Bishop of Hippo gives to the canons of his own order,—"When we enter, let us bare our heads, and going to our seats bend before the cross. Let us not behave idly, lest we give offence to any one. Let not our eyes wander, lest we give occasion for bickering, or quarrelling, or laughing; but fulfilling the saying of the blessed Hugh of Lincoln, 'let us keep our eyes upon the table, our ears with the reader, and our hearts with God.'"[1]
In the churchyard, plainly traceable by the ruined foundations, and mounds, and depressions, are the sites of the lavatory and kitchens, whilst in the fields beyond lie the fish-ponds. Everywhere, in fact, are seen the traces of the monks. Their walks still remain by the side of the Exe, overgrown with oaks, bright in the spring with blue and crimson lungwort, and sweet with violets, such as grew when Anne Beauchamp sought refuge here that dismal Easter day.
Not only do the Abbey grounds,[2] but the whole district, show the size of the monastery. Going out of Beaulieu, upon the road to Bucklershard, we come upon the ox-farm of the monks, still called Bouvery, and still famous for its grazing land. A little further, about the centre of their various farmsteads, at St. Leonard's, better known now as the Abbey Walls, stands part of the large barn, or spicarium, of the monastery, such as still remains in other parts of England—at Cerne Abbey, and Abbotsbury, and Sherborne, and Battle Abbey.[3] A modern
- ↑ Quoted from Dugdale's Monasticon Anglicanum by Warner, vol. i. p. 249.
- ↑ It is pleasant to have to add that the present noble owner, the Duke of Buccleuch, has shown not only good taste and judgment in the restoration of the dormitory and the excavation of the church, but a wise liberality in throwing the grounds open to the public.
- ↑ In Parker's Glossary of Architecture is given a list of some of these old barns. Vol. i. pp. 240, 241.
