungry guests. mus,
the verderers were Away bringing venlsOn !;
and the fowler daily cast his nets or " sh0t
his fine shoot" of the game in season. The
neighboring hen-wives brought daily contln-
gents OF poultry and eggs; the butchers were
ever busy saughtering oxen and sheep Tor
consumption of salted meat and pork that q
regular salter or perfect cuTer was told on
from among The lay brethren to preside at The
picking tub, the s0using- g-paDs, and the smok-
ing-huts. find this funcuonary set down IN
the list of the abbey dOmestics as "JOhdnReS
Pu1 oui frcit sGlsamentum." The potabes
were, 1t will readily be understood, quite as
important part OF the proyand as The edl-
bles.
The monks themselves were, it must be ad-
mlIted. far from lnulfieGenb tGtHCutImtH duu
if the prescribed fasts of the Church were kept
with tOerable strictness at the abbey, IT Is
equally certain that all the Church feasts were
observed with Il most liberal Interpretation OF
the rule of St. Benedict as to hospitality ana
cOnVlVlallty. -,
But whence all these carking fears, these
dark suspicious, these mutterings and point,
ing of fingers, these significant sDrugs ana
holdings of the head Whence these eacu-
lations of sheer terror and horror among the
L. hot fI,ran Of ufyC-
bury Abbey? The dark mystery-fOr all the
signs and tokens which | have mentioned
were DOrtents of a mystery several shades
darker than Cetywayo, and nearly as 1aIh as
hinged upon one terribly momentous ques-
ton; and that was:
Who stole the beefE
That was not the only query TO be an
swered. Who had run away with the iat
porkers from the larder Who leyantec WIN
half lamb 2 What robber helped himself to
the capons of grease And tie eggs ana the
butter, the cheeses and the red herrings,. the
strong beer and the red wine, TO say nothing
OF several sacks OF flour, three jars ot honey.
and a barrel of oatmeal Who was the thief
that, not one, not twice, not three,
but regularly every other night during SIX en-
tire months, had pundered the laldero Draes-
bury Abbey There was but one door
to the larder, which was spacious stone nan,
with vaulted roof and tagged pavement; !;
and this door, which communicated with the
kitchen. was bolted and barred and chained
up every night. There were seven windows
in one of the walls, and these windows, to
keep cool the great store tore h OF PROVISIONS Mons
tected by intersecting rows OF bars, 80
closely placed together that the hthest
of cats could scarcely have squeezed its body
between them. Besides, 1t was ridiculous TO
talk of cats, or rats or mice either, IN the mat
ter Even Margate lodging-hOuse Keepers
cat would be unable 10 carry of fat buck ;
and horde OF rats would be puzzled to run
away, dunng the small hours, with runet oil
red wine and a cask of strong beer.
Whom to suspect! Everybody was sus-
pected. AT first the lay brothers fell under
suspicion My Lord Abbot, who was not a
parsonage to be trihed with, had dozen new
scourges made OF good penny cord LAID III, well
Droyided with knots, twelve tails to each
scouree, and each lash neatly finished oil with
"a knuckle- bone of Sleeps trOtter. WIN
these all the lay brethren were sOundly castl-
gated In succession every morning after
matlns; but nothing could be elcited from
them except yells. Then the Abbot took to
thraShing the monks; but after fortnight Oh
SO of vigorously administered discipline, he
| found one morning a slip OF parchment III his
Breviary, i'll disguised hand, and couched
| III neat medieval Latin, III which document
| he was politely informed that 1t was proposed
| TO strancle him that evening during vespers
unless he dessted from thrashing the brethren.
So the Abbot desisted Meanwhile nor
he, nor the Sub Prior, nor the rather
Hospitalcr. nor the Father Bursar. nor the Gel
arer, nor the manciple, nor anybody else. was
| one whit nearer discovering the thief OF
thieves who had been robbing the larder OF
Dragsbury Abbey for six long months. The
constitutions of the rule of ST. Benedict must
perforce be obeyed The continuous conun-
gent of beggars, poor scholars, and wayfarera
in general had to be fed the monks, although
| they had lost their spirits, had not by any
means lost their appettes and the expendi--
| ture for provisions, more than one hall OF
which regularly and unaccountabiy disap-
uDon the resources OF the abbey.
Why not have set watch, you may ask, TO
find out who stole the beet, and the other ali
mentary etceterasY All, why not, inGeedf