J 
Mr. Weld was honoured a few years ago. 
Paffing through the hall, we were ufhered 
into the faloon, a large lightfome apart- 
ment, at one end of which there was an 
organ, which was played during the time 
of our ftay in the houfe. . From each prin- 
cipal dpartment there is a fhort paflage 
leading to aroom conftructed in the tower 
adjacent, which is ufed as a bed-chamber. 
The drawing room and library are {pa- 
cious and elegantly furnifhed. 
pleafure grounds is, a handfome Roman 
Catholic chapel, compofed of. two vefti- 
bules, and a rotunda between them. The 
altar piece is magnificent, being adorned 
‘by three good paintings, 
From the Caftle, we walked through 
. the fields for about the {pace of a mile be- 
fore we arrived at the monaftery. ‘This 
edifice is built of very rude materials, and 
in a very rude ftyle. Its immediate neigh- 
bourhood prefents a picture of bleak defo- 
Jation. The hills are deftitute of wood, 
and the eaft wind, {weeping from the 
channel, pinches the early fhoots of vege- 
tation. Ringing at the pate ‘of the mo- 
naftery, we were received by the porter. 
It is impoffible to give an accurate idea of 
the hideoufnefs of this man’s drefs, which 
was compoled of a tunic made of coarfe, 
thick, and heavy woollen cloth. Over 
his fhoulders he wore a cope made of -the 
fame material: this was partly thrown 
back, fo that his face was vifible: but the 
other monks, who were clad precifely in 
the fame manner as the porter, covered 
their vifages, fo that nothing but their 
eyes and nofes could be.feen.. ‘Their 
ftockings are made of coarfe cloth, and 
their fhoes are wooden, and about three 
inches ‘thick in the foal. After afking 
whether we had any women in our party, 
and being anfwered in the negative, the 
porter attended us tothe refeétory. This 
isa very plain room, with white-wafhed 
walls, furnifhed with a rude table, and 
two or three wooden-bottomed chairs. 
We were next conducted to the dining- 
‘room. A {pecimen of the foup and bread, 
the only victuals allowed to be eaten by 
the monks, lay upon the table. The ap- 
pearance of the: foup, I muft confefs, 
turned my ftomach. ‘The bread was ab- 
folutely black. Of this fare, the frater- 
ity partake twice a day in fummer, and 
once only in winter, A wooden bow! and 
fpoon, and a coarfe earthen-ware cup for 
each perfon, compofed the whole of their 
table-utenfils. We were next ufhered into 
a kind of common fitting-room, where we 
tound about two dozen of fuperftitious 
books, moftly in French, and fome few in. 
— Monaftic Eftablifoments. 
In the ° 
232i 
Latin. This was the whole of their li- 
brary! The chapel is neat, but plain, ex- 
cepting the altar, which is a little orna- 
mented. Paffing from the chapel through 
a cloifter, we vifited the burying-ground, 
which occupies a {mall inner court, over- 
grown with rank weeds, and tall luxuriant 
grafs..° Two graves, already tenanted,. 
are marked by two wooden croffes ; and 
one grave is always kept open ready to 
receive the next deceafed. “Our condudctor 
affured us, that each individual of the 
fraternity prayed fincerely that he himfelf 
might {oon become the occupant. At 
this, I am not furprifed ; for fuch mifery,: 
and fuch a degradation of human nature, 
as is exhibited within the precinéts of 
thefe walls, I never elfewhere witnefled. 
Having furveyed the lower ftory, we were 
fhewn up flats into the dormitory, a long 
natrow apartment, lighted ,by a. fingle 
window at the end oppofite to the door. 
Tn this one apartment are twenty-four or: 
twenty-five beds, or rather cells, feparated 
from each other by wooden partitions. In 
thefe cel!s, the whole fraternity repofe on 
bare boards, covered with only a blanket 
and a rug. They rife every night at 
twelve o’clock, at which hour they go to 
prayets. This exercife employs them till 
four, when they go to work in the farm 
or garden, or in domeftic occupations. At 
eleven they aflemble to dinner, and at {e- 
ven they retire to reft. None of the bro- 
therhood, excepting the porter, are per- 
mitted to {peak, unlefs by f{pecial permif- 
fion of the fuperior. The monks whom 
we met did not. fo much as look at us, 
When weapproached them, they turned 
afide their heads, and croffed themfelves in 
filence. The ftillnefs of the place was 
aweful. Seventeen men and five boys 
compole the prefent fociety ; 1f fociety 
that union may be called, whofe very ef- 
fence is unfociability. For the ufe of 
thefe Cenobites Mr. Weld has affigned 
the monaftery, and a farm of fufficient 
extent to furnith them with the neceffaries 
of life. Their fuperfluous produce they 
difpofe of at the neighbouring market 
towns, where they alfo purchafe fuch few 
articles as they may happen to want ia 
their fimplicity of domeftic arrangement. 
The porter, though one of the brother- 
hood, was fuficiently communicative. He’ 
- complained indeed, that the fuperior, by 
continuing him for two years in an office 
which ought to be occupied by each bro- 
ther in his turn, had grievoufly interrupt- 
ed thofe devout meditations in which it 
was his ardent wifh to be unioterruptedly | 
employed, IJntercourfe with frangers, he 
faid, 
