OF SELBORNE 313 



the rest of the convent ; — that one of them should publish 

 their consent in common before the clergy and people : — 

 they then all promised to receive as prior the person these 

 five canons should fix on. These commissaries seceded 

 from the chapter-house to the refectory of the Priory, and 

 were shut in with master John Penkester, bachelor of laws; 

 and John Couke and John Lynne, perpetual vicars of the 

 parish churches of Newton and Selborne ; and with Samp- 

 son Maycock, a public notary ; where they treated of the 

 election ; when they unanimously agreed on John Wyn- 

 chestre, and appointed Thomas Halyborne, to choose him 

 in common for all, and to publish the election, as customary; 

 and returned long before it was dark to the chapter-house, 

 where Thomas Halyborne read publicly the instrument of 

 election ; when all the brothers, the new prior excepted, 

 singing solemnly the hymn " Te Deum la.ud3.mus^'' fecerunf 

 deportari novum electum, by some of the brothers, from 

 the chapter-house to the high altar of the church ;^ and 

 the hymn being sung, dictisque versiculo et oratione consuetis 

 in hac parte, Thomas Halyborne, mox tunc ibidem, before 

 the clergy and people of both sexes solemnly published the 

 election in vulgari. Then Rithard Elstede, and the whole 

 convent by their proctors and nuncios appointed for the 

 purposes, Thomas Halyborne and John Stepe required 

 several times the assent of the elected ; " et tandem post 

 diutinas interpellationes, et deliberationem providam penes 

 se habitam, in hac parte divine nolens, ut asseruit, resistere 

 voluntati," within the limited time he signified his accep- 

 tance in the usual written form of words. The bishop is 

 then supplicated to confirm their election, and do the need- 

 ful, under common seal, in chapter-house. November 14, 

 1410. 



The bishop, January 6, 14 10, apud Esher in camera infe- 

 riori, declared the election duly made, and ordered the new 

 prior to be inducted — for this the archdeacon of Win- 



^ It seems here as if the canons used to chair their new elected prior 

 from the chapter-house to the high altar of their convent-church. In 

 letter XXI., on the same occasion, it is said — "et sit canentcs dictum 

 electum ad majus altare ecclesie deduximus, ut apud nos moris est." 



