The monastery; The abbot.

120 WAVERLEY NOVELS.
oft have our animal powers exhausted by fasting, and be accessible (as being
ever mere mortals) to those signs of longing" (he again wiped his mouth)
" which arise on the mention of victuals to an hungry man. - Minute down,
however, the name of that youth —it is fitting merit should be rewarded,
and he shall hereafter be a frater ad succurrendum in the kitchen and buttery."
"Alas! reverend Father and my good lord," replied the Refectioner, "I
did inquire after the youth, and I learn he is one who prefers the casque to
the cowl, and the sword of the flesh to the weapons of the spirit."
" And if it be so," said the Abbot, " see that thou retain him as a deputykeeper and man-at-arms, and not as a lay brother of the Monastery —for
old Tallboy, our forester, waxes dim-eyed, and hath twice spoiled a noble
buck, by hitting him unwarily on'the haunch. Ah!'tis a foul fault, the
abusing by evil-killing, evil-dressing, evil-appetite, or otherwise, the good
creatures indulged to us for our use. Wherefore, secure us the service of
this youth, Brother Hilarius, in the way that may best suit him. - And
now, Sir Piercie Shafton, since the fates have assigned us a space of wellnigh an hour, ere we dare hope to enjoy more than the vapour or savour of
our repast, may I pray you, of your courtesy, to tell me the cause of this
visit; and, above all, to inform us, why you will not approach our more
pleasant and better furnished hospitium?"
" Reverend Father, and my very good lord," said Sir Piercie Shafton, " it
is well known to your wisdom, that there are stone walls which have ears,
and that secrecy is to be looked to in matters which concern a man's head."
The Abbot signed to his attendants, excepting the Sub-Prior, to leave the
room, and then said, " Your valour, Sir Piercie, may freely unburden yourself before our faithful friend and counsellor Father Eustace, the benefits
of whose advice we may too soon lose, inasmuch as his merits will speedily
recommend him to an higher station, in which we trust he may find the
blessing of a friend and adviser as valuable as himself, since I may say of
him, as our claustral rhyme goeth,*'Dixit Abbas ad Prioris.
Tu es homo boni nioris,
Quia semper sanioris
Mihi das concilia.'
Indeed," he added, " the office of Sub-Prior is altogether beneath our dear
brother; nor can we elevate him unto that of Prior, which, for certain
reasons, is at present kept vacant amongst us. Howbeit, Father Eustace is
fully possessed of my confidence, and worthy of yours, and well may it be
said of him, Intravit in secretes nostris."
Sir Piercie Shafton bowed to the reverend brethren, and, heaving a sigh,
as if he would burst his steel cuirass, he thus commenced his speech:" Certes, reverend sirs, I may well heave such a suspiration, who have, as
it were, exchanged heaven for purgatory, leaving the lightsome sphere of
the royal court of England for a remote nook in this inaccessible desertquitting the tilt-yard, where I was ever ready among my compeers to splinter
a lance, either for the love of honour, or for the honour of love, in order to
couch my knightly spear against base and pilfering besognios and marauders- exchanging the lighted halls, wherein I used nimbly to pace the swift
coranto, or to move with a loftier grace in the stately galliard, for this
rugged and decayed dungeon of rusty-coloured stone-quitting the gay
theatre, for the solitary chimney-nook of a Scottish dog-house - bartering
the sounds of the soul-ravishing lute, and the love-awaking viol-de-gamba,
for the discordant squeak of a northern bagpipe —above all, exchanging
the smiles of those beauties, who form a gay galaxy around the throne of
England, for the cold courtesy of an untaught damsel, and the bewildered
* The rest of this doggerel rhyme may be found in Fosbrooke's earned work on British Monachism.