,,regular ,,of ,,mount ,,st4            
,,agnes999999      ,this e,book was     
produced by ,les ,bowler from the #aijf 
,kegan ,paul1 ,trench1  ,trubner  ,co41 
,ltd4 edition4    ,title ,page3         
title4jpg            ,the ,chronicles of
 the ,canons ,regular of ,mount ,st4    
,agnes  written by ,thomas ,a ,kempis4  
,translated by ,j4 ,p4 ,arthur4      ,m4
      ,dedication in ,greek which cannot
 be reproduced4          ,,contents     
,,translator',s ,,note    ,,preface     
,,the ,,chronicle ,,of ,,the ,,canons   
,,regular ,,of ,,mount ,,st ,,agnes     
,i4      ,of the first founders of the  
,monastery at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and   
how ,master ,gerard ,groote first       
pointed out this place to them4    ,,ii4
     ,of the building of the first      
,house on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,,iii4 
,concerning the names of the first      
,brothers and their labours4    ,,iv4   
,of the scanty food and raiment of the  
,brothers1 and how  wondrously ,god did 
provide for them4    ,v4      ,of the   

consecration of the first chapel and    
altar at ,mount ,st4  ,agnes4    ,,vi4  
,of the year and place in which the     
first four ,brothers were  invested4    
,,vii4    ,how the monastery was removed
 from ,westerhof to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4 
,,viii4   ,how ,john ,kempen was chosen 
as the first prior of ,mount ,st4       
,agnes4    ,,ix4     ,how the           
,burial-ground at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes was
 consecrated4    ,x4      ,of the       
,brothers who were invested by ,john of 
,kempen1 the first  ,prior4    ,,xi4    
,of the death of ,brother ,wolfard1     
,priest in the ,monastery of ,mount     
,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xii4    ,how ,brother 
,william ,vorniken was chosen to be the 
second ,prior in  the ,house of ,mount  
,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xiii4   ,of the death 
of ,brother ,nicholas ,kreyenschot4     
,,xiv4    ,of the consecration of our   
,church and of four ,altars in the      
,house  of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xv4 
,of the death of the beloved ,father    
,john ,ummen1 the first ,founder  of the

 ,monastery of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4      
,,xvi4    ,of the pestilence that       
afflicted mankind1 and how some of our  
,brothers died in this plague4          
,,xvii4   ,of the death of ,william1 son
 of ,seger1 a ,priest in ,hasselt4      
,,xviii4  ,of the death of our most     
reverend ,lord ,frederic1 ,bishop of    
,utrecht4    ,,xix4    ,of the death of 
,brother ,john ,vos of ,huesden1 who was
 the second  ,prior at ,windesem4       
,,xx4     ,how ,brother ,theodoric of   
,kleef was chosen to be the third ,prior
  of the ,house on the ,mount4    ,,xxi4
    ,of the death of ,brother ,egbert   
formerly ,sub-,prior at the ,house on   
the ,mount4    ,,xxii4   ,how our       
,brothers and other ,religious were     
driven from the land by  reason of the  
,interdict4    ,,xxiii4  ,of the return 
of our ,brothers from ,frisia to ,mount 
,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xxiv4   ,of the death 
of ,brother ,john of ,kempen1 the first 
,prior of ,mount  ,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xxv4
    ,how ,theodoric of ,kleef1 third    

,prior of the ,house on the ,mount  laid
 down his office1 and was absolved      
therefrom4    ,,xxvi4   ,how ,brother   
,henry of ,deventer was chosen to be the
 fourth ,prior  of the ,house of ,mount 
,st4 ,agnes4    ,,xxvii4  ,how ,father  
,henry1 the fourth ,prior1 resigned his 
office1 and how  ,father ,george was    
chosen to be the fifth ,prior4          
,,xxviii4 ,of the ancient ,reliquary of 
,st4 ,agnes1 and how it was gotten4     
,,xxix4   ,of the death of ,brother     
,henry1 son of ,william1 the fourth     
,prior  of our ,house4    ,,so ,,far    
,,the ,,chronicle ,,was ,,written ,,by  
,,thomas ,,of ,,kempen2 ,,the ,,residue 
,,thereof  ,,was ,,done ,,by ,,another4 
,,from ,,the ,,chronicle ,,of ,,our     
,,brother ,,thomas ,,of ,,kempen        
,,concerning ,,matters ,,not            
,,pertaining ,,to ,,our ,,house4    ,i4 
,concerning the year in which that      
reverend man1 ,florentius of            
,wevelichoven1 was made ,bishop of      
,utrecht4    ,,ii4      ,of the death of

 ,john ,ruysbroeck1 first ,prior of the 
,groenendaal4    ,,iii4     ,of the     
death of the venerable ,master ,gerard  
,groote1 a man most  devout4    ,,iv4   
,of the great eulogy passed upon ,gerard
 by a certain doctor4    ,v4       ,how1
 after his death1 the number of the     
,devout and the ,order of  ,regulars did
 increase4    ,,vi4      ,of the        
consecration of the ,church1 and the    
investiture of the  first ,brothers in  
,windesem4    ,,vii4     ,of the death  
of ,john de ,gronde1 a ,priest4         
,,viii4    ,of the death of the most    
,reverend ,florentius of ,wevelichoven1 
,bishop of ,utrecht4    ,,ix4      ,how 
,frederick of ,blanckenhem was chosen to
 be ,bishop4    ,x4       ,how the      
monastery at ,northorn was founded4     
,,xi4      ,of the death of that most   
devout ,priest ,florentius1 ,vicar of   
the  ,church of ,deventer4    ,,xii4    
,of the death of ,everard of ,eza1 a    
,curate in ,almelo and a great  master  
of physic4    ,,xiii4    ,of the death  

of the ,priest ,amilius that succeeded  
,florentius at  ,deventer4    ,,xiv4    
,of the first investiture of the        
,sisters of our ,order in  ,diepenvene  
near ,deventer4    ,,xv4      ,how the  
monastery in ,budiken was reformed4     
,,xvi4     ,of the death of ,gerard     
,kalker1 a devout ,priest1 and ,rector  
of  the ,house of ,clerks4    ,,xvii4   
,of the death of ,henry of ,gouda1 a    
devout ,priest1 at ,zwolle4    ,,xviii4 
,how the ,sisters in ,bronope were      
invested4    ,,xix4     ,the death of   
,wermbold the ,priest4    ,,xx4      ,of
 the death of ,john ,cele1 ,rector of   
the ,school at ,zwolle4    ,,xxi4       
,concerning ,john ,brinckerinck1 a      
disciple of ,master ,gerard4    ,,xxii4 
,of the death of ,gisbert ,dow1 ,rector 
of the ,sisters at ,amsterdam4          
,,xxiii4   ,as to the gaining of        
,indulgences at the stations in ,rome4  
,,xxiv4    ,the letter of the ,cardinal 
of ,bologna4    ,a ,,letter ,,concerning
 ,,the ,,first ,,institution ,,of ,,the 

,,monastery ,,at ,,windesem4            
,,translator',s ,,note      ,the        
,chronicle of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes is the 
only work of ,thomas a ,kempis of  which
 no ,english translation has yet        
appeared1 and even in its original  form
 the book is not readily accessible to  
readers1 since the only text  is that   
published by ,peter and ,john ,beller of
 ,antwerp in #afba4  ,the  ordinary     
collections of the works of a ,kempis do
 not contain the  ,chronicle1 although  
there is no doubt as to the authenticity
 of the book1  which is of considerable 
importance to students of the movement  
known as  ,the ,new ,devotion1 and to   
those who are interested in the         
,brotherhood of  the ,common ,life4     
,the last nine pages of the ,latin text 
have been added  by an anonymous writer1
 and carry on the chronicle from the    
year #adga1 in  which a ,kempis died1 to
 #adgg1 but since this portion of the   
book is  included in the first printed  
edition1 and contains a notice of the   

author written by a contemporary member 
of the community1 ,i have included  the 
addition in the present translation of  
the ,chronicle4    ,the ,mother ,house  
of the ,chapter to which the ,monastery 
of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes  belonged1 was the
 ,monastery at ,windesheim1 of which we 
have a full  account from the pen of    
,john ,buschius1 a younger contemporary 
of a  ,kempis4  ,this work is too long  
to be included in the present volume1   
although the ,antwerp edition before    
mentioned puts the two ,chronicles      
together2 ,busch's ,chronicon           
,windesemense will therefore appear     
separately2 but as the account of the   
foundation of the ,mother ,house1       
written by ,william ,voern1 or          
,vorniken1 supplements the information  
given  by a ,kempis1 a translation of it
 is annexed to this book4  ,the writer  
was  ,prior of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes before
 his promotion to the same office in the
  ,superior ,house1 and it was under his
 rule that a ,kempis spent the early    

years of his priesthood1 those years in 
which he composed the first part  at    
least of the great work with which his  
name is associated4  ,william  ,vorniken
 also tells in outline the story of the 
conversion of the ,low  ,countries to   
,christianity by ,anglo-,saxon          
missionaries1 and for all these  reasons
 it has been thought that his letter may
 be of interest to  ,english readers4   
,it will be seen that the spelling of   
proper names is both peculiar and       
variable1 but the principle observed in 
this translation has been to  adopt the 
spelling given in the text1 except in   
cases where variation is  evidently the 
result of a printer's error1 and in     
those instances in  which the writer    
translated names1 e4g41 ,hertzogenbosch 
appears in  the ,chronicle as           
,buscoducis1 and ,gerard is called      
sometimes ,groote1  ,groot1 or ,groet1  
and sometimes ,magnus4    ,further      
accounts of the lives of some of the    
,brothers who are mentioned  in this    

,chronicle may be found in a translation
 of another work of a  ,kempis published
 last year1 and entitled ,the founders  
of the ,new  ,devotion1 ,kegan ,paul1   
,trench1 ,trubner  ,co42 and the history
 of the  other houses of the ,chapter to
 which the ,monastery of ,mount ,st4    
,agnes  belonged1 has been treated      
exhaustively by ,dr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,r4        
,acquoy1 ,het  ,klooster te ,windesheim4
  ,utrecht1 #ahhj4    ,for the ,english 
reader the best accounts of the         
,brotherhood and of a  ,kempis himself1 
are the works of ,rev4 ,s4 ,kettlewell  
and ,sir ,f4 ,r4 ,cruise4  ,the former1 
however1 is quite unreliable as a       
translator1 and draws  untenable        
deductions from extracts whose purport  
he has misunderstood2  but the latter is
 both accurate and interesting1 being in
 fact the  leading ,english authority on
 the subject which he has made his own4 
,,preface4      ,the pious desire of    
certain of our ,brothers hath           
constrained me to put  together a short 

chronicle concerning the beginning of   
our ,house1 and the  first foundation of
 our ,monastery on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1  
that the said  chronicle may be a       
comfort to them that are now alive1 and 
a memorial for  them that come after4   
,wherefore humbly assenting to their    
pious desires1  ,i have gathered        
together a few things out of many1 and  
these ,i have seen  with mine own eyes1 
or have heard from the ,elders of our   
,house1 or else  have gathered from the 
writings of others4    ,some of the     
,elders who first dwelt in this ,house  
have told us that or  ever there was a  
monastery builded in this place1 and    
before any man had  yet come hither to  
serve ,god1 there did often appear to   
the shepherds and  to them that dwelt   
near1 visions of men in white raiment   
who seemed to go  in procession round   
the mount3 and the signification and    
meaning hereby  portended became clear  
enough afterward as time went by1 when  
the  monastery by ,god's grace begun in 

this place by a few ,brothers and       
afterward finished with much toil came  
into being and a great company of       
,brothers dwelt therein--for then it was
 seen how the ,devout ,congregation  of 
,canons ,regular being clad in white    
raiment did serve ,god with  devotion1  
singing hymns and psalms and celebrating
 ,mass2 also reciting  the proper       
,canonical ,hours to ,his praise every  
day1 and praying for our  benefactors1  
both living and dead1 especially for    
them that are buried in  this           
,monastery4          ,,the ,,chronicle  
,,of ,,the ,,canons ,,regular ,,of      
,,mount ,,st4 ,,agnes4      ,,chapter ,i
      ,of the first founders of the     
,monastery at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and   
how  ,master ,gerard ,groote first      
pointed out this place to them    ,the  
,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 which     
lieth outside the walls of the town  of 
,zwolle1 and on the eastern side        
thereof1 had its origin and completion  
in this way4    ,the place used to be   

called in the vulgar tongue ,mount      
,nemel and lieth  not far from ,zwolle1 
but one may traverse the distance in the
 space of an  hour4  ,now there were in 
the ,state of ,zwolle certain faithful  
men who had  been turned wholly to ,god 
by ,master ,gerard ,groote4  ,these men 
had builded  them an house1 in a suburb 
belonging to the city1 near an ancient  
,convent  of ,beguines1 and here they   
served ,god humbly and with devotion4   
,amongst  these the chief was ,john of  
,ummen1 a man dedicated to ,god1 and    
greatly  beloved by ,gerard2 and with   
him there abode likewise ,wychmann      
,rurinch1  ,reyner1 son of ,leo of      
,renen1 and two or three others that    
were well  disposed4  ,moreover1 a      
certain ,clerk that dwelt in those parts
 named  ,wittecoep1 had joined himself  
to them and lived among them devoutly4  
,there was also the mother of ,john of  
,ummen1 named ,regeland1 a widow of     
ripe age1 who ministered to the         
necessities of these servants of ,god1  

giving good heed to the care of the     
house as a faithful ,martha4  ,most     
gladly would she listen to the ,word of 
,god1 and1 like ,mary1 was never  sated 
with the sweetness of the ,holy         
,scriptures that were read4    ,when any
 one at meal-time read somewhat         
incorrectly and stammered over  the     
words1 this venerable woman said to him 
,read no more and do not  defile the    
,word of ,god lest harm come to holy    
things and they that hear  be offended  
in thee4  ,let another read that hath   
better skill thereto1  that we may all  
understand and be edified4    ,after no 
long time this good woman came to the   
end of her life on the  ,thursday in    
,holy ,week after ,mass was ended1 and  
she was buried at ,zwolle  by her       
friends and the ,brothers4  ,from that  
hour and day1 for three whole  days1 her
 son ,john ,ummen fasted from every kind
 of food to promote his  mother's       
salvation1 and he neither ate nor drank 
aught until the dawning  of the day of  

the ,lord's ,passover1 and yet was he as
 whole in body and in  strength as if he
 had been well fed every day4    ,and as
 these servants of ,god lived in poverty
 and at the common charge it  came to   
pass that many men that were in the     
world1 considering their holy  life1    
came together to them1 being eager to   
serve ,god and to leave the  world1 in  
the hope of an eternal gain4  ,meanwhile
 it happened that the  venerable ,master
 ,gerard ,groote came to ,zwolle about  
the beginning of  ,lent1 and of         
necessity abode there certain days1     
since he was anxious to  comfort his    
poor children1 for it was his desire to 
refresh with the word  of consolation   
those whom he had drawn to leave the    
world4  ,so a very  great company of    
people came together to his preaching1  
and many devoutly  submitted themselves 
to his counsel1 for sometimes he would  
preach two  sermons in one day so as to 
water the chosen vineyard of the ,lord4 
,and  if he had determined to preach    

after the midday meal1 he would remain  
praying in the ,church or walking in    
meditation in the churchyard1 taking  no
 food himself1 while he awaited the     
return of the people4  ,for this  reason
 they that loved his holy discourse were
 unwilling to stay away too  long1 but  
would sit them down in the churchyard or
 in the ,church1 and  take beforehand   
places that were convenient and near the
 pulpit1 so that  at the proper hour    
they might the more readily hear and    
understand the  ,word of ,god4  ,and    
when ,gerard had done his faithful      
preaching1 each would  return to his own
 concerns rejoicing with eager heart1   
and praising ,god  for all the things he
 had heard4  ,and they marvelled above  
measure at the  humble bearing of the   
,master1 and were edified thereby1 that 
he1 a man of  so great fame and         
knowledge1 one that had friends great   
and famous1  should go about the streets
 with so meek an aspect1 and showing    
little  care for his attire2 for he     

cared not at all about worldly things1  
and  sought only to gain a great usury  
of souls for ,god4  ,he was well        
favoured1 kindly in word1 and courteous 
to all1 so that any man whatever1       
whether a stranger or born in the land1 
even though poor and unknown1  might    
speak to him and receive from him some  
discourse upon the things of  ,god4     
,the good saw this and rejoiced thereat1
 but the froward gnashed  with their    
teeth and spake evil of ,gerard4  ,a    
certain man1 therefore1 one  of the     
great ones of the ,state1 came near to  
him1 and rebuked his words  and deeds1  
for the man himself took more pleasure  
at that time in  worldliness than in the
 things of ,god4  ,why1 said he1 dost   
thou  disquiet us1 and bring in new     
customs8  ,cease from this preaching1   
and do  not disturb or frighten men4    
,but ,gerard made answer with wisdom and
  constancy3 ,i would not willingly     
suffer you to go to ,hell1 and the man  
said again with indignation3 ,let us go 

thither in peace1 but the kindly  and   
good ,master replied3 ,i will not do so2
 if thou wilt not hear1 there  will be  
some who will gladly give ear--but we   
must return to our  history4    ,when   
the most beloved ,master was sojourning 
in ,zwolle for the purpose of  preaching
 the ,word1 some of his disciples       
aforementioned who dwelt  together there
 came to him secretly and confessed that
 they desired to  live a life further   
removed from that of the world1 for they
 could not  bear to mingle with         
worldlings without suffering hurt to    
their spiritual  life2 and they said    
that they would choose to dwell without 
the ,city if  he should agree thereto4  
,they begged him therefore1 as loving   
sons  speaking to their father1 to      
condescend to go with them some little  
space  outside the ,city to look for a  
place convenient wherein to live        
quietly4  ,then ,gerard assented to     
their pious prayers1 and when the next  
day dawned  he prepared for the journey 

and taking with him the brothers        
,wychmann1  ,reyner1 ,henry and ,james  
,wittecoep1 he went with them towards   
the  mountains of ,nemel to a place that
 was foreordained of ,god1 and separated
  from the multitude2 for men were      
seldom seen to come thither or to pass  
by1 and patches of thorns and nettles   
grew here and there upon the hills  and 
valleys4  ,so as they went forth the    
wind beat against them1 hut  neither    
rain nor wind could stay the ,master    
from the straight course1 and  he went  
on rejoicing and said pleasantly to his 
companions3 ,i will go  before you and  
shield you from the wind with my cloak4 
,but as they drew  near to the place1   
they went up to the top of an hill1 and 
having made a  circuit round the        
mountains for some little space1 they at
 last beheld a  valley1 that was narrow 
and deep1 upon the northern side of the 
mountain1  and ,gerard's disciples asked
 him a question1 saying3 ,see6 most     
beloved  ,master1 how good is this      

place1 and how private2 here we may hide
 for the  love of ,christ1 as of old the
 holy ,eremites did hide in the         
mountains and  in caves in the earth4   
,but this they said in simplicity of    
heart out of  the fervent zeal of their 
devotion1 and their desire for a life   
more  remote from the world1 for they   
thought there they could be hid1        
screened  by the thickets of brushwood4 
,but the ,master being most discreet and
  wise in counsel soon dissuaded them   
from this purpose1 for a place that     
lieth low doth never suit the human     
complexion1 nor would a place so  narrow
 avail in future for many men to dwell  
in4  ,so they withdrew their  feet      
prudently therefrom and visited another 
mountain that was near2 and  their wise 
leader saw that on the south side       
thereof was a level place  fit for      
crops1 and he said to them that stood   
by3 ,place your tabernacle  at the foot 
of this mountain--then shall ye be able 
to make a little  garden for your herbs 

and fruits on the level place toward the
 south4  ,if  the ,lord grant me life ,i
 will be here often with you4  ,having  
visited  this place and walked about it 
through ,god's inspiration1 they        
returned  again to the ,city together1  
leaving the issue of the matter to the  
pleasure of the ,almighty4  ,but in the 
same year the beloved ,master  ,gerard1 
that light and lamp of devotion that    
shone upon his country of  ,utrecht1 was
 taken away from this world to receive  
the reward of his  labours1 and he went 
up from the vale of our lamentations to 
the mount of  everlasting bliss4        
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,of the building of
 the first ,house on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4
    ,but after the passing of the       
,master1 who must ever be held in       
remembrance1 the new branch of his      
planting ceased not to bear fruit2      
moreover the heaven shed dew upon it    
from above1 as ,gerard at the end of    
his life had promised1 so that our land 
yielded increase in her season2  and the

 men above named continued to carry into
 effect the intention  which they had   
formed in their minds4  ,the chief mover
 in this holy work  was ,james          
,wittecoep1 the son of one ,thomas      
,coep1 a man who had been a  magistrate 
in the town of ,zwolle2 and he did all  
that in him lay to  promote the         
foundation of an house on the mountain  
for the servants of  ,god4  ,goswin     
,tyasen1 who afterward became a ,canon  
,regular at ,windesheim1  assisted him  
in this business1 for he1 relying upon  
the goodness of ,god1  and having the   
ear of his fellows1 was eagerly desirous
 to move them to  choose this place4    
,there were others also of like purpose1
 but these two  were the chief men      
amongst them1 and they all relied upon  
the help of  their friends1 but         
especially upon the co-operation of the 
mercy of ,god  by ,whose nod all things 
are determined4  ,therefore they        
besought the  heritors of ,bercem and   
,nemel1 joint owners of the farm1 to    

grant them a  portion of the land1 and  
the site where now the ,monastery is    
builded1 and  the owners thereof did    
freely grant their request and gave them
 the land  for the ,brothers to dwell   
in4  ,when they had obtained the power  
to build  upon the spot pointed out to  
them aforetime by ,master ,gerard1 they 
set in  order a small house1 at the     
bottom of the mountain1 that had been   
given  to them by a certain matron1 and 
some labourers assisted them in this    
work4  ,this house was builded of logs  
and earth1 but was only roofed in  above
 with common thatch4  ,but when this    
poor little habitation1 on an  humble   
site on the lower part of the mountain  
was builded1 no man dwelt  there1       
because it lacked household stuff2 yet  
certain of the ,brothers  whose hearts  
were set on the completion of the work  
would visit it1 and  sometimes one or   
two would sleep upon the straw there1 in
 their clothes1  but for their food they
 either brought somewhat with them or   

returned to  their friends in the town4 
,scarce have ,i known of any place or   
house that was begun in so great        
poverty1 and yet came1 in despite of    
divers hindrances1 to so great an       
increase of prosperity2 but ,jesus our  
,saviour ,himself began in the  deepest 
poverty1 and ,his lack did make rich    
,holy ,church4  ,this house  therefore1 
poor at first1 unknown and hidden1 did  
deserve in process of  time to be more  
widely increased through the blessing of
 our ,father in  ,heaven1 ,who doth ever
 turn ,his ,face toward lowly things1   
but doth look  from afar upon the lofty4
  ,for as wealthier persons came and    
brought  their goods into the common    
stock1 the place whose beginning was so 
poor1  and its outward appearance so    
lowly1 grew to be a yet fairer vineyard 
of  the ,lord of ,sabaoth4  ,for the    
tillers of the farm and the country folk
 of  the land of ,bercem and ,nemel1    
seeing that an house was now builded on 
the  mountain and that devout men had   

come together there to serve ,god in    
humility and simplicity1 gave and       
assigned to them and their successors   
the aforesaid place in honour of ,holy  
,religion1 and that prayers might be    
offered for them and their friends2     
which grant they did also confirm in    
writing to any others whom ,god         
,almighty should see fit to associate   
with  them4  ,in regard to this holy    
gift and this pious request made by     
consent  of the owners of the place1    
there was but one deed executed relating
 to  the first and original foundation4 
,this is attested by the seals of many  
honest men1 and in it is given a short  
description of the manner of the        
,common ,life and of the wholesome rule 
so far as this same was applicable  to  
the conditions of the ,brotherhood in   
the early days4  ,these things  were    
done and finished in the year of the    
,lord #achf on the ,friday before  ,palm
 ,sunday1 and a year and a half after   
the death of the aforesaid  ,master     

,gerard4        ,,chapter ,,iii4        
,concerning the names of the first      
,brothers and their labours4    ,these  
are the names of those first ,brothers1 
the devout men who began to  build the  
,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes and to     
dwell there4  ,first ,james  ,wittecoep1
 the chief promoter of our ,house and   
the earnest keeper thereof  in all      
things4  ,he afterward became a ,priest 
in ,zwolle and served the  ,altar in the
 ,hospice there1 where he died after    
making a good confession4  ,secondly1   
there was ,john ,ummen1 son of          
,assetrin1 whose mother was called      
,regeland4  ,he1 though blind and       
unlettered1 was yet the familiar friend 
and devout disciple of ,master ,gerard1 
and he became the first ,rector of  the 
,house1 being a good man and a          
comfortable4  ,thirdly1 there was       
,wychmann ,roerinck van ,hellender1 a   
pattern of poverty and patience2 he1    
putting aside his friends1 who were     
many1 became an humble hearer of        

,gerard1 and was ,procurator to this    
poor little congregation4    ,other     
upright men also were joined to these   
chief ,brothers1 being drawn  to give up
 the world by the sweet savour of the   
reputation of this new  and holy        
congregation4  ,their names are worthy  
of the fame of a good  memorial1 for    
they were shining lights of holy        
poverty1 obedience1  continence1 and    
daily toil4  ,the first was ,reyner1 son
 of ,leo of ,renen of  the diocese of   
,utrecht1 who often made pilgrimages out
 of his devotion2  but afterward became 
converted by ,gerard's preaching and    
gave up the  world4  ,the second was    
,reyner the younger1 a man without      
reproach1 poor  and accustomed to toil4 
,he1 too1 came from ,renen which is in  
the diocese  of ,munster4  ,the third   
was called ,gerard the cook1 for he at  
the first  was cook to the ,house1 but  
afterward became the porter1 a man      
fervent in  deed1 and devout in prayer1 
who was born at ,deventer4  ,all these  

knew  ,gerard ,groote in the flesh1 and 
often heard him preach the ,word of ,god
  among the people4  ,by these humble1  
simple-hearted1 and devout little       
servants of ,christ--these who did      
verily despise the world--was our ,house
  on mount ,nemel begun1 which ,house   
after that it became a ,monastery was   
called ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4  ,moreover by
 little and little several devout       
clerks and lay folk from the            
neighbouring towns and from far off     
districts came to join these men1 and   
they earned their daily bread by  the   
labour of their hands4  ,for none was   
allowed to avoid his task1 none  might  
go about idly1 neither did any dare to  
talk of worldly matters1 but  all were  
taught to labour for the common good1   
and to call often upon ,god  in prayer  
at the appointed hours after the manner 
of the holy ,fathers in  ,egypt3 for    
these1 too1 did labour with their hands1
 but during the hours  of toil they     
never ceased from prayer4  ,likewise    

they had received this  rule from       
,master ,gerard1 that none ought to be  
accepted save such as were  willing to  
labour with their hands and take part in
 the ,common ,life4  ,wherefore the     
clerks were diligent in writing the     
books of ,holy  ,scriptures1 and the lay
 folk busied them with bodily labour and
 tillage4  ,some also followed the      
tailor's craft1 others wove wool and    
flax2 others  again made baskets and    
mats1 or did divers tasks for the good  
of the  community at the bidding of     
their ,superior4  ,outwardly indeed they
 led a  life of poverty and toil for    
,christ's sake1 but the love of the     
heavenly  life made sweet the present   
indigence4  ,if one went forth on any   
business1 he would first utter some     
short word concerning the things of     
,god1 or would speak the ,name of       
,jesus1 and some other would reply with 
,christ or ,mary as his devotion        
impelled him4  ,for a great while they  
lived together in this companionship1   

and until the time of the  foundation of
 the ,monastery1 all alike1 both ,clerks
 and ,lay folk obeyed  their first      
,rector1 ,john of ,ummen1 a zealous man 
and well skilled in  spiritual things4  
,with such diligence did they follow the
 virtue of  obedience that none dared   
even to drive in a nail1 or do any      
little thing  without the knowledge of  
the ,rector or ,procurator1 for they    
received  fraternal correction by way of
 warning for the least neglect1 nor was 
there given any place for excuse1 but   
every man did humbly acknowledge  his   
fault1 and was forward to promise       
amendment4  ,but if any were not  ready 
to obey1 or should cling stubbornly to  
what was good in his own  eyes ,father  
,john would chide him more sternly as   
the manner of the fault  and the quality
 of the person did demand4  ,sometimes  
fired with yet  greater zeal for        
discipline and in order to affright the 
other ,brothers  he would say to some   
that were ill content1 or slow to take  

his ,orders3  ,lo6 the door standeth    
open4  ,if any will go forth1 let him   
go3 ,i would  rather have one that is   
obedient than many that are disobedient4
  ,by the  favour of ,god ,i may readily
 find others who will cheerfully do what
 ye  refuse4   ,thus by the voice of his
 authority he would curb the            
ill-contentment of some4  ,also he used 
to say that unwilling and sluggish      
,brothers were false prophets who       
thought that naught was profitable save 
what was good in their own eyes4        
,once it happened that the elder ,reyner
 was sent out with some other  ,brothers
 to guard the reeds1 lest the cattle    
that passed by might chew  and injure   
them4  ,but when the time for the midday
 meal came all the rest  went in1 and   
,reyner alone remained on watch in the  
fields1 and afterwards  he1 too1 went in
 to take his sustenance4  ,then he was  
asked wherefore he  had not come in with
 the others at the appointed hour1 and  
he answered  that he had remained       

outside thinking to do the more good    
thereby1 and  prevent danger to their   
stuff4  ,but ,father ,john replied1     
,would that the  beasts had despoiled   
all our goods so that thou hadst come in
 with the  rest as in duty bound4  ,this
 would have pleased me better4   ,then  
was  ,reyner deeply penitent1 and       
groaning he prostrated himself humbly on
 the  ground asking for pardon1 and     
saying that he would never do the like  
again4  ,but yet ,john was full of      
comfort and kindness to those that were 
tempted or oppressed with any weighty   
matter1 for he had the gracious  power  
of consoling all1 whatever might be the 
cause for which they came  to him4      
,master ,gerard himself often sent      
divers persons to be instructed  by him 
in the way of ,god1 saying to them1 ,go 
to blind ,john of ,ummen1  that devout  
and upright man1 and whatsoever he saith
 unto you1 do it4  ,he  also bore this  
witness about ,john1 saying ,that blind 
man hath better  sight than all that are

 in ,zwolle1 meaning that though he     
lacked natural  sight1 yet was he       
illumined inwardly by the radiance of   
truth1 and showed  the way of eternal   
salvation to many that resorted to him1 
and gave them  the guidance of the true 
light4    ,among these early ,brothers  
so great was the zeal of their love that
 each  strove to surpass the other in   
doing work that was humble2 and they    
were  eager in lowly service one to the 
other4  ,so while one was asleep another
  would rise up earlier than was        
customary and finish his work2 but if   
any  were somewhat slower in going forth
 to his labour1 some other that was     
quicker would take his place1 and it was
 often found that some task was         
finished though none knew who had done  
it4  ,by this means was charity  shown  
in deed1 and humility of heart was      
preserved1 according to the  saying1    
,love to be unknown4    ,all that dwelt 
in the ,house were stirred up by a like 
devotion to do  menial tasks and fulfil 

humble offices4  ,wherefore the clerks  
and weavers  would not avoid the work in
 the fields1 but when called thereto at 
harvest time they would go forth with   
the rest to gather in the sheaves  of   
corn4  ,following the rule of obedience1
 and acting for the common  good1 they  
made the hay1 or dug the ground1 or     
planted herbs1 whenever  such work must 
needs be done4  ,so1 too1 holy ,david   
doth praise them that  fear ,god1 and   
doth minister sweet words of consolation
 to them that  labour well1 saying3     
,thou shalt eat the labour of thy hands1
 well is  thee and happy shalt thou be4 
,,chapter ,,iv4      ,of the scanty food
 and raiment of the ,brothers1 and how  
wondrously ,god  did provide for them4  
,who can tell how poor was their food   
while they laboured at their daily      
toil8  ,their victual was coarse1 their 
drink ungenerous1 their raiment  simple 
and rude1 so that naught did minister to
 the lusts of the flesh1  but the needs 
of the body were satisfied soberly      

enough4  ,they were often  compelled to 
eat food that was of evil savour through
 lack of better  victual2 but constant  
toil and hunger made herbs and pulse to 
be pleasant  to the taste4  ,fish was   
given to the community seldom1 and eggs 
more  rarely still1 but yet of their    
goodwill the ,brothers would give these 
to  the sick1 or to strangers1 if by any
 means they could get such things4      
,wherefore one hath said1 ,when the     
reign of poverty is long1 pleasure  doth
 endure but a little space4    ,on      
certain days the rule allowed them to   
eat flesh meats1 but if at such  times a
 larger mess was set before them1 yet   
was it not more daintily  cooked4       
,furthermore1 certain amongst them1 who 
while they dwelt in the  world had been 
taught to love a very different fare1   
were now content  with scanty and coarse
 food1 doing great violence to their    
lusts thereby2  but yet they bore all   
these things patiently after that saying
 of ,christ1  ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven  

suffereth violence1 and the violent take
 it by  force4  ,sometimes when supper  
was ended scarce aught did remain to be 
divided amongst them on the day         
following2 at other times there was lack
  of utensils or cooking pots1 or       
suitable food would fail2 but ,god the  
,maker of all things1 who of old did    
feed the people in the wilderness1  did 
not desert the ,brothers on the ,mount4 
,so it once came about that  when they  
had consumed almost all their food1     
,gerard the cook being  anxious for the 
morrow1 made his lack known to ,father  
,john1 saying sadly  ,what shall ,i set 
before them to-morrow8  ,but ,john      
consoled his sadness  with kindly words1
 and exhorted him to have faith in the  
,lord1 who doth  not fail them that hope
 in ,him4  ,and when that day had drawn 
on to  evening1 ,everard of ,eza1       
,curate of ,almelo1 came unexpectedly in
 his  chariot as if sent by ,god to     
comfort the poor4  ,he was received by  
the  ,brothers eagerly and reverently1  

and they brought him in as if the       
,hospice was his own1 for he loved the  
,house and all that dwelt therein by    
reason of their utter poverty and their 
simple manner of life1 and  because     
their desire was to hinder none1 but to 
profit all men2 moreover  he was united 
to ,father ,john by a special bond of   
love4  ,wherefore1 when  he had         
determined to travel to ,windesem1 or   
had business at ,zwolle1 he  delighted  
to come first to the ,brothers on the   
,mount2 and being a mighty  shepherd of 
souls as well as a most skilful         
physician1 he alighted from  his        
carriage and fed souls that were in want
 thereof with the fodder of  the ,holy  
,word1 and likewise cheered the faint of
 heart by giving them the  food they    
lacked4  ,he had brought with him fine  
meal1 and flesh1 and he  gave the same  
to the ,brothers for their common use2  
and they receiving  the gifts he offered
 were all comforted by their better     
fortune1 and gave  thanks to ,god and to

 ,everard that of his bounty he had     
provided for them  and succoured them in
 their so great need4  ,at another time1
 also1 divers  poor ,clerks had been    
called from ,zwolle to help them in some
 work1  wherefore certain of the        
,brothers went down to fish in the brook
 ,vecht1  whose course is near to the   
mountain4  ,so they let down their nets 
in the  name of ,jesus1 and by the grace
 of ,god1 who made all waters1 there    
were  taken of the fish called bream a  
number equal to the number of their     
guests4    ,at that time ,gerard        
,bronchorst1 a ,canon of ,utrecht1 and a
 great friend to  the devout1 was in    
authority at ,deventer1 and he gave two 
cows to our  ,brothers on the ,mount1   
but forasmuch as ,god would prove their 
patience  and increase their faith1 one 
of the cows died1 though the other one  
remained whole4  ,and the wondrous      
goodness of ,god provided that the one  
should give so large a yield of milk as 
to suffice for all the ,brothers1       

though they would have thought that they
 would scarce get enough from  two4     
,then was seen the fulfilment of the    
word of the prophet ,esaias1 who  saith3
 ,it shall come to pass in that day that
 a man shall nourish a  young cow1 and  
for the abundance of the milk he shall  
eat butter4    ,at the beginning of     
their common life the ,brothers were    
despised by  worldlings1 and they bore  
patiently the derision of them that     
passed by2  also they were called by    
vile names in scorn1 and suffered much  
evil  speaking and many injuries from   
the envious2 but the patience of the    
good  overcame the malice of the        
froward1 and the freedom of their good  
conscience gave them the greater joy    
because of the scorn that was cast  upon
 them4  ,for although men that were     
ill-disposed would insult these  poor   
little ones of ,christ1 and blushed not 
to speak evil of the  innocent1 yet many
 that feared ,god would praise their    
holy conversation2  such men assisted   

them with kindly deeds and help1 being  
moved thereto by  pious reasons4    ,one
 of the community1 a ,lay ,donate and an
 upright man1 was employed in  feeding  
the cattle1 and as he was driving an    
herd of swine in the field  he met an   
ancient crone1 who began to abuse him   
and to hurl unseemly  words at him4     
,and the devout ,brother answered her   
gently1 saying1 ,good  dame1 tell me my 
faults freely1 and chide me sternly1 for
 ,i greatly lack  such chastisement1 but
 the woman hearing this was smitten with
 inward  remorse1 and said in a changed 
voice3 ,what should it profit me to help
  you to the kingdom of heaven1 but     
myself to hell6 for she perceived that  
by her chiding the ,brother earned fresh
 merit1 but she punishment for her      
frowardness4    ,it came to pass that as
 two of the ,brothers were at work      
together out of  doors1 one by mischance
 did unwittingly hurt the other         
somewhat1 and he  who had done the      
injury prayed the other to pardon him   

for ,god's sake4  ,but the ,brother who 
was hurt in body was whole in heart1 and
 said3 ,even  if thou hadst slain my    
father ,i would freely pardon thee1 and 
those that  stood by and heard his      
saying were edified1 and glorified ,god 
for the  gracious words that proceeded  
from the sufferer's mouth4  ,may these  
few  things that ,i have told of the    
early deeds of our elders be pleasing to
  the reader4        ,,chapter ,v4      
,of the consecration of the first chapel
 and altar at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,on
 the ,vigil of the ,feast of ,st4 ,john 
the ,baptist1 and in the year of our    
,lord #acie1 was consecrated the first  
chapel on the ,mount of ,st4 ,agnes the 
,virgin1 and the first altar therein was
 dedicated in honour of that  saint1 and
 of the most blessed ,mary ,magdalene1  
by ,hubert1 the ,suffragan  and         
,vicar-,general for ,pontifical ,acts to
 our most ,reverend ,father and  ,lord1 
,frederic1 ,bishop of ,utrecht4    ,and 
after the rite of ,consecration1 when   

the ,dedication ,festival was at  hand1 
being the ,sunday after the ,nativity of
 ,st4 ,john1 ,reyner1 the ,curate  of   
,zwolle1 came and was the first to sing 
a ,solemn ,mass in the chapel1  wherein 
he offered the sacrifice of perpetual   
praise to ,god1 for he was  friendly    
disposed to the ,brothers1 and at unity 
with them4  ,so from that  day forward  
the ,holy ,mysteries of our ,redemption 
were celebrated there by  ,priests and  
,clerks1 and on festivals1 hymns to the 
praise of ,god were  sung to stir up    
devotion of heart4    ,having made this 
holy beginning1 the lowly band of       
,brothers was kindled  to a still       
greater love of the worship of ,god1 but
 in after time1 when  the new and larger
 church in the monastery was builded and
 consecrated1  the dedication of this   
former chapel was transferred to the    
latter by  licence of the ,bishop1 but  
as was more seemly1 it was dedicated    
first to  ,st4 ,mary and afterward to   
,st4 ,agnes4  ,after this1 when nearly  

three years  had gone by1 the desire of 
the ,brothers to build a monastery      
burned  fiercely within them1 and the   
elder amongst them especially1 with     
their  ,rector1 were eager to do this   
work and carry it forward with all      
speed1  for certain urgent reasons did  
compel them4  ,they saw that without    
monastic discipline the way of life in  
the ,house could not continue to be     
ordered duly1 and therefore they        
determined that the habit of an holy    
order must be their refuge1 for they    
were instant to make prudent  provision 
for themselves and those that should    
come after1 and to stop  the mouths of  
them that spoke evil1 because such men  
did strive with the  cunning of this    
world to disturb the lowly and simple   
lives of the  ,brothers4  ,moreover1    
though they were still poor and had not 
things  suitable to their need--either  
proper buildings or service books--yet  
did  they try to begin the work1        
trusting in the mercy of ,god and       

heartened by  the help of good men4     
,and one spake of them and marvelled    
that men so  poor should wish to build a
 monastery and to take religious vows1  
though  they had no hope of increase1   
but ,father ,john of ,ummen1 ever a     
lover of  poverty1 answered him1 saying3
 ,i have always heard from holy men that
  poverty is good1 being both the cause 
of all good and the means of  increasing
 the same4        ,,chapter ,,vi4       
,of the year and place in which the     
first four ,brothers were invested4     
,in the year of the ,lord #acih1 on the 
#ahth day of ,january1 being the ,feast 
of ,st4 ,prisca1 ,virgin and ,martyr1   
our ,right ,reverend ,lord ,frederic of 
,blanckenhem1 the renowned ,bishop of   
,utrecht1 issued his license to the     
devout priests1 ,egbert van ,lingen1 and
 ,wolfard1 the son of ,matthias1 and  to
 the other ,clerks and ,lay ,brothers   
that dwelt on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 in    
,nemel1 near ,zwolle1 for it was his    
desire to increase the glory of ,god1   

and to promote the cause of ,holy       
,religion4  ,by the full authority      
vested  in him he gave them leave to    
build a monastery for the ,order of     
,canons  ,regular in any fit and proper 
place in his diocese1 so that they might
  worthily and devoutly serve as the    
soldiers of ,almighty ,god in the       
,regular ,order1 following the rule of  
the blessed ,augustine4  ,so having     
obtained this licence in their favour1  
they chose a place in the freehold  land
 that is called ,westerhof1 in the      
district of ,gherner and the parish  of 
,dalvessen1 the curate of which parish1 
who was an honourable man named         
,frederic ,denter1 giving his assent to 
their purpose4  ,they determined to  set
 their monastery here because they had  
found no other site that was  fitting1  
although they sought anxiously elsewhere
 a place of habitation4  ,at this time  
the men of ,zwolle would not suffer a   
monastery to be builded  upon the ,mount
 at ,nemel1 though this was done in     

after days by the favour  of ,god1 but  
,egbert ,mulart had given them this land
 at ,westerhof4  ,he was  a most upright
 man1 and one in authority1 being of    
gentle lineage in  ,hasselt1 and he was 
a trusty friend and a special patron of 
the devout4  ,here then they builded for
 their first need a small chapel1 which 
they  let consecrate in honour of ,mary1
 the most ,blessed ,mother of ,god1 and 
also other buildings of moderate size1  
and they reverently called the  place   
,the ,garden of the ,blessed ,mary1 in  
honour of ,christ's gentle  ,mother4    
,when these things were done1 the day   
drew nigh on which the  ,brothers of    
this ,house should be invested there4   
,now on the day of the  ,lord's         
,annunciation1 which is the solemn      
,feast of the ,blessed ,mary ever       
,virgin1 ,mother ,church doth celebrate 
throughout all the world the first  act 
of our ,redemption4  ,so that when that 
holy day had dawned with fair  sunshine 
there came the ,reverend ,lord ,hubert1 

,bishop of ,yppuse1 and  ,suffragan to  
our ,lord ,bishop of ,utrecht1 for he   
had been summoned thither  upon that    
day4  ,and when the waxen tapers and    
crosses and the other  ornaments were   
ready1 he there consecrated the burial  
ground1 and the  three altars1 and then 
at the ,high ,altar1 which he had       
dedicated1 he sung  ,mass with solemn   
music4    ,afterward1 in his reverend   
presence1 and in the face of a large    
company  of other religious1 both       
,clerks and ,lay1 ,brothers who had come
 together  from every quarter to keep   
this ,festival1 the first four ,brothers
 of our  ,house were invested by that   
reverend and devout man1 ,john ,wale1   
,prior of  the ,regulars in the state of
 ,zwolle1 for he had been summoned for  
this  very purpose4  ,this number four  
did mystically signify the number of the
  four ,evangelists1 and the names of   
these ,brothers1 which are worthy to be 
cherished by them that come after1 are  
here set down4  ,the first was  ,brother

 ,egbert of ,lingen1 who had been chosen
 for the priesthood by the  ,brothers on
 the ,mount three years before this     
time4    ,the second was ,brother       
,wolfard1 son of ,matthias of           
,medenblike1 a priest  of great age4    
,the third was ,john ,ummen1 a ,clerk   
who came from ,campen1 a kinsman of     
,john  of ,ummen1 our first founder4    
,the fourth was ,dirk of ,kleef1 a      
,clerk who  came from that state4       
,these four made their profession on the
 same day1  and when the ,divine        
,mysteries had been celebrated1 and     
their bodies had  been refreshed1 they  
spent the day in spiritual rejoicing and
 brotherly  love4  ,brother ,egbert was 
the ,senior in standing and took the    
place of  ,rector of the ,house until a 
new ,rector appointed by the ,chapter   
should  come2 then he gave place to     
,brother ,wolfard and stood humbly      
behind him4  ,the ,clerks who were not  
yet invested with the habit of the      
,order were  these3--,wichbold1 son of  

,john of ,deventer1 ,henry ,huetinc of  
,deventer1  ,john of ,kempen1 of the    
diocese of ,cologne1 ,hermann of        
,kempen1 of the same  diocese4    ,after
 ,easter1 when a general ,chapter was   
held by the ,fathers at ,windesem1      
these were received into the ,order1 and
 their names were set down and  written 
as members of the ,fellowship of ,houses
 belonging to us3 the  ,fathers also    
provided them a suitable ,rector1 and   
after a little space  that religious and
 devout ,brother1 ,egbert ,lingen1 was  
sent to them4  ,he  had been a member of
 the ,monastery of ,st4 ,saviour1 at    
,emsten1 and for  about a year1 that is1
 until the coming of the new ,prior1 he 
ruled over  the ,house1 as will be shown
 hereafter4  ,throughout the summer of  
this  same year the ,pestilence was     
heavy at ,deventer1 ,zwolle1 ,campen1   
and the  neighbouring towns and         
districts1 so that it often happened    
that twenty  or thirty men were buried  
in one day in the divers parishes of    

these  towns4    ,about this time and on
 the ,feast of the ,nativity of ,st4    
,john the ,baptist1  died ,reyner1      
,curate of ,zwolle1 and two priests that
 were his chaplains4  ,he was a good man
 and pitiful to the poor1 and ever      
cherished a special  devotion to ,st4   
,john the ,baptist4  ,at this time also 
died many devout  persons1 both men and 
women4        ,,chapter ,,vii4      ,how
 the monastery was removed from         
,westerhof to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,in
 the same year of the ,lord #acih1 on   
the #bfth day of the month of  ,august1 
two days before the ,festival of our    
,holy ,father ,augustine1 did  that most
 kindly ,lord ,frederic1 by the grace of
 ,god1 ,bishop of ,utrecht1  issue a    
further licence4  ,he did ever most     
faithfully promote the  interests of our
 ,house1 and was our special patron1 and
 he had compassion  upon the ,brothers  
who were invested a short time before at
 ,westerhof1 in  that they were         
ill-content with the place1 and         

ill-provided for there1 by  reason of   
divers hindrances and impediments that  
were not agreeable to  the religious    
life4  ,the ,bishop therefore1 hearing  
of these hindrances  and the true causes
 thereof1 gave them licence to transfer 
themselves and  all their goods from the
 aforesaid place to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 
so soon as  might be convenient1 and to 
retain the same rights and privileges as
 he  had before conferred upon them4    
,thus for the second time they obtained 
his full and gracious consent to their  
desires1 and ,conrad ,hengel1 then      
,vice-,curate of ,zwolle1 likewise      
assented to their pious wishes4         
,therefore on the eve of the day of the 
,exaltation of the ,holy ,cross they    
returned to the place that they had long
 possessed and where the greater  number
 of their friends still continued to    
dwell1 with blind ,john of  ,ummen2 they
 left1 however1 some few ,lay ,brothers 
at ,westerhof to arrange  their affairs4
    ,moreover the ,bishop of ,utrecht   

had given them a licence for the        
consecration of a burial-ground for the 
use of the monastery that they  should  
found on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4  ,but when 
,hubert1 the ,bishop ,suffragan1  came  
for this purpose and entered into       
,zwolle1 he was not allowed to  continue
 his journey to the ,mount until the    
,magistrates had first spoken  with the 
,lord ,bishop of ,utrecht1 for they     
thought to dissuade him from  his       
opinion4  ,from this cause the          
consecration of the burial-ground was   
delayed for the space of a year1 until  
the return of the ,bishop of  ,utrecht1 
for the said ,bishop during the year had
 gone to the ,curia at  ,rome1 and he   
ordered that the cause of both parties  
should be put off and  await his coming 
and presence on his return4  ,but when  
he had come back  from ,rome and entered
 his own country in safety1 certain of  
our ,brothers  came to him and asked him
 once more to give permission for the   
consecration of the burial-ground1 and  

he1 yielding to the importunity of  his 
friends1 did freely grant their         
petition4  ,so he issued his commands   
again and ordered the consecration of   
this place1 for he loved it and  paid no
 heed to the complaints of the          
adversaries1 since he preferred the     
honour of ,god and the progress of      
religion rather than the unjust words   
of worldlings1 who1 as is well-known1 do
 often oppose the desires of good  folk4
  ,from that time forward he showed     
special love to the ,house on the       
,mount1 and extended to it yet fuller   
patronage1 so that one day when he  was 
riding round the mountain on his way to 
,zwolle1 he asked one of his            
companions1 saying3 ,what is this place1
 and what manner of men dwell  here8 and
 his ,vicar answered him3 ,beloved      
,lord1 dost thou not yet know  that     
place8  ,this is thy monastery1 this is 
,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and the  ,brothers  
of the ,mount dwell there4  ,and the    
,bishop made answer3 ,it is  well--may  

,god preserve them4    ,it came to pass 
in this same year1 #acih1 in the month  
of ,september1 when  the ,plague was    
still amongst us that a well-disposed   
,lay ,brother named  ,john1 son of      
,faber1 who was smitten with the        
pestilence1 came from ,zwolle  to the   
mountain1 and sought hospitality in the 
name of ,god4  ,and being  received in  
charity1 his disease grew heavy upon    
him1 and he died on the  ,feast ,day of 
,st4 ,maurice the ,martyr4  ,but after  
his death certain of the  ,clerks and   
,lay folk1 being infected with the      
,plague1 were taken from this  life     
after a little while1 but several others
 grew whole of their  sickness1 for the 
,lord had mercy upon them4    ,lastly1  
on the day after the ,feast of ,st4     
,francis the ,confessor died  ,john1 son
 of ,nicolas of ,campen1 a ,lay ,brother
 of great age1 who had been  the        
gardener4    ,on the day of the         
translation of our holy ,father1        
,augustine ,gerard ,bou  left this      

bodily life4  ,he was a man of great    
strength1 who had been a  farmer1 and   
his native land was ,holland4    ,on the
 ,feast of ,st4 ,calixtus1 ,pope and    
,martyr1 died ,hermann ,restikey1 a     
,clerk of the diocese of ,cologne2 he   
was born in the town of ,kempen1 and    
was well learned and skilled in singing 
and in binding books4  ,when he  drew   
near to death he asked that a taper     
might be lighted quickly and  given into
 his hands1 and holding this above his  
breast he began to say  devoutly and    
often to repeat3 ,mary1 ,mother of      
,grace1 ,mother of ,mercy1 do  thou     
protect us from the enemy and receive us
 in the hour of death1 and  having said 
this1 he breathed forth his soul4    ,on
 the day after the ,feast of the ,eleven
 ,thousand ,holy ,virgins1 ,john of     
,kempen fell asleep in the ,lord2 he was
 a devout ,clerk of the diocese of      
,cologne who had just been received into
 the ,religious ,order1 but he died  or 
ever he could take the habit1 for death 

was beforehand with him4  ,he  was      
kinsman to the aforesaid ,hermann1 whom 
he had persuaded to withdraw  from the  
life of the world when he was ,sublector
 in the town of ,campen4  ,these greatly
 loved one another in life and death1   
they came from one  city and province1  
they were of one heart in their good    
purpose1 and  alike steadfast therein4  
,this ,john1 who continued a longer     
space in the  service of ,god1 was a man
 of great kindliness and sobriety1 and  
was well  skilled in the work of        
husbandry4  ,for at harvest time when   
all must  labour more than usual he was 
diligent in helping therein4  ,and      
sometimes  at night he would gather in  
the crops of the poor1 and often wearied
  himself by this work of piety2 but in 
this year the weather was very  rainy1  
and the crops were in such danger that  
he gathered in those that  grew in the  
watery places1 and binding them into    
sheaves carried them on  his own        
shoulders out of reach of the waters4   

,on the ,feast ,day of the ,saints      
,crispin and ,crispian died ,wichbold1  
son of  ,john of ,deventer1 a man of    
good lineage4  ,for a long time he lived
 a  devout life in ,zwolle1 but         
afterward finished his days yet more    
devoutly  on the ,mount4  ,being an     
eager lover of the ,scriptures he       
edified many by  his holy discourse4    
,on the ,feast ,day of ,st4 ,martin the 
,confessor1 ,henry  of ,deventer fell   
asleep in ,christ2 he was a ,clerk and  
the companion and  fellow citizen of    
,wichbold1 and likewise a very humble   
and gentle man4  ,one day he was        
plastering the inner walls of the cells 
in the dormitory  of the ,brotherhood   
with soft mortar in company with another
 ,clerk4  ,but  it happened that as the 
mortar was somewhat violently dashed on 
to the  wall some did come through the  
cracks of the battens into ,henry's face
  7for he was standing on the other side
 of the wall7 and befouled him  greatly4
  ,but he who had done the deed1 looking

 to see who had been  bespattered by the
 mortar1 and seeing the ,brother who was
 so greatly  loved with his face        
befouled1 implored his pardon in        
dolorous wise4  ,but  ,henry was rather 
merry than vexed1 and answered3 ,there  
is no hurt done1  be not disturbed4  ,i 
care not for it4  ,so gentle was he that
 none ever  saw him angered or heard him
 complain4    ,the day after the ,feast 
of ,brixius1 ,confessor and ,bishop1    
died ,hermann of  ,laer1 a man of great 
age who came from ,campen4    ,on the   
,vigil of ,st4 ,thomas the ,apostle1    
died ,gerlac ten ,water1 a ,clerk of    
the town of ,kampen4  ,he had a deep    
devotion to the ,blessed ,virgin1 and   
was still in the flower of his youth1   
but in this same year he left the  world
 and his parents and entered the        
monastery with joy1 and he made a  good 
end to his life when came the time      
appointed for him to die4  ,these  were 
buried in the ,chapel of ,st4 ,agnes1   
which afterward became the  ,chapter    

,house1 because there was no other      
consecrated ground in the which  they   
could be buried4  ,but as the space was 
very narrow1 some were buried  in a     
neighbouring spot1 because it was hoped 
that a burial-ground would  soon be     
consecrated there4    ,but in the year  
#adjg1 in the time of ,william          
,vorniken1 the second ,prior1  and after
 the consecration of the new chapel1 the
 bones of some of these  ,brothers were 
taken up and buried again in the other  
burial-ground on the  western side of   
the chapel1 where now several ,lay      
,brothers who knew them  lie buried     
also4    ,in the same year1 on the      
,feast day of ,st4 ,martin1 the ,bishop1
 ,brother  ,egbert ,linghen1 the first  
,rector1 invested two converts2 their   
names  being ,brother ,john1 son of     
,james of ,hasselt1 and ,brother ,john  
,eme of  ,zwolle4    ,in the year #acii1
 on the ,feast of ,st4 ,gregory the     
,pope1 ,brother ,godefried  of ,kempen1 
who was born in the diocese of ,cologne1

 was invested by the  first ,rector4    
,he was a skilful writer and singer1 and
 he wrote one  missal for the ,high     
,altar1 and three ,antiphonaries1 and   
likewise  illuminated several books4    
,also he painted and adorned the altars 
of the  church most beautifully with the
 figures of saints4        ,,chapter    
,,viii4      ,how ,john ,kempen was     
chosen as the first ,prior of ,mount    
,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year #acii1     
after ,easter1 ,john of ,kempen1 one of 
the community at  ,windesem1 was chosen 
to be ,prior of the ,house of ,mount    
,st4 ,agnes4    ,by the help of ,god1   
he1 the first ,prior1 did govern the    
affairs of the  ,house1 with the many   
poor inmates1 zealously and devoutly for
 nine years4  ,also he added to the     
possessions of the monastery in laudable
 wise1  providing buildings and books   
and other things needful4  ,he it was   
that  ordered the building of the chief 
part of the church walls1 and he made   
ready much timber for the finishing of  

the roof4  ,he began to plant an        
orchard on the south side of the        
cloister1 and he set forest trees round 
it on every side4  ,this is that very   
garden that ,gerard ,groote1 long       
before1 pointed out to the ,brothers    
that they should grow their herbs       
therein4  ,for a long time wheat was    
grown1 but a great while after herbs    
were planted4    ,in the days of the    
,prior1 mountains and hills were made   
low1 and hollow  valleys were filled up3
 then was fulfilled to the letter that  
which is  written in ,esaias1 a text oft
 spoken of by the ,brothers in the midst
 of  their toil3 ,every valley shall be 
filled and every mountain and hill      
shall be made low1 and the crooked shall
 be made straight and the rough  ways   
plain 4 4 4    ,it is no easy task to   
tell with what toil and sweat this      
mountainous  place was turned into a    
level plane1 and this sandy soil made   
abundantly  fruitful4  ,very heavy and  
long was the labour of preparing a site 

for the  burial-ground and church1 for  
here the slope was steeper than in other
  places1 and extended over the whole   
face of the ground4  ,yet by little  and
 little and by labour done at divers    
times this hill was taken away  and the 
matter thereof thrown outside the       
boundary wall into a deep  valley toward
 the north3 so that to the wonder of    
many scarce a trace of  the said hill   
could be seen4  ,and the ,brothers who  
worked by turns there  would say to one 
another3 ,true is the word of the ,lord 
which ,he spake3  ',if ye have faith as 
a grain of mustard seed ye shall say to 
this  mountain1 be thou removed from    
hence hither and it shall be done6'     
,but  since faith without works is dead1
 we do firmly believe that if we put    
our hand to this work in the name of the
 ,lord1 we shall quickly remove  this   
mountain4  ,so it was done1 not to this 
mountain only but also to  others that  
stood round about the monastery when the
 boundaries thereof  began to be        

enlarged and to be surrounded by a wall 
of stone4  ,besides  this ,prior ,john  
set up the following needful buildings3 
namely1 a  ,refectory for the ,brothers 
and another for the ,lay ,folk1 a       
kitchen and  cellar1 and cells for      
guests1 also a sacristy for ,divine     
service between  the choir and the      
,chapter ,house4  ,and he himself was   
the first among them  that laboured1 and
 would carry the hod of mortar1 and dig 
with the spade  and throw the earth into
 the cart4  ,when he had leisure he was 
instant in  reading holy books1 and     
often worked at writing or illuminating4
  ,he  caused several books to be       
written for the choir and the library1  
and  because they were poor he appointed
 certain ,brothers to write for sale1   
as was the custom from old time4  ,this 
many of the ,brothers were zealous  to  
do1 but others set themselves manfully  
to the tasks without4    ,in the year   
#acii1 ,indulgences were granted to the 
people of ,zwolle by the  ,apostolic    

,see1 and ,pope ,boniface the ,ninth    
granted these to be gained by  all that 
were truly penitent at the ,church of   
,st4 ,michael on the ,feast of  the     
,finding of the ,holy ,cross1 and on the
 ,feast of ,st4 ,michael4    ,in this   
same year1 ,i1 ,thomas of ,kempen1 a    
scholar at ,deventer and a  native of   
the diocese of ,cologne1 came to ,zwolle
 to gain indulgences4  ,then ,i went on1
 glad at heart1 to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1  
and was instant to be  allowed there to 
abide1 and ,i was received with mercy4  
,afterward1 on the  day before the      
,feast of ,st4 ,barbara the ,virgin1    
came ,william1 son of  ,henry of        
,amsterdam1 who also1 at that time1     
lived at ,deventer with the  devout     
,clerks4        ,,chapter ,,ix4         
,how the ,burial-ground at ,mount ,st4  
,agnes was consecrated4    ,in the same 
year1 #acii1 after the ,feast of ,st4   
,remigius1 the ,prior and  ,brothers of 
our ,house took counsel and aid from    
their friends1 and busied  themselves   

about the consecration of the           
burial-ground1 which ceremony  had been 
delayed for a long while because of the 
hindrances above named4  ,but when they 
knew that our ,lord of ,utrecht had     
returned from the ,curia  at ,rome they 
came to him in ,wollenhoven1 where he   
then lived1 and readily  obtained their 
petition through the mediation of their 
most trusty  friends1 the noble ,sweder 
of ,rechteren and the priest ,henry de  
,ligno4    ,so that ,bishop ,frederic1  
our most kindly lord1 delayed not to    
send to his  ,suffragan bidding him to  
come with all speed and consecrate the  
burial-  ground on the ,mount1 and the  
,suffragan also when he had read the    
letter  of his ,superior was found eager
 to perform this pious act2 and he came 
without delay with the messengers who   
had been sent to him1 and on the  day   
after the ,feast of the ,eleven         
,thousand ,virgins1 and at about the    
hour  of ,vespers1 he consecrated the   
burial-ground that lieth within the     

cloister of the monastery1 the ,prior1  
,brothers1 ,clerks1 and servants of  our
 ,house being present at the ceremony4  
,when the rite had been  performed duly1
 a gentle rain fell and watered the     
consecrated ground  with the dew of     
heaven1 and all that dwelt thereabout   
rejoiced with great  joy1 for that the  
place had been consecrated by the       
,bishop1 and that the  mouths of the    
adversaries who strove to hinder the    
foundation and  progress of the         
monastery were evidently stopped4    ,so
 when the rite of consecration had been 
performed by the authority of  the      
,bishop1 he went himself on another day 
to ,windesem and there  consecrated the 
new choir and the four altars4          
,,chapter ,x4      ,of the ,brothers who
 were invested by ,john of ,kempen1 the 
first ,prior4    ,in the days of this   
venerable man our first ,prior and      
,father1 seven  ,clerks and three       
,converts were invested1 and the day and
 year of their  investiture are written 

below4  ,likewise he received the       
profession of  ,brother ,godefried of   
,kempen who was then about twenty years 
of age4    ,in the year of the ,lord    
#adja1 on the day after the ,dispersion 
of the  ,apostles1 was invested ,brother
 ,john ,drick of the city of ,steenwyck 
in the  diocese of ,utrecht4  ,he was   
before a priest1 and ,vicar of          
,steenwyck1 and  after less than a year 
of probation he made his profession by  
licence of  the ,prior of the ,superior 
,house1 on the birthday of ,st4 ,john   
the ,apostle2  and he afterward was     
chosen ,procurator4    ,in the same     
year1 on the ,feast day of ,st4         
,brixius1 ,bishop and ,confessor1  was  
invested ,william1 son of ,henry 7who   
was called ,william ,coman7 of          
,amsterdam in the ,state of ,holland4   
,he was now twenty-three years of age   
and had lived with the devout ,brothers 
at ,deventer1 but ,florentius  ,radewin1
 before his death1 sent him to ,mount   
,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the same year1 on   

the day before the ,feast of ,st4       
,catherine the  ,virgin1 was invested   
,brother ,frederic1 a ,convert who was  
born in  ,groninghen in the ,state of   
,frisia1 and lived for a long while on  
,mount  ,st4 ,agnes with the first      
founders of the monastery4    ,in the   
year of the ,lord #adjb1 on the ,vigil  
of the ,nativity of ,christ1 was        
invested ,brother ,gerard1 son of       
,tydeman1 who was born in ,wesep1 a town
 in  ,holland3 he wrote divers works for
 the use of the monastery and for sale4 
,in the year of the ,lord #adjc1 on the 
day of ,st4 ,pontianus the ,martyr1 was 
invested ,conrad1 a ,convert2 he was a  
tailor and was born in the ,countship   
of ,marck4    ,in the year of the ,lord 
#adje1 on the ,festival of the ,four    
,crowned  ,martyrs1 ,brother ,alardus1 a
 priest1 and ,john ,benevolt of         
,groninghen were  alike invested3       
,alardus was forty-six years old and a  
,frisian by nation2  he had been ,curate
 at ,pilsum1 which was his native place1

 and was a good  and devout man4    ,in 
the year of the ,lord #adjf1 on the     
,feast of ,corpus ,christi1 which fell  
in that year on the day before the      
,feast of ,st4 ,barnabas1 two brothers  
that were ,clerks1 and one that was a   
,convert1 were invested4  ,these were   
,thomas ,hemerken of the city of ,kempen
 in the diocese of ,cologne1 and own    
brother to ,john of ,kempen the first   
,prior4  ,the father of these was       
called ,john and their mother ,gertrude4
  ,the other ,clerk was called  ,oetbert
 ,wilde of ,zwolle1 whose father's name 
was ,henry and his mother's  ,margaret4 
,the ,convert was ,arnold ,droem of     
,utrecht who brought great  wealth to   
the monastery and was in charge of the  
,refectory4        ,,chapter ,,xi4      
,of the death of ,brother ,wolfard1     
,priest in the ,monastery of ,mount ,st4
  ,agnes4    ,in the year of the ,lord  
#adja1 on the ,feast of the ,holy       
,martyrs ,john and  ,paul1 ,brother     
,wolfard1 son of ,matthias1 died in the 

monastery pertaining  to our order1     
which is called the ,house of the       
,blessed ,virgin in the  ,wood1 and     
lieth near ,northorn4  ,he came from    
,medenblic1 a town in  ,holland1 and was
 one of the four first ,brothers of our 
,house4  ,he was a  man of great stature
 and grave deportment1 eloquent in      
discourse1 and his  hoary head was      
comely to look upon4  ,he took part in  
the labours of the  younger ,brothers1  
and would perform lowly tasks1 such as  
washing the  trenchers1 digging the     
ground1 carrying stones1 or collecting  
wood4  ,it  was his wont to come early  
into the choir1 to be alert in watching1
  enduring in fasting1 careful in       
celebrating the ,mass1 and devout in    
prayer4  ,once he was asked by a        
,religious what he had eaten during     
,advent1 and whether he had had eggs    
from time to time2 and he made  answer3 
,blessed be ,god1 throughout ,advent ,i 
have seldom taken eggs or  fish1 but ,i 
have eaten pulse only and have kept the 

fast in great  contentment4    ,so when 
by the ordinance of ,god the end of his 
life was at hand1 and the  time when his
 good deeds should receive a better     
crown1 he made a most  edifying end     
after the manner and order following3   
,at that time and in this year there was
 a notable pestilence in our ,house  of 
the ,blessed ,virgin in the ,wood1      
whereof the ,prior and many ,brothers   
died1 and the one priest who survived1  
,brother ,john of ,groninghen1 a  weakly
 and feeble man1 was left desolate save 
for the presence of one  novice1        
,brother ,honestus4  ,but our ,brother  
,wolfard1 hearing of the death  of these
 ,brothers1 and of the grief of them    
that were left desolate1 was  greatly   
moved with compassion for this ,house4  
,one day1 therefore1 when  girt for     
labour1 he said in a tone of pity to me1
 as ,i stood by him1 ,who  could deserve
 to have his portion with these good    
,brothers of ,northorn1  and to earn an 
end like theirs8  ,for he had known     

divers of these  ,brothers1 and the     
place where they dwelt1 and he loved    
their holy  company4  ,and as he was    
telling me many good things concerning  
them1  ,brother ,arnold1 a ,convert from
 ,northorn1 entered in at the gate of   
our  monastery to ask for one of our    
priests and when ,brother ,wolfard saw  
him  coming he ran joyfully towards him 
and embraced him4  ,but hearing the     
cause of his coming1 he said that he    
himself was ready to go with him if  it 
were pleasing to the ,prior1 and his    
obedience should permit4  ,and  ,arnold1
 seeing his readiness to come1 rejoiced 
thereat1 and said3 ,most  beloved       
,brother1 how good would it be that thou
 shouldest do so4  ,then  the ,brothers 
were called together and considered who 
should be sent to  succour those        
,brothers in their strait1 and they     
determined upon ,brother  ,wolfard1 who 
was of fitting character and age1 and   
he1 being moved by  charity1 assented to
 their resolution4  ,on the next day at 

sunrise1 he  set forth to ,northorn with
 ,brother ,arnold1 being ready to lay   
down his  life for the ,brothers after  
the example of ,christ1 that he might   
save it  everlastingly4  ,so he said    
farewell to the ,brothers of ,mount ,st4
 ,agnes1  who wept at his departure1 and
 left the monastery never to return     
thither2 but he knew not how soon he    
should be removed to a ,higher ,mount4  
,in thus leaving the place and the      
,brothers he overcame his natural man   
and fulfilled the law of charity1       
following1 in his death1 the example of 
,christ4  ,therefore he entered into the
 ,monastery of ,mary1 ,mother of        
,christ1 which is in the ,wood1 and     
within a few days he there made an end  
of his life1 and was buried by the      
,brothers of the ,house aforesaid4  ,our
  ,brother ,egbert hath told me that    
long ago ,gerard ,groote had said to our
  brother3 ,wolfard1 thou shalt know two
 conversions1 for in the days of        
,master ,gerard1 ,wolfard had begun to  

be well disposed to the religious  life1
 but afterward he was turned away to the
 world3 yet after many  years1 by the   
grace of ,god1 it came about that he was
 again pricked to  the heart1 and1      
leaving his pastoral charge1 he changed 
his worldly life1  and was among the    
first of the ,brothers to take the      
religious habit1 and  he thus ended his 
life with a happy death struggle4       
,,chapter ,,xii4      ,how ,brother     
,william ,forniken was chosen to be the 
second ,prior in the  ,house of ,mount  
,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year of the     
,lord #adjh1 on the ,vigil of ,ascension
 ,day1 ,brother  ,william ,vorniken1    
from the ,monastery at ,windesem1 was   
chosen to be ,prior  of ,mount ,st4     
,agnes4  ,he was the second ,prior of   
our ,house1 which he ruled  for         
seventeen years1 being a lover of       
poverty and discipline4  ,after that  he
 was taken away from us he was promoted 
to the ,superior ,house at  ,windesem1  
and became ,father ,general of all our  

,order4  ,he it was who  looked to the  
roofing of the church1 the making of new
 stalls in the  choir1 and the provision
 of fair vestments to be worn by priests
 and  servers on festivals4  ,also he   
enlarged the borders of the monastery1  
and  surrounded the whole with a wall of
 stone2 he built a new dwelling for  the
 husbandmen and placed a byre for cattle
 near the gate1 likewise in  the year of
 his departure he began to make a mill  
and to build a brewery4  ,in several    
places he planted trees of divers kinds1
 of which some were  fruit trees2 and he
 made smooth the slopes of the mountain1
 which for the  most part still remained
 steep1 and this he did by carrying away
 the  sandy soil4    ,he ordered the    
altars to be beautified with pictures1  
and good store of  books to be written  
for the choir and the library4  ,yet in 
the midst of  all these things poverty  
and simplicity were dear to him1 and    
with his  own hand he illuminated many  
books4  ,he took divers ,lay ,brothers  

to dwell  with him1 for he saw with the 
eye of charity that they would earn the 
reward of eternal life by faithfully    
cleaving to their holy labours1 and     
living the common life under obedience4 
,some of these he received as  ,donates1
 others he invested with the habit of   
,converts4    ,during the years that he 
was ,prior he invested fourteen ,clerks1
 whose  names1 with the days of their   
investiture1 are written hereafter4     
,in the year #adjh1 on the ,feast of    
,st4 ,michael the ,archangel1 was       
invested  ,brother ,nicholas            
,creyenschot1 a native of the town of   
,kampen1 a youth in  years but upright  
in character4    ,in the year #adaj1 on 
the ,feast of ,all ,saints1 two         
,brothers were invested  together1      
namely1 ,wermbold1 a priest of ,kampen  
and kinsman to ,john of  ,ummen1 and    
,gerard ,ae of ,utrecht4    ,in the year
 #adaa1 on the ,vigil of the ,nativity1 
three ,brothers were  invested together1
 namely1 ,john the son of ,gerard1 ,john

 ,bowman1 and  ,gerard son of ,wolter1 a
 ,convert2 all these came from ,zwolle4 
,in the year  #adac1 on the ,feast of   
the ,visitation of the ,blessed ,virgin1
 was invested  ,brother ,john of ,lent1 
a town one mile from ,zwolle4  ,in the  
year #adah1 on  the ,vigil of the       
,nativity1 three ,brothers were invested
 together1 namely1  ,rudolph of         
,oetmersen in ,twenthe1 ,otto ,lyman of 
,goch in ,geldria1 and ,henry  the son  
of ,james of ,zwolle4    ,in the year   
#adba1 on the ,vigil of the ,nativity1  
two ,brothers were  invested3 namely1   
,henry1 son of ,william1 of ,deventer1  
and ,deric ,veneman  of ,zwolle4    ,in 
the year #adbc1 on ,easter ,eve1 two    
,converts were invested1 namely1        
,gerard ten ,mollen of ,zwolle1 and     
,gerard ,hombolt of ,utrecht4    ,in the
 year of the ,lord #adbd1 on the ,feast 
of the ,annunciation of the  ,blessed   
,virgin ,mary1 these three ,brothers    
were invested3 ,john ,lap of the  town  
of ,neerden in ,holland1 ,christian     

,anversteghe of ,campen1 and ,helmic    
,braem of ,herderwijck in the ,state of 
,geldria4        ,,chapter ,,xiii4      
,of the death of ,brother ,nicholas     
,kreyenschot4    ,in the year #adaj1 on 
the ,feast of ,st4 ,barnabas the        
,apostle1 ,nicholas  ,kreyenschot died  
just after sunset4  ,he was a youth of  
good disposition1  and sprang from a    
notable family of the town of ,kampen4  
,he was about  twenty-three years of    
age1 for ,god dealt pitifully with him  
so that his  short span of life         
fulfilled the task of many years1 and he
 escaped  longer struggles in this      
present life2 for eight months and ten  
days  after his profession he left      
dwelling in this present world and      
departed  to the other4  ,the virtue of 
obedience shone brightly in him1 as was 
seemly in a good youth4  ,who should    
say1 ,brother1 come hither1 and         
,nicholas would not come straightway1 or
 ,begone1 and he did not  straightway   
depart8  ,moreover1 a good return came  

to the monastery  through his means4    
,it happened in a time that he upset and
 broke a jar1  and so grieved was he at 
this mischance and loss1 that he wept   
bitterly4  ,once also he made ready a   
sharp rod1 and came to the sub-,prior1  
saying3  ,i entreat thee1 ,father1 for  
,god's sake1 to inflict a sharp         
discipline  upon me1 for ,i do often    
transgress1 nor do ,i make any progress4
  ,he was  buried in the eastern part of
 the cloister near the wall of the      
church  and beneath the steps of our    
dormitory4        ,,chapter ,,xiv4      
,of the consecration of our ,church and 
of four ,altars in the ,house of  ,mount
 ,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year #adab1 on 
the #hth day of the month of ,april1    
being the ,friday  after ,easter1 our   
church was consecrated1 being dedicated 
in honour of  ,st4 ,agnes the ,virgin   
and ,martyr of ,christ4  ,the rite was  
performed by  ,matthias of ,biduane1 the
 ,suffragan of our ,lord and ,reverend  
,father in  ,christ1 ,frederic de       

,blanckenhem1 ,bishop of ,utrecht4      
,many religious  persons and priests    
were present thereat1 namely1 the ,prior
 of ,windesem1  the ,prior of ,belheem1 
,conrad ,hengel and ,john of ,haarlem1  
who were priests  at ,zwolle4  ,many    
other honourable persons also1 both men 
and women1 young  and old1 men of the   
town and men of the country1 came       
together to this  dedication4  ,there   
was great joy in the hearts of all1 and 
a general  license to enter the         
monastery was given to strangers1 as our
 statutes  allow to be done on that day 
only4  ,so when the consecration had    
been  solemnly performed1 the ,bishop   
came forward in his mitre to consecrate 
the four altars4  ,first he dedicated   
the ,high ,altar in the ,choir in       
honour of the ,holy ,trinity1 the       
,blessed ,mother of ,god1 ,st4 ,agnes   
the  ,virgin1 and the ,apostles of      
,christ1 and he sang ,mass in solemn    
wise for  the dedication of the church  
and altar4    ,then going out of the    

,choir into the northern aisle of the   
church1 he  dedicated the ,altar in the 
greater chapel in honour of the ,holy   
,cross and  the ,blessed ,martyrs1 and  
afterwards the ,altar which is in the   
midst of  the church on the left of the 
,choir in honour of the ,blessed ,mary  
ever  ,virgin1 and of ,st4 ,augustine   
the ,bishop1 who is ,father of our      
,order4    ,lastly1 he dedicated the    
,altar on the south side of the ,choir  
in honour  of the most ,blessed ,mary   
,magdalene1 ,st4 ,catherine1 ,st4       
,cecilia1 and the  ,eleven ,thousand    
,virgins4    ,this done1 masses were    
celebrated at the several altars1 and   
the ,host of  ,salvation was offered up 
in all reverence to ,god4  ,but after   
midday1 the  ,brothers being gathered   
together1 he consecrated the            
burial-ground for  the interment of the 
dead outside the church and on the      
western and  southern side thereof4     
,on that day he granted ,indulgences for
 forty days to them that were there     

present1 and a like grace to all the    
benefactors of the church and all  that 
visited the altars1 as was set forth    
clearly in the ,bishop's letter         
concerning the consecration of the      
church4  ,in this same church there     
still stand the two altars that were    
consecrated in ,westerhof at the  first 
foundation of the ,house in that place2 
for these1 by consent of the  ,bishop of
 ,utrecht1 were transferred to this     
church after the return of  the         
,brothers from ,westerhof4  ,one of     
these was consecrated in honour of  ,st4
 ,john the ,baptist and the ,blessed    
,apostles ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul2   
this doth stand on the south side of the
 church4  ,the other was dedicated  in  
honour of ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,john the
 ,apostles4    ,the ,sunday after the   
,feast of the ,blessed ,gallus the      
,abbot 7which is in  the month of       
,october71 was appointed to be kept in  
every year as the  anniversary of the   
dedication of this church and the       

several altars  therein2 and on this day
 also is kept the ,dedication ,festival 
of the  ,house of the ,blessed ,virgin  
in ,windesem and of the ,convent of     
,nuns at  ,diepenveen1 to the glory and 
honour of the most ,blessed ,trinity4   
,in the same year1 when their ,general  
,chapter was held at ,windesem1 the     
venerable ,fathers of the ,canons       
,regular in ,brabant came thereto1 and  
were  accepted and united to our        
,fraternity1 together with the ,houses  
belonging  to them4    ,in this year    
from the ,feast of ,pentecost onward the
 ,canonical ,hours were  sung in our    
church after the monastic manner4       
,,chapter ,,xv4    ,of the death of the 
beloved ,father ,john ,ummen1 the first 
,founder of the  ,monastery of ,mount   
,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year #adbj1 in  
the evening of the #ast day of          
,september1 the ,feast  of ,st4         
,a,egidius the ,abbot1 died that holy   
and faithful servant of ,christ1  ,john 
,reghelant1 formerly a most beloved     

disciple of ,gerard ,groote1 whose      
discourses he used to hear4  ,he was    
born of honest parents1 and for  several
 years was educated in ,zwolle2 but     
while he was yet a youth he was         
diseased in the eyes1 and ,god allowed  
him to fall into darkness1 and he       
continued blind to the end of his life2 
but yet the less he could see the  outer
 world1 the more brightly did the grace 
of ,god illumine him  inwardly4  ,his   
mother1 whose name was ,regheland1 was  
devoted to ,god1 and  often went on long
 journeys to visit the shrines of       
,saints in company  with her blind son1 
whom she would lead by the hand1 taking 
him with her  to hear sermons in church1
 and leading him onward to every good   
thing4    ,so when the venerable        
,master1 ,gerard ,groote1 was preaching 
in ,zwolle1 and  through ,god's         
inspiration was bringing compunction to 
many1 the ,lord did  open the heart of  
this ,his servant also1 and did inflame 
him1 wherefore  he began to love ,gerard

 much1 and often sought to be instructed
 by the  doctrine of so great a man4    
,for this cause he left wandering about 
the  world and sought to serve ,god in  
quietness1 also he exhorted all that    
came to him to despise earthly desires1 
and take hold on that new life in       
,christ which ,gerard taught by his holy
 manner of living4    ,therefore he took
 to him certain men that were well      
disposed1 and with  them he began to    
live the ,common ,life in ,zwolle1 but  
afterward they took  up their abode upon
 ,mount ,nemel 7which is now called     
,mount ,st4 ,agnes71  because they      
wished to dwell outside the tumult of   
the world4  ,here they  gathered a      
larger company1 the which he governed   
for many years with  faithful devotion1 
assisted by divers helpers1 until the   
monastery was  founded1 for he did not  
fear the many hindrances that met him4  
,but at  length when the monastery was  
builded1 and a ,prior instituted in the 
canonical manner1 ,john1 being filled   

with brotherly love1 and led by a  yet  
fuller zeal for souls1 took with him    
certain laymen of ripe age and  began to
 form a new congregation in honour of   
the ,holy ,trinity1 in the  field of    
,st4 ,john1 near ,vollenhoe1 which      
congregation1 by the favour of  ,god1 he
 did enlarge greatly4  ,and when in the 
process of time the number  of the      
,brothers was multiplied1 he and many   
others took the habit of the            
,tertiaries1 and he continued to his    
life's end to be the humble servant  of 
the ,brothers and their first ,rector4  
,he was one of the first and  original  
disciples of ,gerard ,groote1 and had   
many spiritual discourses  with him1 for
 it was from ,gerard that he learned the
 way of an holy life1  and he submitted 
himself and his little ones fully to    
,gerard's counsel  and discretion4      
,being prevented in due season by ,god's
 grace1 ,father  ,john was devout1 and  
is worthy of remembrance1 for that going
 on day by  day he reached forward      

continually to the things that are      
before1 being a  notable lover of       
poverty1 one that kept lowliness and    
loved sobriety4  ,he  was the very      
beauty of purity1 a pattern of          
simplicity1 a strong upholder  of       
discipline1 an enemy of sin1 a light of 
virtue1 an ensample of  devotion1 strong
 in faith1 long suffering in hope1      
prodigal in charity1  and one that did  
convert many from the vanity of the     
world4  ,a few things  concerning him   
are written in the beginning of this    
book4    ,so being wearied by his many  
years1 when the day of his release from 
captivity was nigh1 and he was dwelling 
in the house of the ,sisters at         
,almelo1 he fell sick2 and having       
fulfilled seventy years of life1 he fell
  asleep in the ,lord and was buried in 
the chapel of the ,sisterhood there4    
,after his happy departure1 ,john of    
,resa1 a devout priest1 was chosen as   
the second minister of the ,house of    
,st4 ,john1 and he sought and obtained  

for that ,house certain privileges that 
were needful1 and also the  consecration
 of the burial-ground1 which things were
 granted by the  ,venerable ,frederic1  
,lord ,bishop of ,utrecht4  ,after him  
,christian1 a  native of ,zeeland1 and  
one that had made his profession1 was   
chosen as  priest to that ,house1 and   
was the third to administer and rule the
 same4    ,,chapter ,,xvi4    ,of the   
pestilence that afflicted mankind1 and  
how some of our ,brothers  died in this 
plague4    ,in the year #adba there was 
a notable pestilence in ,deventer1      
,zwolle1  ,kampen1 and the neighbouring 
towns1 and during the three months of   
summer  much people of the land were    
slain thereby4  ,in the same year1 after
 the  ,feast of the ,nativity of ,st4   
,john the ,baptist1 the ,cross was      
preached  against the heretics of       
,prague1 who stirred up a grievous      
persecution  against ,holy ,church1 the 
clergy1 and the ,christian people2 and  
led away  many faithful persons by      

threatenings and deceits3 likewise they 
destroyed monasteries and churches1 and 
put many persons to a cruel  death4  ,in
 the same year in the month of          
,september the disease laid hold  on    
certain of our household1 for the       
pestilence did mightily increase1  and  
on the ,octave of the ,nativity of the  
,virgin ,mary1 after ,high ,mass1 a     
,lay ,brother named ,nicholas died4  ,he
 was born in ,drenthe1 and had been  our
 miller1 a man of good reputation and   
life1 and well beloved by all  that were
 in the ,house4    ,on the ,feast of    
,st4 ,lambert1 ,bishop and ,martyr1 and 
about the hour of  ,vespers1 died our   
,brother ,oetbert ,wilde1 a fervent and 
devout priest4  ,the  ,brothers were    
with him when he died1 and they offered 
up prayers after  the accustomed manner4
  ,he was in the thirty-eighth year of  
his age1 and  the fifteenth after his   
profession3 he came from ,zwolle1 where 
he was  born of very honest parents1 and
 he loved our patroness ,st4 ,agnes the 

,virgin with a special devotion4  ,in   
the beginning he suffered many          
weaknesses and temptations1 but         
afterward1 by the help of ,god1 he was  
changed into another man1 mightily      
uplifted from pusillanimity of spirit1  
and endowed with much grace of devotion4
  ,he died happily after a good         
struggle1 and on the next day his body  
was buried next to ,brother  ,nicholas  
,kreyenschot on the eastern side of the 
cloister1 and ,mass and  prayers were   
said for him4    ,on the ,feast of ,st4 
,michael1 after ,vespers had been said1 
,nicholas1 son  of ,peter1 departed this
 life4  ,he was a ,donate of our ,house1
 and a  carpenter1 being a man of great 
stature and mighty strength1 and he had 
lived for more than twenty years in the 
,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4  ,he  came
 from ,monekedam in ,holland1 and having
 lived with us from the very  beginning 
of the monastery1 he left a good        
memorial of his skill and  industry in  
his craft in the building of the church1

 and the new stalls  for the ,brothers  
in the choir4  ,his body was laid in the
 burial-ground of  the ,laics1 toward   
the south part and near the path4    ,on
 the day of ,st4 ,jerome the ,priest1 at
 about the time when the midday  meal   
was ended1 died ,riquin of ,urdinghen1 a
 ,donate of our ,house who  attended the
 sick4  ,he departed after a brief      
agony1 while ,litanies were  sung round 
his death-bed3 his native place was in  
the diocese of ,cologne1  and during the
 twenty-five years that he lived in the 
,house on the ,mount  he never visited  
his friends1 nor saw his native land    
once he had  departed from her4  ,he    
loved the ,blessed ,virgin with         
singleness of heart1  and on the seventh
 day of the week he abstained from one  
portion of  pottage out of devotion to  
her4  ,in these three desires he was    
heard of  the ,lord before his death1   
namely1 to die on an high day1 and amid 
the  ,brothers--for he greatly loved    
them--and to have a short death         

struggle2  which things were so brought 
to pass by our good ,lord even as he had
  desired them out of his good and      
simple heart4    ,on the ,feast ,day of 
,st4 ,luke the ,evangelist1 at about the
 fifth hour of  the morning1 died ,adam 
of ,herderwijck1 a ,donate of our       
,house1 who had  sojourned in this place
 for twenty years4  ,he submitted       
himself to divers  toils and            
discommodities by his devotion and      
faithfulness to the business  of the    
,house2 he was pitiful to the poor1     
kindly to the afflicted1 and in  this   
time of stress he ministered with care  
and diligence to the ,brothers  that    
were sick4  ,his body was laid in the   
burying ground of the ,laics  near the  
other ,donates1 and after his burial the
 pestilence was stayed1  for ,god had   
pity on us1 and some that had been      
smitten by this stroke  grew whole of   
their disease4    ,in this year1 after  
the ,feast of ,all ,saints1 ,brother    
,gerard ,ae1 once an  inmate of the     

,house on the ,mount1 died in ,frisia in
 the ,convent of the  ,nuns at ,berghen4
    ,in the same year1 on the ,feast of 
,st4 ,lucia the ,virgin1 ,peter         
,valkenburrigh the ,priest departed this
 life4  ,he had lived an humble life    
for a long while with the ,brothers in  
the ,field of ,st4 ,john near           
,vollenhoe1 and he desired to be buried 
upon ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 where he had   
dwelt in former days1 with the first    
,brothers of the ,house2 for they of    
the ,field of ,st4 ,john had not as yet 
a consecrated burying ground2 so he  was
 laid to rest on the eastern side of    
ours next to ,winald the ,priest1  who  
was once chaplain to our ,lord          
,frederic1 ,bishop of ,utrecht1 and a   
friend to the ,brothers on the ,mount4  
,,chapter ,,xvii4    ,of the death of   
,william1 son of ,seger1 a ,priest in   
,hasselt4    ,in the year of the ,lord  
#adbb1 on the ,vigil of ,ascension ,day1
 which was  the day following the ,feast
 of ,st4 ,potentiana1 died that devout  

priest1  ,william1 son of ,seger1 the   
,confessor of the ,sisters of the ,third
 ,order at  ,hasselt4  ,he was born in  
,zwolle1 and was buried1 as he had long 
desired1  on the eastern side of the    
precinct before the ,prior's ,cell4     
,there were  present at his burial these
 venerable men1 namely1 ,father ,wessel1
 first  ,superior of ,kleerwater1 near  
,hattem1 ,father ,john ,haerlem1        
,confessor of  the ,sisters at ,zwolle1 
,father ,gerard ,trecht1 and ,father    
,stephen ,mulart1  who were priests in  
,hasselt4  ,also many other honourable  
men1 and friends  of the said ,william1 
came together to his burial from the    
aforesaid  towns1 and the ,prior of the 
,house recited the burial office with   
faithful  devotion in presence of the   
,brothers4    ,after his death ,father  
,gerard ,trecht was called by the       
,fathers of our  ,order to rule over the
 aforesaid ,sisters in the room of the  
departed  ,brother4    ,in the same     
year1 during the days of ,pentecost1    

peace was established  between the men  
of ,utrecht and ,holland1 and those of  
,geldria1 for during  a whole year they 
had been at grievous enmity1 and many   
deeds of rapine1  murder1 and arson had 
been wrought in evil wise on both sides4
    ,in the month of ,september1 on the 
day before the ,feast of ,s4 ,s4 ,cosmas
  and ,damianus1 ,brother ,john ,pric1 a
 priest and inmate of the ,house of     
,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 died in ,thabor in  
,frisia4  ,he was born in the town of   
,steenwyck1 and had been ,vicar of the  
,church of ,st4 ,clement in that place1 
but after several years1 at the request 
of the ,prior at ,thabor1 he dwelt  for 
a time with the ,brothers of that       
,house1 and in the same year many  died 
in the pestilence1 amongst whom he also 
fell asleep in the ,lord1 and  was      
buried with the other ,brothers in that 
place on the eastern side of  the       
cloister4  ,this was his motto for the  
novices3 ,he that doth not  accustom    
himself to exercises of humility at the 

beginning of his  conversion1 and doth  
not break down his own will1 shall      
seldom become a  good ,religious4    ,in
 the month of ,october1 on the day of   
the translation of ,st4 ,augustine  the 
,bishop1 there died at ,zwolle that     
honourable dame1 ,mary1 the widow of    
,henry de ,haerst1 our neighbour4  ,she 
was truly pious and pitiful towards  the
 needy1 and often came humbly to ,mount 
,st4 ,agnes to hear the ,holy  ,offices4
  ,moreover1 she abstained from all     
wordly adornments in her  vesture1 and  
she left a good bequest to our          
,brotherhood on the ,mount1  where also 
she doth lie buried in the church in the
 same tomb with  ,bartold her son4      
,in the year #adbc there was such mighty
 cold and frost that endured from       
,epiphany even to the ,feast of ,st4    
,peter's ,chair at ,antioch1 that the   
hardness of the frost brought great     
masses of ice across the waters4        
,wherefore at the beginning of ,march1  
when the snow and ice melted  suddenly  

in the heat of the sun1 a great flood of
 waters followed1 and  the dykes were   
burst by the rushing thereof1 so that   
much of the corn  land was overflowed1  
and the seeds perished4    ,in the      
summer of the same year the boundary    
wall round our monastery was  finished  
even from the south to the western side1
 and a new gate was  made4    ,in this  
same year1 on ,easter ,eve1 two         
,converts were invested1 namely1        
,brother ,gerard ten ,mollen1 and       
,brother ,gerard ,hombolt1 as is        
recorded  above4    ,,chapter ,,xviii4  
,of the death of our most reverend ,lord
 ,frederic1 ,bishop of ,utrecht4    ,in 
the year of the ,lord #adbc1 on the     
,feast ,day of ,s4  ,dionysius1 ,bishop 
and ,martyr1 which is the ninth day of  
,october1 that most reverend and        
renowned ,lord ,frederic of ,blankenhem1
 the illustrious ,bishop of ,utrecht1   
went away out of the light of this      
world1 being about eighty years of  age4
    ,he ruled the diocese of ,utrecht   

strenuously and in honourable wise      
during  thirty years1 for the grace of  
,god ,almighty succoured him3 his power 
was  increased by many victories1 and he
 gave the ,church peace1 his country    
safety1 and his people tranquillity     
before his death4  ,this is he that  was
 a potentate of renown1 a pillar of the 
priesthood1 a guiding star to  ,clerks1 
a father to the ,religious1 a friend to 
all devout persons1 a  defender of the  
orphan1 an avenger upon the unjust4     
,this is he that was the glory of       
rulers1 the delight of subjects1 that   
upheld dignity among the aged1 and      
uprightness amongst the young1 he was  a
 pinnacle of learning1 the ornament of  
the wise2 he gave weapons to the        
warriors and a shield to them that      
strove3 he inspired terror in his  foes1
 and courage in his people2 he was an   
ornament to the nobles1 an  honour to   
princes1 a glory to the great ones of   
the land4  ,who could tell  his praises 
in worthy wise1 for in his days all was 

well ordered in the  land of ,utrecht6  
,prelates were honest1 and priests pious
 in the worship  of ,god2 the religious 
were devout1 the virgins were chaste1   
the people  were fervent in the faith1  
judges were firm1 and wealth grew       
abundantly  in the cities4  ,in these   
days also1 schools for learning         
flourished1  especially at ,deventer and
 ,zwolle1 and a vast multitude of       
learners came  together from divers     
states and regions1 both near and afar  
off4  ,and  because the ,bishop feared  
,god1 honoured ,holy ,church1 and loved 
and  defended all that served the ,lord1
 therefore the ,majesty on ,high        
protected him from the enemies that were
 round about1 making rebellious  nations
 subject to him1 especially those       
,frisians who had invaded his           
territories4  ,moreover1 ,god did make  
his days illustrious by many  marvellous
 deeds1 so that an age of gold seemed to
 have been granted to  his land of      
,utrecht4  ,but this did appear more    

evidently after the  ,bishop's death1   
when a schism--exceeding lawless and    
long enduring--arose  and increased     
among ,clerks and people alike4  ,and   
this the reverend  ,bishop feared should
 come about1 for he was a prudent man   
and a learned2  moreover1 he knew the   
manners of the cities and the seditious 
ways of  some of the nobles whose       
insolence he had been able to restrain  
and  subdue with difficulty1 and the    
exercise of great valour4  ,after my    
death1 said he1 they will know that they
 have had a good lord1 for they  all    
wish to be masters1 and to have none set
 over them1 wherefore it  shall be ill  
with them4  ,and he prophesied truly1   
for the whole land of  ,utrecht suffered
 grievous loss for her sedition1 and    
shall long mourn the  same1 as will be  
shown briefly in the proper place4      
,so this illustrious ruler died in his  
castle that is called ,horst1 not  far  
from ,utrecht1 and his body was brought 
by a seemly train of followers  to the  

church at ,utrecht where his            
predecessors were buried1 and there in  
company with the other bishops in an    
honoured tomb upon the right side of    
the choir he doth rest in peace4        
,,chapter ,,xix4    ,of the death of    
,brother ,john ,vos of ,huesden1 who was
 the second ,prior at  ,windesem4    ,in
 the year of the ,lord #adbd1 on the    
,saturday following the ,feast of ,st4  
,andrew1 being the second of ,december1 
the venerable ,father ,john ,huesden1   
who was the second ,prior of ,windesem1 
died in the sixty-first year of his     
age4  ,he had been a disciple of ,master
 ,gerard ,groote and ,father            
,florentius1 ,vicar of ,deventer1 and on
 the ,feast of ,st4 ,mary ,magdalene1 in
  the year following the investiture of 
the first ,brothers1 he himself was     
invested there together with ,henry     
,balveren4  ,a short time after ,brother
  ,werner1 the first ,prior1 was        
absolved from his office1 this ,john    
,huesden  was chosen the second ,prior  

of the ,house1 being then in the        
twenty-eighth  year of his age4  ,by the
 help of ,god he continued as ,prior for
 thirty-  three years and ruled the     
,house in a laudable manner3 also he was
 of much  profit to the whole ,order1   
being a most comfortable and kindly     
,father to  all the devout ,brothers and
 ,sisters that were in the whole        
,diocese1 for  he was charitably        
disposed to all alike4  ,he ordered the 
writing of many  books for the          
monastery1 being a fervent lover of the 
holy writings1 and  was specially       
devoted to our ,father ,saint           
,augustine1 a store of whose  books he  
collected diligently4  ,he was also at  
,constance in the days of  the ,general 
,council1 whither he went in company    
with ,john ,wale1 the  venerable ,prior 
of ,zwolle1 and the cardinals and other 
prelates received  them both kindly and 
with reverence4    ,now it came to pass 
a few days before his death1 and within 
the ,octave of  ,st4 ,martin the        

,bishop1 that two ,brothers came from   
,mount ,st4 ,agnes to  ,windesem to     
commune with the ,prior4  ,and one of   
them had a dream after  this wise1 which
 vision did foretell the ,prior's death2
 for he saw the  spirits gathered       
together in ,heaven and hastening as if 
to the death-bed  of some one1 and      
straightway he heard a bell toll as if  
for the passing  of a dying man1 and the
 sound hereof aroused him1 and he awoke4
  ,so  rising from his bed and desiring 
to go to see what had happened1 he      
perceived no man1 for it was before the 
fifth hour in the morning1 and  the     
,brothers were yet asleep4  ,so1        
returning to himself1 he kept silence1  
and the thought came to him that our    
,father the ,prior should soon depart   
hence4  ,yet he told naught of this     
vision to any that were in the ,house1  
but to a certain ,clerk that was coming 
from ,brabant and journeying in his     
company he said privately3 ,tell        
,hermann ,scutken1 who sojourneth at    

,thenen1 to come quickly if he would    
speak with our ,father at ,windesem1    
for if the vision that one hath seen    
this night is true1 ,i wot that he      
shall not long abide here4  ,so when    
fifteen days were passed this  ,reverend
 ,father died on the day aforesaid after
 ,high ,mass1 and before the  midday    
meal the ,mass of the dead was sung for 
him1 and his body was  buried in the    
choir before the step of the sanctuary4 
,on the ,vigil of the ,epiphany after   
the death of this venerable ,father1    
,brother ,gerard ,naeldwijc1 the        
,procurator of the ,house1 was chosen to
 be  ,prior2 but he was greatly grieved 
thereat1 and after a long while he      
consented1 though against his will4     
,being lowly and gentle he might not    
bear the honour and burden of this      
place1 and he sought earnestly with     
many prayers to be relieved from the    
care of so great a charge1 and when  the
 next ,general ,chapter was held he     
sought to be absolved from his  office  

of ,prior1 which petition was granted to
 him4  ,so after he had been  absolved1 
and when the ,fathers were still        
gathered together1 ,brother  ,william   
,vorniken1 the ,prior of ,mount ,st4    
,agnes1 was chosen by the same  ,general
 ,chapter to be ,prior of the ,superior 
,house4  ,and when he knew of  his      
election he too was stricken with       
dismay1 for he was afraid of the        
burden1 which is indeed a thing to fear4
  ,so he wept abundantly1 saying  again 
and again that he was unworthy1 and     
striving mightily against this  thing in
 every manner1 yet was he obliged to    
obey and to take upon  himself for      
,christ's sake the yoke of so great a   
burden1 being compelled  thereto by his 
obedience and the determination of the  
more part4  ,therefore1 at length1 he   
consented1 and after weeping bitterly he
 was  confirmed and inducted into the   
office1 and all that were in the ,house 
gave thanks to ,god and were glad2 but  
the ,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes was    

saddened above measure and wept when her
 faithful ,pastor was taken from  her1  
for she knew none like to him4          
,,chapter ,,xx4    ,how ,brother        
,theodoric of ,kleef was chosen to be   
the third ,prior of the  ,house on the  
,mount4    ,in the year of the ,lord    
#adbe1 the ,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes 
bereft of her  ,pastor 7who had been    
chosen for and translated to the        
,superior ,house7 was  instant to       
provide for herself another suitable    
ruler in accordance with  the canons4   
,wherefore the ,brothers were gathered  
together1 and on the  ,saturday after   
,pentecost the ,mass of the ,holy       
,spirit was celebrated after  the       
monastic manner1 and all the members of 
the ,chapter came together to  the      
,chapter ,house4  ,when the opinion of  
each had been heard1 ,brother           
,theodoric of ,kleef1 our ,sub-,prior1  
was chosen1 and those venerable         
,fathers1 the ,prior of ,windesem and   
the ,prior of the ,house of the ,blessed

  ,virgin1 near ,northorn1 took part in 
this election1 and confirmed the same   
as an holy act by the authority         
committed to them4    ,brother          
,theodoric was one of the elder         
,brothers of this same ,house1 and  had 
been among those that were first        
invested3 he had a long training in  the
 good life1 and he wrote summer and     
winter ,homilies together with  certain 
other books4    ,after his election as  
,father and third ,prior of our ,house1 
many evils  befel in the diocese of     
,utrecht1 which same did mightily       
afflict our  ,house and all the devout  
in the land4  ,this was by reason of a  
schism  between ,sueder of ,culenborgh1 
who was confirmed as ,bishop of the     
diocese1  and the noble ,rodolph of     
,diepholt1 and the long continued strife
 between  these two did disturb many    
,clerks and citizens of the land4    ,in
 the same year1 on the ,feast of the    
,visitation of the ,blessed ,virgin     
,mary1 and after ,compline1 died our    

,brother ,conrad1 a ,convert4  ,he was  
the  tailor1 and was born in ,scyrebeke 
in the ,countship of ,marck1 and had    
lived at ,deventer under ,florentius1   
which devout ,father sent him to ,mount 
,st4 ,agnes when he had learned the     
tailor's art4  ,he lived devoutly and   
humbly with us for many years1 making1  
cleaning1 and mending the raiment  of   
the ,brothers1 but toward the end of his
 life it was his chief delight  to think
 that he had often cleansed their       
clothing1 for he hoped by his  labours  
in this regard to have cleansed also the
 stains of his own sins4  ,he was a man 
right pure and modest1 and one that     
loved poverty and  simplicity1 and he   
ardently longed to be released and to be
 with ,christ  ,jesus and ,mary1 whom he
 often called upon by name at the last3 
moreover1  it was given him to die a    
peaceful and an holy death on this day  
of ,her  ,festival1 and his body was    
laid in the burying ground within the   
cloister  of the monastery1 hard by the 

northern gate1 toward the wall of the   
eastern building4  ,in the same year    
,sueder of ,culenborgh was confirmed    
,bishop of ,utrecht by the authority of 
the ,apostolic ,see1 and he was         
accepted by the people of ,utrecht1 and 
of certain other towns1 but by the      
,states of ,overyssel he was not        
received4  ,wherefore these ,states were
  placed under an ,interdict1 and a     
great controversy arose among ,clerks   
and  people1 for some observed the      
,interdict1 but the chief ones of the   
,states  with those that clove to them1 
clamoured against it4    ,alas6 ,holy   
,god6 on the day before the ,feast of   
,st4 ,lambert we ceased from  our       
singing by reason of the ,interdict that
 was published against us6  ,for  this  
cause the nobles of the land and many of
 the vulgar had indignation  against us 
and other ,religious1 and we suffered   
many insults1 and at last  we were      
driven to go forth from our country and 
our monasteries in order  to observe the

 ,interdict4    ,in the same year1 on   
the holy day of ,christ's ,nativity1    
were invested two  ,clerks that had been
 ,probationers a long while1 and also   
one ,convert  named ,james ,cluit of    
,kampen who had studied for some time at
 ,deventer  under ,john of ,julich1 the 
famous and devout ,rector4  ,the ,clerks
 were  ,brother ,gerard ,smullinc of    
,kleef1 who had attended the school at  
,zwolle  under ,master ,john ,cele1 the 
excellent ,rector with whom he dwelt for
 some  space as a fellow commoner3 and  
,brother ,james ,ae1 a ,convert from    
,utrecht1  and kinsman to ,brother      
,william ,vorniken who was once our     
,prior4    ,,chapter ,,xxi4    ,of the  
death of ,brother ,egbert formerly      
,sub-,prior at the ,house on the        
,mount4    ,in the year of the ,lord    
#adbg1 on the day after the ,feast of   
,st4 ,a,egidius  the ,abbot1 and after  
the third hour of the night1 ,brother   
,egbert of  ,linghen died at ,diepenveen
 in the ,house of the ,sisters of our   

,order4  ,he  was ,rector and ,confessor
 of that ,house1 and was buried in the  
church  there1 outside the choir and    
between the two chancels1 the ,prior of 
,windesem being present at his burial4  
,this ,brother was born in the town of  
,ummen and baptised in the church of    
,st4 ,bridget3 but when his parents     
removed to ,zwolle1 he being a youth of 
good disposition began to attend the    
school under ,master ,john ,cele1 and   
earnestly to profit thereby4  ,and when 
he heard the honourable reputation  of  
the ,house on the ,mount he came thither
 eagerly3 now the elder ,john  ,ummen   
then ruled over it1 and his wholesome   
exhortations touched ,egbert  to his    
good1 so being now sufficiently advanced
 in learning he left his  parents1 and  
in humility and devotion joined himself 
to these  ,brothers--the poor little    
ones of ,christ4  ,afterward he was     
promoted to  the ,priesthood in this    
same ,house1 and since the grace of     
devotion grew  in him1 in a short time  

he1 with two others1 took the ,religious
 habit4  ,these three were the first to 
take it1 and ,egbert the first amongst  
them4  ,also he was for a time          
,sub-,prior of our ,house on the ,mount1
 being a man  of good heart1 eloquent in
 word1 diligent in writing1 a comforter 
of them  that sorrowed1 quick to forgive
 injuries1 and one that did rejoice with
  all his heart at the progress of      
others4  ,he adorned many of the chant  
books in the choir with beautiful       
illuminations1 and also divers books    
for our library1 and sometimes those    
that were written for sale4  ,he  loved 
our ,house on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes above  
all places that are on the  earth1 and  
he laboured right faithfully for the    
building thereof4  ,moreover1 when his  
parents were dead1 he1 their only son1  
received all  their goods as their      
lawful heir2 and these were given for   
the common use  of the ,brothers who had
 heretofore lived in great lack4        
,wherefore year  by year memorial is    

made of him and his parents in the      
monastery for  these benefits1 as is    
justly due4    ,,chapter ,,xxii4    ,how
 our ,brothers and other ,religious were
 driven from the land by reason  of the 
,interdict4    ,in the year of the ,lord
 #adbi1 the strife between them that    
followed  ,sueder and them that clave to
 ,rodolph--who had been chosen to be    
,bishop--still continued1 and heavy     
threats were made against the ,regulars 
in that they obeyed the letter of the   
,apostolic ,see and the commandments  of
 ,sueder1 ,bishop of ,utrecht4  ,and    
since they would not consent to the     
appeal of ,rodolph1 nor maintain his    
cause1 they were driven either to  begin
 again to sing the services of the      
church or to depart from the  country1  
they and all their company4    ,then did
 the ,priors take counsel with their    
congregations1 and they chose  rather to
 give place to the people that were     
enraged against them1 and to  be exiles 
for justice' sake than to consent to    

such commandments to the  scandal of all
 the devout1 for these had already gone 
away from a great  part of the country1 
leaving their own houses and their      
native land4    ,therefore1 when this   
grievous choice was made known before   
the ,fathers  and ,brothers of our      
,house1 there was but one opinion       
amongst all1 namely1  that they must    
prepare to sojourn in a strange land and
 so keep obedience  to the ,apostolic   
,see1 but that they should leave in the 
monastery certain  of their household   
that were ,lay ,brothers1 ,converts and 
,donates1 who  might keep the ,house4   
,thus were the ,brothers driven forth1  
and they  departed publicly before      
sunset on the ,feast of ,st4 ,barnabas  
the ,apostle4  ,moreover the ,brothers  
of ,windesem with their household went  
forth toward  ,northorn1 and they of    
,bethlehem in ,zwolle went over the     
,yssel to the  district of ,geldria4    
,but the ,brothers of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes
 abode at  ,hasselt for the first night1

 and on the next day they took ship for 
,frisia meaning to go to their ,brothers
 at ,lunenkerc1 to help and comfort     
that ,house which they had begun to     
reform4  ,and by the help of ,god1 while
  many of our ,brothers sojourned there1
 the ,house soon came to be well        
ordered4  ,there were together in the   
hired ship in which they crossed  over  
twenty-four of our household1 both      
,clerks and ,lay ,brothers1 and  these  
abode three years in ,lunenkerc for the 
name of ,christ and the  ,church of     
,god2 and the exile from their own land1
 which they took  patiently1 bore       
notable fruit4    ,these are the names  
of our ,brothers and the others of our  
household1 both  ,clerks and ,laics1 who
 were driven from the land of ,utrecht  
and from our  monastery for their       
obedience in the matter of the          
,interdict which they  observed for more
 than a year by command of the          
,apostolic ,see4    ,first our venerable
 ,father the ,prior1 who was called     

,brother ,theodoric of  ,kleef2 the     
second was ,brother ,thomas of ,kempen1 
the ,sub-,prior2 the third1  ,brother   
,john ,ummen1 who was stricken in years 
and weak2 the fourth1  ,brother ,gerard 
,wesep2 the fifth1 ,brother ,john       
,benevolt2 the sixth1  ,brother         
,wernbold ,staelwijc2 the seventh1      
,brother ,john ,bouman2 the eighth1     
,brother ,henry ,cremer2 the ninth1     
,brother ,henry of ,deventer2 the tenth1
  ,brother ,dirk ,veneman2 the eleventh1
 ,brother ,helmic2 the twelfth1 ,brother
  ,christian2 the thirteenth1 ,brother  
,james ,cluyt2 the fourteenth1 ,brother 
,gerard ,smullinc2 the fifteenth1       
,brother ,cesarius1 a ,novice2 the      
sixteenth1 ,brother ,goswin1 son of     
,pistor1 a ,novice4    ,likewise there  
were two ,converts1 namely1 ,brother    
,arnold ,droem and  ,brother ,james ,ae2
 three ,clerks that had not yet received
 the ,religious  habit1 namely1 ,hermann
 ,craen1 ,gosswin ten ,velde1 and       
,arnold ten ,brincke2  two ,donates     

named ,gerard ,hombolt and ,laurence1   
and also ,john ,koyte1 a  guest and     
familiar friend of our ,house4  ,all of 
these were received for  the first night
 as the guests of the ,sisters at       
,hasselt1 who showed great  charity and 
humanity towards us1 and they lamented  
and wept bitterly that  we were driven  
out with violence4  ,but since all the  
,brothers could not  find room nor beds 
wherein to sleep1 these ,sisters had    
compassion upon us  and brought us their
 own bedding wherewith they prepared a  
place for us  to sleep in the stable on 
the hay and straw1 and here we all slept
  commodiously enough4  ,many of the    
citizens in ,hasselt also had compassion
  upon us and wept1 but certain envious 
folk that thought ill of us mocked  our 
,brothers and spake lightly of them1 but
 of these divers did afterward  repent4 
,on the second day1 when morning came1  
we hired a small ship and  came by way  
of the sea to ,frisia1 the land we      
sought1 having taken  sustenance by the 

way2 but we used both sails and oars and
 gat us across  not without great hazard
 for the wind was contrary4  ,thus we   
went thither  for the name of ,christ   
and to keep obedience to the ,holy      
,roman ,church1  the which we all       
desired to obey1 and we committed       
ourselves to ,god ,who  showed forth    
,his mercy toward us1 and snatching us  
from the peril of the  sea brought us   
safely to our ,brothers in ,lunenkerc4  
,in the year #adcj1 on the #aith day of 
,december1 being the day before the     
,vigil of ,st4 ,thomas the ,apostle1    
died our beloved ,brother ,john1 a      
priest  who was born at ,kampen4  ,he   
was third among the first four who      
received  investiture1 and he died after
 midday and was buried on the right side
 of  ,brother ,oetbert4  ,he wrote in   
excellent wise the ,chants in the books 
that  are for use in the choir1 for he  
was a good singer1 and a man of modest  
character1 and showed himself to be able
 and skilled in divers kinds of  work at

 harvest time and in the building of the
 ,house4  ,when we were  driven forth he
 went with the ,brothers to ,frisia1    
though he was weak1 for  he chose rather
 to share their exile than to abide     
alone with a few ,lay  ,brothers to keep
 the ,house4  ,but afterward he was sent
 back before the  rest1 for his sickness
 compelled us to do this3 so having     
fulfilled  thirty-one years in the      
,religious ,life1 he fell asleep in the 
,lord4    ,in the year #adca1 on the    
,feast of ,st4 ,stephen1 ,pope and      
,martyr1 ,brother  ,goswin ,becker died 
in ,lunenkerc4  ,he was in the beginning
 of the third  year after his           
profession1 but was not yet in ,holy    
,orders1 and he was  buried in the      
cloister of the monastery there4  ,he   
was the son of one  ,john ,limborgh1    
otherwise ,becker1 and was born at      
,zwolle4    ,,chapter ,,xxiii4    ,of   
the return of our ,brothers from ,frisia
 to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year 
of our ,lord #adbb 7#adcb71 license was 

granted to members of  the ,religious   
,orders1 and to devout ,priests and     
,canons1 to return to  their own places 
and monasteries which they had left in  
order to observe  the ,interdict of our 
,lord the ,pope1 but some few were      
excepted as being  suspected of taking  
part in the sedition4  ,now the ,bishop 
of ,matiskon had  been sent as ,legate  
of the ,apostolic ,see to make terms of 
peace1 and to  remove the ,interdict    
that had been pronounced to maintain the
 cause of  ,sueder as against the noble 
,rodolph1 who had been chosen to be     
,bishop4  ,many ,prelates and ,religious
 ,brothers were gathered together to    
meet the  aforesaid ,legate in the town 
of ,viana1 and the ,fathers of our      
,religious  ,order and ,devotion1 the   
,priors of ,windesem and of ,mount ,st4 
,agnes  together with many              
others--devout ,priests1 who had been   
obedient to the  ,interdict--entered    
into ,utrecht rejoicing1 after holding  
friendly  converse with the ,legate4    

,then the ,brothers returned each to his
 own  ,house bearing with them sheaves  
of peace1 the reward for their long     
exile  which they had endured outside   
the diocese1 and so by little and little
  they returned to their own monasteries
 eagerly and with devotion2 for  some of
 the ,brothers of our ,house returned on
 the eve of the ,feast of the           
,assumption of the ,blessed ,mary1 and  
some about the ,feast of ,st4 ,michael1 
while a few were left in ,frisia to     
minister to the needs and preserve the  
discipline of the ,house at ,lunenkerc4 
,through all things blessed be ,god who 
alone doeth great marvels6    ,,chapter 
,,xxiv4    ,of the death of ,brother    
,john of ,kempen1 the first ,prior of   
,mount ,st4  ,agnes4    ,in the same    
year1 on the fourth day of ,november1 at
 midnight1 died  ,brother ,john of      
,kempen1 the first ,rector and          
,confessor of the ,sisters at  ,arnheim1
 being in the sixty-seventh year of his 
age4  ,he had been ,rector  or ,prior in

 divers places and ,houses that were    
newly founded1 namely1 at  the ,fount of
 the ,blessed ,virgin1 near ,arnheim1   
where he was the first  ,rector when    
that ,house was founded1 and here he    
invested divers ,brothers3  afterward he
 was chosen to be ,prior of ,mount ,st4 
,agnes and ruled the  ,house for nine   
years3 then he was sent to ,bommel1 and 
he began the ,house  there with a few   
,brothers4  ,after this he was chosen to
 be ,prior of the  ,house of the        
,blessed ,mary1 near ,haerlem1 in       
,holland1 over which he ruled  for seven
 years4  ,at another time he was deputed
 to be the first ,rector  of the        
,sisters at ,bronope1 near ,kampen1 and 
at last he ended his life  happily in a 
good old age and in obedience in        
,bethany1 which is by  interpretation   
the ,house of ,obedience1 and he was    
buried within the  cloister after       
,vespers4  ,i was with him and ,i closed
 his eyes1 for ,i had  been sent by the 
,visitors to bear him company1 and ,i   

abode with him for a  year and two      
months4  ,after ,easter1 in this same   
year1 the ,house of  ,bethany was       
incorporated into the ,general ,chapter4
    ,in the year of the ,lord #adcc1    
during ,lent1 three ,clerks were        
invested1  namely1 ,brother ,hermann    
,craen of ,kampen1 ,brother ,john       
,zuermont of  ,utrecht1 and ,brother    
,peter ,herbort of ,utrecht4  ,in the   
same year died  ,sueder of ,culenborgh1 
,bishop of ,utrecht1 and after his death
 ,pope  ,eugenius confirmed ,rodolph    
,diepholt1 who had been chosen before1  
to be  ,bishop of the diocese4    ,in   
the year #adcd1 on the ,feast of the    
,conception of the ,glorious ,virgin    
,mary1 was invested ,brother ,bero1 a   
,clerk1 of ,amsterdam4    ,in the same  
year1 on ,july #bhth1 died ,margaret    
,wilden1 a matron of great  age and     
mother of our ,brother ,oetbert4  ,she  
was buried in the broad  passage at her 
son's head1 and on the northern side of 
the cloister4    ,in the year of the    

,lord #adcf1 on the ,octave of the      
,feast of ,st4 ,stephen1                
,proto-,martyr1 ,brother ,john1 the     
first ,convert of our ,house1 died in   
,beverwijc1 near ,haerlem4  ,he was a   
faithful man and prudent in business1   
wherefore he was sent abroad with       
,brother ,hugo of the same ,house1 and  
bound by his obedience he accepted the  
mission4    ,in the same year1 on the   
,feast of ,st4 ,juliana the ,virgin1    
after ,lauds1  died ,john ,benevolt1 a  
,priest of our ,house1 who was born in  
,groninghen1 a  man of great simplicity 
and innocence2 he was buried on the     
eastern side  of the cloister1 on the   
right of ,brother ,john ,ummen4    ,in  
the same year1 on the ,feast of the     
,finding of the ,holy ,cross1 in the    
first hour after midday1 died ,brother  
,alardus1 a ,priest of ,pilsum and a    
,frisian by nation4  ,he was well       
stricken in age1 being above seventy-six
  years old1 and had lived the          
,religious ,life for thirty years4  ,he 

was a  man of great gentleness1 and in  
the celebration of the ,mass careful and
  devout4  ,he was ever among the first 
to go into the choir and the ,common    
,refectory of the ,brotherhood until his
 last sickness4  ,it had been his       
desire to die on this ,feast because he 
had often celebrated it at the  ,altar  
of the ,holy ,cross1 and according to   
his prayer so it was done unto  him4    
,he often said to me1 ,the best dish    
that is set before me in the  ,refectory
 is the ,holy ,reading1 the which ,i    
gladly hear3 wherefore ,i do  not absent
 myself willingly lest ,i should miss   
the fruit of that ,holy  ,reading during
 the meal4  ,i delight also in the      
presence of the ,brothers1  in that ,i  
see the whole congregation there present
 taking their food  under strict        
discipline4  ,at length he was weighed  
down with years1 and  though he could   
not walk alone1 he came leaning upon a  
staff to the  entrance of the choir to  
hear the ,brothers singing2 then he took

 holy  water1 and bowed the knee toward 
the ,high ,altar4  ,on the days when he 
celebrated he often received a special  
consolation from ,god ,himself4    ,in  
the year of the ,lord #adch1 on the day 
after the ,feast of ,st4 ,gregory  the  
,pope1 died ,brother ,rodolph1 a ,priest
 from ,oetmeshem1 who had been  ,prior  
of the ,house of ,st4 ,martin the       
,bishop1 in ,lunenkerc1 in ,frisia1     
near ,herlinghen4  ,he had been sick a  
long while with dropsy1 and on the  day 
aforesaid he breathed forth his soul    
between the ninth and tenth  hours in   
the morning1 and he was buried on the   
right of ,brother ,alardus4  ,in the    
same year1 on the ,feast of the         
,annunciation of the ,blessed ,mary     
ever ,virgin1 six ,clerks were invested1
 namely1 ,brother ,henry ,becker of     
,zwolle1 ,brother ,john ,zandwijc of    
,rhenen1 ,brother ,ewic1 also of        
,rhenen1  ,brother ,telmann ,gravensande
 of ,holland1 ,brother ,george of       
,antwerp1 and  ,brother ,arnold1 son of 

,conrad1 of ,nussia4  ,in the same year 
there was a  great famine in divers     
parts of the land1 and in a short space 
a mighty  pestilence followed2 also in  
that year1 on the ,vigil of the         
,nativity of  ,christ1 and after ,high  
,mass1 died ,john ,eme1 a ,convert1 who 
was cellarer  to our ,house4    ,in the 
year of the ,lord #adci1 on the ,feast  
of ,st4 ,peter ad ,vincula1 and  early  
in the morning1 before the fourth hour1 
died ,wermbold ,stolwic of  ,kampen1 who
 was a ,priest before he began the      
,religious ,life4  ,he was  often sick  
of a fever1 and being weakened thereby  
he fell asleep in the  ,lord1 having    
made a good confession1 and was buried  
after ,vespers4  ,he  wrote the music in
 some of the ,chant books in the choir4 
,in the same year1 on the ,feast of the 
,annunciation of the ,virgin ,mary1     
there was an earthquake in divers       
places1 and in the summer following a   
great pestilence in divers parts1 and   
many devout ,brothers and ,sisters      

departed from this present world4    ,in
 the year #addj the great building on   
the western side of the monastery  was  
set up1 to receive guests and the ,lay  
folk of our household1 and the  roof    
thereof was finished in stone on the day
 before the ,feast of our  ,holy ,father
 ,augustine4  ,at this work many of our 
,brothers laboured long  and bravely1   
while others attended to the choir4     
,in the same year four brothers died in 
the pestilence1 namely1 ,brother        
,arnold ,droem1 a ,convert1 ,goswin     
,witte1 a ,clerk and ,oblate1 ,dirk     
,mastebroick1 a ,donate1 ,hermann       
,sutor1 a ,novice4  ,likewise many of   
our  neighbours in ,haerst and ,bercmede
 died of this plague1 and by their own  
desire were buried in our monastery4    
,in the year of the ,lord #adda1 on the 
,feast of ,st4 ,petronilla the ,virgin1 
died our beloved ,brother ,christian of 
,kampen1 the ,infirmarius1 for he was   
smitten with the plague4  ,he was very  
attentive to the sick and plague        

stricken1 to whom he ministered         
faithfully to the death4  ,on the same  
day1 when noon was hardly past1 died    
,john ,clotinc1 a ,lay ,brother and     
,oblate4  ,he was a man very devout1 and
 a pattern for his long service in  the 
brewery and the mill1 and for his       
frequent prayers4  ,these died on  the  
same day and at the same hour after     
,high ,mass when ,sext was done1 and    
after ,vespers1 when the ,vigils had    
been sung1 they were buried in peace4   
,after their death1 by the mercy of     
,god1 the plague in the cloister was    
stayed4    ,in the same year and month1 
but before the aforesaid ,brothers1 and 
on the  day before the ,feast of ,st4   
,pancras1 died the elder ,wermbold1 a   
,donate1  who was born in ,hasselt4     
,in the year #addb1 on the fourth day of
 ,march1 which was the third ,sunday  in
 ,lent1 the venerable man1 ,john of     
,korke1 ,bishop ,suffragan to our ,lord 
of ,utrecht1 consecrated the            
burial-ground upon the eastern side of  

the  church1 together with the cloister 
thereof1 likewise the passage before    
the ,brothers' ,refectory1 and that on  
the western side that goeth from  before
 the cells of the ,converts to the      
entrance of the church4  ,also on  the  
northern side the ground to bury        
strangers in1 with the whole circuit    
thereof1 but the part in the midst of it
 had been consecrated aforetime  with   
our church4  ,moreover1 the ,bishop     
granted indulgences for forty days  to  
them that walked devoutly round the     
burial-ground4  ,besides these1 he      
consecrated the precious and fair ,image
 of the ,blessed ,virgin with the       
,child ,jesus1 that standeth above the  
altar which is dedicated in honour  of  
,her and of ,st4 ,augustine 7this is    
that altar which is set in the midst  of
 the church before the choir71 and he   
granted forty days' indulgence to  them 
that should recite five ,aves devoutly  
and on bended knees before the  said    
image4  ,likewise1 he consecrated       

another small image of the ,blessed     
,virgin1 that is placed before the gate 
of our monastery1 and he granted  forty 
days' indulgence to them that should    
recite three ,aves there  devoutly and  
on bended knees4    ,in the year of the 
,lord #addc1 on the day of ,st4 ,prisca1
 ,virgin and  ,martyr1 and after midday1
 died our beloved ,brother1 ,john       
,bouman1 a  ,priest1 who was once our   
,procurator4  ,he had been sick for a   
long while  with a quartan fever1       
whereby his body was wasted1 and he     
finished his  life with a happy agony4  
,he was born in ,zwolle1 and for many   
years  endured labours and divers       
infirmities1 and this saying of ,christ 
was  often in his mouth3 ,in your       
patience ye shall possess your souls4   
,when  ,i visited him at the end he said
 to me1 ,how gladly ,i would every day  
go  with the ,brothers into the choir if
 ,i were strong enough ,god knoweth6    
,he  was full of faith and compassion1  
and he gladly read and heard of the     

,passion of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 he
 had1 moreover1 a special devotion to   
the ,blessed ,mary ,magdalene1 for he   
was born on ,her ,feast ,day1 wherefore 
he often said the ,mass for ,her ,feast1
 or humbly asked another to say it  for 
him4  ,about a month before his death a 
certain ,brother had this  vision after 
,matins3 it seemed to him that the      
,brothers were singing the  ,vigil in   
the choir1 and that a corpse was there4 
,and after the ,vigil the  door of the  
choir was opened1 and certain ,lay      
,brothers of our household  came into   
the choir and stood round the corpse2   
amongst these were seen  two ,lay       
,brothers who were already dead that    
came to the burial1 namely1  ,brother   
,john ,eme and ,hermann1 son of ,wolter 
7now they had died four years  before   
this time74  ,these1 with the rest of   
the household1 went forth as  if to     
follow the corpse going through the gate
 upon the south side of the  choir1 and 
they went in procession to that part of 

the precinct where our  ,brothers1 who  
are ,priests1 are wont to be buried--and
 straightway the  vision disappeared4   
,then that ,brother held his peace and  
began to think  within himself3 ,it may 
be that some one of our ,brothers shall 
soon  depart out of this world1 and we  
shall sing the solemn ,vigils of the    
dead  for him4  ,and so it came to pass1
 for when the month was ended1 ,brother 
,john ,bouman died1 and the things seen 
in the vision were fulfilled in due     
order on his behalf1 and he was buried  
near ,brother ,christian4  ,he lived  in
 the ,order of ,regulars for thirty-one 
years and twenty-six days1 and he  had  
friends in ,zwolle that were good men   
and great3 moreover1 notable  increase  
of goods came to our monastery from him 
and from his parents4    ,in the year of
 the ,lord #addd1 on the ,feast of ,all 
,saints1 was invested  ,henry ,ruhorst1 
a ,clerk1 who was born at ,kampen4      
,in the same year1 on the ,octave of the
 ,assumption of the ,blessed ,virgin    

,mary1 the ,regulars of ,haerlem1 by the
 will of all1 took upon them the  rule  
of the cloister4    ,after the ,feast of
 ,st4 ,bartholomew1 three of our        
,brothers who were  ,priests1 were sent 
to found the new ,house of ,roermund4   
,in the year of the ,lord #adde1 on the 
day before the ,feast of ,st4 ,bernard  
the ,abbot1 our beloved ,brother        
,caesarius ,coninc died4  ,he was a     
native of  ,utrecht1 and ,prior of      
,lunenkerc1 but he had made his         
profession at ,mount  ,st4 ,agnes4  ,he 
went on the concerns of his ,house to   
,antwerp1 where he  fell sick1 and      
having been in a fever for nearly eight 
days he fell  asleep in the ,lord1 and  
was buried there in the ,convent of the 
,sisters of  our ,order4  ,he held the  
office of ,prior for eight years1 and he
 departed  from this world in the       
forty-sixth year of his age1 and many   
goods came  for the use of the monastery
 from his parents4    ,in the same year1
 during ,advent and after1 a flood of   

waters overwhelmed  many lands and      
drowned the crops in ,betua that        
pertains to ,geldria and                
,hertzogenbusch4    ,in the year #addf1 
on the ,feast of the ,annunciation of   
the ,blessed ,virgin  ,mary1 two ,clerks
 were invested1 namely1 ,brother ,james 
,spaen1 from  ,geldria1 and ,brother    
,henry1 son of ,paul of ,mechlin in     
,brabant2 the former  of these attended 
the school at ,deventer1 and had a      
brother who was a  ,religious at        
,northorn3 the latter attended the      
school at ,zwolle4    ,in the same year1
 on ,palm ,sunday in the month of       
,april1 there was a great  tempest1     
snow1 hail1 and the breath of the storm1
 and thunder was heard  therewith4  ,in 
the night of that day the dyke between  
,wilsen and ,kampen  was broken down1   
and the cattle and beasts of burden at  
,mastebroic were  drowned4  ,in ,zutphen
 the tower of the church was set afire  
by lightning1  and the roof was cleft   
above1 and certain persons were wounded1

 and some  were slain by this sudden    
mischance--in other parts also divers   
houses  were destroyed by fire4  ,in    
,zwolle1 after ,mass1 a mighty terror   
fell upon  them that were in the church1
 and the shutters were shaken from the  
church windows by a lightning stroke4   
,in the same year1 on the day  following
 the ,feast of ,st4 ,odulphus1 and at   
the seventh hour when  ,compline was    
done1 died ,brother ,frederic1 son of   
,john1 a ,convert from  ,groninghen4    
,he was an aged man of about eighty     
years1 and one of the  elders amongst   
them that first dwelt in this place4    
,in many things he  was profitable to   
the ,brothers1 for he shaved their heads
 and blooded  them and dressed their    
wounds1 and did other faithful service  
to the sick  and the plague stricken2 at
 length1 wearied with age and having a  
good  foundation of holy deeds1 he fell 
asleep in the ,lord4  ,he came to ,mount
  ,st4 ,agnes to serve the ,lord in the 
sixth year after the death of ,master   

,gerard ,groote1 with the first         
,brothers that dwelt here1 and with     
those  very poor ,lay folk1 the         
disciples of ,gerard1 of whom ,i have   
written  above4  ,he lived therefore in 
this place for sixty-six years1         
reckoning  the years of his conversion  
from the beginning thereof to the year  
of his  death inclusively1 and ,brother 
,john ,kempen1 the first ,prior of this 
,house1 invested him as a ,convert on   
the ,feast of ,st4 ,katharine the       
,virgin1 in the year of the ,lord #adja1
 he being the third of the ,converts    
then invested4    ,in the same year1 on 
the ,octave of the ,holy ,trinity1 and  
on the night of  the ,feast of the      
,saints ,gervase and ,protasius1 died   
,brother ,arnold1 son  of ,conrad of    
,nussia1 being twenty-six years of age4 
,he had been in the  priesthood for one 
year1 and for nearly fifteen days had   
been sick of a  tertian fever1 but ,god 
had pity on him that in a brief space he
 fulfilled  many years1 and by the      

swiftness of his course escaped the     
hazardous  defilements of the world2 now
 he had finished eight years in the     
,religious ,life4    ,in the year of the
 ,lord #addg1 on the day before the     
,feast of ,st4 ,agnes  the ,virgin1 two 
,clerks were invested1 namely1 ,everard 
ter ,huet of ,zwolle  and ,james        
,spenghe of ,utrecht4    ,in the same   
year the ,clerks at ,alberghen1 near    
,oldenzale1 received the  habit of ,holy
 ,religion in the ,order of ,canons     
,regular of ,st4 ,augustine1  and they  
were invested on the day of the ,finding
 of the ,holy ,cross4    ,,chapter      
,,xxv4    ,how ,theodoric of ,kleef1    
third ,prior of the ,house on the ,mount
 laid down  his office1 and was absolved
 therefrom4    ,in the year of the ,lord
 #addg1 that venerable ,father1         
,theodoric of ,kleef1  third ,prior of  
our ,house of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes the    
,virgin1 coming home from  the ,general 
,chapter1 called the ,brothers together1
 and humbly sought to  speak with them  

so that when the ,visitors of the ,house
 came he might be  absolved from his    
office of ,prior4  ,for twenty-three    
years he had ruled  the ,house with     
fatherly care1 and he was weary with    
many labours4  ,he  would have made this
 petition a year before1 but that the   
urgency of  divers concerns of the      
,house had hindered him from so doing1  
and he  pleaded the weakness of his age 
and that his senses were clouded4       
,hearing  these things the elder        
,brothers spake with the members of the 
,chapter1  and thinking to show mercy   
toward their beloved ,father who had    
long  served them to the best of his    
power1 they gave a kindly hearing and   
assent to his petition4  ,wherefore the 
three eldest amongst them1 on  behalf of
 the other ,brothers and at their       
request1 came to the ,visitors1  for    
they were sitting in a private room to  
hear the opinion of each one  of the    
,brothers1 and on bended knees with     
their hands clasped they  besought them 

instantly1 and with all their hearts1 to
 grant absolution  to this ,father for  
that he was infirm and aged2 this they  
said was the  time to show him pity1 and
 this was what he desired as he had told
 to  certain of them privately4    ,the 
,visitors therefore heard the opinions  
of all1 and finding that the  more part 
of them that were gathered together     
demanded this thing of set  purpose1 did
 piously admonish the ,prior that he    
might yield to the  petition of the     
,brothers and resign his office out of  
consideration for  his own weakness of  
body4  ,the good ,father hearing this   
prostrated  himself humbly before the   
,chapter1 and returning thanks to the   
,brothers  said that he was ready to    
resign into the hands of the ,prior of  
the  ,superior ,house the burden of that
 office which he had long borne4    ,but
 since the duty of holding visitations  
at certain other houses had  been laid  
upon them1 the ,priors of ,windesem and 
,zwolle besought our  ,brothers that    

such visitations might be held by the   
known and former  ,prior as the ,chapter
 had ordained1 and when these were done1
 then at a  convenient season the desire
 of the ,brothers concerning the        
absolution of  the ,prior should be     
fulfilled4    ,so when the matter of the
 visitation was finished1 the ,priors of
  ,amsterdam and of ,hoern returned1 and
 coming to our monastery did a second   
time examine the opinion of the         
,brothers in private1 and they found    
that  the more part were still of one   
heart1 and constant to their opinion    
that  the ,prior should be absolved1    
though some few of the younger ,brothers
  dissented from the rest4    ,hearing  
this the ,visitors1 by the authority to 
them committed1 absolved  the ,prior on 
the day after the ,dispersion of the    
,apostles1 thinking  thereby to provide 
for the peace and usefulness of the     
,house4  ,then in  accordance with the  
statutes of the ,chapter they bade the  
,brothers to  keep fast for three days  

for the election of a new ,prior2 then  
they  returned toward ,holland to their 
houses1 since their own needs compelled 
them so to do1 but they besought the    
venerable ,prior of ,windesem to deign  
to be present in person at the election 
when the ,brothers should choose  their 
,prior4  ,and this was done1 the grace  
of ,god providing for us1 so  that the  
petition of the brothers1 which they had
 made long since1 came  to a good issue 
in the election of a new ,prior1 for    
which election they  did invoke the     
,holy ,ghost and poured out prayers to  
,god instantly both in  public and in   
private4    ,,chapter ,,xxvi4    ,how   
,brother ,henry of ,deventer was chosen 
to be the fourth ,prior of the  ,house  
of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4    ,in the year  
of the ,lord #addh1 on the #bjth day of 
,june 7,july71 when the  three days'    
fast was ended1 the ,brothers came      
together to sing the ,mass  of the ,holy
 ,spirit on the day before the ,feast of
 ,st4 ,praxedes the  ,virgin2 but the   

,mass of the ,blessed ,virgin had been  
said in private  because it was the     
,sabbath4  ,then after the end of ,mass1
 and when ,sext  was done1 the ,brothers
 went forth from the choir to the       
,chapter ,house to  choose a new ,prior2
 and the venerable ,prior of ,windesem1 
with the ,prior  of ,zwolle1 was there  
present with them1 for he had been      
called and  besought to hear the        
election4  ,so1 having held a short     
conference with  the ,brothers1 and the 
manner of election being read1 the      
,prior of  ,windesem exhorted the       
members of the ,chapter to choose a fit 
person to be  ,prior following the      
commandments of ,god and ,canon ,law4   
,there were here  present twenty-one    
,brothers that were electors1 and two   
who were far away  had written letters  
wherein they expressed their will4  ,so 
the ,brothers  that were electors went  
away a little space outside the doors of
 the  ,chapter ,house1 and the two      
,priors aforesaid came and stood by the 

altar  in the ,chapter ,house1 the door 
thereof being open1 and with them were  
the  three elder ,brothers4  ,there they
 stood to hear the votes of each man    
separately1 for they could be seen by   
all1 but none could hear what was  said4
  ,then the votes of each being heard   
and counted1 our ,sub-,prior1  ,brother 
,henry1 son of ,william of ,deventer1   
was chosen and nominated to be  ,prior1 
having the votes of the more part       
recorded for him on the paper1  namely  
sixteen4  ,some there were beside that  
did not choose him1 but of  these three 
,brothers did not vote at this time1 and
 two chose the  ,procurator1 ,james     
,cluyt4  ,then one of the elder         
,brothers1 on behalf of  himself and of 
the more part1 besought the ,prior of   
the ,superior ,house to  confirm the    
election1 who straightway appointed the 
next day to be the  last for any to     
oppose4  ,and when none made opposition 
to the manner of  the election1 nor said
 aught against the ,brother who was     

chosen1 the  ,prior elect was called to 
consent to his election which had been  
made  according to the canons1 so that  
it might be duly confirmed4  ,and he    
straightway prostrated himself in the   
midst of the ,brothers protesting  that 
he was not sufficient1 and he humbly    
besought to be relieved of this  burden1
 but when he could not gain his purpose1
 and dared not obstinately  to resist1  
he gave consent in an humble voice1     
being overcome by the  insistence of the
 ,brothers and compelled by his         
obedience to his  superior3 and he      
submitted himself to the ordinance of   
,god for the sake  of observing         
brotherly love and the needful          
discipline of the cloister4  ,so when he
 had been confirmed by the ,prior of    
,windesem he was led in to  the choir in
 the presence of all the ,brothers1 and 
placed in his stall1  and prayers were  
offered up4  ,after which done all the  
members of the  ,chapter straightway    
went into the ,house1 and following the 

accustomed  manner all the professed    
,brothers took the vow of obedience to  
their  ,father1 the new ,prior1 and     
after them the ,converts1 and lastly the
  ,donates did the like4  ,when this was
 done they spent the day with joy and   
giving of thanks1 and at last their     
,fathers1 the ,priors of the other      
houses who had taken part in all that   
was done1 said farewell to them1  and   
the ,brothers left the garden and       
returned to their cells4  ,when the     
bell rang for ,vespers they came        
together to the choir1 and sang the     
,vespers of ,st4 ,mary ,magdalene with  
cheerful voices4  ,after three days the 
,brothers were called together to the   
,chapter ,house1 and the ,prior         
proposed that in accordance with the    
statutes they should choose another     
,sub-,prior1 so on the ,feast of ,st4   
,james the ,apostle1 before the hour for
  ,vespers1 ,brother ,thomas of ,kempen 
was nominated and elected after a brief 
scrutiny4  ,he was one of the elders1   

being sixty-seven years of age1 and  in 
past times had been appointed to this   
office1 and albeit he knew  himself to  
be insufficient and would have made     
excuse1 yet he did submit  him humbly to
 the assembled ,brothers1 for his       
obedience bade him so to  do2 neither   
did he refuse to undergo toil on their  
behalf for the love of  ,christ ,jesus1 
but earnestly besought the prayers of   
his comrades and  ,brothers1 for he     
trusted rather in the grace of ,god than
 in himself4    ,in the same year1      
during the summer season1 the crops were
 grievously  ravaged in divers places by
 the mice1 which ate the corn while it  
was  still growing up and when it was in
 the blade4  ,our ,lay ,brothers1       
therefore1 dug ditches and put in the   
ground jars filled with water1 and  such
 was the craft with which they did this 
that a vast number of the  mice were    
drowned in these jars1 and they slew in 
divers places many  thousands4  ,these  
creatures had caused great loss to us   

and our  neighbours by ravaging the     
wheat1 the barley1 the oats1 and the    
peas1 and  also the green crops in the  
fields that were for the fodder of the  
cattle4    ,about the beginning of the  
month of ,september there was a notable 
tempest1 and a great flood of waters    
broke in upon us 7for the sea had  burst
 his banks71 and this did overflow our  
pasture land and destroyed  the grass   
and the fodder4  ,by this same tempest  
many ships that had  adventured         
themselves upon the sea were overwhelmed
 with all their crews4    ,but herein   
again the good and merciful ,god did    
provide for us1 for our  fishers took   
great store of fish by reason of this   
flood1 and these did  suffice the       
,brothers and their guests for food     
during many days4    ,in the year of the
 ,lord #addi1 on the ,feast of ,st4     
,bernard the ,abbot1 we  received the   
precious relics of certain ,saints and  
,martyrs who were  companions of        
,gereon1 ,duke and ,martyr1 and of      

others that were companions  of the     
,eleven ,thousand ,holy ,virgins of     
,cologne4  ,these did the venerable     
,abbot of ,st4 ,panthalion send to us   
from the many relics that are in that   
monastery4    ,likewise ,egbert         
,tyveren1 a ,donate of our ,house1      
brought back to us from  ,cologne1 as   
true relics1 certain small fragments    
that were given to us by  the           
,carthusians1 and by the ,regular       
,brothers of our own order in the       
,house of ,corpus ,domini4  ,the ,prior 
and the ,brothers of our ,house being   
gathered together in the choir before   
,high ,mass brought these relics into   
the church1 carrying the ,standard of   
the ,cross and lighted tapers in  their 
hands1 and afterward the ,prior placed  
them on the different altars1  having   
enclosed them in reliquaries in seemly  
wise in honour of the  ,saints4    ,in  
the same year1 on ,december the #afth1  
our ,brother ,godefried of ,kempen  died
 in ,brabant in the ,house of the       

,sisters of the ,regular ,order that is 
called the ,cloister of the ,blessed    
,virgin1 near ,zevenborren4  ,this      
convent was afterward destroyed utterly 
by fire in the year #ad--1 and the      
,sisters were removed to ,brussels with 
great honour by the ,duchess of         
,burgundy4    ,in the year of the ,lord 
#adej many faithful servants of ,christ 
went to  ,rome to gain ,indulgences1    
which our ,lord1 ,pope ,nicholas ,v1 by 
advice of  the ,cardinals1 and moved    
himself by piety and mercy1 had granted 
by a  ,bull in the previous year4  ,then
 did many ,christian folk that sojourned
  on this holy pilgrimage return whole1 
but many died by the way1 and many  in  
the city of ,rome4    ,in the same year1
 in ,holland1 ,utrecht1 ,amersfoort1    
,zwolle1 ,kampen1  ,deventer1 ,zutphen  
and many other towns and hamlets1 a     
bubonic plague  raged1 and many devout  
persons and religious1 as also many     
worldlings1  departed from this present 
life4  ,in the same year the winter time

 was  very mild1 with but little snow   
and thin ice1 but the wind was cold4    
,in  ,lent1 and at the beginning of     
,march1 our fishers took great abundance
 of  the fish called smelts1 wherewith1 
during the ,fast1 our ,brothers were    
fed1 and also many poor beggars at our  
gates4    ,in the same year the men of  
,zwolle builded a great and lofty bridge
 of  strong wooden timbers across the   
,river ,vecht1 not far from our         
monastery1  to serve the necessities of 
their own folk and the convenience of   
men  that would come thither2 the cost  
thereof was six hundred ,rhenish        
florins4    ,in the same year1 on the   
,feast of ,st4 ,john before the ,latin  
,gate1 ,brother  ,gerard of ,deventer1  
whose surname was ,bredenort1 was       
invested4    ,in the same year1 on the  
twenty-ninth day of ,august1 died ,james
 ,oem1  ,rector of the ,sisters at      
,bronope1 near ,kampen1 who for nine    
years had  exercised a kindly rule over 
that ,house4  ,after his death the      

,prior of  ,windesem appointed ,brother 
,dirk of ,kleef to be ,rector and       
,confessor of  this ,house4  ,he had    
been formerly ,prior of ,mount ,st4     
,agnes1 and was the  eldest of the      
,brothers of that monastery4    ,in the 
year #adea1 on the ,octave of ,easter1  
which was the day before the  ,feast of 
the ,finding of the ,holy ,cross1 died  
,dirk ,poderen1 a servant of  our       
,house1 a poor man and an aged1 being   
about eighty years old3 he had  lived   
with us for twenty years4    ,in the    
same year1 on the ,vigil of the ,feast  
of ,st4 ,andrew the ,apostle1  and at   
the ninth hour1 when ,compline had been 
said1 died ,brother ,gerard1  son of    
,wolter1 a ,convert who was sixty-eight 
years of age lacking two  months1 and   
had lived the ,religious ,life for      
nearly forty years4  ,the  ,prior and   
the ,brothers were present with him at  
his death3 he was  faithful and earnest 
in good deeds and words1 and he was     
buried on the  western side of the      

passage with the other ,converts4    ,in
 the same year a new mill was builded1  
and finished with much labour  and cost1
 for the greater convenience of our     
,house4    ,in the same year the ,house 
of the ,regulars in ,cologne which is   
called  ,corpus ,christi1 and standeth  
in the parish of ,st4 ,christopher the  
,martyr1 was received into our ,chapter4
  ,at this time1 namely1 after the      
,feast of the ,conception of the        
,blessed ,virgin1 our ,brother1 ,henry  
,cremer1  was sent to act as ,sub-,prior
 of this ,house1 and ,brother ,gerard of
 ,kleef  went with him to be the        
,rector4    ,in the same year there was 
a grievous pestilence in ,cologne1 and  
as is  reported by many1 twenty-five    
thousand persons are reckoned to have   
died  thereof4    ,in the year of the   
,lord #adea1 our most ,reverend ,lord   
,nicholas de ,chusa1  ,cardinal with the
 title of ,st4 ,peter in ,chains1 who   
was ,legate for the  land of ,germany1  
came to the diocese of ,utrecht1 after  

that he had  visited the upper parts of 
,saxony and the cities and townships of 
,westphalia4  ,he came likewise to      
,windesem1 where he was received with   
honour by the ,brothers1 and held a     
conference with them1 and by the        
authority of the ,apostolic ,see he     
granted ,indulgences on the occasion of 
the ,jubilee to all that were subject to
 our ,general ,chapter4  ,when he was   
asked whether one might go to ,rome to  
gain ,indulgences without special       
license1 he replied3 ,our ,lord the     
,pope himself hath said1 ',better is    
obedience than ,indulgences4'    ,in the
 year of the ,lord #adeb1 a great and   
grievous loss befel the city of         
,amsterdam1 a famed and populous city in
 ,holland1 for a fire broke forth  on   
the ,feast ,day of ,urban1 ,pope and    
,martyr1 and the wrath of ,god went     
forth in particular against the         
congregations of religious persons1 both
  men and women2 so great was the fire  
that the more part of the city  should  

seem to have been destroyed1 and scarce 
a third part thereof was  saved4        
,fourteen monasteries are known to have 
burned almost to the  ground1 and verily
 great misery was caused thereby in the 
sight of all  men1 such as had not been 
heard of from very ancient times until  
that  day4  ,many virgins that had taken
 the veil1 putting aside their maiden   
modesty1 wandered about the city        
lamenting and begging for hospitality1  
whereby the hearts of many were moved to
 tears4  ,everything was buried1  from  
the great ,church of ,st4 ,nicholas to  
the ancient ,convent of the ,nuns  of   
our ,order inclusively1 and in the other
 direction from the ,church of  the     
,blessed ,virgin ,mary to our monastery 
exclusively1 for ,god in ,his  mercy    
spared that ,house that it was unhurt4  
,in the same year1 on the ,feast of the 
,commemoration of ,st4 ,paul the        
,apostle1 and after ,vespers1 our       
beloved ,brother ,henry ,cremer died at 
,windesem2 on the day following1 being  

the ,octave of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 
his body was brought to our ,house1     
wherein1 through the mercy of ,god1 he  
had lived for nearly thirty-three years 
in the ,religious habit2 this was  done 
that at his life's end he might not lie 
in a strange land afar from  our ,house1
 but might be buried according as he    
desired amongst our  ,brothers4  ,he was
 faithful in his labour1 in the writing 
of books1 and in  his attendance in the 
choir2 and being zealous for discipline 
he kept a  watch over his mouth and     
loved his cell4  ,formerly he had been  
,prior in  ,rickenberrich in ,saxony for
 nearly eleven years1 and afterward for 
a few  years abode in ,diepenveen with  
two others his companions1 but he was   
instant in his petition to return to the
 ,brotherhood1 and obtained his  desire2
 after this he was sent to ,cologne1 but
 returning thence he died  at ,windesem 
and was buried in our ,house4    ,in the
 year of the ,lord #adec1 a strange     
pestilence fell upon the men of  certain

 towns and the villages adjacent        
thereto4  ,this plague befel after  the 
,feast of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 and  
was notable by reason of the  benumbing 
of the throat and the pain it caused in 
the breast and side4  ,at  this time    
many of our ,brothers and the ,lay folk 
of our ,household who were  labouring   
hard in the fields--for it was          
harvest--were smitten so  grievously by 
the benumbing of their throats that they
 could scarce speak  or eat4  ,there was
 a north wind that was very cold at     
night1 but by day  turbulent and dry1   
and many were chilled thereby and fell  
sick4  ,as a  remedy against this1 some 
clothed themselves in stouter garments  
and  abstained from cold food and drink1
 and these grew well by reason of  their
 abstinence and care to keep themselves 
from too great cold1 for ,god  had pity 
on them2 but some that neglected these  
matters died after three  days1 or even 
two1 being weakened by the numbness4    
,when this disease first broke forth1   

our ,brother ,gerard ter ,mollen1 a     
,convert1 fell sick and received the    
,unction after ,compline on the day of  
the ,translation of ,st4 ,martin the    
,bishop3 in the night following1 before 
the hour for ,matins1 his sickness grew 
heavy on him and he died4  ,he was  a   
faithful labourer1 ever ready to toil   
for the common weal1 and he was  in the 
sixtieth year of his age1 having        
fulfilled thirty years and three  months
 in the ,religious ,life3 he was buried 
in the western path at the  head of     
,gerard1 son of ,wolter4    ,in the same
 year1 in the month of ,july1 and on the
 ,feast of the  ,translation of         
,benedict the ,abbot1 died ,dirk1 son of
 ,arnold1 a young man  who was a ,laic  
and ,fellow ,commoner1 that came from   
,bericmede3 he had  received the        
,sacrament of the ,holy ,unction1 and   
died after ,high ,mass had  begun4      
,in the same month1 on the day following
 the ,feast of ,st4 ,margaret the       
,virgin1 when ,compline was done1 and   

the ,ave ,maria had been said1 died     
,henry ,diest1 a ,donate of our ,house3 
he was nearly forty-eight years of  age 
and had fulfilled thirty years in this  
,house4    ,in the same month1 on the   
day following the ,feast of ,alexius the
  ,confessor1 ,dirk ,struve1 a ,laic and
 ,fellow ,commoner1 died after          
,compline1  having received the ,holy   
,rite of ,extreme ,unction4  ,he had    
lived long in  the ,house1 and on the   
day following when the first ,mass had  
been said he  was laid in the burying   
ground of the ,lay ,brothers4    ,after 
him1 and on the night before the ,feast 
of ,st4 ,mary ,magdalene1  before       
,matins1 died ,everard ,ens of ,campen1 
a good and faithful ,laic and  ,fellow  
,commoner1 who had lived with us for    
fifteen years4    ,in the same year1 in 
the month of ,august1 on the night      
before the ,feast  of ,st4 ,dominic the 
,confessor1 and before ,matins1 died our
 most beloved  ,brother ,theodoric of   
,kleef4  ,he was the third ,prior of our

 ,house1 and an  old man and full of    
days1 for he was seventy-six years old1 
and had  fulfilled fifty-five years in  
the ,religious ,life4  ,when the first  
,brothers were invested here1 he was the
 fourth to receive the ,habit1 and  from
 the very beginning of the monastery1   
before any of the ,brothers had         
received investiture1 he with the       
,clerks and ,lay folk in this place had 
begun to serve the ,lord in much poverty
 and toil4  ,moreover1 it had  always   
been his desire that by the favour of   
the ,lord he might end his  life in this
 same ,house with the ,brothers1 and be 
buried amongst them1  and so it came    
about1 for he was laid in the eastern   
passage by the side  of our ,brother1   
,henry ,cremer1 whom he had drawn to the
 ,religious ,life1  and whom he had     
loved with all his heart4  ,thus it came
 about that as  they had loved one      
another in life1 so in death and in the 
grave they  were not divided4    ,in the
 same year and month1 on the day        

following the ,feast of ,sixtus1  ,pope 
and ,martyr1 and when noon was past1    
died ,dirk1 son of ,wychmann of         
,arnheim1 who had lived here for two    
years4    ,in the same year1 in the     
month of ,august1 on the ,feast of ,st4 
,lawrence  the ,martyr1 and in the      
morning after ,prime1 died ,matthias1   
son of ,william  of ,overcamp1 a ,donate
 of our ,house1 who had been overseer of
 husbandry  for a great while4  ,he     
often suffered pain from the stone1 and 
at length  falling sick with a disease  
in the throat1 and being bowed with age1
 he  fell on sleep in holy peace in the 
seventy-second year of his age1 having  
endured many labours2 for when the      
monastery was founded he came hither    
with his father1 ,william1 a tailor1 of 
great age1 and being then but ten  years
 old1 he began that good course which   
was brought to this happy  issue4  ,he  
was laid in the burying-ground of the   
,lay folk before the  entrance to the   
broad cloister4  ,at this time of       

pestilence in our ,house  it befel that 
a certain ,brother1 while sitting in his
 cell1 heard a sound  at the door       
thereof as of one knocking twice1 but   
when he arose to open  the door he could
 not see or find any man there4  ,and   
marvelling at the  matter he thought    
that perhaps some one might be like to  
die1 and on the  next day the bell was  
tolled for the death of ,dirk ,struve1 a
 ,laic of our  household4  ,so also     
before the death of ,brother ,theodoric 
of ,kleef1 once  the ,prior of our      
,house1 the like thing happened two days
 before he fell  sick4    ,in the year  
#aded1 on the morning of the fourteenth 
day of ,march and after  ,prime1 died   
,brother ,gerard ,hombolt1 a ,convert1  
in the fifty-fifth year of  his age4    
,he had fulfilled thirty years in the   
,religious ,life1 and for a  great while
 was cellarer of the ,house1 in which   
office he was faithful  and zealous for 
the common good1 so far as our poverty  
in temporal wealth  and the number of   

persons to be served did allow4  ,he was
 buried in the  western passage before  
the door of the church with the other   
,converts4    ,in the same year1 on the 
sixteenth day of ,may1 the venerable    
,father ,john  ,lap died in the ,house  
of ,elisabethdal1 near ,roremund1 of    
which he was  ,prior1 but he had made   
his profession as a ,brother of our     
,house of ,mount  ,st4 ,agnes4  ,he was 
in the fifty-fifth year of his age1 and 
being a lover  of discipline and of the 
,religious ,life had fulfilled thirty   
years and  nearly two months therein4   
,in the same year1 on the day before the
 ,feast of the ,exaltation of the  ,holy
 ,cross1 and about the second hour after
 noon1 died ,dionysius  ,valkenborch1 a 
,donate of our ,house1 being            
seventy-three years of age4  ,he  had   
lived an humble and holy life with us   
for a great while1 near to  fifty-five  
years2 at first his tasks were to feed  
the swine and milk the  cows1 but when  
he grew old he was made the gatekeeper1 

with another to  help him1 and ending   
his temporal life in a good old age he  
left a fair  ensample to all4    ,in the
 same year1 in the month of ,august1 on 
the day following the ,feast  of the    
,assumption of the ,blessed ,virgin     
,mary1 there was a heavy rain both  in  
the uplands and the lowlands1 and much  
corn and seed perished thereby1  and we 
suffered great loss in our farm by the  
overflowing of many waters4  ,in the    
same year1 on the ,feast of ,gallus the 
,confessor1 and at about the  ninth     
hour1 when ,compline was ended1 died    
,brother ,john ,zandwijc of ,renen1  a  
,priest of our ,house1 being            
thirty-eight years old4  ,he had        
suffered  long from the stone1 and was  
patient and gentle1 and he had fulfilled
  sixteen years and near seven months in
 the ,religious ,life4  ,on the day     
before the ,feast of ,st4 ,luke1 when   
,mass was ended1 he was buried by the   
side of ,theodoric of ,kleef in the     
eastern passage of the cloister2 here   

he rests in peace1 freed from the many  
toils and perils of this life1 for  his 
desire was to be released and to be with
 ,christ4    ,in the year #adee1 on the 
,feast of the ,conversion of ,st4 ,paul1
 two ,clerks  were invested1 namely1    
,brother ,henry1 son of ,bruno1 and     
,theodoric1 son of  ,arnold ,wanninck2  
both came from ,deventer1 and had       
honourable parents and  friends1 and in 
the year following they made their      
profession together  upon the same day4 
,in the same year1 on the ,octave of the
 ,feast of the ,apostles ,peter and     
,paul1 when ,matins was ended1 died our 
venerable ,father1 ,william  ,voerniken1
 the fourth ,prior of ,windesem4  ,he   
was buried in the choir by  the side of 
the venerable ,prior ,john ,huesden1 for
 these two greatly loved  one another1  
wherefore after death they shared one   
tomb in the church4  ,he  was eighty-two
 years of age1 and had been the second  
,prior of the ,house  on ,mount ,st4    
,agnes4    ,in the same year1 on the    

#bbnd of ,april1 when ,prime was done1  
died ,john  ,mastebroick1 a ,laic and   
servant of our ,house1 who was faithful 
in labour  and devout in prayer4  ,he   
was about seventy years old1 and had    
lived with  us for nearly forty-five    
years1 and he departed to the ,lord in  
holy  peace1 desiring an eternal reward 
for his many labours4  ,he was laid with
  the servants in the burial-ground of  
the ,lay folk and ,donates of our       
,house4    ,in the same year1 on the    
#ith of ,october1 the day before the    
,feast of  ,marcus1 ,pope and           
,confessor1 when ,compline was done1    
died ,gerard1 son of  ,hermann1 a ,laic 
and servant of our ,house2 he was a     
stonemason and a  faithful worker so far
 as his powers did allow1 but he was    
often sick  with the complaint of the   
stone1 from the tortures whereof he     
died1  though he bore the same with much
 patience2 and he left all the goods he 
had as a bequest to the monastery4      
,in the year of the ,lord #adee1 on the 

#agth day of ,november1 within the      
,octave of the ,feast of ,st4 ,martin   
the ,bishop1 four altars in our church  
were consecrated by ,iodocus1 who was   
,bishop ,suffragan1 ,doctor in ,sacred  
,theology1 and belonged to the order of 
,preachers4  ,he had received a  general
 commission from the ,general ,chapter  
of ,utrecht1 and he  consecrated the    
several altars after this wise4  ,first 
the altar which is  on the north of the 
church1 and in the upper part thereof1  
in honour of  ,st4 ,michael the         
,archangel and all the holy ,angels3    
secondly1 the altar  which standeth upon
 the same side1 but in the lower part of
 the church1  in honour of the holy     
,confessors1 ,gregory1 ,ambrose1        
,jerome1 ,bernard1  ,francis1 and       
,lebuin4  ,thirdly1 the altar which is  
in the midst of the  church1 in honour  
of the holy ,confessors1 ,martin the    
,bishop1 ,willibrord  the ,bishop1      
,nicholas the ,bishop1 and ,antony the  
,confessor4  ,fourthly1 the  altar which

 standeth on the south side1 toward the 
end of the church1 in  honour of the    
,saints ,anne1 ,elizabeth1 ,monica1     
mother of our holy ,father  ,augustine1 
and all holy widows4    ,likewise he    
consecrated the ,holy ,cross that is    
over the door of the  choir1 and certain
 images of ,saints1 namely1 of ,st4     
,augustine the ,bishop  and ,st4 ,agnes 
the ,virgin3 also two small figures1 the
 first of ,st4 ,mary  ,magdalene1 the   
second of ,st4 ,agnes in the ,coffer2   
also the image that is  over the altar  
of the ,holy ,cross that showeth the    
blessed ,virgin ,mary  holding the      
,crucified ,lord1 ,who lieth on her     
breast3 also the images of  ,st4 ,james 
the ,apostle1 ,st4 ,katherine the       
,virgin1 and ,st4 ,barbara1 ,virgin  and
 ,martyr4    ,in the year of the ,lord  
#adef1 on the ,feast of ,st4 ,antony the
 ,confessor1  ,brother ,gerard1 son of  
,dirk1 who came from a place near       
,zwolle1 was  invested as a ,convert4   
,he was a man well stricken in age1 and 

had lived  with us in honest wise for   
thirty years1 being a good husbandman2  
before  his investiture he had been an  
humble ,donate1 for we had many of that 
degree amongst us4    ,in the same year1
 on the day following the ,feast of ,st4
 ,james the  ,apostle1 died ,john ,smyt1
 a ,laic and servant of our ,house4  ,he
 was drowned  in a deep pool that had   
been filled by the rain1 and with him   
perished  four very good horses that    
were drawing a cart to fetch fodder4    
,at that  time the weather was very     
rainy1 so that many crops were destroyed
  thereby4  ,the ,brothers therefore    
brought back this servant of ,god to the
  ,house1 and after ,compline laid him  
in the burial-ground of the ,laics4     
,moreover1 they celebrated ,mass for    
him1 and offered up prayers that he     
might receive the reward of his labours4
  ,by ,god's providence1 he and the     
other ,laics of our ,house had received 
,communion1 as was the custom1 on  ,st4 
,james's day3 and he himself had lived  

with us for one year1 being  skilful and
 diligent in the smith's craft4    ,in  
all things blessed be ,god1 ,who        
scourgeth us1 and also healeth our      
stripes1 for though we lost above an    
hundred florins by the drowning of  the 
horses1 yet did the good ,lord save us  
and our country from the army  of the   
,duke of ,burgundy1 who was laying siege
 to ,deventer2 for after the  ,feast of 
,st4 ,matthew peace and concord were    
restored between the ,duke and  the     
cities and people of this land4    ,in  
the same year of the ,lord #adef1 on the
 ,feast day of ,st4 ,lucia1 ,virgin  and
 ,martyr1 and in the morning when ,high 
,mass for her festival was  already     
begun1 died that fervent lover of       
discipline1 ,brother ,william  ,coman4  
,he was born in ,amsterdam1 in ,holland1
 and for a great while had  lived an    
humble life amongst our ,brothers1 and  
he was seventy-eight years  and four    
months old4  ,on the ,feast of ,st4     
,brixius1 ,bishop and ,confessor1  he   

had fulfilled1 by the help of ,god1     
fifty-five years in the ,religious      
,life1 for this was the anniversary of  
his investiture1 and on this day he     
celebrated ,mass for the last time1 for 
he was sick from that day forward  until
 the ,feast day of ,st4 ,lucia1 whereon 
he ended his life with a happy  agony2  
and he was buried in the eastern passage
 by the side of our  ,brother ,john     
,zantwijc4    ,this ,william ,coman left
 many a good ensample of patience1      
poverty1 and  abstinence1 for the       
imitation of them that come after2 and  
in the days of  the venerable ,prior1   
,william ,vorniken 7who was the second  
to hold that  office in our ,house7 he  
was ,procurator1 and afterwards         
,sub-,prior4  ,then  for three years he 
was ,prior of the ,house at ,amersfoort1
 after which he  was ,rector of the     
,sisters at ,bronope near ,kampen for   
fourteen years2 but  at last1 as age had
 come upon him1 and his hearing failed  
by little and  little1 he returned to   

our ,house and ,brotherhood1 where he   
died in holy  peace1 and he was buried  
amongst the ,brothers after the         
accustomed  manner4    ,in the same year
 died ,gerard ,smullinc1 the first      
,rector and ,prior of the  ,house at    
,ruremund1 who1 after that he was       
absolved from his office1 went  to gain 
,indulgences at the ,shrine of ,st4     
,james at ,compostella1 in which  place 
he was buried4    ,the anniversary of   
his death and that of his parents is    
kept on the day  following the ,feast of
 ,st4 ,elizabeth1 because we know not   
surely the day  thereof4    ,in the year
 of the ,lord #adeg1 on the day of ,st4 
,benedict the ,abbot1 and  at eleven    
o'clock at night1 ,theodoric ,herxen1 a 
venerable ,father of pious  memory1 and 
a priest of seemly life1 died at        
,zwolle1 being seventy-six  years old4  
,he was the second ,rector of the ,house
 of ,clerks in ,zwolle1  and ruled it   
for forty-seven years2 also he was      
,confessor to many devout  ,brothers and

 ,sisters1 and his whole life1 from the 
time that he was of  full age1 was spent
 in discipline of character and in      
virtue4    ,,chapter ,,xxvii4    ,how   
,father ,henry1 the fourth ,prior1      
resigned his office1 and how ,father    
,george was chosen to be the fifth      
,prior4    ,in the year #adeh1 on the   
day following the ,feast of ,st4        
,matthias the  ,apostle1 ,brother       
,henry1 son of ,william1 the fourth     
,prior of the ,house1  resigned his     
office4  ,now he had lain sick for a    
great while and was weak  from fever2   
wherefore1 prostrate upon his bed in the
 presence of all the  ,brothers1 he     
besought them with many tears and       
exhorted them to agree to  choose       
another ,prior in his room1 according to
 the lawful statutes of the  ,order4    
,hearing this all the ,brothers were    
grieved1 and for three days they  fasted
 after the accustomed manner1 praying   
for guidance in the coming  election1   
which was held on the ,thursday after   

the third ,sunday in ,lent1  for which  
day the ,introit is ,mine eyes are ever 
toward the ,lord4  ,so  when the ,mass  
of the ,holy ,spirit had been said and  
the hours were done1  the election was  
held in the choir in the presence of all
 the ,brothers2  and that venerable     
,father the ,prior of ,windesem was also
 present with  them to hear the opinion 
of each one2 likewise ,brother ,john    
,naeldwijc and  ,brother ,james of      
,cologne1 ,prior of the ,house of the   
,blessed ,virgin at  ,belheem in        
,zwolle4    ,when the opinion of each   
had been heard1 ,george1 who was a      
,brother of our  ,house1 but at this    
time ,prior of ,briel1 was chosen by the
 greater number  of votes4  ,some indeed
 chose ,bero1 ,prior of ,beverwijc1 but 
all consented  humbly and peaceably to  
the judgment of the greater number2 so  
by common  consent ,brother ,george was 
elected1 being a ,father most beloved1  
and  himself a lover of the rule4    ,in
 the same year four ,brothers were      

invested1 three of them on the day      
following the ,feast of ,st4 ,george the
 ,martyr1 and the names of these were   
,henry ,hierde of ,herderwijc in        
,geldria1 ,hermann ,borken of           
,westphalia in  the diocese of ,munster1
 and ,theodoric of ,zwolle4  ,the       
fourth1 namely1  ,john ,orsoy of ,kleef1
 was invested soon after1 on the ,feast 
of the  birthday of our ,father ,st4    
,augustine4    ,in the same year there  
was a notable pestilence in ,deventer1  
,zwolle1 and  ,kampen1 the which had    
raged in ,utrecht and the neighbouring  
places in the  previous year4  ,verily  
this scourge of ,god was pious and      
pitiful towards  ,christian folk1 as    
hindering them from dwelling long in    
this world so as  to love it rather than
 the kingdom of ,heaven4  ,at this time 
many devout  ,sisters in ,deventer and  
,zwolle departed to ,christ4    ,on the 
day following the ,feast of the         
,nativity of the ,blessed and  ,glorious
 ,virgin ,mary died our beloved ,brother

 ,henry ,ruhorst1 the  ,sub-,prior of   
our ,house1 being forty years old1 and  
he was buried in the  eastern cloister  
by the side of our ,brother ,william    
,coman4    ,in the same year and month1 
on the ,feast of ,st4 ,jerome and after 
midday1  died ,hermann1 son of ,john1 a 
,laic who was ,sub-,infirmarius1 being  
twenty-  six years old4  ,he was a poor 
man1 who was born in a place near       
,wessel in  the district of ,kleef2 and 
being received by us1 he showed himself 
ready  to do whatever was laid upon him4
    ,in the same year1 in the month of  
,october1 and at noon on the ,feast day 
of ,st4 ,dionysius the ,bishop1 ,brother
 ,gerard ,wessep died in ,zwolle4  ,he  
had been sent to the ,monastery of      
,belheem1 and of his obedience and      
brotherly love he went thither after the
 death of many of the ,brothers of  the 
,house2 for of these ten had died1 as   
well as certain ,laics that were  of the
 household4  ,after the hour of ,vespers
 he was borne to a carriage  and brought

 therein to our ,house1 as he had       
desired1 and he was buried  with the    
,brothers in the eastern cloister1 by   
the side of the ,sub-,prior4  ,at the   
time of his death he had fulfilled      
almost fifty-six years in the  ,order1  
being in the seventy-seventh year of his
 age4  ,he wrote many books  in the     
,latin and ,teutonic tongues for the    
choir1 the library1 and for  sale2 and  
he was forward to perform many labours  
for the common good4  ,above all he was 
very faithful and ready in tending the  
sick and dying  till the moment of their
 departure2 for he feared not then to   
tend and  stand by diseased and plague  
stricken folk1 serving them for the sake
 of  ,god and brotherly love4  ,so the  
,lord willed to reward him also1 with   
the  ,brothers that were dead in        
,belheem2 wherefore1 when he had spent  
fifteen  days in ,zwolle1 he fell sick  
of the plague1 and ,god took him from   
the  toil and trouble of this present   
life and gave him eternal peace and     

rest1 which things--as oft he told me   
with clasped hands--he had long         
desired4    ,in the same year1 on the   
day following the ,feast of ,st4 ,martin
 the  ,bishop1 at the hour of ,vespers1 
died our beloved ,brother ,james ,cluit1
 a  devout ,priest and first ,rector of 
,udem1 being sixty-three years old1 and 
he was buried before the ,high ,altar4  
,his memory shall continue to be        
praised and blessed1 for he was beloved 
of ,god1 an ensample to us all1  and his
 own stern judge4    ,in the year of the
 ,lord #adei1 on the ,feast of the      
,epiphany and at about  the fifth hour  
in the morning before ,prime1 died      
,everard of ,wetteren1 the  cook1 a     
devout ,donate1 who was eighty years of 
age and over4  ,he had  dwelt formerly  
in ,deventer with ,lambert ,gale1 a     
tailor1 and in the days  of ,florentius1
 who sent him to ,windesem1 he was first
 tailor of the  ,house2 but the         
,brothers at ,windesem sent him on to   
,mount ,st4 ,agnes before  the members  

of that community were invested with the
 ,religious habit1 and  there he helped 
to sew and make the garments in which   
those first four  ,brothers were        
habited1 whose investiture in the year  
#acih is described  above4  ,after some 
while spent in this office he was sent  
to serve in the  kitchen as assistant1  
and he afterwards became chief cook1 in 
which post  he served all the ,brothers 
faithfully for above thirty years4  ,at 
length1  wearied with years1 he was     
relieved from his labours and slept in  
peace1  being an old man and full of    
many days4    ,in the same year1 within 
the ,octave of the ,nativity of the     
,blessed ,virgin  ,mary and on the      
,feast day of the holy martyrs ,protus  
and ,hyacinthus1 at  noon died ,gerard  
,hombolt of ,utrecht1 a ,donate of our  
,house1 who was fifty-  nine years old4 
,he was very zealous1 faithful1 and     
devout in the service  of ,god1         
particularly in the things which pertain
 to the glory and honour  of the        

,blessed ,virgin ,mary2 moreover1 he    
procured a most fair image of  her1 and 
a corona of polished brass holding many 
candles1 and certain  other ornaments   
that are set above the altar of the     
,blessed ,virgin4  ,these  things he did
 out of his great devotion1 and with a  
pious intention of  adorning our church 
in honour of the ,blessed ,virgin and   
,st4 ,agnes4    ,first he was           
,hospitarius and afterward              
,refectorarius to the ,brothers1 and    
all things that were committed to his   
charge he kept honestly and in  cleanly 
fashion1 seeing to the provision of all 
needful vessels1 napkins1  and towels4  
,on a time when many guests had come to 
the ,house he bade the  cook provide all
 things necessary for them2 but the     
cook1 being troubled  at this           
unaccustomed number1 was heavy at heart1
 for he feared lest he  might not be    
able to satisfy all as he fain would do1
 but ,gerard ,hombolt1  putting his     
trust in the ,lord1 said1 ,make the sign

 of the ,holy ,cross  over the pots and 
the cooked food and ,god shall give ,his
 blessing and a  sufficiency4  ,so the  
cook did as ,gerard had said1 and       
blessed the  provision again and again  
in faith1 and behold the good ,lord1    
seeing  their faith1 gave them an       
increase so that all had enough2 and    
when the  meal was done there was       
abundance left over1 insomuch that the  
fragments  that remained sufficed for a 
full meal at supper4    ,in his youth1  
and before he entered the monastery1    
,gerard1 out of his  great devotion1    
visited the ,holy ,land--,jerusalem1    
,bethlehem1 and the  other places       
hallowed by our ,saviour2 and he was    
disposed1 if it should  be allowed him1 
to visit them once again before his     
death4  ,but the good  ,lord changed his
 love for the earthly ,jerusalem to love
 for the ,jerusalem  which is in        
,heaven1 into which he entered 7as ,i   
hope7 through the  intercession of the  
,blessed and ,glorious ,virgin2 for on  

all the ,vigils  before ,her feasts it  
was his wont to fast1 eating nought save
 bread nor  drinking aught save beer2   
and it was within the ,octave of the    
,feast of  ,her ,nativity that he       
departed in holy peace out of this      
present world to  the realms of ,heaven1
 having made a good confession1 being   
contrite1 and  having received the      
,unction4  ,much wealth also came to our
 ,house through  his means1 and he died 
in the fifty-ninth year of his age1     
having lived  with us for thirty-five   
years4    ,in the year of the ,lord     
#adfj1 after the ,feast of the          
,purification of the  ,blessed ,virgin  
,mary1 there was a mighty frost4  ,the  
bitter cold began on  the ,feast day of 
,st4 ,scholastica the ,virgin 7which was
 the first ,sunday  in ,lent71 and      
endured until the middle of the fast1 so
 that men and  horses heavily laden     
could walk everywhere upon the frozen   
waters in  safety1 and carry their goods
 across the same4  ,likewise in many    

places  there was lack of fodder and    
straw wherewith to feed the beasts1 for 
the  ground was dry and frost bound1    
wherefore men could not get them fresh  
grass to feed the cattle4  ,for this    
cause some poor men brake up the  roofs 
of their houses and gave of the thatch  
to the beasts3 and this lack  of grass  
endured until the first of ,may4    ,in 
the same year1 in the month of ,april1  
and on the second ,sunday after         
,easter1 which was the day before the   
,feast of ,vitalis the ,martyr1 ,brother
  ,gerard ,cortbeen was invested3 he was
 a ,priest1 and a native of             
,herderwijc1 a good man1 honest1        
faithful1 and thirty-two years of age4  
,in the same year our church was adorned
 in seemly wise1 the roof thereof  and  
all the flat spaces of the inner walls  
being painted in fair colours  to the   
glory of ,god and in honour of ,st4     
,agnes the ,patron ,saint of the        
church4  ,amid the bright colours were  
written these three names ,jesus1       

,mary1 ,agnes1 which of holy purpose    
were painted in large and black         
letters1 and they stand forth clearly to
 be read by the eyes of all that  enter 
the church4    ,in the same year1 on the
 ,feast of the ,dispersion of the       
,apostles1 between  the hours of ,tierce
 and ,high ,mass1 died ,deric1 son of   
,william1 a  carpenter and servant of   
our household who was a ,fellow         
,commoner4  ,he was  born in ,zwolle and
 was now thirty years of age1 having    
lived a good1  humble1 and peaceable    
life in this ,house for nearly eleven   
years4    ,in the year of the ,lord     
#adfa1 on the morning of the ,feast of  
,st4  ,emerentiana the ,virgin1 and     
before the hour of ,prime1 died ,herder 
,stael1  a very honest man1 and a fellow
 citizen with us at ,zwolle1 being      
seventy-  four years old4  ,he was a    
special and faithful friend to our      
,house for  many years4  ,as was his    
wife also particularly in the troubled  
times of  ,bishop ,rudolph1 when our    

,brothers were constrained to leave the 
monastery  and to go to the ,house      
belonging to our ,order in ,lunenkerc4  
,at that time  this good man bought our 
crops as they stood in the fields near  
the  monastery1 and out of an honest    
purpose bade his servants to reap and   
harvest the same4  ,afterward he sent   
the fruits of the ground1 and the       
provender that had been gathered1 to our
 ,brothers in ,lunenkerc by little  and 
little1 for they had been sent thither  
as it were to a place of  exile4  ,this 
same ,herder ,stael lived with us for   
nearly a year before his  death1 being  
moved so to do by a deep desire1 and    
having a holy and firm  purpose to serve
 ,god4  ,he died as aforesaid in holy   
peace and in an  honoured old age1 and  
his body was laid in the broad cloister2
 his  friends from ,zwolle being present
 at his burial4    ,,chapter ,,xxviii4  
,of the ancient ,reliquary of ,st4      
,agnes1 and how it was gotten4    ,in   
the same year #adfa1 ,george1 the       

venerable ,father of our ,house1 asked  
and obtained from the ,canons of the    
great church at ,utrecht the ancient    
,reliquary of the most holy ,agnes1     
,virgin and ,martyr1 and the beloved    
,patron of our ,house1 but her relics   
were not therein contained4  ,it was  in
 her honour that our church was         
consecrated in the year of the ,lord    
#adab1 and on the ,friday in ,easter    
week1 as is set forth more fully above  
in the chapter entitled ,of the         
,consecration of our ,church4    ,two of
 our ,brothers that were ordained to be 
,priests1 namely1 ,brother  ,henry1 son 
of ,bruno1 and ,brother ,theodoric      
,wanninck1 brought back this  holy      
,reliquary with them1 journeying from   
,utrecht by way of ,holland1 and  across
 the sea1 not without danger and fear1  
for the sea was turbulent4  ,yet through
 the help of ,god1 and the merits of    
,st4 ,agnes the ,virgin1 they  were     
protected from these perils and reached 
an haven of safety4  ,a few  days       

afterward1 on the eve of the ,feast of  
,st4 ,scholastica the ,virgin1  they    
brought the ,reliquary to ,mount ,st4   
,agnes1 and our ,brothers1 with all  the
 ,laics of our household1 hearing this1 
did rejoice exceedingly4    ,the        
,reliquary was borne into the church    
with all devotion and reverence  and    
placed in the sanctuary of the choir    
near the ,high ,altar and beneath  the  
arch in the northern wall4  ,the bones  
of the ,saint had rested for  nearly    
three hundred and fifty years in this   
,reliquary1 which was an  humble one1   
being of wood and covered with plates of
 brass and gilded  work4  ,but at last a
 new and most fair coffer of silver     
adorned with gold  was made for her by  
the ,canons of the great ,church of ,st4
 ,martin at  ,utrecht4    ,likewise one 
should note that it was in the year of  
the ,lord #adac1 in the  time of        
,frederick of ,blanckenhem1 the         
,reverend ,bishop of ,utrecht1 that  the
 relics of this most ,blessed ,saint    

,agnes the ,virgin were removed with    
all reverence from the ancient wooden   
,reliquary into this new one of  silver 
fairly gilt4  ,this was done on the     
second of ,december1 being the  day     
following the ,feast of ,a,egidius the  
,abbot1 by that ,reverend man  ,hermann 
,lochorst1 ,dean of the great ,church of
 ,st4 ,martin the ,bishop4  ,he  it was1
 chiefly1 who had procured that the holy
 relics of the ,saint  should be removed
 in this manner2 and a great while      
afterward ,george1 our  venerable       
,father and ,prior1 earnestly begged for
 the ancient ,reliquary1  which our     
,house had long desired1 and by the     
insistence of his friends he  obtained  
the same from the ,chapter and ,canons  
of the church4  ,these  things were done
 in the year #adfa1 as is written above4
    ,in the year of the ,lord #adfb1 on 
the night of the ,feast of ,st4         
,juliana1  ,virgin and ,martyr1 died our
 beloved ,brother ,john1 son of ,hessel 
of  ,zuermont1 who came from ,utrecht4  

,he was a timid man1 and ready for any  
lowly task2 moreover1 his will was      
always good to serve the monastery to   
the best of his power4  ,yet through the
 weakness of his nature and pains  in   
his head1 he often stayed outside the   
choir1 but by his work without  he      
redeemed the time which he could not    
spend in devotion within the  church4   
,a few days before his death he said to 
certain of the ,brothers that he  should
 die shortly1 and indeed the end came   
somewhat suddenly to him1 for  on the   
day before the ,feast of ,juliana the   
,virgin he was well and  cheerful1 but  
in the night following some weakness1   
whereof we knew not1  came upon him1 and
 he was found dead before the bed in his
 cell2 being  clad in his under garment 
he lay prostrate upon the floor with his
 feet  stretched out and his arms close 
to his side1 looking as though he were  
commending himself to ,god and to the   
,holy ,angels3 for no man was with him  
at the last to give him comfort1 since  

none knew of his agony1 but after       
supper-time1 because they saw that he   
was not present1 certain ,brothers      
sought him in the cell where he slept1  
and they found that he was gone  away   
from this world1 and had fled to ,christ
 as we do piously hope and  believe4    
,he came of very good and honest parents
 in ,utrecht1 and had  many friends and 
kinsmen that were living the ,religious 
,life4  ,and so at  length1 after many  
labours and much pain of heart and body1
 he was taken  away from the miseries of
 this present life1 in the fifty-fourth 
year of  his age1 having spent          
twenty-nine years in the ,religious     
,life4  ,after the  office of the ,mass 
had been said duly1 and the ,psalms and 
,vigils had been  recited1 he was buried
 in the eastern side of the cloister1 on
 the right  of ,brother ,gerard ,wesep4 
,in the same year1 after the ,epiphany1 
there was a most bitter frost1  which   
lasted throughout ,lent and longer1 and 
the great drought was  hurtful to the   

pasture lands whereon the beasts were   
fed4    ,,chapter ,,xxix4    ,of the    
death of ,brother ,henry1 son of        
,william1 the fourth ,prior of our      
,house4    ,in the same year1 and upon  
the #ajth day of ,march1 being the      
second day  before the ,feast of ,st4   
,gregory the ,pope1 died our most       
beloved ,brother  of pious memory1      
,henry1 son of ,william1 who was a      
native of ,deventer4  ,he  departed at  
the fifth hour after midday1 when the   
,vigils of the dead had  been sung2 and 
our beloved ,father ,george and all the 
,brothers were  present with him1       
praying during his happy death struggle1
 and many ,laics  of our household were 
there also4    ,he had been the fourth  
,prior of our ,house1 and having sought 
instantly to  be absolved from his      
office because of his oft infirmities1  
he lived  thereafter for four years     
amongst the ,brothers1 being humble1    
gentle1  exemplary1 devout1 and reverent
 to all4  ,to none was he burdensome1   

but  to all men kindly1 comfortable1    
pitiful1 helpful1 cheerful1 modest1     
peaceable1 and silent4  ,amid elders and
 prelates he was lowly and  courteous1  
towards the young and weakly he was     
sweet and amiable4  ,because  of his    
good and modest manners1 his            
uprightness1 fidelity1 and the honest   
bearing which he showed 7as a ,religious
 ought to do7 whether walking or        
standing1 speaking or keeping silence1  
he long held the office of  ,procurator 
for the ,house2 for he was chosen for   
that post in the first  place1 and      
afterward was made ,sub-,prior4  ,but at
 last1 by ,god's  ordinance1 he was     
promoted to be the fourth ,prior of our 
community1 in  which office he was      
confirmed in all peace and charity4     
,for ten years he  continued to be      
,prior1 ruling those that were under him
 by the goodness  and modesty of his    
character rather than by rough speech2  
he was instant  in his zeal for reading1
 for prayer1 and holy meditations       

whensoever such  exercises were         
possible4  ,well might one write and say
 of him many of  those things that the  
blessed ,bernard doth write concerning  
,humbert1 the  servant of ,god1 who was 
the devout ,sub-,prior in ,st4          
,bernard's ,house4  ,him  did ,henry    
strive to imitate1 for he too was       
devout1 beloved of ,god and  man1 and a 
servant of ,christ4  ,he died in the    
sixty-first year of his  age1 having    
entered upon the forty-second year of   
his ,religious ,life1 and  he was buried
 on the right side of ,brother ,john    
,zuermont4    ,in the same year1 on the 
day before the ,feast of ,st4 ,ambrose  
the  ,bishop--this day being the        
,saturday before ,passion ,sunday--and  
at the  fifth hour of the morning before
 ,prime1 died ,dirk ten ,water1 an      
honourable citizen and magistrate of    
,zwolle1 who had been received as a     
,fellow ,commoner1 for he greatly       
favoured the devout4    ,he abode in our
 ,house as a guest for six weeks1 being 

sickly the while1  but it was his       
intention to serve ,god and to remain   
with us3 also he was  a notable         
benefactor to the ,house in his lifetime
 and at his death2 and  he died in peace
 in the sixty-eighth year of his age1   
being fortified by  the sacraments of   
the church4  ,he was buried in the tomb 
of his mother1  ,swane ten ,water1      
beneath a sarcophagus of stone that     
standeth in our  church before the      
,altar of ,holy ,cross4    ,in the same 
year1 on the last day of ,august1 and   
within the ,octave of the  ,feast of    
,st4 ,augustine1 before ,matins1 died   
the humble and devout ,laic1  ,john     
,bobert1 being forty years old4  ,he    
came from the diocese of ,treves1  and  
formerly was our shepherd1 but afterward
 he became porter to the  monastery1 and
 he was very faithful and pitiful to the
 poor4  ,having  fulfilled twelve years 
in this ,house1 he fell asleep in peace1
 and was  laid in the burial-ground of  
the ,lay folk4    ,in the same year1    

during ,advent1 on the ,octave of the   
,feast of ,st4 ,andrew  the ,apostle1   
and before ,prime1 died an aged man     
named ,gerard ,poelman4  ,he  was a     
,donate of our ,house1 and was born in  
,zwolle1 but he lived with us  for      
sixty-two years1 having come to us in   
the days when we were still  very poor1 
and lacked goods1 buildings1 books1 and 
holy vestments4  ,his  parents often    
succoured us and did us much kindness1  
for they were  somewhat wealthy1 and    
they gave or lent us money to buy       
provision1  because they loved their    
sons who dwelt with us1 namely1 ,henry1 
and this  ,gerard that was the younger  
brother4  ,these two had one sister1    
whose  name was ,adelaide1 a devout     
virgin1 who for many years ruled over   
the  ,house of the ,beguines at         
,nyerstadt1 where at length she died    
amid the  nuns1 and she was buried by   
the ,brothers of the ,regular ,order in 
,bethlehem4    ,at first this ,gerard   
was the tailor of our monastery1 as was 

also his  brother ,henry1 but afterwards
 he faithfully discharged the duty of   
fisherman1 but when weakness compelled  
him to abandon this task1 he  became the
 gardener1 and was skilful in growing   
vegetables and herbs of  divers kinds4  
,at last1 wearied with years and        
overborne with toil1 he  fell asleep in 
a good old age1 for he was eighty-one   
years old1 and in  return for his       
labours received a crown of life at the 
hands of the ,king  of ,glory4  ,he was 
laid in the burial-ground of the ,laics 
and servants of  the ,house1 on the     
western side of our church1 and the     
venerable1 devout1  and holy ,father    
,george performed the rites4    ,in the 
year #adfc1 on the day before the ,feast
 of ,quirinus the ,martyr1  that is on  
,march #bith1 and at about the eighth   
hour when ,compline was  done1 died     
,john1 son of ,james1 a faithful ,laic  
of our ,house and a good  husbandman2 he
 was an ,oblate and ,resignate1 and was 
born in ,dalssen2  moreover1 he proved  

himself to be useful and skilled in his 
work among  our husbandmen4  ,he was    
well beloved1 and lived in this         
monastery for  twenty-eight years1 but  
having fulfilled forty-six years of     
life1 he  departed in holy peace1 and   
was buried near ,gerard ,poelman1 in the
 burial-  ground of the ,laics1 on the  
,wednesday before ,palm ,sunday4    ,in 
the same year1 on the #aeth of ,may1    
being the fifth ,sunday after  ,easter1 
and the third day after the ,feast of   
,servatius1 three young  ,clerks were   
invested1 namely1 ,peter1 son of ,simon1
 of ,liege1 ,william1 son  of           
,peregrinus1 of ,kampen1 and ,arnold    
,wanninck of ,deventer1 own brother to  
,theodoric ,wanninck of our community4  
,brother ,peter1 the first of these1    
was twenty-three years old2 the second1 
namely1 ,william1 was twenty-one2  and  
,arnold ,wanninck1 the younger1 was     
twenty4  ,at their investiture our      
,father ,george performed the ceremony  
and celebrated ,high ,mass of the       

,resurrection4    ,in the year #adfd1 on
 the #aeth of ,may1 being the ,tuesday  
after the ,feast  of the ,ascension of  
our ,lord1 ,hubert1 son of ,nicholas1 of
 ,amersfoort1 who  was thirty-five years
 old1 was invested as a ,convert of our 
,house4  ,for  some years he had been   
town crier1 and he was well beloved1    
being a  trusty friend to the devout    
,brothers and ,sisters in their         
business4  ,when  his wife was dead and 
his sons had received their portions1 he
 chose to  leave the world and humbly to
 serve ,god in the monastery2 so after a
  probation of nearly three years he was
 invested solemnly as a ,convert4    ,in
 the same year1 and on the day following
 the ,feast of ,st4 ,james the          
,apostle1 died ,andrew1 son of ,hermann1
 of ,sichele1 a faithful and devout     
,laic of our ,house and an ,oblate to   
,god4  ,he had no possessions of his    
own1 nor did he leave behind him any    
private store1 no not one mite4  ,he    
came to our monastery on the ,feast day 

of ,st4 ,agnes1 in the year of the      
,lord #adai1 being then twenty-one years
 old2 and having fulfilled with us  in  
the service of ,god nearly forty-four   
years1 being then sixty-five  years of  
age1 he departed from this world4  ,his 
death came about through  a sudden      
mischance1 for having fallen from a     
horse1 he was hurt  grievously1 and     
commending himself to ,god1 he fell     
asleep in holy faith  and peace4  ,and  
he was laid in the burial-ground of the 
,laics4    ,in the same year1 on the    
,feast day of ,st4 ,matthew1 ,apostle   
and  ,evangelist1 there fell a great    
tempest of wind1 and many trees were    
broken and torn from the earth2 likewise
 large ships were sunk in the  sea1 and 
in many parts1 as also at ,rome1 the    
pestilence raged so that a  great       
multitude of men that had thought to    
live long died thereof4    ,in the year 
of the ,lord #adfe1 on the ,feast of the
 ,annunciation of the  ,blessed ,virgin 
,mary1 a young ,clerk named ,reyner     

,koetken was invested4  ,he  was        
nineteen years of age1 and sprung from  
an honourable stock1 having  good       
parents and friends at ,zwolle3         
moreover1 he had three sisters who  were
 living the ,religious ,life as         
,beguines in the ,house of ,wyron that  
lieth near the city without the northern
 gate4    ,in the same year1 in the     
month of ,march1 and during the ,lenten 
season1  ,god succoured our ,house by   
granting us to catch a great number of  
fishes  in the river ,vecht1 which is   
near the monastery1 and these sufficed  
for  all that dwelt with us1 and        
likewise for the poor1 and for          
strangers2  also many traders came from 
the regions of ,westphalia and ,saxony  
to buy  these fish which are called     
smelts4    ,in the same year a new      
monastery was founded in ,zwolle for the
 ,order of  ,preachers4    ,in the same 
year1 in the month of ,july1 and on the 
day before the ,feast  of ,st4 ,praxedes
 the ,virgin1 died our beloved ,brother 

,henry ,lymborgh1 a  ,priest1 who was   
born in ,zwolle4  ,he was fifty years   
old1 and he was  buried in the eastern  
cloister1 by the side of ,henry1 son of 
,william1 our  fourth ,prior4  ,often he
 fell sick with the stone1 and at the   
end1 having  fulfilled twenty-seven     
years in the ,religious ,life1 he had a 
slight  stroke of palsy in the face1 and
 he fell asleep in peace amongst the    
,brothers4  ,in the same year1 in the   
month of ,october1 and on the day       
following the ,feast of ,st4 ,michael   
the ,archangel 7that is1 the night of   
the ,feast of ,st4 ,leodegarius1 ,bishop
 and ,martyr71 died ,john ,tyman1 a     
native of ,holland4  ,he was a faithful 
,laic and an ,oblate1 and when he       
finished his course was seventy years of
 age4    ,for forty-five years he lived 
with us humbly1 and in obedience working
  with the husbandmen1 albeit for a long
 time he had been lame2 and after a     
long trial by sickness he rendered up   
his soul with patience1 and was  laid in

 the western burying-ground with the    
other ,laics4    ,in the same year1 and 
on the day before the ,feast of the holy
 ,martyrs1  ,crispin and ,crispian1 one 
,bernard ,irte died at ,zwolle1 being a 
citizen of  that city1 and son of       
,lambert of ,irten1 a magistrate of the 
,state4  ,he  was a friend to our       
,house1 and during his lifetime often   
visited our  church1 in which out of his
 devotion to ,st4 ,agnes the ,virgin he 
desired  to be buried1 and he was laid  
with the ,converts in the western       
cloister  before the door of the church4
    ,in the year #adff1 on the night of 
the ,feast day of ,st4 ,maurus the      
,abbot1  and before ,matins1 died       
,wolter ,eskens1 the father of ,gerlac1 
our  cellarer2 he was an ancient man1   
being ninety years old1 and he had been 
formerly our husbandman on a certain    
farm pertaining to the monastery at     
,windesem1 but he was born in the town  
of ,raelten4  ,in his old age he left   
his friends and acquaintance1 following 

his son ,gerlac1 who was a  faithful    
,oblate1 and he lived in our ,house for 
nearly eleven years before  his death4  
,long had he been bowed with age1 yet he
 hastened to the church every  morning  
to hear ,mass1 leaning upon a staff4    
,he was very good and patient  in       
bearing his bodily weakness1 and he fell
 asleep in the ,lord1 giving  thanks4   
,so after ,mass had been said for him1  
he was buried with the  ,laics and      
servants of our ,house1 in the          
burying-place of the ,donates4    ,in   
the same year1 on the ,octave of the    
,feast of ,st4 ,agnes the ,virgin1  died
 ,christian1 a ,priest1 who was eighty  
years old4  ,he was ,curate of ,ter     
,heyne1 and a special friend to our     
,house1 and out of his devotion he      
chose to be buried with our ,brothers1  
so he was laid in the eastern  cloister 
in the same grave with ,hermann ,gruter 
the ,priest4    ,in the year of the     
,lord #adfg1 on the third day of the    
month of ,march1 and  before ,compline1 

died ,hysbrand1 our tailor1 a ,resignate
 and ,oblate1 who  was born in          
,amsterdam1 a town of ,holland4  ,for   
thirty years he had lived  with us1 and 
he was laid in the burying-place of the 
,laics1 being seventy-  two years of age
 when he died4    ,in the same year1 on 
the ,feast day of the holy ,apostles    
,peter and ,paul1  died ,tidemann       
,mulart1 a native of ,hasselt4  ,he was 
a ,resignate and an  ,oblate1 who had   
long discharged many hard tasks as a    
servant of our  ,house1 for he abode    
with us for near of forty-four years1   
and at length  he departed in peace1    
being seventy-two years old1 and he was 
laid in the  burying-place of the       
,laics4    ,in the same year the        
,brothers and members of the ,house at  
,windesem  builded and enlarged their   
ancient church to promote the honour of 
,god4    ,in the same year1 after the   
,feast of ,pentecost1 our ,father       
,george builded  a new kitchen that was 
greater and more stoutly wrought than   

the former1  for the old kitchen was    
roofed with reeds and thatch1 and he    
builded this  new one by reason of the  
peril of fire1 and also to rid us of    
certain ill  conveniences1 and to       
promote the good of the community4      
,in the same year1 on the night of the  
,assumption of the ,blessed and         
,glorious ,virgin ,mary1 and after the  
,te ,deum had been sung1 died the       
devout ,laic1 ,nicholas ,bodiken1 who   
was an ,oblate of our ,house4  ,he      
served  ,christ faithfully1 and showed  
special devotion in singing the praises 
of  the ,most ,blessed ,virgin4    ,a   
few days before his death he was seized 
with grievous pain in the head  and his 
other members1 but being purged by this 
sore suffering in the  body1 he gained  
an happy issue therefrom1 for his end   
was such as he  would have wished1 and  
he met the same with a good will and    
with complete  resignation on the day   
aforesaid1 which was the solemn feast of
 the  ,blessed ,virgin4    ,when supper 

was ended1 ,nones of the ,blessed       
,virgin were sung1 and ,vigils  recited 
for him1 and then he was laid in the    
burying-place of the ,laics  and amongst
 the ,oblates and ,donates of our       
,house2 being in the seventy-  ninth    
year of his age when he died4  ,he had  
lived for a great while with  us1 but   
the needs of his mother and grandmother 
constrained him to take  care of them1  
which thing he did1 having taken counsel
 with the ,prior of  our ,house1 but    
after that they died in ,zwolle1 he     
returned to the  monastery at ,mount    
,st4 ,agnes4  ,after this he fulfilled  
thirty years in  complete subjection to 
our rule1 and on the ,feast day         
aforesaid he fell  asleep in the ,lord1 
and all that dwelt in this ,house bore  
witness to his  good report4    ,on this
 same ,feast of the ,assumption of the  
,blessed ,mary1 our most  beloved       
,father ,george took the ,ciborium of   
the ,venerable ,sacrament from  the     
altar with all reverence1 and the whole 

body of members1 going before  him in   
procession round the cloister1 sang the 
,response1 ,felix namque4  ,after they  
had returned to the choir1 they bowed   
the knee before the  ,revered ,sacrament
 which was placed upon the altar1 and   
sang the ,antiphon1  ,media ,vita1 with 
the verse and the ,collect proper to    
times of  pestilence1 for at this time  
the plague had begun both here and in   
many  places4    ,in the same year1 by  
the blessing of ,god1 our orchard bare  
much fruit1  but the fields1 though they
 stood thick with corn1 were hurt by the
  continued rain that fell at harvest   
time4  ,wherefore frequent prayers to   
,god for fair weather were made at the  
time of ,mass1 and the seven psalms     
were recited in the choir4    ,in the   
same year1 on the ,feast of ,st4 ,simon 
and ,st4 ,jude1 died ,arnold of  ,nemel1
 an aged farmer1 who was a neighbour and
 a good friend to our  ,house4  ,he was 
laid in the western cloister before the 
door of the  church1 and in one grave   

with his son4    ,in the same year1     
after the ,feast of ,all ,saints1 and   
after ,compline1 on  the day before the 
,feast of ,leonard the ,confessor1 died 
,arnold1 son of  ,gerard of ,werendorp1 
who was our miller1 a faithful ,laic and
 ,fellow  ,commoner of our ,house4  ,he 
was a man greatly beloved and profitable
 to  the ,laics of our household and all
 the ,brothers1 and he died after that  
he had finished the thirty-third year of
 his age1 having continued with  us for 
fourteen years4  ,he was laid in the    
burying-place of our ,laics by  the side
 of ,nicholas ,bodiken4    ,in the same 
year1 #adfg1 ,albert1 son of ,hubert of 
,amersfoort1 was invested  on the day of
 the ,conception of the ,glorious       
,virgin ,mary1 being twenty-  three     
years old1 but he had attended the      
school at ,zwolle for four years4    ,in
 the year of the ,lord #adfh1 in the    
month of ,april1 on the day following   
the ,feast of ,st4 ,ambrose the ,bishop 
and in the middle of the night1  before 

,lauds1 died ,godefried ,hyselhan of    
,kampen1 a ,laic and ,donate of our     
,house1 being eighty-three years of age4
  ,for a great while he was the  miller 
of our monastery1 and a man faithful and
 upright in his  conversation4          
,afterward he became our porter1 and    
showed himself pitiful  and kindly to   
the poor2 but at length1 worn out with  
years1 he died in  peace1 for ,god had  
mercy on him3 and he was laid in the    
burying-ground of  the ,laics4    ,in   
the year of the ,lord #adfi1 on the day 
after the ,feast of the ,holy           
,innocents--which day is the ,feast of  
,st4 ,thomas of ,canterbury1 and        
falleth within the ,octave of the       
,lord's ,nativity--died ,brother ,gerard
  that was called ,cortbeen1 whose death
 befell after supper1 and before the    
hour of ,vespers4  ,before he entered   
the ,religious ,life he was a ,priest1  
and he was born at ,herderwyjc1 but for 
ten years past he had lived the         
,religious ,life amongst us in piety and

 devotion4  ,often he endured much  toil
 in time of harvest1 and in winter also 
he would cut wood in the  marshland1 for
 he was a strong man and apt for coarse 
and heavy toil1 yet  he neglected not   
the inner things of ,god4  ,at the last 
he was afflicted  of the ,lord with a   
dropsy in the legs1 and after bearing   
the scourge of  this infirmity he       
departed out of this world to the ,lord 
in the forty-  second year of his age4  
,so ,mass and ,vigils for the dead were 
said for  him1 and he was buried in the 
eastern cloister4    ,in the year of the
 ,lord #adgj1 on the third day after the
 ,feast of  ,servatius the ,bishop1 two 
,clerks1 and one ,laic who was a        
,convert1 were  invested4  ,this was on 
a week day1 so as to avoid the concourse
 of men1  and the gathering together of 
a crowd of friends from the world4      
,of these ,clerks the first was ,otto   
,graes of ,deventer1 who was twenty-two 
years old and had two brothers living   
the ,religious ,life as ,priests in  the

 ,regular ,order3 of these one was at   
,windesem1 the other in the ,house  of  
,bethlehem at ,zwolle4  ,the second of  
the ,clerks was ,rudolph1 son of        
,gerard1 a native of ,amersfoort1 who   
was twenty-one years old1 and had       
sojourned for a while at ,zwolle before 
he entered the monastery4  ,the  third  
was ,henry ,kalker1 a ,novice and       
,convert1 who came from the region of   
,kleef1 and was thirty-seven years of   
age3 he lived with us before his        
investiture1 dwelling amongst the       
,laics1 and he was a good tailor1 but   
sometimes he served in the kitchen1 and 
sometimes ministered to the sick3  after
 a while1 by reason of his uprightness1 
he was invested as a  ,convert4    ,in  
the same year1 on the day following the 
,feast of the holy ,martyr  ,maurice and
 his companions1 and after ,matins had  
begun1 died our ,brother  ,peter        
,herbort1 a ,deacon who was sixty-five  
years old4  ,he was of weak  frame1 and 
by nature very frail1 so that he was    

unable to observe many of  the statutes1
 yet he often received discipline in the
 ,chapter for his  faults3 also he      
washed the heads of the ,brothers when  
they were shaven1  and rejoiced to serve
 the others as reader in the ,refectory4
  ,at length1  having fulfilled         
forty-three years in the habit of the   
,regular ,order1 the  time came for him 
to go forth2 so being contrite of heart1
 having made  his confession and        
received the ,communion and the         
,unction1 he fell asleep  in the ,lord  
in good confidence and faith amid the   
prayers of the  ,brothers4  ,for our    
,father ,george1 with many of the       
,brothers1 was present  with him1 but   
the rest remained in the choir to sing  
,matins and ,lauds4  ,after supper      
,vigils were sung for him and for our   
other benefactors1 and  he was buried in
 the eastern cloister by the side of our
 ,brother ,gerard  ,cortbeen4    ,in the
 year of the ,lord #adga1 that is to    
say1 on the ,feast day of ,antony  the  

,confessor1 and in the morning after    
,high ,mass1 died that devout ,laic1    
,gerlac1 son of ,john1 who was born hard
 by ,zwolle1 that is to say1 at  ,dese4 
,he was seventy-two years old1 and for  
the last fifty-three years  and more had
 lived with us in great humility1       
simplicity1 and patience4  ,he bore many
 toils and privations1 and amongst the  
other virtues that he  showed1 he was   
especially notable for the virtue of    
silence1 so that  through all the day he
 spoke but very little1 and even during 
the hours  of toil he gave an example of
 silence to others4    ,a short while   
before his death he was smitten with    
apoplexy1 and became  partly delirious  
and he was laid in our burying-ground   
with the rest of  the ,laics4           
,,so ,,far ,,the ,,chronicle ,,was      
,,written ,,by ,,thomas ,,of ,,kempen2  
,,the ,,residue ,,thereof  ,,was ,,done 
,,by ,,another4      ,in the same year1 
on the ,feast of ,st4 ,james the ,less1 
and after ,compline1  died our most     

beloved ,brother ,thomas ,hemerken1 who 
was born in the city  of ,kempen1 in the
 diocese of ,cologne4  ,he was in the   
ninety-second year  of his age1 and this
 was the sixty-third year after his     
investiture2  likewise he had been a    
,priest for above fifty-seven years4    
,in the days of his youth he was an     
hearer of ,florentius at ,deventer1 by  
whom also he was sent1 when twenty years
 old1 to his own brother1 who at  that  
time was ,prior of ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4  
,from this same brother he  received his
 investiture after six years of         
probation1 and from the early  days of  
the monastery he endured great poverty  
and many labours and  temptations4      
,moreover1 he wrote that complete copy  
of the ,bible which we use1 and also    
many other books for the use of the     
,house1 and for sale4  ,likewise he     
composed divers little books for the    
edification of the young1 which  books  
were plain and simple in style1 but     
mighty in the matter thereof  and in    

their effectual operation4    ,the      
thought of the ,lord's passion filled   
his heart with love1 and he was         
wondrous comfortable to the troubled and
 the tempted2 but as age grew  upon him 
he was vexed with a dropsy in the legs1 
and so fell asleep in  the ,lord and was
 buried in the eastern cloister by the  
side of ,brother  ,peter ,herbort4  ,in 
the same year1 on the ,feast day of ,st4
 ,lambert1 and  after ,prime1 ,brother  
,hermann ,craen the ,vestiarius died of 
the plague1  being sixty-four years old4
  ,in the beginning he was ,sacristan1  
but  afterward1 and for above fifteen   
years1 ,vestiarius4  ,then for thirteen 
years he held the office of ,procurator1
 but being set aside from that  office1 
he was for the second time appointed to 
be ,vestiarius1 in which  vocation he   
gained much praise for that he provided 
sufficiently for  every man so far as   
the means of the ,house did allow4      
,after that he was  set aside from his  
office of ,procurator he bore himself   

patiently3 and he  had lived the        
,religious ,life with us for            
thirty-eight years and a half3  but in  
the day aforesaid1 when ,vigils had been
 sung for him1 he was  buried after     
supper-time in the eastern passage4     
,in the same year1 on the day before the
 ,feast of ,st4 ,francis1 and after     
,matins1 ,wichman ,spuelre died of the  
plague4  ,he was a young ,laic about    
twenty-five years of age who was born at
 ,doesborgh1 but for above four  years  
he had lived with us2 and being chosen  
to be ,sub-,infirmarius he  served the  
sick with kindliness and in gracious    
wise1 wherefore he  obtained great      
praise from all men4  ,he was laid in   
the burial-ground of  the ,laics1 but on
 the day following1 namely1 on the      
,feast of ,st4 ,francis1  and just      
before one o'clock1 three ,priests and  
one ,lay ,brother were  anointed with   
the oil of the sick4  ,in the same year1
 on the day after  the ,feast of ,st4   
,francis1 ,brother ,henry1 son of ,paul 

of ,mechlin1 who was  a ,priest1 died of
 the plague4  ,he was nearly forty-six  
years of age1 and  was ,infirmarius1 in 
which same office he had served the     
,brothers  faithfully for fifteen years2
 but he had lived with us in the        
,religious  ,life for twenty-four years 
and a half1 and he was buried in the    
eastern  cloister beneath the steps1 and
 in the same tomb with ,nicholas        
,creyenscot1 who died before4    ,it is 
told of this ,brother1 as an ensample   
and memorial of him1 that on  the third 
day after that he was smitten with the  
plague1 seeing that sure  sign of death 
which is vulgarly called the ,death     
,spot1 and while his  strength of mind  
and body were yet whole in him1 he asked
 for the habit  to be brought wherein1  
after the custom of the ,order1 he must 
be buried2  and when it was given him he
 put it on without help from another1   
and  with his own hand sewed up the     
forepart thereof lest others might      
unwittingly look upon his body4  ,then  

after supper-time was ended1 he1  with  
the ,infirmarius who was acting for him1
 read the ,litanies and the  seven      
penitential psalms for all his          
negligences2 and as an act of  gratitude
 for all the benefits that ,god had     
bestowed upon him1 he added  the ,te    
,deum ,laudamus4  ,so at length1 about  
the hour of ,vespers1 having  made a    
good confession1 he rendered up his     
soul1 ,father ,george being  there      
present with him1 while the ,brothers   
were singing the verses  antiphonally in
 the choir4    ,in the same year1 on the
 ,feast of ,st4 ,marcus the ,pope1 when 
dinner was  ended1 ,peter1 son of       
,nicholas1 a ,laic of our household1    
died of the  plague4  ,he was born in   
,amsterdam1 and was about fifty years   
old1 but he  had lived with us for      
twenty-five years and a half1 being     
employed in the  brewery4  ,he was a    
strong man of great stature1 and a      
pattern to the  ,laics by reason of his 
close observance of the habit of        

silence1 his  regularity in reading the 
,vigils1 frequenting the church1 and    
such like  exercises4  ,he was laid in  
the burial-ground of the ,laics4    ,in 
the same year1 on the day following the 
,feast of ,st4 ,dionysius the  ,martyr1 
and before the ninth hour in the        
evening1 ,brother ,peter1 son of        
,simon1 who was born in ,liege1 died of 
the plague2 now he had lived with  us in
 the ,religious ,life for nine years and
 a half4  ,by nature he was  very timid 
and modest1 and at the beginning of his 
conversion he had  suffered many        
temptations to cowardice1 albeit he was 
afterwards  delivered from these by the 
grace of ,god4  ,so he yearned for death
 with  great desire1 longing to be      
released and to be with ,christ1 and he 
was  laid in the eastern cloister4      
,in the same year1 on the day following 
the ,feast of ,st4 ,luke the            
,evangelist1 and after ,matins1 ,peter1 
son of ,john1 died of the same  plague4 
,he was a ,laic and ,resignate of about 

seventy-three years of age1  who was    
born in ,utrecht2 but he had lived with 
us for about fifty-four  years1 and was 
employed in binding books4  ,by nature  
he was very weakly1  especially in the  
head1 and he often received discipline  
for his  negligences1 being punished    
therefore3 yet he did gladly serve for  
the  ,brothers at ,mass1 and at the     
last1 in the time of the plague1 he got 
his  death through ministering to the   
sick1 and died in the presence of       
,father  ,george1 and was laid with the 
other ,laics in their burying-ground4   
,in the same year1 on the day following 
the ,feast of the ,eleven ,thousand     
,virgins1 and in the morning after      
,prime1 died our ,brother ,john         
,kysendael1  who was born at ,orsoy in  
the land of ,kleef4  ,he was almost     
thirty-four  years old1 and had lived   
with us in the ,religious ,life for     
fourteen years  and nearly two months1  
being much beloved for his holy         
conversation and  his virtuous life4    

,moreover1 he served the ,brothers      
humbly in his office  of sacristan for  
nearly four years1 and so that versicle 
which is sung  for confessors was apt   
and fitting for him who was ever pious  
and  prudent1 lowly and modest1 sober   
and chaste and peaceful so long as this 
present life endured in his bodily      
limbs4  ,he was buried in the eastern   
cloister4    ,two hours afterwards1 on  
the same day1 and of the same plague1   
died  ,hermann ,crom1 a ,laic and       
,resignate1 who was born in ,utrecht1   
being now  sixty-four years old1 but he 
had lived with us for nearly thirty-four
  years2 he was of great service to the 
,brothers1 first in the office of       
,sub-,infirmarius1 and afterward in     
making ready the ,refectory and         
ministering to the other needs of those 
,brothers that were weak and old4  ,at  
length1 as he served the sick1 he was   
smitten with the plague1 and was  laid  
in the burying-ground of the ,laics4    
,in the same year1 on the ,feast of ,st4

 ,simon and ,st4 ,jude1 and after       
supper-time1 ,laurentius died of this   
same plague4  ,he was a ,laic and       
,donate1 and his native place was       
,alsen1 a town near ,tyel in the parts  
of  ,geldria4  ,he was seventy-three    
years of age1 and had been barber to the
  ,house1 having lived with us for near 
forty-five years4  ,a great company  of 
strangers resorted to him hoping to be  
cured by his skill as a  surgeon1 for he
 had some good knowledge of that art4   
,he was laid in the  burying-place of   
the ,laics4    ,in the same year1 on the
 ,feast of ,st4 ,martin the ,bishop1 and
 before the  tenth hour in the evening1 
,ludolph the miller died of the plague4 
,he was  born at ,delden in ,twenthe1   
and was nearly thirty-seven years old1  
but he  had lived with us for three     
years and a half4  ,he fell sick through
  tending the plague-stricken1 for he   
was at this time their faithful         
servant2 and having made a good         
confession1 and being filled with a     

fervent love of ,god1 he died and was   
laid in the burying-ground of the       
,laics4    ,in the year of the ,lord    
#adgb1 on the ,feast day of ,st4        
,ambrose1 which fell  on the ,sunday    
after ,easter1 died ,brother ,everard   
ter ,huet1 a native of  ,zwolle1 and    
,prior at ,bergum1 where for ten years  
and more he had ruled  the ,brothers in 
laudable wise4  ,having fulfilled       
forty-three years of  life1 twenty-five 
of which he had passed as a member of   
our ,order1 he  died at last1 being     
smitten with the plague1 and was buried 
in the church  of the aforesaid         
monastery4    ,in the same year1 on the 
fourth day after the ,feast of ,st4     
,ambrose1 and  when ,prime was done1    
died our ,brother ,john ,lent that was a
 native of a  place near ,zwolle1 being 
nearly eighty years old2 but he had     
lived with  us in the ,religious ,life  
for about fifty-nine years4  ,he was    
very strict  in his observance of the   
rule1 and a pattern to the ,brothers1   

but at  length1 being worn out with the 
disease called stone1 he died1 and was  
buried in the eastern cloister4  ,by his
 writing he was of much profit to  the  
monastery1 for he attained great        
excellence in this art1 wherefore he    
wrote many books for sale1 and many for 
the choir and the libraries1  wherein he
 left a notable example for others to   
imitate4    ,in the same year1 on the   
day of ,st4 ,potentiana the ,virgin     
7which was the  ,tuesday after          
,pentecost71 and when ,vespers were     
done1 ,johson of ,tric died  of a       
rupture4  ,he was a ,laic and           
,resignate1 a native of ,zwolle1 and    
seventy-five years old2 but he had lived
 with us for fifty-one years1  being a  
pattern to the ,laics by the toils that 
he bore1 and his obedience  to          
discipline4  ,by reason of his          
trustiness he was often set over the    
husbandmen at ,lunenkerc at the time of 
our exile1 and also at home1 that  is1  
at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4  ,but at the last

 he died suddenly and without  making   
confession1 for death was beforehand    
with him2 howbeit he received  the      
,unction1 and he had made his confession
 two days before he died1 and  had      
received ,communion with the others on  
the ,feast of ,pentecost4    ,in the    
same year1 on the fourth day after the  
,feast of ,st4 ,lucia1 died  ,gherard1  
son of ,hermann1 a ,laic of our         
household1 who was born near  ,albergen 
in ,twenthe4  ,he was nearly fifty years
 old1 and had lived with  us for        
twenty-three years4  ,his stature was   
small1 but his mind great1  and he      
directed our husbandry with all         
diligence2 but at length he fell  into a
 consumption owing to a kick from a     
horse1 and having lingered a  long      
while1 he died1 and was laid in the     
burying-ground of the ,laics4    ,in the
 year of the ,lord #adgc1 on the #bhth  
day of ,june1 two ,brothers were        
invested as ,clerks4  ,the first was    
,stephen ,putselaer1 who was born at    

,doesborgh1 and had attended the school 
at ,deventer2 he was now twenty-two     
years old4  ,the second was ,john1 son  
of ,tric1 a native of ,amsterdam1 who   
had sojourned at the school of ,zwolle  
for nearly four years1 and at the  time 
of his investiture he was at the        
beginning of his eighteenth year4    ,in
 the year of the ,lord #adgd1 on the day
 before the ,feast of ,st4 ,agatha1     
,virgin and ,martyr1 and in the morning 
between the sixth and seventh  hours1   
died ,brother ,otto ,lyman1 a native of 
,goch1 being nearly seventy-  six years 
old1 but he had lived with us for       
fifty-five years and a little  more4    
,he was very zealous for discipline1 and
 most strict in observing  the rule of  
silence2 also it was his custom to      
attend all the services in  the church1 
each in its season1 so much so that     
although weakened by old  age and an    
apoplexy1 he did not forgo this custom  
to the very end of his  life4  ,besides 
this he carefully observed a voluntary  

poverty both in the  matter of his      
clothing and with regard to the         
furniture of his cell4  ,during his life
 he wrote many books for the library2   
but at length his  infirmities grew upon
 him1 and he fell asleep in the ,lord in
 the presence  of the venerable ,prior  
and the ,brothers1 and was buried in the
 eastern  cloister4    ,in the year of  
the ,lord #adgd1 on the day of ,st4     
,urban1 ,bishop and ,martyr1  brother   
,martin1 son of ,nicholas1 was invested4
  ,he was nineteen years of  age and was
 born at ,amsterdam1 but he had attended
 the school of ,brussels  for three     
years4    ,in the year of the ,lord     
#adgd1 on the second day after the      
,feast of the  ,conception of the       
,virgin ,mary1 and after ,matins1 died  
,brother ,theodoric  ,veneman1 who was  
born near ,zwolle1 being now seventy-two
 years old2 but  he had lived a laudable
 life with us for fifty-two years1      
lacking two  months4  ,he was of ripe   
character and a pattern ,brother2       

moreover1 he was  zealous in observing  
the rule of silence and quietness1 but  
at length he  fell sick and slept in the
 ,lord1 and the venerable ,prior ,george
 and the  ,brothers were with him at his
 death4  ,he was buried in the eastern  
cloister4    ,in the year of the ,lord  
#adgd1 on the day of ,st4 ,agapitus the 
,martyr1 died  ,goswin ter ,beeck1 a    
,laic of our household1 who was born in 
,zwolle1 being  -- years old1 but he had
 lived with us for about fifty-three    
years2 his  life was a very pattern1 and
 well ordered1 both in word and deed2 he
 had  been our miller for more than     
forty years1 and was very faithful to   
the  ,house4  ,in that he greatly feared
 that death should come suddenly1 he    
made his confession to the venerable    
,prior after due preparation1 and a     
short time afterwards he met that death 
which he had feared1 for ,god  ordained 
it so4    ,in the same year died our    
beloved ,brother ,gerard1 son of ,tric1 
that was a  ,convert4  ,this befell on  

the second day after the ,feast of ,st4 
,lucia1  ,virgin and ,martyr1 and after 
,matins4  ,he was eighty-two years old1 
and  for many years had been a ,donate1 
but having lived honestly amongst us    
for more than thirty years he was       
invested as a ,convert1 for so it seemed
  good to the ,prior and the whole      
,brotherhood4  ,he was most strict in   
observing discipline1 weighty in word   
and character1 austere toward  himself1 
and a lover of poverty4  ,moreover1 he  
directed our husbandry1  and that of two
 other ,houses of our ,order1 to wit1   
the ,houses at ,anyhen  and at          
,lunenkerc1 also that of the monastery  
belonging to the ,order of  ,st4        
,benedict which is called the ,house of 
,kleerwater1 near ,hattem2 for  out of  
charity to the ,brothers of that ,house 
the venerable ,prior lent  ,gerard to   
them4  ,so having lived with us for     
nearly fifty-four years in  this honest 
and devout wise1 he fell asleep in the  
,lord and was buried in  the western    

passage which is called ,the ,strangers'
 ,passage1 together  with the other     
,converts4    ,in the year #adge1 on the
 fourth day after the ,feast of ,maurice
 and his  companions1 and about the     
fifth hour in the morning1 died ,william
 ,brant1  a ,laic of our household1 but 
a ,clerk in regard to learning4  ,he was
 born  at ,kampen1 and was now nearly   
seventy-five years old2 but he had lived
  with us for nearly sixty years4       
,although he was notable for knowledge1 
yet he desired to continue humbly1      
modestly1 and in quietness unto his     
life's end in the condition of a ,laic1 
and specially to avoid the sin of       
detraction4  ,beside his unceasing      
labours in other matters1 he awakened   
the ,brothers for ,prime during forty   
years4    ,in the year #adgc1 on the    
third day after the ,feast of ,st4      
,matthias the  ,apostle1 and in the     
morning1 died ,encbert of ,tyveren1 a   
,donate and ,fellow  ,commoner of our   
,house1 being eighty-three years old4   

,amongst other  virtuous habits1 he had 
one that is specially worthy to be      
remembered1  namely1 that if any did him
 a wrong1 he would easily and without   
hesitation grant full forgiveness for   
the same1 whenever the offender  showed 
any sign of charity toward him4  ,being 
fired1 moreover1 with  charity and love 
for ,god and his neighbour1 and with a  
zeal for souls  that ceased not night or
 day1 he strove for their good whenever 
he had  opportunity2 and of this many   
can bear witness1 both men and women1   
for  whom he obtained places fit for    
them wherein they might serve ,god4     
,in the same year and week1 namely1 on  
the fifth day after the ,feast of  ,st4 
,matthias1 ,john ,bodien 787 died at    
,deventer4  ,he was a ,laic of our      
household1 and being oppressed by       
infirmity he went to ,deventer to take  
counsel of a physician1 and there died  
in his brother's house2 and since  he   
was born of a good stock1 his body was  
brought back to us with honour  by his  

friends1 and laid in the burying-ground 
of the ,lay folk4  ,for a  few years    
after his conversion he served in the   
kitchen1 and coming to  his life's end  
he fulfilled the toils of many years in 
a short space4    ,in the year of the   
,lord #adgg1 on the ,octave of the      
,feast of the  visitation of the        
,blessed ,mary1 and after ,nones1 that  
is at about the  eighth hour1 died      
,gerlac1 son of ,wolter4  ,he was a     
devout man and very  trusty2 a ,laic and
 ,resignate that was born at ,ralt1 and 
he was nearly  seventy-one years old4   
,on the day before his death1 and after 
,compline1  he took his supper in the   
kitchen according to his custom 7for he 
was  cellarer7 and by a mysterious      
visitation of ,god he suddenly was      
deprived  of all sense and strength4    
,he lost the power of speech1 and he lay
 until  next day struck down with       
apoplexy without speaking or eating1 and
 died  after ,nones at the hour         
aforesaid4  ,he had lived with us for   

nearly forty  years1 during twenty-three
 of which he had fulfilled the duties of
 the  aforesaid office with faithfulness
 and care1 being almost always in his   
cell and ready to carry out the wishes  
of the ,brothers4  ,he was laid with    
the other ,laics in that burying-ground 
of ours that pertains to them of  that  
condition4    ,in the same year1 on the 
,feast of ,st4 ,a,egidius1 and after    
,compline1 that  is to say about the    
middle of the seventh hour1 died that   
devout ,laic1  ,albert1 son of          
,florentius4  ,he was a ,resignate and  
about seventy-three  years old1 but he  
had lived with us for nearly forty-five 
years1 and for  a long while served the 
,brothers patiently in the kitchen4     
,but  afterwards he was very serviceable
 to the sick1 and to the ,infirmarius1  
by catching and bringing them fresh     
fish4  ,he was laid with the others in  
the burying-ground of the ,laics4       
,,from ,,the ,,chronicle ,,of ,,our     
,,brother ,,thomas ,,of ,,kempen        

,,concerning ,,matters ,,not            
,,pertaining ,,to ,,our ,,house4        
,,chapter ,i4      ,concerning the year 
in which that reverend man1 ,florentius 
of  ,wevelichoven1 was made ,bishop of  
,utrecht4    ,in the year of the ,lord  
#adgi1 ,florentius of ,wevelichoven1    
aforetime  ,bishop of ,munster1 was     
enthroned as ,bishop of the ,church of  
,utrecht on  the ,festival of ,st4      
,willibrord1 first ,bishop of that ,see4
    ,he was a prudent man of honest     
life1 ripe age1 and a lover of religion1
  and under his rule1 which was during  
the reign of our ,lord ,pope ,urban     
,,vi1  ,gerard ,groote flourished1 that 
venerable master who was truly great by 
reason of his life1 his learning1 and   
the words of his preaching4             
,,chapter ,,ii4      ,of the death of   
,john ,ruesbroeck1 first ,prior of the  
,groenendaal4    ,in the year of the    
,lord #acha1 and on the second day of   
,december1 being  the ,octave of ,st4   
,katherine1 ,virgin and ,martyr1 the    

venerable and most  devout ,master ,john
 ,ruesbroeck died in the district of    
,brabant4  ,he was  the first ,prior of 
the ,monastery of the ,groenendaal near 
,brussels1 which  ,monastery pertains to
 the ,order of ,canons ,regular2 he was 
then in the  eighty-eighth year of his  
age1 and he was buried before the north 
end of  the ,high ,altar in the choir4  
,he took the ,religious habit in the    
aforesaid place amongst the first who   
were there invested1 being then  sixty  
years of age2 and1 by the help of ,god1 
he fulfilled the office of  the         
,priesthood for sixty-four years4  ,his 
holy and glorious doctrine was          
published far and wide over the land of 
,germany1 and giveth light  thereto4    
,this was he whom ,master ,gerard       
,groote visited1 together with  ,john1 a
 scholar from ,zwolle1 for he thought   
that his writings were worthy  to be    
compared with those of the greatest     
doctors4  ,moreover1 he had put  forth  
many books that were most devout1       

touching matters of the higher          
understanding1 which books1 of his      
wisdom1 he wrote in the ,teutonic       
tongue2 and he poured forth in liberal  
abundance that grace of heavenly        
sweetness which he had received from    
,god1 for the use of his neighbour  and 
them that should come after in the      
,church4  ,there are eleven books  which
 he composed either before or after his 
entrance into the ,religious  ,life2 and
 less the tale should be incomplete1 the
 book of his letters  doth make that    
number up to twelve4    ,there was in   
the same monastery1 under this venerable
 ,master1 a ,convert  whose name was    
,john1 a man very devout1 who did humbly
 devote himself to  his life's end to   
serving in the kitchen1 and he was      
illumined with  special grace for divine
 contemplation4  ,he compiled a great   
and notable  book1 filled with high and 
heavenly doctrine1 in the which he doth 
commend his most beloved father1 ,john  
,ruesbroeck1 in most excellent wise4    

,in the same monastery also were certain
 other most devout ,fathers and         
,religious ,brothers1 eminent for their 
life and wisdom1 as their holy  works   
that have come down to us do testify4   
,concerning the life and writings of    
,john ,ruesbroeck and ,brother ,john    
,cocus1 more is told in a little book   
that hath been put forth of late1  and  
that is entitled ,of the ,origin of the 
,monastery of the ,groenendaal4         
,,chapter ,,iii4      ,of the death of  
the venerable ,master ,gerard ,groote1 a
 man most devout4    ,in the year of the
 ,lord #achd1 on the ,feast day of the  
blessed ,bernard the  ,abbot1 and at the
 fifth hour1 after ,vespers1 ,gerard1   
surnamed ,groote1  died at ,deventer1 in
 the time of the pestilence2 he was a   
venerable man  and beloved of ,god1 and 
the forty-fourth year of his age was    
nearly done4    ,his body was borne to  
the ,parish ,church of the most ,blessed
 ,virgin1  ,mother of ,god1 and therein 
was laid with due honour not far from   

the  sanctuary4  ,his father's name was 
,werner ,groote1 and he was a ,schepen  
and  magistrate of the same city2 his   
mother was called ,heylwige1 and both   
her  husband and she were of high place 
and mighty in honour and riches1  judged
 after the measure of worldly dignity2  
but ,gerard1 by ,god's  inspiration1 put
 aside the burden of riches and despised
 the pomps of the  world on the which he
 had relied carelessly for a long while1
 and for the  sake of an humble ,christ 
took upon him a garb of humility4       
,suddenly he  was changed into another  
man1 so that all wondered1 and he became
 a rule  of life to ,clerks and ,lay    
folk alike4  ,hereafter1 by the pattern 
of his  good conversation and the       
exhortation of his holy preaching1 he   
withdrew  many persons from the vanities
 of the world and laid upon them the    
gentle  yoke of ,christ4  ,likewise he  
resigned all his ecclesiastical         
benefices1  but he kept some small      
portion of his father's goods to provide

 for his  own necessities4  ,much he    
gave to the ,religious1 and his         
dwelling-house  and homestead lie       
bequeathed for ever to the poor         
,sisters1 or ,beguines1  whom he had    
gathered together in that same place4   
,of his humility he  took upon him the  
rank of a deacon so that he might be    
able to preach1  but he would not take  
priestly orders because of the awe in   
which he held  the same4    ,on a time  
he went toward ,zwolle in company with  
,peter1 ,curate of the  ,church of      
,deventer1 and his companion questioned 
him with friendly  boldness1 saying3    
,beloved ,master1 why wilt thou not be  
made ,priest1  since thou art well      
lettered and fitted to rule others8     
,but ,gerard made  answer3 ,i would not 
be ,curate of ,zwolle1 no1 not for a    
single night1 for  my cap full of golden
 florins4  ,and ,peter being astonished 
said3 ,what  then shall we feeble and   
wretched folk do1 for our knowledge and 
our life  are less worthy than thine8   

,and this word of ,master ,gerard had so
 great  weight that this same ,peter did
 afterward renounce his pastoral charge 
and did maintain himself upon a single  
benefice1 and that one to which no  cure
 was attached4  ,gerard1 moreover1 wrote
 profitable treatises1 and  many letters
 to divers persons1 and from these      
writings one may see  readily enough how
 great a zeal for souls was in him1 and 
how deep an  understanding of the       
,scriptures4  ,he translated two books  
of ,john  ,ruesbroeck from the ,teutonic
 into the ,latin tongue1 and these are  
entitled3 ,ecce ,sponsus and ,de        
gradibus amoris4  ,likewise he          
translated ,the ,hours of the ,blessed  
,virgin1 and certain of the ,hours  from
 the ,latin into the ,teutonic tongue1  
so that simple and unlearned  ,laics    
might have in their mother tongue matter
 wherewith to occupy  themselves in     
prayer on holy days2 and also that the  
faithful1 reciting  these ,hours1 or    
hearing them recited by other devout    

persons1 might the  more readily keep   
themselves from many vanities and from  
idle talking1  and so1 being assisted by
 these holy readings1 might make        
progress in the  love of ,god and in    
singing the divine praises4  ,once a    
certain man who  was united to him in   
the bonds of friendship1 asked him1     
saying3 ,most  beloved ,master1 of what 
use are all these books which you carry 
on so  great journeys8  ,and ,gerard    
answered3 ,for good living a few books  
are  enough2 but we must have all these 
for the instruction of others and to    
defend the truth1 so that if any might  
not believe me yet they may assent  to  
the authority of the saints4  ,many     
other good things also ,master  ,gerard 
did in his life1 as certain worthy      
records of him tell us1 so that  from   
the small band of his disciples there   
grew at length a great company  of      
devout persons4        ,,chapter ,,iv4  
,of the great eulogy passed upon ,gerard
 by a certain doctor4    ,master ,gerard

 of holy memory1 he who was called ,the 
,great1 has passed  happily to the      
,lord4  ,truly he was ,the ,great1 for  
in his knowledge of  all the liberal    
sciences1 both natural and moral1 of    
civil law1 canon  law1 and of theology1 
he was second to no one in the world1   
and all these  branches of learning were
 united in him4    ,he was a man of such
 saintliness and gave so good an example
 in his  mortification of the flesh1 his
 refusal of temporal advantages1 his    
contempt for the world1 his brotherly   
love for all1 his zeal for the          
salvation of souls1 his effectual       
preaching1 his reprobation and hatred   
of wickedness1 his withstanding of      
heretics1 his enforcement of the canon  
law against those that broke the vow of 
chastity1 his conversion to the         
spiritual life of divers men and women  
who had formerly lived according  to the
 world1 and his loyalty to our ,lord    
,urban the ,sixth--in all those  things 
,i say he gave so good an example1 that 

many thousands of men  testify to the   
belief that is in them that he was not  
less great in these  virtues than he was
 in the aforesaid sciences4  ,master    
,william of  ,salvarvilla1 ,cantor at   
,paris1 ,archdeacon of ,brabant in the  
,church of  ,liege1 an eminent doctor in
 theology1 compiled the above eulogy    
from that  which he heard from the lips 
of men worthy of credit1 and from his   
own  knowledge of ,master ,gerard1 and  
he believed beyond all doubt that it was
  true4        ,,chapter ,v4      ,how1 
after his death1 the number of the      
,devout and the ,order of ,regulars  did
 increase4    ,after the death of the   
venerable ,master ,gerard ,groote1 the  
devotion of  faithful persons in        
,deventer1 ,zwolle1 ,kampen and the     
neighbouring towns  began to grow       
mightily in the ,lord1 so that in a     
short time there arose  many            
congregations of men and women that     
served ,god1 dwelling together in       
common and in chastity of life after the

 manner of the primitive ,church  and   
that laudable custom of the holy        
,fathers that was introduced by the     
,apostles4    ,some of these who could  
ill abide the concourse of people in the
 cities1  sought habitations that did   
befit them far from the places where men
 do  congregate1 and having builded them
 poor little houses1 determined to  lead
 a hidden life therein after the example
 of the ancient ,fathers2 but  in       
process of time1 as their numbers and   
their goods increased1 they took  upon  
them the habit of holy religion1 for    
,god so ordered it1 and  converted their
 houses into ,monasteries of the ,order 
of ,canons ,regular1  thinking thereby  
to be the more profitable4  ,this same  
memorable ,master1  inspired with a     
spirit of prophecy1 foretold this thing1
 namely1 that the  number of the devout 
should increase mightily1 for to a      
certain ,priest1  who was his friend1   
and afterward became a ,canon ,regular  
at ,zwolle 7from  whom also ,i heard the

 saying71 he said3 ,behold1 beloved1    
this good thing  which by ,god's help   
hath been here begun1 shall be increased
 yet more1  and this little spark shall 
kindle many fires throughout all        
,holland and  ,geldria4    ,thanks be to
 ,god that as we have heard1 so have we 
seen with our own eyes  the fulfilment  
of this prophecy1 and that not only in  
the regions round  about1 but also in   
the parts afar off and in the upper     
provinces4  ,he had  it likewise in mind
 to found1 with the help of certain     
friends1 a  monastery for ,regulars who 
should take the habit which he had seen 
in  ,brabant in the house of ,john      
,ruesbroeck1 but this purpose he        
committed to  the followers whom he had 
made firm in the faith of ,christ1 that 
they  should fulfil it1 for death was   
beforehand with him1 and this was1      
indeed1 fulfilled effectually by these  
same disciples in after days4           
,,chapter ,,vi4      ,of the            
consecration of the ,church1 and the    

investiture of the first  ,brothers in  
,windesem4    ,in the year of the ,lord 
#achg1 on the day before the ,feast of  
,st4 ,luke the  ,evangelist1 the first  
,church of the ,monastery in ,windesem  
was consecrated  in ,honour of the      
glorious ,virgin ,mary1 ,mother of ,god4
    ,this place received the name       
,windesem from the village that lieth   
near to  it1 and it is one mile from    
,zwolle1 toward the south2 near the     
eastern  side thereof is the ,river     
,yssel2 also some space away is ,hattem1
 the  strongest fortress in ,geldria4   
,on this same day six ,brothers made    
their profession and were invested  with
 the habit of the ,order of ,canons     
,regular1 who observe the rule of       
,augustine1 the glorious ,bishop and    
,father of our ,order4  ,the names of   
these are as followeth3    ,brother     
,henry of ,huxaria1 a ,priest4          
,brother ,werner of ,lochem1 in         
,geldria1 the first ,prior of the house 
there4    ,brother ,john of ,kempen1 in 

the diocese of ,cologne1 who was        
afterward  ,prior at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes4
    ,brother ,henry ,wilde of           
,hertzogenbosch1 in ,brabant4           
,brother ,berthold ten ,hove1 a native  
of ,holland1 who conveyed to us his     
patrimony and the place where the       
monastery standeth4    ,brother ,henry  
,wilsem of ,kampen1 a man of great      
probity1 who was formerly  a great one  
in the world4  ,he was eloquent in      
discourse1 humble and  earnest in the   
service of ,god4    ,with these and     
others that loved holy religion1 this   
new foundation of  the ,order of ,canons
 ,regular in the diocese of ,utrecht had
 its beginning  after the happy death of
 ,master ,gerard ,groote1 and under the 
rule of  ,florentius1 ,bishop of        
,utrecht1 it increased by little and    
little1 but in  process of time it began
 to grow yet more fruitfully in divers  
places4  ,all the men above named1 save 
only one1 had been disciples of ,master 
,gerard1 by whom they1 with many other  

,clerks1 were drawn to the amending  of 
their lives1 being imbued with his      
wholesome exhortation4        ,,chapter 
,,vii4      ,of the death of ,john de   
,gronde1 a ,priest4    ,in the year of  
the ,lord #acib1 on the #agth day of    
,may1 being the day  following the      
,feast of ,st4 ,john before the ,latin  
,gate1 and at the fourth  hour in the   
morning1 ,john de ,gronde died at       
,deventer1 in the house of  ,florentius4
  ,he was a devout ,priest and a mighty 
,preacher of the ,word1  and it was in  
the fortieth year of his age4  ,the town
 of ,octmesheim1 in  the district of    
,twent1 and the diocese of ,cologne1 was
 his native place1  and he was a man    
adorned with modesty and eloquence1 and 
the venerable  ,master ,gerard let      
summon him from ,amsterdam in ,holland  
to hear the  confessions of the devout1 
likewise ,gerard committed to him the   
governance of the ,sisters of his       
,house4  ,for awhile he abode with the  
first ,brothers in the ancient ,house of

 ,florentius1 and rose up with the      
others in the morning to recite the     
,hours2 and when the time for rising    
came1 he awoke straightway and went     
forthwith to arouse the other           
,brothers1 knocking and saying3 ,arise1 
watch and pray1 that ye enter not  into 
temptation4  ,of this thing ,master     
,gerard maketh mention in the  letter   
which he wrote to the priests at        
,amsterdam1 what time he besought  that 
,john should be sent to him1 for this   
alacrity did especially please  him4    
,as his death drew on1 ,father          
,florentius1 who earned the love of all 
the  devout1 stood by him to comfort and
 console him2 to whom ,john spake1      
saying3 ,lo6 the adversary doth strive  
to disquiet me1 and would confound  me  
at the last4  ,but ,florentius answered3
 ,fear not but trust in the  ,lord1 and 
keep silence as to those things that are
 cast up against thee4  ,then ,john1 as 
one truly obedient1 said3 ,in the name  
of the ,lord1 and  these were the last  

words that he spake before his death4   
,he was buried  in the ,church of the   
,blessed ,mary1 ever ,virgin1 by the    
side of ,master  ,gerard and in the same
 tomb1 for it was in this church that he
 had oft  proclaimed aloud the ,word of 
,god4  ,likewise from time to time he   
would  preach at ,zwolle and hold       
colloquy with the ,brothers on the      
mount1 urging  them to hold with        
constant mind to the course they had    
begun4  ,so these  two on earth are     
covered by one stone1 and one ,stone1   
that is an  heavenly1 did make them firm
 in the true faith2 as they loved one   
another  in life1 so in death their     
bodies are not divided4        ,,chapter
 ,,viii4      ,of the death of the most 
,reverend ,florentius of ,wevelichoven1 
,bishop of  ,utrecht4    ,in the year of
 the lord #acic1 on the ,feast day of   
,st4 ,ambrose the ,bishop  7which in    
that year was ,good ,friday71 while the 
,holy ,office of the ,lord's  ,passion  
was being said in the church1 our most  

,reverend ,lord ,florentius  of         
,wevelichoven1 ,bishop of ,utrecht1     
departed from the light of the world4   
,he died in the city of ,hardenberch1   
having ruled his diocese for twelve     
years and five months in laudable and   
glorious wise1 and his body was  taken  
to the ,church of the ,blessed ,martin  
at ,utrecht1 and was buried with  honour
 in the choir beneath the steps of the  
sanctuary4  ,here a taper is  kept      
lighted as a memorial of his good       
reputation1 for verily he was a  lover  
of the true light1 and a defender of his
 country4  ,in discipline he  was very  
strict2 and spent naught needlessly or  
to any unprofitable end1  but all that  
was justly owed he paid honestly1       
repaying loans1 restoring  buildings    
that were decayed1 setting up new ones1 
fortifying towns and  castles4  ,he     
loved the things of ,god and prudently  
disposed of worldly  matters2 by his    
servants he was beloved1 to the poor he 
was pitiful2 he  cherished all devout   

persons1 and was accepted of ,clerks and
 people4        ,,chapter ,,ix4         
,how ,frederick of ,blanckenhem was     
chosen to be ,bishop4    ,in the same   
year1 the noble and famous ,lord        
,frederick of ,blanckenhem1  formerly   
,bishop of ,strasburg1 was chosen to the
 ,see of ,utrecht and  confirmed by the 
authority of the ,apostolic ,see4  ,he  
was one of lofty  mind1 famous for      
knowledge and prudence1 and by the help 
of ,god he ruled  the diocese for many  
years with great glory1 and guarded his 
country by  his victorious might4       
,beneath his rule the ,order of ,canons 
,regular and  the devout multitude of   
,brothers and ,sisters spread far and   
wide1 and  rejoiced in their prosperity 
in all regions that lay beneath his     
jurisdiction4    ,in this year also     
three monasteries were founded in       
,holland1 near  ,amsterdam4  ,one       
belonging to the ,carthusian ,order1 one
 to the ,canons  ,regular1 and one to   
the nuns of that same order3 this last  

lieth within  the city and near the     
ditch4        ,,chapter ,x4      ,how   
the monastery at ,northorn was founded4 
,in the year of the ,lord #acid1 about  
the time of the ,feast of the           
,purification of the ,blessed ,virgin   
,mary1 the ,clerks belonging to the     
household and congregation of that      
venerable ,priest1 ,master ,everard of  
,almelo1 a ,bachelor in ,physic or      
,medicine1 began to prepare a place for 
a  monastery2 for of their own free will
 and by his council they had  determined
 to build an house in ,vrensueghen upon 
an hereditament that is  called         
,enoldint4  ,so having obtained license 
from that ,reverend ,lord ,otto  ten    
,hoye1 ,bishop of ,munster1 and having  
the consent of the ,dean1  ,archdeacon1 
and ,chapter1 which was given on the    
#ast day of ,may1 a small  ,oratory was 
consecrated in this same place during   
the ,advent following  and on the ,feast
 day of ,st4 ,thomas the ,apostle4      
,this ,oratory stood where  now the     

church is builded1 and there on this    
same day four ,priests of the  household
 of ,everard were invested with the     
habit of the ,order of ,canons          
,regular2 they were admitted by         
,wenomar1 ,bishop of ,sebale1 a member  
of the  third ,order1 and               
,vicar-,general for ,pontifical ,acts to
 ,otto1 the ,reverend  ,bishop of       
,munster3 now the names of the ,brothers
 by him admitted are  these3    ,the    
first was ,henry ,kyndeshof of          
,deventer1 and there were also ,herpe of
  ,lippe1 ,hermann ,plectenberrich1 and 
,john of ,julich4  ,of these ,hermann   
,plectenberrich was chosen to be the    
first ,prior1 and the four abode by     
themselves under the authority of the   
,bishop of ,munster1 because their      
founders would not have them subject to 
any other1 but in the year of the  ,lord
 #adjj they were placed under the       
authority of the ,chapter-,general of   
,windesem1 which is in the diocese of   
,utrecht1 and lieth near ,zwolle1 as  it

 were one mile distant4        ,,chapter
 ,,xi4      ,of the death of that most  
devout ,priest ,florentius1 ,vicar of   
the ,church  of ,deventer4    ,in the   
year of the ,lord #adjj1 on the day     
before the ,feast of the  ,annunciation 
of the ,blessed ,mary ever ,virgin1 and 
when it was now late1  and the ,ave     
,maria had rung1 there died in his own  
,house at ,deventer the  ,priest        
,florentius ,radewin4  ,he was a man of 
holy life and the beloved  ,father of   
all the devout1 an humble ,vicar of the 
,church at ,deventer1 a  ,master of the 
,university of ,prague1 and he was now  
in the fiftieth year  of his age4  ,he  
was born at ,leerdam that is subject to 
the ,count of  ,arkel1 but when he heard
 of the fame of ,master ,gerard1 he left
 his native  land and became his devout 
follower and disciple1 and in a short   
space he  was a ,father to many devout  
persons1 and the first founder of the   
congregation of ,clerks in ,deventer4   
,his garb was simple and gray in colour1

 his bearing was composed1 his  bodily  
presence full of grace1 and his aspect  
lovable4  ,his hair was  black1 but his 
beard somewhat gray2 his face was thin  
and had but little  colour1 his forehead
 was bald and his gait and bearing were 
full of  dignity4    ,once he came on a 
visitation to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and   
the ,brothers were  glad at his coming1 
and the elder amongst them asked him to 
deliver some  discourse1 so he spoke a  
few words to them on humility and       
charity1 and  at the end he added3 ,see 
now1 ye may be sickened of these words  
that ye  have heard from me1 for he did 
not think that he could say aught worthy
  to be heard4  ,nevertheless he was    
mighty to comfort the devout1 and it    
was a pleasant thing to see him and hear
 his words4  ,also the words  wherein he
 confessed that he was not skilled to   
speak were received as  very edifying1  
and some of the ,religious wrote what he
 said on their  tablets and in their    
books4    ,this most holy man of ,god   

flourished in the days of that venerable
 ,lord  ,florentius of ,wevelichoven and
 the illustrious ,frederick of          
,blanckenhem1  the two famous ,bishops  
of ,utrecht4    ,when his death was     
announced to them of the city1 the      
,canons and ,clerks  came together to   
attend the burying of so great a man1   
and a vast  multitude of people followed
 as far as to the ,church of ,st4       
,lebuin1  wherein he was buried before  
the altar he had served1 which is       
dedicated  in honour of ,st4 ,paul4     
,his life that was adorned with virtue  
is more  fully set forth in the         
,,dialogus ,,novitiorum4                
,,chapter ,,xii4      ,of the death of  
,everard of ,eza1 a ,curate in ,almelo  
and a great master of  ,physic4    ,in  
the year of the ,lord #adjd1 on the     
first day of the month of ,april1  died 
that reverend man ,everard of ,eza1 the 
,curate of ,almelo and a great  master  
in physic4  ,he often gave the benefits 
of his healing art without  price to    

many that were sick1 but especially to  
the poor4  ,likewise he  founded and in 
a special way provided for the          
,monastery of the ,blessed  ,virgin in  
the ,wood near ,northorn1 in the        
,countship of ,benthem1 and he  procured
 that some of the ,clerks who lived with
 him should be invested  there4         
,amongst physicians he had a great      
reputation2 of the nobles he  was       
honoured1 by worldlings he was feared1  
by the religious he was  beloved1 and   
for a long while his fame was good in   
the land4  ,moreover1  he had been a    
close friend to ,florentius1 the ,vicar 
of the ,church at  ,deventer1 and       
rejoiced to visit him2 and he often     
succoured him in his  infirmities and   
expended anxious care upon him2 likewise
 he said of  ,florentius that it was a  
thing above human nature that a man so  
weak  should live so long1 unless it    
were that ,god preserved him4    ,but   
let it not be a marvel to any how it    
came about that these two  reverend     

,fathers and ,masters were thus of one  
heart in the service of  ,god1 for ,he  
who brought together the ,blessed ,peter
 and ,paul to preach in  ,rome did also 
unite ,florentius and ,everard in       
,deventer1 to be as it were  two bright 
lights in the world1 to dwell together  
as ,brothers like minded  in the ,house 
and there to comfort themselves and     
others4    ,but the conversion of this  
reverend ,master ,everard came about    
after this  manner1 and was brought by  
the co-operation of ,god to an wholesome
  effect4  ,when the venerable ,master  
,gerard1 of whom mention is made above1 
was preaching the ,word of ,god to the  
people outside the walls of  ,deventer1 
,everard hastened to come to his        
preaching1 for he had heard  ,gerard's  
fame and was puffed up with the wisdom  
of this world2 so he came  not of       
brotherly love1 but out of a curious    
mind1 desiring to know  whether the     
,master's teaching was consonant with   
his fame1 for he did not  hunger for    

uprightness but rather would catch him  
in his talk4  ,yet he  stood not openly 
among the common and simple folk1 but   
behind a pillar1  as one that hideth2   
and behold ,almighty ,god ,who knoweth  
the heart1  neither can any hide from   
,his face1 did fill the quiver of the   
preacher  with sharp arrows wherewith in
 secret he pierced through the heart of 
this curious hearer1 who1 being pricked 
thereby1 laid aside all the  naughtiness
 of his former vanity1 and became a     
devout disciple of the  preacher4  ,for 
when the preaching was done1 he came    
near to the man of  ,god1 and made known
 how the ,lord had dealt with him by    
means of the  preaching1 and how this   
had befallen him as if the preacher had 
traversed  all the hidden places of his 
heart and seen all the secrets thereof4 
,so  ,master ,gerard received him and   
confirmed his charity toward him1 and at
  length ,everard became his companion  
and helper in preaching2 but not long   
after his conversion ,master ,gerard    

departed to the ,lord4  ,after his      
departure the old enemy stirred up no   
small enmity against the devout         
disciples1 but ,god was present with    
them1 giving to them patience and       
constancy4  ,now many of the devout were
 ignorant of ,master ,everard's         
conversion1 but he wished to join       
himself to the disciples of ,christ that
  dwelt in ,deventer in the ,house of   
,florentius2 the ,brothers1 however1    
when  they saw him were afraid1 and     
began to flee from before his face as   
lambs  from before the wolf1 and they   
gat them into the hidden places of their
  cells2 yea1 and ,florentius himself   
was fearful1 for he knew not what       
,everard might mean1 who aforetime had  
been harsh enough and had opposed  the  
devout ,brothers4    ,everard therefore 
said to ,florentius3 ,wherefore do these
 ,brothers flee  away8 and he answered3 
,they know not with what mind thou art  
come1 but  ,everard said1 ,i am come to 
amend my life1 and when he was still    

held in  suspicion of ,florentius1 he   
said after due thought and protesting   
his  innocency3 ,if ye will not believe 
my words1 at least believe mine acts--,i
  pray you give me a cell for a season1 
and prove me therein of what spirit  ,i 
am4  ,therefore they took him and       
assigned to him a cell where he lived   
long and was wholly converted2 for as   
once he had gained great knowledge  of  
medicine1 so now he received no small   
light in the law of the ,lord and  in   
the holy ,scriptures4    ,after this he 
accepted the dispensation of ,god       
towards him1 namely1 to be  still and   
attend to his heavenly calling1 and also
 following herein the  example of       
,florentius1 to gather together into his
 own house at ,almelo  certain ,clerks  
and ,lay folk1 with whom he lived for   
many years under due  discipline4       
,moreover1 lest they who were so        
gathered together should be  scattered  
abroad after his death1 he began to     
think of a fit place where  they might  

serve ,god together1 and by ,his help he
 found such a place as  he desired for  
the founding of a monastery1 and here   
those ,brothers whom  he had formerly   
invested in an humble manner were       
placed4  ,to them he  distributed gifts 
out of his own substance1 namely1 gold  
and silver1  books and other things for 
their use1 for building and for needful 
expenses4  ,as regardeth the foundation 
of this monastery see above1 under  the 
year of the ,lord #acid4  ,he was buried
 in his own church at ,almelo1  where he
 had governed his people for many years1
 and he left a good  memorial among the 
devout whom he cherished and loved as a 
father4  ,on a  time when ,i attended   
the school at ,deventer1 ,i fell sick1  
and with such  care did he tend me that 
by the mercy of ,god a like sickness    
fell not  upon me for many years after4 
,in the same year1 on the ,feast day of 
,st4 ,gregory the ,pope1 the building   
of our church was begun by brother ,john
 of ,kempen1 the first ,prior4          

,,chapter ,,xiii4      ,of the death of 
the ,priest ,amilius that succeeded     
,florentius at  ,deventer4    ,in the   
year of the ,lord #adjd1 on the day     
before the ,feast of ,st4 ,barnabas  the
 ,apostle1 ,amilius the ,priest died at 
,deventer2 he was a mighty zealot  for  
souls1 kindly in feeding the poor1      
austere to himself1 compassionate  to   
the sick1 comfortable to the troubled1  
and he was about thirty-two  years of   
age4    ,he came from the parts of      
,geldria near ,tyele1 and coming to     
,deventer he  attended school there for 
a while1 but when he was amongst the    
foremost  of the students he left the   
school and clave to ,florentius1 for it 
was  his desire to serve ,god4          
,afterward ,florentius procured his     
promotion to  the priesthood1 and before
 his death placed him over the whole    
congregation1 likewise he did commit to 
his charge the governance of the  ,house
 as being his beloved disciple4  ,this  
burden that was laid upon him  ,amilius 

undertook with much sorrow1 and though  
he was not minded to  disobey the       
command of so great a ,father1 yet with 
weeping eyes1  lamentation and sighing1 
he professed himself unworthy of this   
preferment2 likewise in his secret      
prayer he mourned bitterly1 for he      
desired rather to have the tasks of the 
kitchen laid upon him than to be        
preferred to the honoured post of       
governing men4  ,for in the kitchen he  
ever rejoiced in his servitude1 being   
safer therein1 and having a good        
conscience2 but in the other office a   
thousand dangers met him1 bringing  no  
small care with them4  ,yet ,god did not
 long delay to answer the  prayers and  
sighs of his humble servant1 for his    
burden on earth endured  but a short    
while1 and having fulfilled four years  
and near to three  months in the care of
 governance1 the ,lord rewarded his     
faithful labours  with eternal rest4    
,his body was laid in the burying-ground
 of ,st4 ,lebuin  the ,confessor1 near  

that of ,lubbert1 a ,priest of his own  
,house4  ,there  also was ,john of      
,viana buried1 and there ,reyner        
,haerlem the acolyth and  many other    
devout ,brothers and ,clerks of the     
,house of ,florentius rest in  peace4   
,after the death of ,amilius1 ,john     
,haerlem succeeded as ruler of  the     
,house1 but he was afterwards chosen to 
govern the sisters at ,zwolle1  and     
,godefred of ,wesel filled his place1   
for the ,fathers in their prudence  did 
so ordain it4        ,,chapter ,,xiv4   
,of the first investiture of the        
,sisters of our ,order in ,diepenvene   
near  ,deventer    ,in the year #adjh1  
on the ,feast of ,st4 ,agnes the        
,virgin1 the ,sisters of  the ,order of 
,canons ,regular in ,diepenvene near    
,deventer were first  invested4  ,this  
investiture was done by ,brother ,john  
,huesden1 the  venerable ,prior of      
,windesem2 and there were present also  
the ,prior of the  ,house of the ,fount 
of the ,blessed ,virgin near ,arnheim1  

,brother ,john of  ,kempen1 ,prior of   
,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and many other      
devout persons1 both men  and women1 who
 came together eagerly to be present on 
so notable a day4  ,so then there was   
great joy for the heavenly marriage of  
many devout  matrons and virgins2 but   
the sound of much weeping ascended to   
heaven  also4  ,the number of them who  
took on them the habit and the order    
that  followeth the rule of the ,blessed
 ,augustine the ,bishop was forty-three1
  and of these three first made their   
profession the same day1 but the  others
 remained ,novices for a year4  ,many of
 these ,sisters were gathered  and      
brought from ,deventer from the house of
 ,master ,gerard ,groote1 after  that   
the numbers there began to be increased1
 and ,john ,brincerinck  governed and   
guided them for a great while4          
,,chapter ,,xv4      ,how the monastery 
in ,budiken was reformed4    ,in the    
year of the ,lord #adji1 ,william van   
den ,berg1 ,bishop elect of  ,paderborn1

 began to reform the monastery at       
,budiken1 transferring it from  the rule
 of ,canons ,secular to that of ,canons 
,regular2 and he published on  this     
occasion the licence for their          
transference1 at the end of which are   
the words following3 ,to the honoured   
,john ,wael1 ,prior of the ,monastery   
at ,zwolle1 that is in the diocese of   
,utrecht1 we do by these presents       
grant1 concede1 and allow the privileges
 hereafter following1 namely1  that he  
may attach to the ,church and ,monastery
 at ,budiken a suitable  congregation of
 men devoted to ,god1 when opportunity  
doth offer1 and that  they be under the 
,order of ,canons ,regular1 conforming  
to the rule  observed in the ,monastery 
at ,zwolle so far as the rule there     
obtaining  doth permit4  ,we are led to 
grant this licence for this special     
reason1  namely1 that ,st4 ,meynulsus1  
the founder of this monastery1 is       
believed to  have belonged to the ,order
 aforenamed2 let the said ,john ,wael   

therefore  set over this same           
congregation a ,prior or ,superior as   
may seem expedient  to him4             
,,chapter ,,xvi4      ,of the death of  
,gerard ,kalker1 a devout ,priest1 and  
,rector of the ,house  of ,clerks4      
,in the year of the ,lord #adji1 on the 
,vigil of the ,nativity of ,christ1     
,gerard ,kalker died at ,zwolle4  ,he   
was a devout ,priest and ,rector of the 
,house of ,clerks in the said town1 and 
his age was thirty-six years4  ,the     
town named ,kalker in the district of   
,kleef was his native place1 but when   
he was attending the school at ,zwolle  
he joined himself to the devout         
,brothers1 and himself became one of    
their congregation4  ,afterward he was  
chosen to dwell in the new ,house that  
had been built for a congregation  of   
,clerks by ,meynold of ,windesem1 a rich
 citizen of ,zwolle1 and after a  while 
was instituted as ,rector of the same   
,house1 being held worthy of  that      
office by his ,elders4  ,he was one of  

great stature and innocency of  life4   
,in word kindly1 in counsel wise1 in    
bearing composed2 to the poor           
compassionate1 to strangers courteous1  
and the citizens loved him2  moreover1  
he burned fervently with divine love to 
gain the souls of many4  ,he was a      
zealous follower of ,florentius1 whom he
 esteemed with all his  heart and loved 
as his dearest ,father2 likewise he left
 behind him many  devout ,brothers whom 
he had built up to the highest virtues4 
,he was  buried in our monastery at     
,windesem1 and ,theodoric ,herxen1 his  
disciple1  succeeded him as ,rector4    
,,chapter ,,xvii4      ,of the death of 
,henry of ,gouda1 a devout ,priest1 at  
,zwolle4    ,in the year of the ,lord   
#adaj1 on the day of ,st4 ,gregory the  
,pope1 ,henry  of ,gouda died at        
,zwolle4  ,he was a devout ,priest and  
,confessor to the  ,sisters in that     
place1 having been of old one of the    
disciples of  ,florentius1 and he was   
born in ,holland near ,schoonhoven4     

,being learned  in the ,scriptures he   
was a mighty preacher1 and one that did 
truly  despise the world and its riches2
 he feared not to reprove the vices of  
sinners1 and in his frequent preaching  
he strove for the salvation of his      
neighbours2 moreover1 he kept a strict  
watch over his own conscience1 and      
guarded his good reputation and humility
 of life4  ,on a time1 as he was        
passing through the street in a city    
that is far away1 some boys whom he     
knew not seized him from behind by his  
cloak1 and mocked him with jests        
because it was his wont to go clad in   
very simple attire1 and a long sad-     
coloured cloak1 for he seemed to take no
 thought of any outward thing1  nor to  
desire honour4  ,so being thus entreated
 and disturbed he looked  back and said 
to himself3 ,here ought we to dwell1 for
 at ,zwolle they say  unto us1 ',sir1   
sir1' yet what merit do we gain thereby8
    ,likewise he came sometimes to      
,mount ,st4 ,agnes1 and sought to speak 

with  the ,brothers in their cells1 and 
as he was holding converse with a       
certain one of them1 he said1 amongst   
many other good things1 ,very good  is  
the life that ye pass here1 and the more
 safe is the road that ye  traverse in  
that ye abide in the cloister afar from 
the multitude of men4  ,i1 who almost   
every day do traffick with worldlings1  
what can ,i learn  thereby save the acts
 of worldly men8  ,i am a man untaught1 
neither have  ,i knowledge of the life  
of contemplation1 nor do ,i seek to take
 hold on  lofty matters--but sometimes  
,i can preach in simple words to        
untaught and  common folk--yet          
henceforth ,i purpose to amend myself   
with more  diligence1 and by ,god's     
favour to apply myself to things of     
greater  moment4  ,when he said this1   
that ,brother was greatly edified at the
  humble words that proceeded from his  
mouth4  ,it is said also in his         
preaching he uttered this notable       
saying3 ,why should ,i say more8  ,words

  do beget a multitude of words--and    
acts beget their kind4  ,the fruit of   
the ,word is its fulfilment in deed4    
,he was buried in the church at         
,windesem1 where also certain other     
devout  ,brothers and ,priests do sleep1
 and after him ,john ,haerlem was       
preferred  to rule over the ,sisters in 
,zwolle1 since the well-being of the    
,house so  determined it2 he was one    
that was sufficiently skilled in sacred 
learning1 and he had lived long and     
devoutedly in ,deventer1 and moreover   
had ruled the ,house of ,florentius for 
several years4        ,,chapter ,,xviii4
      ,how the ,sisters in ,bronope were
 invested4    ,in the year of the ,lord 
#adaa1 on the day of the ,conception of 
the ,blessed  ,virgin ,mary1 the        
,sisters of the ,order of ,canons       
,regular in ,bronope were  first        
invested4  ,this ,house lieth outside   
the town of ,campen1 which town  is near
 the bank of the ,yssel where that river
 runneth down to the sea4  ,this        

investiture1 with indelible and         
perpetual vows to live the life of  the 
cloister1 was conferred by the ,reverend
 ,fathers and the ,priors of our        
,order1 namely1 ,john ,vos of ,huesden1 
,prior of ,windesem1 and ,william       
,vorniken of ,utrecht1 ,prior of ,mount 
,st4 ,agnes near ,zwolle4  ,to these the
  care and visitation of the ,house1 and
 likewise of the house at ,diepenvene   
that lieth without ,deventer1 were      
afterward committed by the ,general     
,chapter4  ,but the number of these     
,sisters who were first invested in this
  place was fourteen1 of whom ten became
 nuns1 and four ,converts2 and of  the  
ten nuns four did make their profession 
on the same day2 the other  six1 and the
 four ,converts remained for a year as  
,novices4    ,in the year of the lord   
#adab1 a ,general ,chapter was holden   
and the houses  of the nuns at          
,diepenvene and ,bronope were           
incorporated as members of the  said    
,chapter4        ,,chapter ,,xix4       

,the death of ,wermbold the ,priest4    
,in the year of the ,lord #adac1 on the 
,vigil of ,pentecost1 being the night   
of the ,festival of ,barnabas the       
,apostle1 and at the eleventh hour1 died
  ,wermbold1 a devout ,priest of        
laudable life who was ,confessor to the 
,sisters of the third ,order in the     
,house of ,st4 ,caecilia4  ,he came from
  ,holland1 from a place near ,gouda1   
and for long had stood as a burning and 
shining light in the city of ,utrecht1  
enkindling many by the word of his      
preaching and drawing them to the path  
of right living by his good  example and
 his wholesome counsel2 for he was a    
zealous lover of the holy  ,scriptures1 
and an eloquent preacher to the people1 
one well beloved for  his eminent       
continency of life1 and honoured by     
great folk4  ,he procured  that divers  
books of sacred theology should be      
written1 and translated  divers sayings 
of the ,saints into the ,teutonic tongue
 so as to profit the  faithful ,lay folk

 who were earnestly desirous to hear the
 ,word of ,god4  ,at  length1 when his  
pious labours in the service of ,god had
 been fulfilled  with many trials1 the  
good ,lord of ,his great kindness       
favoured ,wermbold  with a most sweet   
consolation in a vision that was        
revealed to him4  ,his  body was taken  
for reverent burial to the choir of the 
,church of ,st4  ,caecilia1 and the last
 words he spake as life departed were3  
,for ,thou  ,lord only hast set me in   
hope4        ,,chapter ,,xx4      ,of   
the death of ,john ,cele1 ,rector of the
 ,school at ,zwolle4    ,in the year of 
the ,lord #adag1 on the ninth day of    
,may1 which in that year  was the fourth
 ,sunday after ,easter1 the reverend    
,master ,john ,cele died at  ,zwolle in 
the diocese of ,utrecht4    ,he had     
ruled the scholars there strictly1 being
 an excellent instructor  of youth1 a   
zealous lover of the divine ,name1 and  
one that closely  attended the choral   
and other offices of the ,church and    

taught others so4  ,this most faithful  
man1 eminent for his honest life1 ruled 
the school for  many years1 and with    
discernment taught many of his pupils to
 love holy  religion and the following  
after ,god4  ,what ,order that is       
illustrious for  its life or reputation 
hath not had monks that were his pupils8
  ,although  above others the ,canons   
,regular1 the ,cruciferi1 and the       
,cistercians have  gained many adherents
 to the ,order from among his students1 
and of these  some1 being endued with   
the grace of virtue1 have become fathers
 of  monasteries and rectors of         
churches4  ,for the pupils who were     
under his  rule learned from their good 
,master to despise for ,christ's sake   
the  glory of this world that vanisheth 
away1 and that in the whirlpool of  this
 mortal life nothing is better and      
holier than to spurn the  enticements of
 the world and to fight for the ,lord of
 ,heaven4  ,in his  days it was a lovely
 thing to enter the town of ,zwolle and 

to see the  chosen multitude of scholars
 that did attend the school4  ,who could
 tell  in worthy wise with what fatherly
 care he strove to instruct all in      
learning and character1 and to the      
leading of an upright life1 and the     
holding of a good repute8  ,for this    
purpose he often set before them and    
quoted the authority of the holy        
,scripture1 and strongly encouraged them
  to copy sentences from the writings of
 the ,saints4  ,furthermore1 he gave    
them regular instruction in singing1    
taught them to attend the church        
assiduously1 to honour ,priests1 to love
 religion1 to hold converse with  devout
 and learned men1 to pray yet more      
often1 and gladly to take their  part in
 singing the praises of ,god4  ,he      
himself was there present with  cheerful
 countenance1 directing the whole choir 
in their harmonious  melody2 and        
likewise on feast days he often played  
on the organ1  rejoicing greatly in this
 task1 and being herein a true imitator 

of  ,david1 that holy king who played   
upon the harp and danced before the ark 
of ,god1 singing ,his praises4  ,in     
process of time the fame of ,john       
,cele's  goodness went forth to the     
utmost parts of ,germany1 and his       
sayings and  opinions reached to the    
ends of the earth1 borne thither on the 
lips of  his pupils4  ,the men of       
,brabant with the ,flemings1 they of    
,holland with  the ,frisians1 they of   
,westphalia with the ,saxons came in    
crowds to study  under him1 and having  
borne themselves studiously in the      
school1 returned  with their learning to
 their native places1 men of ,treves and
 ,cologne1  ,liege and ,utrecht1 ,kleef 
and ,geldria were found here2 and youths
 that  were apt for learning gathered   
together from other villages and castles
  and made great progress in knowledge4 
,the richer paid their own expenses  out
 of their sufficiency1 the poor gathered
 in bands to beg1 giving  thanks to the 
hands that helped them4  ,these did the 

,master instruct  gladly and without    
price when besought so to do for ,god's 
sake1 for he  was a true father of the  
needy1 and he exhorted them to strive to
 turn  their studies to ,god's service2 
but wandering and froward fellows he    
would not admit nor endure1 but either  
by correction changed them to a  better 
mind or drove them forth from his       
presence1 lest the naughtiness  of such 
presumptuous persons might work ill to  
them that were well  disposed to obey1  
and disturb the peace of the studious   
flock and their  ,rector4  ,so he was a 
rod of fear to the idle1 but a staff of 
protection  and safety to them that were
 well disposed to learn4  ,many of his  
hearers1 when they had laid fitting     
foundation of knowledge1 flew higher  to
 loftier studies1 and those who bore    
them diligently were promoted to  the   
degree of ,masters in a short while1 and
 certain of these applying  themselves  
to yet fuller knowledge were found      
worthy to be counted in the  number of  

the ,doctors4    ,the great city of     
,paris doth know1 holy ,cologne and     
,erfurt do confess1  and the ,curia at  
,rome is not ignorant of this1 namely1  
the number of  learned men whom the     
school of ,zwolle sent forth while      
,master ,john ,cele  ruled her with all 
diligence1 which thing he continued for 
a great while1  even until his hair grew
 white1 for they say that this venerable
 ,master  governed the scholars here for
 more than forty years4    ,this is his 
great glory1 that so vast a multitude of
 his scholars speak  well of him1 so    
many illustrious ,clerks praise him1 so 
devout a company  of monks still        
remember his name4    ,all things were  
well at ,zwolle beneath his rule2 they  
of the world were  not at enmity with   
the scholars1 the devout might serve    
,god freely where  they would1 the      
,religious were under good supervision1 
and ,priests of  honest life were       
accepted of the citizens4    ,they who  
governed the people feared ,god and were

 endowed with wisdom and  riches2       
moreover1 amongst them were many learned
 magistrates who had been  of old       
disciples of ,john1 and as was fitting1 
they ever held him in love  and         
reverence4  ,he had collected many books
 for his own use1 both of  philosophy   
and divinity1 and he directed that after
 his death these  should be distributed 
for pious uses2 for some he left as a   
pious  bequest1 and for the good of his 
own soul1 to churches1 some to          
monasteries1 and some to the poor4  ,so 
this is that revered and justly  praised
 ,master ,john ,cele1 a native of the   
town of ,zwolle1 a man well  taught1    
learned1 not puffed up by knowledge1    
sober1 chaste1 humble1 and  devout4     
,once he had gone to the country of     
,brabant with the venerable ,master     
,gerard ,groote to see face to face that
 man most dear to ,god1 ,john           
,ruesbroeck1 one that was illustrious   
for his life and doctrine1 for he  had  
known him from afar1 since his fame was 

noised abroad1 and this  journey he made
 out of love for his devout and holy    
life4  ,john  ,ruesbroeck received them 
both in fatherly wise1 and after a few  
days they  returned to their own        
habitation1 greatly refreshed by the    
words of his  mouth and by his living   
example4  ,this is more fully set forth 
in the  book of the life of that        
memorable ,father4  ,from this time     
forth the  flame of brotherly love      
burned yet more vehemently in the heart 
of each1  and1 indeed1 ,john ,cele did  
wondrously love ,gerard from the very   
beginning  of his preaching1 ever       
holding him dear1 and a man of one heart
 with him  in ,christ1 one that did     
treat well of the ,word of ,god before  
the people1  showed a pattern of life in
 his own conduct1 and was very fervent  
in his  zeal for souls4  ,for this      
reason ,master ,john bore the reproach  
of men and  much evil speaking from the 
froward1 who never fail so to entreat   
them  that do well2 and this befell him 

because he encouraged and praised the   
acts of the ,master and the glorious    
words of his preaching1 yet was he  not 
overcome by the snarls of envious folk1 
nor ceased greatly to extol  ,gerard1   
but before the magistrates and the      
people he spake freely on  behalf of the
 ,religious4  ,to him did ,gerard       
address certain friendly  letters1 and  
,john1 who loved the ,master's words    
with all his heart1 did  collect the    
whole number of his epistles1 because of
 his delight in  reading them4          
,likewise he did often mention the      
venerable ,master by name  to his       
scholars1 as one whom he knew well1 and 
in his own pleasant voice  did recount  
his deeds for an example to them4  ,this
 is the end of the  life of ,john1 that 
faithful servant of ,christ ,jesus1 to  
whom may ,god  grant to enjoy the glory 
of heaven with all the saints4  ,his    
body was  buried at ,windesem1 in the   
ancient cloister1 near the door of the  
church4        ,,chapter ,,xxi4         

,concerning ,john ,brinckerinck1 a      
disciple of ,master ,gerard4    ,in the 
year of the ,lord #adai1 on the #bfth of
 ,march1 that is to say1 on  the day    
following the ,annunciation of the      
,blessed ,virgin ,mary1 ,john           
,brinckerinck died at ,deventer4  ,he   
was a man beloved of ,god1 a devout     
,priest and ,rector1 and ,confessor to  
the ,beguines in the ,house of ,master  
,gerard ,groote4  ,he was born of good  
parents in the city of ,zutphen1 in     
,geldria1 and in the years of his youth 
he began the devout life through  the   
preaching of ,master ,gerard1 for in a  
short while he became a disciple  of the
 ,master and was adorned with special   
grace2 moreover1 he heard many  good    
things from him1 and received from his  
mouth words of heavenly  wisdom1 for he 
oft held converse with him in the       
,house1 and yet more  often without when
 they journeyed4    ,after ,gerard's    
happy death1 ,john was ordained to the  
priesthood1 and when  ,john de ,gronde1 

the first ,confessor of the ,sisters at 
,deventer died1 he  ruled the said      
,sisterhood which ,gerard had founded1  
being set up as the  second ,rector     
thereof1 in which office he was a       
zealous minister1 and he  governed the  
,sisters in most excellent wise for many
 years1 for ,god  helped him4           
,sometimes he preached the ,word of ,god
 in church to the  people1 and he drew  
many to the service of ,god as handmaids
 of ,christ2  and when the congregation 
of ,sisters had begun to grow in merit  
and to  increase daily in number1 he    
began to build a monastery for the ,nuns
 of  the ,order of ,regulars outside the
 city of ,deventer towards the north1 a 
work done with great and daily labour1  
and he ruled the same most  strictly    
with all diligence4    ,through his     
example and his counsels1 which promoted
 the salvation of  many1 a great number 
of other ,houses for ,nuns were begun in
 divers parts1  of which some were under
 the discipline of the ,canons ,regular1

 while  others professed the rule of the
 third ,order and were incorporated     
therein4    ,his body was taken to his  
own monastery at ,diepenvene1 and there 
buried  in the choir before the ,high   
,altar1 and after his death ,john ,hoef 
was  preferred to be ,rector of the     
,sisters in ,deventer1 but the care of  
the  ,nuns was committed to the ,prior  
of ,windesem4        ,,chapter ,,xxii4  
,of the death of ,gisbert ,dou1 ,rector 
of the ,sisters at ,amsterdam4    ,in   
the year of the ,lord #adbj1 on the day 
before the ,feast of the ,nativity  of  
the glorious ,virgin ,mary1 ,gisbert    
,dou died in ,holland4  ,he was a       
,priest of reverend life and ,rector and
 ,confessor to many ,sisters in         
,amsterdam1 and he did also promote and 
found two monasteries for the  ,canons  
,regular4  ,this man of ,god1 from the  
beginning of his conversion1  was very  
familiar with ,gerard ,groote1 and his  
close friend1 for he knew  his inmost   
thoughts better than did any other      

mortal man1 both the good  thoughts and 
the bad alike1 and whatever ,gerard did 
in his life1 for he  was his ,confessor 
and his most faithful confidant in those
 things which  pertain to the           
examination of the conscience4  ,he held
 with him1  therefore1 most devout      
colloquies1 frequently conferring with  
him as to  the condition of the         
,brothers or ,sisters1 and the things   
needful to  preserve the devotion which 
had begun in many places4  ,but through 
the  bounty of ,god he lived safely for 
many years to comfort the good1 and he  
often preached the ,word of ,god        
publicly in the church to the people4   
,he  was kindly and liberal in          
hospitality to all who came to him1 a   
faithful  helper of the poor1 a sweet   
comforter to the sad1 a staunch friend  
to the  ,religious4  ,the mighty looked 
favourably upon him1 the simple folk and
  the community loved him1 and learned  
men and prelates heard him  reverently2 
and so having fulfilled seventy-five    

years of life1 he died  in a good old   
age amongst the ,fathers of his ,house1 
and was buried in the  ,convent of the  
,sisters of our ,order4    ,in the year 
of the ,lord #adej1 ,peter de ,mera1    
,chamberlain to our ,lord  ,eugenius    
,,iv1 obtained a letter granting        
,indulgence to our ,house1 namely1  to  
the ,prior1 the ,brothers1 the          
,converts1 the ,donates1 and the        
,oblates in  the ,house on ,mount ,st4  
,agnes2 and the purport of his letter   
was as  followeth3    ,most blessed     
,father and most holy ,lord1 ,this      
petition is made to further  the        
salvation of the souls of your devout   
servants ,theodoric the ,prior1  the    
,canons or ,brothers1 and the other     
members of the community who dwell  in  
the ,monastery on ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1   
near ,zwolle1 following the rule of  the
 ,order of ,canons ,regular1 which      
monastery is in the diocese of          
,utrecht3 likewise on behalf of the     
servants of this same ,house1 and of    

other ,priors1 ,canons1 ,brothers1      
members of the community1 and servants1 
who shall dwell from time to time in the
 aforesaid monastery2 wherefore  that in
 future they may be ordered in more     
wholesome wise we beseech your  holiness
 to deign of your grace to grant them   
,indulgence to the effect  following1   
namely1 that as long as they continue in
 the verity of the  faith1 the unity of 
the ,holy ,roman ,church1 in obedience  
and in devotion  to your holiness and   
your successors1 the ,chief ,pontiffs of
 the ,holy  ,roman ,church1 who shall be
 canonically elected1 so long a suitable
  ,confessor chosen by them shall have  
power under the authority of the        
,apostolic ,see to grant to them when in
 articulo mortis full remission of  all 
sin which they may have confessed with  
contrition of heart4  ,provided  always 
that they presume not to do any unlawful
 thing through their  reliance upon this
 ,indulgence1 and provided also that so 
soon as they are  notified of this      

,indulgence they keep fast on every     
,friday for one whole  year1 or do some 
other act of piety3 but if they have    
neglected to fast  or been unable to do 
so1 or if it hath been their custom     
heretofore so to  fast on every ,friday1
 then they shall be bound to perform    
some other  special act of grace in     
accordance with the directions of the   
aforesaid  ,confessor4    ,the privilege
 desired in this petition is granted to 
all professed  ,brothers1 ,converts1 and
 ,oblates1 under perpetual vows1 so long
 as they  live in the observance of the 
rule4    ,given in the presence of our  
,lord the ,pope1                        
,c4 ,,arminiensis4    ,it is asked also 
that the aforesaid licence hold good    
without letters  ,apostolic to confirm  
the same4                               
,granted4  ,c4 ,,arminiensis4           
,,chapter ,,xxiii4      ,as to the      
gaining of ,indulgences at the stations 
in ,rome4    ,to the venerable and      
devout ,priors at ,windesem and ,mount  

,st4 ,agnes near  ,zwolle1 and to the   
,priests and ,fathers unfeignedly       
beloved in ,christ  ,jesus1 these1 from 
,brother ,everard ,swane of the ,house  
of the ,blessed  ,virgin in the ,wood   
near ,northorn1 your unprofitable       
servant1 good  ,fathers4  ,venerable    
,fathers1 most beloved in ,christ       
,jesus1 my love is  ever ready to serve 
you1 and ,i was desired by divers       
persons1 yea1 and  besought1 as ,i      
understood1 by some of your ,brothers   
also1 to write to the  ,curia to enquire
 as to the virtue and extent of the     
,indulgences granted  at certain        
stations in ,rome by our most ,holy     
,father ,pope ,eugenius ,,iv1 the       
granting of which ,indulgences was      
promoted by my ,lord the ,cardinal as ye
  do know4  ,i was required to ask the  
virtue of such1 and how they might be   
obtained2 this thing1 therefore1 ,i did 
long since1 and ,i have received a      
reply to this effect1 namely3 ,that no  
man may know fully the virtue and       

extent of these ,indulgences1 because   
from the time of ,st4 ,peter onward1    
,indulgences beyond number have been    
given and granted by divers  ,pontiffs4 
,i have spoken likewise on this matter  
with certain persons that are about  the
 ,court1 and to put the matter shortly1 
these also are unable to give  any      
certain decision in the matter1 but1    
arguing it amongst themselves1  some    
said that the remission of all sins may 
be obtained at any station2  others held
 and said that all ,indulgences granted 
throughout the whole  city may be       
obtained at any one of the stations4    
,which is the truer  argument ,i dare   
not to say1 beloved ,fathers1 but this  
,i know full well of  mine own knowledge
 and experience1 that ,cardinals1       
,prelates1 and others1  both men and    
women1 throughout the whole city1 are   
wont to be zealous in  visiting each    
several station2 neither is it the usage
 there to make any  reference to the    
virtue or extent of the ,indulgences1   

even inwardly1 but  every man doth      
commit this matter to ,god ,who alone   
doth know the tale of  the same1 and we 
too ought to follow this custom4  ,but  
as concerning the  gaining of the same1 
of which ,i have made mention above1 the
 ,chamberlain  of my ,lord ,bologna1 who
 returned to this country a short while 
ago for  divers purposes1 hath told me  
thereof by word of mouth1 and he saith  
that  he himself was present when the   
,indulgences were granted4  ,every man  
that  hath made his confession and is   
contrite1 and hath fulfilled the        
conditions laid down in the letter      
wherein the ,indulgence was             
granted--that is1 living in common and  
in the observance of the rule--may  gain
 the same in the church of his own      
monastery4  ,and these conditions  are  
that he enter the church with the same  
intention that he would have  in ,rome  
were he present there on the proper days
 for visiting the  stations2 that he    
prostrate himself before the altar which

 he would have  chosen there1 and pour  
forth his prayers or certain repetitions
 of the  ,pater ,noster as devoutly as  
he may3 that he celebrate ,mass3 or     
visit the  several altars saying the    
,pater ,noster or other prayers after   
the same  manner as that which is       
customary in the aforesaid city4  ,in   
short1 if  any man doth as is aforesaid1
 there is sure hope that he will gain   
the  ,indulgences just as if he were    
actually present in ,rome1 as is set    
forth  also in the said letter4         
,therefore1 beloved ,fathers1 ye may1 if
 it  please you1 tell these things to   
the ,brothers of your ,house1 or to any 
others ye will that desire to be        
informed as to the matters set forth    
above1 and in this do as may seem       
expedient to you4  ,as for our ,lord    
,eugenius the ,pope1 aforementioned1 who
 hath granted and given us  ,indulgences
 so freely1 and my ,lord of ,bologna who
 procured the grant1 and  others who    
have laboured in what manner soever to  

this same end1 ye will  7as they do     
trust7 make mention of them in your     
prayers1 especially on  the days proper 
for the stations1 committing them to    
,god for the sake of  ,jesus the humble4
  ,and may ,he see fit to keep you1 and 
all that are  committed to your charge1 
safe in ,his holy service4    ,written  
on the day following the ,feast of ,st4 
,philip and ,st4 ,james1 in  the year of
 the ,lord #addc4        ,,chapter      
,,xxiv4      ,the letter of the         
,cardinal of ,bologna4    ,antony1 by   
the mercy of ,god1 ,bishop of ,ostia1   
,cardinal of the ,holy ,roman  ,church1 
and commonly known as the ,cardinal of  
,bologna1 to all and each of  the       
,canons ,regular1 our beloved in        
,christ1 and to all other persons that  
are ,converts or ,lay ,brothers in the  
,house of the ,blessed ,virgin in the   
,wood1 and in the ,houses elsewhere that
 belong to the said ,order of ,st4      
,augustine in whatever diocese they may 
be1 and who live in the observance  of  

the rule1 and to others who shall see   
these presents1 greeting3    ,it is a   
just thing1 and one consonant with      
reason1 to bear witness to the  truth2  
wherefore by the tenor of these presents
 we do notify your whole  society1 and  
bear witness that our most holy ,father 
and ,lord ,eugenius ,,iv1  by divine    
providence ,pope1 by his ,apostolic     
authority hath granted to  each and all 
of you ,indulgence and ,concession      
following at my prayer and  instance1   
the same being delivered by word of     
mouth and needing no  further           
confirmation by letters ,apostolic4  ,ye
 are not bound in any way  whatever to  
avoid any man1 even though he be for the
 time being held  under sentence of     
excommunication1 either at the time of  
the celebration  of the divine          
,mysteries or at other seasons 7unless  
indeed there be any  in your churches   
that are publicly denounced as          
excommunicate71 nor shall  such         
intercourse be held to impute guilt to  

you or to any one of your  company4     
,likewise and by similar authority he   
doth grant to you1 that  those among you
 that for the time being do suffer      
infirmities in the body  be not bound to
 say or recite the ,canonical ,hours    
during the time of such  infirmity1 nor 
be deemed to be under such compulsion so
 that they be  excused by the counsel of
 such suitable ,confessors as may be    
chosen from  your body4    ,likewise    
that each ,prelate of your several      
churches shall have authority  with     
regard to vows to make pilgrimage across
 the seas1 to the shrine of  the        
,blessed ,peter and ,paul1 or other     
places of pilgrimage which ought to  be 
paid by you1 or any one of you1 from    
time to time1 to commute the same  to   
other acts of piety4    ,furthermore and
 by the authority aforesaid he doth     
grant to the followers  of your devotion
 this concession3    ,whereas           
,indulgences have been granted by the   
,apostolic ,see to faithful  persons all

 and sundry who from year to year       
devoutly visit certain  churches in the 
which stations are appointed for certain
 days--and of  these churches some are  
within1 and some without the city--and  
whereas  these ,indulgences are granted 
to persons who visit the said churches  
on  the days for which stations for this
 purpose are appointed2    ,now         
therefore he doth grant that each and   
all of you1 being truly  penitent and   
having made confession1 may and ought to
 enjoy the benefits  of such            
,indulgences just as if ye had actually 
and in person visited the  churches     
aforesaid4    ,and this concession shall
 avail both for the present and time to 
come for  ever1 so that it hold good for
 those of you only who shall continue to
  live in common1 and in your own       
community 7that is under the ,general   
,chapter71 and shall persevere in the   
observance of the said rule4          ,a
 ,,letter ,,concerning ,,the ,,first    
,,institution ,,of ,,the ,,monastery    

,,at ,,windesem4      ,here beginneth   
the preface to the work following3 with 
the whole  affection of my heart and    
mind1 and with the service of my voice  
do ,i  exalt ,god1 the ,invisible1 the  
,almighty1 and ,his only begotten son   
our  ,lord ,jesus ,christ4    ,my most  
beloved ,brother of old1 when ,i told   
the tale of the former state  of this   
,house1 of the ,fathers and ,brothers   
thereof1 and their blessed  deeds1 and  
when ,i related also the origin of this 
foundation1 thou didst  seem to lend an 
ear somewhat readily thereto4           
,furthermore1 thou didst  make request  
that some memorial thereof should be    
committed to writing  7for so it seemed 
good to thee71 because they who saw and 
knew the former  members of the ,house  
and the fervour of their lives1 are now 
almost all  dead2 and ,i am as it were  
the dregs of the cup1 the very last of  
all2 and  being already worn with age1  
it is like that ,i shall not be suffered
 to  abide long with thee4  ,for this   

cause thou dost affirm that it should be
  profitless and wasteful that by the   
lapse of time things that might         
perchance serve as an example and tend  
to the edification of some1 should  pass
 over to forgetfulness4    ,wherefore ,i
 have fulfilled thy petition1 though    
mayhap not thy full  desire1 since my   
manner of writing is coarse and         
ill-kempt2 for which  reason ,i have    
made no mention of thy name1 nor of my  
own2 and this is of  set purpose lest if
 this poor letter fall at any time into 
the hands of  another1 he might be      
offended on the very threshold and so   
not care to go  forward any further4    
,,ii4  ,the history of the origin of the
 ,new ,devotion4    ,now in the days of 
old the land of the ,english did abound 
in men great  and holy1 by whose        
saintliness and doctrine 7as saith the  
venerable ,bede7  that land was watered 
like the ,paradise of the ,lord2 and so 
it was that  certain rivulets of that   
water1 through the mercy of ,god1 flowed

 down to  this our land to make it      
fruitful4  ,for this country was up to  
that time  truly parched and ill-tended1
 inasmuch as doing service to idols1 and
  being ensnared in the errors of the   
heathen1 it was held captive of the     
devil4    ,,iii4  ,of them by whom this 
land was turned to the ,faith of        
,christ4    ,as for the first and chief 
of these spiritual rivulets1 namely that
 great  man and true saint1 ,willebrord1
 we know the tale of how he appeared    
here  by sure testimony4  ,for in the   
time of ,pepin1 ,king of the ,franks1   
and his  son ,charles the ,great1 and   
when #gjj years more or less had elapsed
 since  the birth of the ,lord1         
,willebrord with eleven others did      
irrigate the  said land with the waters 
of their holy preaching4  ,moreover1    
with the  help of his companions he did 
busy himself with breaking up the ground
  with the ploughshare of discipline1   
yet not without much difficulty2 and  in
 a short space the task of spreading the

 faith did prosper wondrously  beneath  
their hands2 for ,god worked with them1 
and did confirm their  words with signs 
following4    ,of a truth how great a   
fervour of faith and devotion flourished
 in this  our land under their guidance1
 and for a long while after their days1 
is  shown to this day1 not only by the  
testimony of the books which we have    
read1 but also by those countless       
churches and monasteries which1 as we   
see1 were builded on every side where   
the temples of idols had been           
overthrown4    ,,iv4  ,a lamentation    
over the waning of the aforesaid        
fervour4    ,but1 fie upon it1 this     
first fervour and regular observance of 
discipline  did in process of time grow 
so lukewarm and feeble1 that the outward
  framework thereof alone remained1 and 
as for the fruitfulness of the  truly   
spiritual life1 the devil might seem to 
have said in the words of  ,esaias1 and 
with the sole of my feet have ,i dried  
up all the rivers of  defence4    ,a    

certain aged man and an honoured priest 
spake in my hearing of this  drouth and 
failure of devotion1 and referring to   
the time of which ,i  tell1 he said that
 in the days of his youth and in these  
parts of the ,low  ,countries1 all      
things pertaining to devotion and       
charity were so brought  to nothingness1
 that if any were touched inwardly by a 
desire to amend  his life1 he would     
scarce find one single man from whom to 
ask counsel2  nor scarce one spot where 
he could put these fledgling desires    
into a  place of safety1 unless it were 
among the ,carthusians2 for amongst them
  ,religious observance and the vigour  
of spiritual life did flourish at  that 
time1 but scarce amongst any others4    
,v4  ,of the rise of the ,new ,devotion 
in our land4    ,since1 therefore1 there
 was such drouth throughout the whole   
land 7as  hath been said before7 that   
there seemed to be no trace anywhere of 
the  ancient devotion1 the good ,lord   
looked down from ,heaven upon the earth 

with the eye of ,his mercy1 and made    
rise a little fount in these failing    
days and in our land that was desert1   
pathless1 and unwatered2 which  fount   
grew by little and little to be a river 
7as is said in the ,book of  ,esther71  
and after a while into much water to    
irrigate not trees that are             
corruptible1 but souls1 which truly are 
the plants of that garden which  is of  
the ,spirit and faileth not4    ,,vi4   
,of ,master ,gherard ,groet4    ,master 
,gherard ,groet was this memorable      
fount1 and not unworthily is he  thus   
typified1 having been small in his lowly
 esteem and abnegation of  himself1 but 
as his name doth signify1 in the sight  
of ,god mighty to  overthrow by the     
sword of this word of the ,lord the foes
 that rise up  against the salvation of 
,his elect1 so that he and his beloved  
sons might  gain the inheritance of     
,israel4  ,one may say fitly enough of  
this man  what ,st4 ,augustine saith of 
,paulinus1 who from being very rich     

became for  ,god's sake very poor and   
yet with full store of holiness4        
,moreover1 like ,anah1 he found the hot 
springs in the desert1 namely1 the      
sweetness of divine love beyond common  
measure1 together with abundant  zeal to
 gain souls1 and an hatred of           
wickedness4    ,having these things     
before his eyes he spared not while he  
lived either  toil or cost1 for he went 
about preaching everywhere in hunger and
  thirst1 in cold and nakedness4        
,,vii4  ,of his death4    ,at length    
after much strife1 and having converted 
many to ,christ1 this  most blessed     
,father passed happily to the ,lord in  
the year of the ,lord  #achd2 and he    
left the residue of the work1 of which  
he himself had done  enough1 to his     
little ones1 those whom he had gathered 
under his wings  that they might promote
 the salvation of many and be their     
pattern1 whom  also he had nurtured with
 the milk of his goodness and his       
sweet-savoured  doctrine2 for it was his

 intention that through them should be  
finished  that work which he had ever in
 mind1 and had striven to carry into    
effect  so far as he could2 namely1 to  
snatch souls from the jaws of the devil 
and restore them to their ,maker4  ,this
 work his followers in their time  were 
not backward to do1 neither have their  
successors to the present day  ceased to
 fulfil the same task4    ,,viii4       
,concerning ,florentius and his         
companions4    ,of these primitive      
disciples of ,master ,gherard1 the first
 and chief was  that ,florentius1 son of
 ,radewin1 who was wonderful in all     
holiness and  honesty of character1 and 
whose name that ,house1 which was the   
first of  all the congregations of      
,clerks only1 doth still retain4  ,in   
like manner  one ,house at ,deventer    
still hath its name from ,gherard       
,groet1 because it  was the ,house      
wherein he dwelt1 and afterward this was
 the first of all  the congregations of 
women4  ,this ,florentius with his      

companions that  were men of light1 and 
whose names and deeds are of record1    
made no small  gain of souls for the    
,lord1 especially amongst the scholars  
that were  ,clerks1 and by their labours
 the monasteries of divers orders were  
propped up in no slight degree and      
reformed also1 the ,lord working by     
their means4    ,,ix4  ,how like things 
were done in other cities4              
,florentius seeing that this was good1  
and that indeed no sacrifice could  be  
more acceptable to ,god than zeal for   
souls1 sent devout and learned  men to  
other cities also to do a like work1    
especially to places where  there were  
schools largely attended1 such as       
,zwolle1 ,doesborch1  ,herderwijc and   
the like2 and these men lived a common  
life like that in  the congregation     
already founded1 and gained their       
livelihood by writing  books4  ,they    
studied most of all to draw to ,christ  
such scholars as were  ,clerks and when 
they were so drawn and converted1 to    

send them to the  several monasteries   
and congregations1 there to serve the   
,lord4  ,moreover1  the conversion of   
these and their conversation was a cause
 and means of  salvation to many1 as we 
found out afterward in the case of      
divers of  them4  ,so much of their     
calling ,clerks to ,christ4    ,x4  ,of 
the names of the ,fathers and ,rectors  
of the first congregation4              
,furthermore1 with regard to the        
,fathers of the former congregations 7to
  go back a little to my former         
subject71 ,i1 in the hearing of ,christ 
,jesus1 without whom nothing can be     
begun or founded duly1 do say as        
followeth3    ,through what act of grace
 or miracle came it to pass that as     
,master  ,gherard ,groet was preaching  
and sowing the seed everywhere1 there   
were  added to him so suddenly and      
unexpectedly men of such kind and so    
great1  for these were of one mind with 
him1 and every one of them in each city 
and place burned with the zeal with     

which he also burned to exhort and      
convert a people that was stiff necked4 
,yet with all diligence they set  them  
to the task of gathering together       
virgins as pearls from the shells  and  
most pure lilies from the thorns4       
,these were in their days true          
bridesmen and friends of the bridegroom1
 who hear and rejoice because of  the   
bridegroom's voice3 who strove with     
emulation in ,god's behalf to  present  
the whole body of plighted virgins whom 
they had gathered  together as one      
chaste virgin to one husband1 even to   
,christ4    ,thou dost ask1 perhaps1    
,who are they whom thou dost so commend1
 and what  are their names8  ,hear then3
    ,in ,deventer1 ,john ,brinckerinc   
ruled over the virgins that were first  
gathered together there1 and from these 
in after days sprang the ,house at      
,dyepenween1 which was under the same   
,rector4    ,in ,zutphen was ,henry of  
,huesden2 in ,doesborch1 ,tric ,gruter2 
in ,zwolle1  ,henry of ,gouda2 in       

,kampen1 ,tric of ,gramsberch2 in       
,utrecht1 ,werembold4  ,in  ,amersfoort1
 ,william son of ,henry2 in ,leyden1    
,peter of ,poel2 in ,harlem1  ,hugo     
,goltsmit2 in ,amsterdam1 ,ghijsbert of 
,oude2 in ,horn1 ,paul of  ,medenblic4  
,likewise in ,enchusen1 ,paul of that   
city2 in ,pormereynde1  ,nicolas of that
 city2 in ,almelo1 ,everard of ,eza2    
likewise in ,schutdorp1  ,henry of that 
city4  ,these are the holy men whom the 
,lord chose with love  unfeigned to     
carry on and complete ,his work which   
,master ,gherard ,groet  had begun in   
wholesome wise by ,his inspiration1 as  
hath been set forth  already4  ,holiness
 made them priests1 learning made them  
doctors1  diligence made them profitable
 rectors of many congregations1 and zeal
  for the gaining of souls made them    
notable preachers as hath been found  in
 the case of many of them4  ,o happy day
 on which that great ,gherard was  born 
amongst us1 for he was the fount and    
source whence flowed the waters  of     

salvation to our land1 so that what     
before his time had been parched  became
 a pool1 and the thirsty land1 springs  
of water4    ,,xi4  ,of the             
multiplication of the devout1 especially
 of virgins4    ,from this time forth   
the fount that once was small began to  
grow by means  of the rivulets aforesaid
 into abundant waters1 that is1         
monasteries  without number and         
congregations also which fed them1 so   
that it should  seem that the saying in 
,exodus was fulfilled which saith of the
 sons of  ,israel how that when ,joseph 
died his seed was multiplied exceedingly
 and  filled the land4  ,thus it came to
 pass that the people1 both men and     
women1 loved a life of virginity1 and in
 chastity emulated the dwellers  in     
,heaven4  ,but above all there was a    
vast band of women that were  virgins   
who despised the thought of motherhood1 
and spurned this flowery  world with    
contempt1 ever showing by their         
thoughts1 their deeds1 and  their       

bearing1 that they desired rather to be 
united to that ,spouse ,who  is in      
,heaven4  ,what state is there to-day1  
what township or city in the  whole     
province of ,cologne but rejoiceth to   
have known the savour and  scent of     
these same lilies8  ,yet was there      
diversity in their lots1 for  as ,paul  
doth testify of himself1 so too was it  
with them2 some having a  savour of life
 unto life1 and some a savour of death  
unto death4  ,but in  this the matter of
 their election is most clearly shown1  
and likewise the  fact that they were   
not of the world1 because they ever bare
 the world's  hatred and persecution1   
sometimes suffering at the hands of     
parents and  kindred1 sometimes from    
rulers and the common folk of the cities
 and  towns1 beneath which persecution  
they bore themselves with all patience  
and humility2 yet they suffered most    
greatly from false teachers and         
preachers who were zealous to assail    
with mad words1 and to persecute a      

manner of life that they knew not1 yet  
did not they not prevail4    ,,xii4     
,how a certain monk of ,cologne was put 
to confusion4    ,for example1 one such 
was preaching in ,cologne at the time of
 the ,prague  heresy1 and he said among 
other matter3 ,ye do go to ,prague to   
contend  with heretics whom ye might    
find readily in your midst--even in ,st4
  ,gereon's ,street--by which he        
signified the ,sisters of the           
congregation  who dwelt in the said     
street4  ,but the great ones of the city
 took the  word very ill1 saying that   
such a thing was never heard1 namely1   
that  heretics should dwell in the fair 
city of ,cologne4  ,but why should ,i   
say  more8  ,at length the matter was   
referred to the bishops and to the      
university1 and1 save that the monk had 
somewhat speedily sought refuge  by     
flight1 it would have conduced to his   
own detriment that he ever  preached    
that word in ,cologne4    ,,xiii4  ,how 
the ,sisters were examined4             

,forthwith ,master ,henry de ,gorinchem 
was sent to enquire into the charge  of 
the false preacher aforesaid 7for this  
,master ,henry was held in the  highest 
esteem among theologians at that time71 
and he did skilfully  perform the task  
assigned to him1 examining the affairs  
and condition of  those ,sisters with   
all diligence1 and when he understood   
clearly their  sincerity in the ,faith2 
their obedience in all things to ,holy  
,church2 how  that they had given up all
 personal property both in goods and in 
their  own will2 their chastity and how 
in all things they did imitate the      
,mother of ,christ2 their patience in   
watching1 fasting1 and in seeking to    
gain their whole sustenance by the      
labour of their hands1 he was           
astonished thereat and returning to     
those who had sent him he spake  openly1
 saying1 ,if this life be not that in   
which every ,christian ought  to follow 
,christ1 then have ,i never read the    
,scriptures4  ,and from that  time he   

bore such goodwill toward them1 that    
very often he would help  them in their 
suits1 and likewise by his will he      
distributed notable  gifts amongst them4
    ,,xiv4  ,concerning ,master ,bernard
 de ,reyda4    ,next in order there was 
the disciple and successor of this      
doctor1  namely1 ,master ,bernard de    
,reyda1 who may fittingly be reckoned   
amongst  the most illustrious1 and he   
ruled over the ,sisters aforesaid until 
the  present day1 being also their      
,confessor and ,fellow ,commoner4  ,but 
whither  have we come8  ,verily it was  
our purpose1 according to thy petition  
to  say somewhat of the first members of
 our ,house at ,windesem for thy        
delectation3 but ,i do confess ,i have  
been led further than ,i thought by  my 
desire to bring forth into the light the
 names of the ,fathers  aforementioned  
who were well known to me1 fearing lest 
in process of time  they should be      
hidden altogether in the darkness of    
silence1 which thing  ,god forbid4  ,but

 in the second place1 the savour of     
these sweet-scented  lilies that were   
now spread far and wide amid the        
monasteries and  congregations1 did     
compel me to bear some testimony as to  
their number  and their most holy       
conversation1 while the breath of life  
is yet whole  in me4  ,for unworthy     
though ,i be1 ,i have conversed with    
them for these  many years past1        
visiting and holding colloquies with    
them1 and ,i have  ever found them firm 
in the faith1 and in deed effectual2    
wherefore let  any man say what he will 
of them1 but ,i say with ,balaam3 ,let  
me die the  death of the ,righteous1 and
 let my last end be like theirs--but let
 us  return to the purpose whence we    
have wandered4    ,,xv4  ,of the origin 
of the ,house at ,windesem4    ,so under
 ,florentius and his companions there   
grew a great company of  devout persons1
 both ,clerks and ,laics1 who either    
wished to dwell with  them or at least  
relied upon their wholesome admonition  

and counsel4    ,amongst these were two 
men of no mean rank according to worldly
 dignity1  sagacious in mind and        
sufficiently learned for their degree1  
namely ,henry  de ,wilsen1 a citizen of 
,kampen1 and ,goswin ,tyasen1 a citizen 
of ,zwolle4  ,these two1 being prudent  
men and well skilled in worldly matters1
 were a  strong stay to ,florentius and 
his companions1 and ever present helpers
 in  all the work that the ,lord had    
ordained should be done through them4   
,but when they saw how1 that after the  
death of ,master ,gherard ,groet of     
holy memory1 the heavens continually    
dropped honey1 and how that from the    
seed which ,gherard had planted and the 
skies bedewed from above1 many          
congregations of men and women began to 
spring up on every side1 they  rejoiced 
with exceeding joy2 also they began to  
hold many colloquies  amongst           
themselves1 as to how this good         
beginning that had its wholesome  origin
 from ,god might continue unshaken for a

 yet longer space to ,his  glory1 and   
the salvation of many souls4    ,they   
found by ,god's inspiration that this   
might be done by the means  following1  
that is to say1 if a monastery of some  
approved order1 but  preferably of the  
,canons ,regular1 should be founded1    
under whose shadow  all the devout      
turtle-doves might have a secure refuge 
from the swoop of  the falcon4  ,but    
where might a place be found1 and the   
other things also  that were needful for
 the carrying out of such a work8  ,for1
 as saith the  ,apostle of the calling  
of the primitive ,church1 so amongst    
these also  there were not many rich1   
not many noble--save them that their    
virtue did  make noble and them that    
voluntary poverty did make rich before  
,god4    ,wherefore these ,converts     
prayed to the ,lord with all their      
hearts1 that  ,he1 without whom no good 
thing is begun1 carried forward1 or     
ended1 might  deign effectually to show 
them what might be ,his good pleasure in

 this  business2 and they remembered    
likewise that ,master ,gherard ,groet   
ever  kept the same purpose in mind1    
although he could not carry his desire  
into effect1 for death was beforehand   
with him4    ,,xvi4  ,concerning        
,brother ,bertold1 and the site of this 
monastery4    ,the ,lord therefore1 that
 ,he might show how ,he was the cause   
and the  beginner of all these things1  
stirred up the spirit of a young ,clerk 
named ,bertold ten ,hove1 who was the   
owner of broad meadows1 and             
particularly of an estate that is called
 ,hof to ,windesem--where by  ,god's aid
 we now do dwell--and he1 coming to     
,florentius and his company1  did of his
 own act and free will offer to give    
himself and all his  possessions into   
their hands for the service of ,god1 and
 he desired  earnestly that a monastery 
might be builded in the aforesaid place1
 if  this might be done4    ,when they  
knew this1 all betook them to praising  
,god1 reaching up their  hands toward   

,heaven2 for they held it as a most sure
 sign that ,he had  heard their prayer1 
and had promised to be1 by some means or
 other1 the  promoter of this cause4    
,straightway so many of them as were    
owners of  houses or lands sold them and
 put the price into ,florentius' hands1 
or at  least resigned the same for the  
use of the monastery that should be     
builded4    ,,xvii4  ,of the goodwill   
and consent of ,florentius the ,lord    
,bishop4    ,forthwith they began to be 
instant with the venerable ,lord        
,florentius of  ,wevelichoven1 who was  
then ,bishop of ,utrecht1 for his       
consent to the  founding of a monastery1
 and for the privileges needful for this
  business2 and him they found most     
gracious in all things1 for he had a    
special love of virtue4    ,this was    
done in the year of the ,lord #achf1 and
 by the co-operation of  ,god 7good men 
also reaching forth an hand to help     
them7 the affair so  prospered that in  
the year following1 that is in #achg1 on

 the day  following the ,feast of ,st4  
,gallus the ,confessor1 an humble church
 and  burial-ground and also four altars
 were consecrated in due order by       
,hubert1 the venerable ,bishop of       
,yppuse1 in honour of the ,holy         
,trinity1  and the ,blessed ,virgin and 
others4    ,,xviii4  ,of the first      
,brothers of this monastery4    ,but    
since it is written1 ,not the people for
 the place's sake1 but the  place for   
the people's sake1 we must see who were 
the first to dwell  here2 since indeed  
these were the founders and the pattern 
of all who did  afterwards come under   
the ,chapter of ,windesem4    ,in the   
first place there was ,henry of ,uxaria1
 at that time the only  priest amongst  
them1 and he was appointed ,rector by   
the ,bishop1 by whose  commission the   
said ,henry received the ,religious     
habit from the  suffragan4    ,next     
there was ,henry de ,wilsen and ,goswin 
,tyasen1 who were invested as  ,clerks1 
that did devote themselves1 for they    

would not be promoted to  holy orders by
 reason of a stain that did unfit them  
under the rule4  ,also  there were these
 following3 ,brother ,john of ,huesden1 
,brother ,henry ,wilde1  ,brother       
,werner ,keencamp1 ,brother ,bertold ten
 ,hove1 ,brother ,john ,kempis1  and    
,brother ,henry ,balveren4  ,all these  
were sons and disciples of  ,florentius1
 from whose breast they sucked in       
abundance the milk of all  goodness1    
which same they poured forth without    
stint for their posterity  in after     
days4    ,these men and certain others  
of the community1 whose will was good   
thereto1 were marked out by ,florentius 
to build the monastery in the  place    
aforesaid1 and to take the habit of     
,holy ,religion therein to the  ,glory  
of ,christ2 which task they were forward
 to fulfil with wisdom and  all speed2  
also to the men above named there were  
added1 a short space  afterward1 certain
 persons of like intention and fervour1 
namely1 ,john  ,otto of ,zoes1 ,henry   

,loder1 ,arnold of ,kalkar1 ,gherard of 
,naeldwijc1 ,john  of ,broechusen1 and  
others4    ,,xix4  ,the praise of the   
early ,fathers4    ,o ,windesem1 these  
are they by whom thy first foundations  
were laid1  through whom was kindled    
that bright light1 namely1 the rule of  
the truly  ,regular life2 so that thou  
who wast then as a grain of mustard     
seed1 the  least of all herbs1 wast     
enabled to grow into a great tree1      
beneath the  shadow of whose branches   
fowls of heaven1 without number1 might  
take  their pleasant rest4    ,,xx4     
,how the ,brothers aforesaid were       
promoted in other monasteries4    ,at   
last when many houses that sprung from  
the same stock had been founded  on all 
sides1 both for men and women1 there was
 scarce one of them but  desired that a 
pastor might be provided from amongst   
the aforesaid  ,brothers of ,windesem4  
,this we did see with our own eyes and  
hear in after days1 how ,brother  ,henry
 of ,uxaria was appointed by the        

,bishops to be the first ,rector of     
this ,house1 which office he held for   
but a short time2 then we did see       
,brother ,john of ,huesden1 a young man 
in years but hoary in mind1 who  ruled  
this church of ours for above           
thirty-three years in wholesome wise1   
to the great increase of our goods1 both
 spiritual and temporal1 and was        
beloved of ,god and man4  ,when he died 
,brother ,gherard ,naeldwijc was  chosen
 by all the ,brothers to take the place 
of the departed ,prior1 yet  scarce for 
half a year could he bear the honour and
 burden of this care  by reason of his  
exceeding lowliness1 but he renounced   
the office of  ,prior and cast off the  
burden thereof in presence of all the   
,brothers1  though this was contrary to 
the opinion of the whole community1 and 
likewise to that of the ,fathers        
gathered together in the ,chapter4      
,likewise we have seen how ,henry ,wilde
 was chosen to be ,prior at ,eemsteyn1  
,brother ,werner at ,horn1 ,brother     

,john ,kempis at ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1    
,brother  ,arnold ,kalkar at the ,fount 
of the ,blessed ,mary1 ,brother ,john   
,otto at  ,amsterdam1 ,brother ,henry   
,loder at ,northorn1 ,brother ,john     
,broechusen at  ,leerdorp1 and so forth4
    ,,xxi4  ,of the pattern of virtue   
left for us by the ,fathers4    ,and    
now1 in the last place1 one must see how
 virtuous were these men1 and  what an  
example they left for us to imitate4    
,but no one amongst men  knoweth the    
things of a man1 save the spirit of a   
man which is in him2  yet by considering
 his outward deeds one may guess what   
lieth hidden  inwardly in him4          
,,xxii4  ,of their simplicity and       
poverty4    ,one may know by the humble 
plan of the former ,house which they    
builded  how greatly these men loved    
simplicity and holy poverty4  ,for the  
inner  walls thereof were small1 and the
 ,house was covered in with reeds or    
thatch2 so at that time what is now the 
part behind the church was the  whole   

church itself2 and the chapel that is   
now was then the refectory2  the brewery
 was the kitchen1 and the old brewery   
was our mill house and  infirmary4      
,moreover1 the bounds of the monastery  
were so narrow that the  present inner  
wall on the north of the barn was then  
the extreme outer  wall of the ,house4  
,so the whole was lowly and small1 being
 arranged to  receive but few inmates4  
,,xxiii4  ,of their ,victual4    ,they  
kept a frugal and poor table1 not so    
much of necessity1 or through  lack1 as 
out of love of poverty1 and the habit   
which was implanted in  them1 which same
 they had acquired together with the    
disciples of  ,florentius4    ,so on a  
time ,i heard ,brother ,gherard         
,naeldwijc say in pleasantry that in    
those times on fast days they would     
sometimes divide one fig into four or   
six portions that so the great quantity 
of the bread they consumed might  be    
seasoned by those fragments4  ,on a time
 also there come to us1 ,i know  not    

whence1 half a jar of salted salmon1 and
 as the ,brothers were  doubting what   
should be done therewith1 ,brother      
,henry de ,wilsen1 being  ever greatly  
zealous for discipline1 persuaded them  
that by all means it  ought to be sold  
lest such new and unaccustomed dainties 
should begin to  be brought in4    ,at  
this time they had no flocks of sheep1  
nor any fishery1 nor fishers1  but so   
piously and soberly did they live that  
,gherard of ,bronchorst1 a  ,canon of   
,st4 ,saviour's1 who once sojourned for 
a while with the ,brothers  at          
,windesem1 was wont to say in his own   
pleasant manner1 ,none fare  sumptuously
 in ,windesem unless it be the swine and
 the guests4  ,so also  to drink wine   
and eat roast fowls were held in        
,windesem to be matters  that should be 
referred to the ,bishop4    ,,xxiv4  ,of
 their ,vesture4    ,their vesture and  
their utensils were notable examples of 
their true  lowliness and simplicity1 so
 that ,i remember to have seen those    

venerable  elders1 ,brother ,henry of   
,uxaria and ,brother ,henry de ,wilsen1 
wearing  garments that were altogether  
worn through by constantly rubbing      
against  the seats as they leaned back1 
and these were botched about the elbows 
with great patches of rough cloth4  ,but
 if men of their quality wore such      
vesture what wonder if the younger men  
in those days were not more  freakish   
than they in the matter of clothing8    
,indeed1 ,i lie if ,i have not seen some
 of our household that were ,laics      
wearing sad-coloured garments made of   
bark fibre1 in providing which and  like
 garments also ,brother ,henry          
,balveren1 the ,vestiarius1 showed great
  zeal1 as did the tailor1 ,brother     
,herbert1 a ,convert who was formerly a 
disciple of ,gherard ,groet4    ,they   
had likewise certain hair shirts which  
were lent from time to time  to divers  
of the younger ,brothers for the taming 
of their vices and  concupiscence1 and  
one of these was as rough as those hair 

cloths with  which the brewers'         
cauldrons are wont to be dried4         
,,xxv4  ,how they avoided all occasion  
of scandal4    ,one may see how greatly 
they preferred their own good report and
 the  edification of all men before all 
worldly good1 by this tale2 namely1     
that on a time two young men of         
,deventer came to ,windesem1 of whom one
  was called ,goswin ,comhaer 7a man who
 was afterward a great example71 but    
the other was ,conrad ,mom4  ,these     
earnestly sought to be received here1   
but the members of the ,house made      
answer saying that in this region there 
would be too much talk if this were     
done1 and if they remained in this      
place1 for their parents dwelt hard by3 
let them rather go to ,eemsteyn4  ,and  
receiving this reply the men took it ill
 enough1 so that ,i heard one  of them  
exclaim in a sad voice3 ,may ,god pity  
us in that we cannot obtain  or know any
 place of rest for this cause1 namely1  
that we are rich4  ,and  they went      

obediently to ,eemsteyn4    ,,xxvi4  ,of
 their ,charity4    ,these men also were
 wondrous charitably disposed toward all
 that did  lack1 especially toward new  
,houses of our own order that were begun
 in  poverty4  ,these they desired to   
help to an extent even beyond their     
power1 by transferring to them both     
goods and men1 as is manifest not  only 
in the matter of the two youths         
aforementioned1 but also in the case  of
 divers others that were rich and       
desired to dwell with them4  ,these     
they did often direct to other          
monasteries to relieve their needs1 for 
they sought not what might be profitable
 to themselves1 but rather what  should 
be so to others4  ,thus they sent       
,arnold ,droem to ,mount ,st4 ,agnes1   
,stephen ,wael to the ,valley of ,peace1
 and ,brother ,nicholas ,bochorst to    
,nazareth1 and so forth4    ,in like    
manner it was agreed by the community   
with regard to ,brother ,john  ten      
,water that he should be sent to the    

,fount of the ,blessed ,mary where      
there seemed to be notable scarcity2 yet
 by his lowliness and his great         
importunity that he should by no means  
be parted from the ,brothers1 he  did   
overcome this resolution4    ,but the   
well spring of their goodness ceased not
 with these1 rather it  did flow forth  
and reach all men1 especially poor      
,clerks and members of  the ,houses of  
the ,new ,devotion4  ,what man did ever 
return from them empty-  handed8 for if 
the petitioner were rich1 he brought    
back counsel1 if he  were poor he       
received help4    ,,xxvii4  ,concerning 
,gherard of ,renen4    ,there was in    
those days1 that is1 amongst the first  
,fathers1 a man of  great age1 who was  
by no means the least of his own folk1  
and his name  was ,gherard of ,renen4   
,he would sojourn for long spaces of    
time with the  ,brothers at ,windesem1  
for he was bound to them by an exceeding
 love3 and  being on a time in the      
,house at ,utrecht wherein ,i dwelt1 and

 in the  presence of a certain          
honourable matron who was his kinswoman1
 he began  to speak of the aforesaid    
,brothers1 their manner of life and     
their  virtues1 and ,i myself was there 
present also4  ,so then this woman was  
suddenly kindled to so great fervour by 
the things that she had heard  that she 
suddenly burst forth with these words3  
,ah1 if ,i were a man1 and  mine own    
master1 no one should hinder me from    
going to such a community4  ,and ,i     
verily believe that until this man told 
his tale ,i myself had never  heard     
mention of ,windesem4    ,,xxviii4  ,of 
the privileges obtained for the binding 
together of the  ,chapters4    ,after a 
short while it came to pass that three  
daughters were born to the  ,house at   
,windesem1 namely ,eemsteyn1 the ,house 
of the ,blessed ,virgin1 and  the ,house
 of the ,new ,light near ,horn4  ,and   
when in this manner the number  of the  
monasteries had grown to four1 by the   
advice of ,florentius and the  other    

,fathers aforenamed1 they sent to the   
,curia at ,rome in the time of          
,boniface the ,pope1 who granted them   
leave to gather together a ,general     
,chapter together with authority and    
fitting privileges and so forth2 for  up
 to this time they had agreed to remain 
directly under the rule of the  ,bishop4
  ,gherard of ,bronchorst1 who hath been
 named above1 did take upon  him this   
mission with all devotion1 but ,reyner  
,minnenbode1 the founder of  the        
monastery at ,eemsteyn paid1 as it is   
said1 all the expenses thereof  in most 
liberal wise4    ,,xxix4  ,of their     
manner of holding the ,chapter4    ,but 
when the ,fathers and ,brothers of these
 four ,houses held a ,chapter in  their 
humble fashion1 the ,fathers of the     
congregations whose names are  given    
above would come together1 or at least  
some of them1 and sit them  down to deal
 with matters concerning not the        
acquiring of worldly wealth1  but the   
conversion of souls and the maintenance 

of the common good4  ,and  at that time 
all were as it were one fold and one    
flock1 and in very deed  one body in    
,christ4    ,,xxx4  ,the ,conclusion4   
,what sayest thou to these things now1  
,brother most beloved1 remembering  that
 thou wast a wild olive1 and meet for   
eternal fire1 and seeing that  thou art 
now grafted1 in despite of nature1 on   
this fair and fruitful  olive tree1 and 
art become a partaker in its fatness8   
,canst thou do  aught save proclaim with
 the whole inward love of thine heart1  
,great is  thy mercy to me1 ,o ,lord1   
and ,thou hast snatched my soul from the
  nethermost ,hell8  ,for it is written 
of ,catho that he would praise his  gods
 mightily--he being but an heathen--and 
extol his own good fortune1  in that it 
had been permitted to him to be born in 
that land1 and at that  time when he    
could see ,rome and her ,empire         
flourishing in the height of  their     
prosperity2 and if this is true1        
,brother most beloved1 what return  wilt

 thou make to the ,lord thy ,god for    
that it was given thee to be born  and  
to live in this time of ,his ,most      
abundant ,goodness1 and in a land  which
 ,he1 the ,lord1 hath blessed8  ,hadst  
thou lived in the days of thy  fathers1 
before our land was illumined by the    
light of ,grace of which so  much hath  
been said already1 what else could have 
befallen but that thou  shouldest have  
done even as they did8  ,from which it  
doth follow that  thou also wouldest    
have gone even whither they went1 there 
to abide for  ever4    ,o happy days in 
which were born the leaders and chiefs  
of this new army  of ours1 ,i mean      
,gherard ,groet and ,florentius1 and    
their son's sons also1  and they that   
are born from them continually6 and so  
it shall continue to  the end of time4  
,amen4  ,may the ,mother of ,grace grant
 thee to follow  their footsteps and to 
hold fast their doctrine4    99 99 99 99
 99    ,here endeth the letter          
concerning the first institutors of the 

monastery  at ,windesem1 which letter   
was written by the venerable ,father    
,william  ,voern4