Here begynneth the rule of seynt Benet

Or asmoche as euery {per}sone ought to knowe the thyng that he is bounde to kepe or occō∣plisshe / and ignorance of the thynge that he is bounde to do / cannot nor may not excuse him / and for so moche also / as the reding of the thynge that a persone is bounde to do & execute / except he vnderstande it / is to the executinge ther∣of no thyng vailliable / but only thyng īutile / trauell in vay∣ne / and tyme loste. ¶we therfore Richarde by the permissi∣on and suffrance of our lorde god Bisshope of winchester / reuoluinge in our mynde / that certayne deuoute and religi∣ouse womē beinge / within our Diocese & vnder our pasto∣rall charge and cure / haue not only professed them to thob∣seruance of the Rule of the holy cōfessoure Seinte Benet / but also be bounde to rede / lerne / and vnderstond the same when they be Nouices / & before they be professed / And also after their profession they shulde nat onely in them selfe ke∣pe / obserue / execute / and practise the sayd rule / but also teche other their sisters the same / ī so moche / that for the same in∣tente / they daily rede / & cause to be red sōme {per}te of the sayd Rule by one of the sayd sisters / amonges thē selfe / aswell in their Chapiter howse after the redīge of the Martyrologe / as sōme tyme in their Fraitur / in tyme of refecciōs and col∣laciōs / al the which reding{is} is alwayes don ī the latin tōge / wherof they haue no knowlege nor vnderstōdinge / but be vtterly ignorant of the same / whereby they do nat only lese their tyme / but also renne īto the euidēt daunger & perill of the {per}dicion of their soules. we the sayd Bisshope knowing and cōsideringe the premisses / and rememberyng / that we may not without like peryll of our sowle: suffer the sayd re∣ligious wemen: of whose sowles we haue the cure: to con∣tynue in their sayde blindenesse / and ignorance of the sayd Rule / to the knowlege and obseruance wherof: they be pro∣fessed / & specially to thentent / that the yonge Nouices may first knowe and vnderstande the sayde Rule / before they {pro}∣fesse thē to it / So that none of them shall mowe afterward

probably say / that she wyste nat what she professed / as we knowe by experience / that sōme of them haue sayd in tyme passed. For these causes / and specially at thinstant requeste of our ryght dere and welbeloued doughters in oure lorde Ihū / Thabbasses of the monasteris of Rumsay / wharwel / Seynt Maries within the citie of winchester / and the pri∣oresse of wintnay: oure right religious diocesans / we haue translated: the sayde rule into oure moders tonge / cōmune / playne / rounde englisshe / easy / and redy to be vnderstande by the sayde deuoute religiouse women / And by cause we wolde not / that there shulde be any lacke amongis them of the bokis of this sayd translation / we haue therfore / aboue and besyde certayne bokes therof / which we haue yeuen to the sayde monasteris: caused it to be emprinted by our wel∣beloued Richarde Pynson of London prīter. The .xxii. day of the Monethe of Ianuary. The yere of oure Lorde .M.CCCCC.xvi. And the .viii. yere of the Reigne of our soue∣rayne lorde kynge Henry the .viii. and of our translaciō the xvi.

¶The rule of seynt Benet.