138 



St. Nicholas* Hospital, Salisbury. 



Nicholas do not permit or allow any of the brothers and sisters to go begging 

 through the villages or parishes ; but that he support them or have them sup- 

 ported with, the goods which they brought at their first entrance into the said 

 house, as far as they are able to do it, and, when distress is upon them, with 

 clothes and other necessaries. 



" 3. — Also, it is ordained that every day within the said hospital the master 

 sing or say, if he be present, the canonical hours, or if he be lawfully hindered 

 get them said by another. 



" 4 — Also, it is ordained that the brothers and sisters do not behave in their 

 rooms or in hidden places so as to rouse suspicion, or dwell together in one room 

 unless they have been lawfully married before their admission, under a penalty 

 to be inflicted by the master in proportion to their deserts. 



"5. — Also it is ordained that the master of the house of St. Nicholas receive 

 no persons to be entertained within the hospital, except such as have added to 

 the possessions of the said house, or given any great gift or present whereby the 

 house can be better supported. 



"6. — Also, it is ordained that the master of the house of St. Nicholas, and 

 his successors for ever, shall pay yearly to the brothers and sisters there serving 

 God as alms each week seven shillings and sixpence for their commons. And 

 also the said master shall find for the said brothers and sisters of the said house 

 sixteen waggon loads of wood yearly to be taken from the wood of The Howe 

 and one waggon load of coals each year. 



"Also, it is ordained that the master of the house of St. Nicholas shall find 

 for the said brothers and sisters a barber and a washerwoman, and all the 

 utensils necessary and convenient for the said brothers and sisters." 



There are two or three obvious remarks to be made upon these 

 statutes — which, by the way, are still in force, and by which the 

 master is bound as well as the inmates. And yet so much are the 

 times changed that I think they would be much astonished were I 

 to propose to cut down their allowance to 7s. 6d. a week, and find 

 a barber and washerwoman and the other toilet-necessaries ! 



1. The brothers and sisters are obviously by this time pensioners, 

 without a thought of their ever having been anything else. But 

 note that they are still described as " the brothers and sisters there 

 serving God" — the very words which had been applied to the 

 nursing brothers and sisters. The question is, how long had they 

 been pensioners ? Did Beauchamp make them such ? or had they 

 been such for an indefinite number of years previously ? I confess 

 to being strongly of opinion that Beauchamp made them pensioners : 

 and took the hint from the one pensioner brother, appointed by the 

 dean and chapter, who had always existed since 1261. As to their 



