Mr. George Tate on the Fame Islands. 249 



joiner's tools, mells, spades, shovells, "milne stones," and 

 " pykkes " for cutting the millstones ; they also kept a stock of 

 " nayls," " stanbrodys," " Estland bords," &c. Fishing, how- 

 ever, was one of their principal employments ; they usually had 

 a " cobyll " and a boat, with " grete lynes 50 fadoms long," 

 "smallynes," "lopster nets," "grethukys," and other fishing- 

 tackle ; and that the monks were not unskilful fishers is manifest 

 from the large sums received for fish, which they sold after their 

 own table had been supplied. 



Seclusion from the world is no security against temptation and 

 sin. Bad monks appeared from time to time even on the sea- 

 girt Fame. John de Rypon was dismissed in a.d. 1407, for he 

 had by his extravagance brought an excessive debt on the House ; 

 he had kept horses and strolled about the country, being absent 

 from the island without leave from the Prior, frequenting eat- 

 ings and drinkings upon the main. Another master was dis- 

 missed in a.d. 1443 : he had pawned the chapel's best chalice 

 and best set of robes and divers spoons, and had even been so 

 criminal as to offer them for sale ; he also associated with ribalds 

 travelling on foot over the country in garments rent, torn, and 

 covered with mud. John Kirke, in a.d. 1461, was severely re- 

 buked for several offences, but especially for " haunting a womanse 

 house over oft a for noon." In a.d. 1485, the monks were 

 charged with being disorderly ; but the sins laid to their door, 

 however much opposed to monastic rule, do not seriously 

 violate the Decalogue : one is blamed for wearing daily " a sark 

 of linen cloth," for going to the land without leave from the 

 master, for resorting to places among suspected persons, and for 

 departing from the fellowship of the master. 



While seclusion from the world was no security from tempta- 

 tion to evil, it was but a slight protection Jn troubled times 

 against lawless aggression. For many centuries before the 

 Union of England and Scotland, the borders were the battle- 

 field of the two nations; raids were frequently made, during 

 which property was destroyed or stolen, and human life sacri- 

 ficed. The House of Fame suffered sadly in these evil days. 

 In a.d. 1376, the monks were driven from the island and took 

 refuge at Bamborough, where they incurred expenses during 

 their exile " on account of the Scots " to the amount of 34s. 4d. ; 

 they found it expedient to purchase a " surety " from the Earl of 

 Douglas, for which they paid 2s. 6d. A heavier calamity befell 

 them in a.d. 1380, when "things" to the value of 33s. 8d. were 

 stolen by the Scots, and 74s. 9d. were expended upon the land 

 for bread and ale and for the master and his servants. Few and 

 short were the intervals of peace and rest for the poor monks : 

 in a.d. 1413 they again fled to the land on account of the war, 



b.n.c. — VOL. III. N°. vii. u 



