2<)2 



The Fall of the Wiltshire Monasteries. 



clear, they woro sent to the universities, and afterwards on wider 

 j ourneys. 



Of these two worthies, Layton and Legh, while the former seems 

 to have been a man of coarse tastes and a great appetite for the 

 nasty, he was more good-natured in a rough sort of way than his 

 colleague, who was proud, cold, and unbending, disliked as well by 

 his associates as by those whom he visited. 



Let us first follow Layton. He writes from Bath, August 7th, 

 that he finds the Prior of Farley (cell to Lewes) a man of bad 

 moral character, and the rest of the convent in the same condition : 

 and ends his letter with an amusing account of the relics, whether 

 at Bath or Farley is not quite clear : — 1 



" Hit may plase yo r goodness to understonde that we have visit Bathe wheras 

 we fownde the Prior a ryght vertuouse man and I suppos no better of his cote a 

 man simple and not of the gretiste wite. His monkes worse then I have any 

 fownde yet .... The howse well repared but foure hundreth powndes in 

 dett. At Farley sell to Lewys .... the trewthe is a vara stewys .... 

 both there and at Lewys and specially ther the supprior, as apperith by the 

 confession of a faire young monke a preste late sent from Lewys. I have matter 

 sufficient here fownde (as I suppos) to bryng the Prior of Lewys into gret 

 daingier (si vera sint que narrantur). By this bringer my servant I sendeyou 

 Vinculo, sancti Petri wiche women of this countrey uside always to sende for 

 in tempore partus to put abowte them to have thereby short deliverance and 

 withoute perile, a gret relike here cowntede bycause the patrone of the Church is of 

 saynt Peter. Juge ye what ye liste, but I suppos the thyng to be a vara mokerie 

 and a gret abuse that the Prior one Lammas day shulde carie the same chaine in 

 a basyn of silver in procession and evere monke to kysse the same post evan- 

 gelium with gret solemnite and reverans haveyng therefor no maner thyng to 

 shewe howe they came fyrste unto hit, nother haveyng therof in writyng. Ye 

 shall also receve a gret komee callid Mari Magdalenes kome. Saint Dorothes 

 komee, Sainte Margarettes kome the leste. They cannot tell howe they came by 

 them nother hath any thyng to shewe in writyng that they be relykes. Whether 

 ye wyll sende them agayne or not I have referide that to your jugement, and to 

 the kynge's pleasure. This day we depart from Bath towardes Kensam whereas 

 we shall make an ynde by tewsday at nyght. Whether hit shal be your pleasure 

 that we shall repaire unto yowe on Wedynsday erly or that we shall retorne 

 towardes Maiden Bradley within ii. miles wherof is a Chartorehowse callede 

 Wittame and Bruton Abbay vii. milles from that, and Glassenberie other vii. 

 mylles, what your pleasure shal be in the premissis, hit may please yowe to 

 assartaine us by this berer my servant. 



" The Prior of Bathe hath sent unto yowe for a tokyn a leisse of yrisshe laners 



1 Letters and Papers, Hen. VIII., ix., 42, 



