XXXII.
GILD OF THE HOLY CROSS, [supplied by ed.] LENNE EPISCOPI.
*. [CCCX. 123. Condition, bad; and two large pieces destroyed. Most of the clauses are marked in rubric; and the first letter of the return is somewhat ambitiously illuminated.]In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti, Amen. In ye honour of ihesu crist, and of his moder seinte marie, and of alle holy halwen, and namelike of ye holy crouche yat seinte Eleyne founde. We schulle holde yis gilde yre mornwespeches bi ye ȝer. Ye first schal be ye sonday nixt after ye drynke: ye second, ye sonday byfor seint michel's day: ye yridde, ye sonday nixt after vre lauedyes day in lenten. And, at ye general mornwespeche, ye aldirman schal callen vp foure men, to chese an alderman, skyueyns, and dene. And ye skyueyns schal be deliuered ye catel, wit tayle and boruh; and yat yai schulle bringe ye Catel at ye general mornwespeche, and leyn vpon ye cheker bifor ye aldirman, or here boruwes for hem, vp peyne of ij.s. And ye Den schal do somoun alle ye Gilde breyere, and ye sistres, to ye mornspeche; and he faille of his somouns, he schal ben amercid at ye aldermannis wille. And who-so is somound to ye mornwespeche, and he be in toun, and wil nouth come, he schal paye half a pound of wax, bot he be resonable-lyke escused. And he come after prime be smyten, he schal paye j.d. And if ony brother or sister be ded, ye den schal do bringe ye Candeles to ye dirige, and eueryl broyer and sister schal offre an halpeny at ye chirche; and he yat offres nouht, he schal paye an halpeny to ye almesse at ye nixt mornspeche. And everyl brother and sister þat ded his, schal haue xxx. messes for his soule, and yat ye messes schal be Page 84 songen on ye mornwen after ye cors be biryed. Ye Aldirman shal haue, eueril day, a galoun of ale, to ye drynk lastes; eiyer skiueyn a galoun; ye den a potel, and, for his somouns, be ȝer, iiij.d. And he yat is chosen aldirman, and he forsake his office, he schal paye xij.d.; eyyer skyueyn, xij.d.; ye den, xij.d. And who-so is rebelle to ye aldirman in ony tyme, he schal paye a pound of wax. And if ony broyer or sister mak ony noyse or janglinge befor þe aldirman, at ony mornspeche, he schal paye a pound of wax [supplied by ed.] . And if ony brother smyte oyer at ony mornspeche, or during ye time of drynke [supplied by ed.] , he schal paye ffoure pound of wax. And he [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] Gilde, whar-yourghe deshonour may [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] , he schal paye xij.d., or lese þe fraterni [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] wymman dwelle longere in ye hous yan [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] pound of wax. And he yat entres [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] outen leue of men of office, he scha [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] brother sone or sister schal entre in [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] als an oyor man doth. And also y [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] schal meyntenen and susteynen ye liht yat is [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] holy crouche and of seint Heleyne. And eueril broyer and [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] to ye liht biȝer, til better may be. And yat no man ne womman entre in to yis gilde lesse yan *. [The words and figures between these marks are written over an erasure of half a line.]vj.s. viij.d., and ye fees vj.d.*. [The words and figures between these marks are written over an erasure of half a line.]And if ony brother or sister be seke, he schal haue for his drynke a galoun of ale. And if ony brother or sister be in pelgrimage, he schal haue a galoun of ale to his drinke. And ordened is, yat no brother ne sister of yis gylde ne enplede oyer in no place, for no dette ne trespas, til yat he haue axed leue of ye Alderman and of men of ye [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] do, he shal paie, to amendement of ye Gylde, ij.s. [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] for his traualie bi ȝere, xij.d. And [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] of yis gylde be ded, ye deen shal warnen [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] comen to hous yer ye cors lyhth, [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] and offren an halpeny. And whoso [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] Page 85 and in toune, and wyl nouht come, he shal [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] and relesen Johan Clerke;
* All the latter part of this return is in such very bad condition, that it is only by using every device of oblique and reflected and transmitted light that more than a word or two can be made out. By these means only have I deciphered the release of John Clerke; and I should have hesitated to put down the words thus painfully deciphered, and of which no other example is found in any of these returns in English, but that, in the instance of a very interesting Cambridge gild (see Part II. of this work), I find one John Cornwall released from all payments that others are bound to make, in acknowledgment of the pains he had taken at the foundation of that gild. When I made, some years ago, my MS. Calendar of the whole of these returns, I wrote, opposite to the words releasing John Cornwall from all payments, the word "unique." Since I have more carefully deciphered the above return, for the present work, I have no doubt that "John Clerke," of Bishop's Lynn, was thus released for the same reason as was "John Cornwall" of Cambridge.
Many instances are found where the bretheren are acquitted of payments while holding office; of which the last ordinance of the Tailors' Gild of Norwich may be taken as an example (see before, p. 36). But the two instances named above, give a general acquittance of two bretheren by name, and not only while office-holders.
for he shal [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] And ordened is, yat euerilk a brother of yis ffrat [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] hod of liuere of yis gylde, at euerilk a [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] of yis ffraternite, and qwo-so do nowt [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] ordened is, yat ilke a broyer of yis ffra [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed] gylde in ilke a ȝer. And qwho-so [gap: reason: portion of MS destroyed]