VIII 

 OF THE ABBEY GARDEN 



" FROM that city men go by water, solacing and disport- 

 ing them, till they come to an abbey of monks that is fast 

 by, that be good religious men after their faith and law. 



" In that abbey is a great garden and fair, where be 

 many trees of diverse manner of fruits. And in this 

 garden is a little hill full of delectable trees. In that hill 

 and in that garden be many diverse beasts, as of apes, 

 marmosets, baboons, and many other diverse beasts. And 

 every day, when the convent of this abbey hath eaten, the 

 almoner let bear the relief to the garden, and he smiteth 

 on the garden gate with a clicket of silver that he holdeth 

 in his Jiand ; and anon all the beasts of the hill and of the 

 diverse places of the garden come out a 3,000 or a 4,000 ; 

 and they come in guise of poor men, and men give them 

 the relief in fair vessels of silver, clean over-gilt. And 

 when they have eaten, the monk smiteth efftsoons on 

 the garden gate with the clicket, and then anon all the 

 beasts return again to their places that they come from. 



" And they say that these beasts be souls of worthy 

 men that resemble in likeness of those beasts that be fair, 

 and therefore they give them meat for the love of God ; 

 and the other beasts that be foul, they say be souls of 

 poor men and of rude commons." 



***** 



Many other marvels did Sir John see, of which I shall 

 not tell ; but he writes always with his eye open and 



193 2B 



