Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/230

iOC NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. anchorite's loss of liberty while ho retained his civil rights, and they allowed many acts to be done by proxy which must otherwise have been done in person. Littleton, writing temp. Edw. IV., speaks of a recluse as one " que ne poit per cause de son ordre aler hors de sa maison ; " and Coke, commenting on these words, says, " Recluse, Reclusus, lleremita, seu Anachorita, so called by the order of his religion ; he is so mured or shut up, quod solus semper sit, et in clausura sua sedet. and can never come out of his jdace. Seorsim enim et extra conversationera civilem hoc pro- fessionis genus semper habitat." ' Here Coke has assumed the hermit was confined to his cell, or has used the word (it should rather seem) as one of the designations of an anchorite. The passages in Latin are most likely from some writer of earlier date, but it does not appear whence they were derived. Grindaic, an anchorite priest in the ninth century, or as Abbe de Ranee supposes somewhat later, drew up a Rule for these solitaries, which, according to M. Legrand d'Aussy, required them to live near churclies, and beside allowing a small garden, even permitted several to dwell together in one enclosure, and have communication by a window, provided the cell of every one was separate.'- A Bavarian Rule quoted by Fosbroke "• directs the cell to be of stone, twelve feet square, with three windows ; one opposite the choir by which the sacrament was to be received, the second for admitting food, and the third for light, to be closed with horn or glass. Cells of this kind were probably in churches. The author of the vohnne before us adverts to some existing rules for other anchoresses, M-hich he did not assume to alter (pp. 412-,"}). Such having been the state of tilings in regard to recluses, this " Ancren Riwle " is to be interpreted accordingly. Though addressed to tiuee sisters on their application for it to the author, it was written to a great extent for the guidance of anchoresses generally, as he has mentioned more than once ; and some parts, as that on confession, had even a yet wider scope. The language is Saxon-English, of about the beginning of the thirteenth century. It may possibly be a few years earlier, for the writer, at p. 38.J, speaks of knowing *' a man who wearoth at the same time both a heavy cuirass [rather hauberk] and hair-cloth, bound with iron about the middle too, and liis arms with broad and tliick hands, so that to bear the sweat of it is severe sutl'ering," who yet comjdainod and said, it did not ojipress him, ami often asked the writer to teach him sduiething wherewith lie might give his body jtain ; which is very like the self-inllicted mortifica- tion of the anchorite, Ulfric of JIasell)ornugh, in Somersetshire, whose history is given by M. Paris under 1154, the year of his death. If he be the person referred to, no one who knew him, and was old enough to liave been asked by him for further means of alllicting his body, could, unless at a very advanced age, have written this wt)rk even bo late as the year 1200. Godric, the hermit of Einchale, near I)urliam, who is said to liave worn huir-cloth and a hauitcrk fifty years, died in 1170, which was fifty-seven years before Richnrd i'oore became Bi^liop of ])urham. Ilowovtir, some oilier ascetic may huvo been referred to, and tiie writer may, us the eilitor nujipo.'^es, have in en iiichard I'uore, who was • Lilt. H. 4:'.J, aii"l C"iL<: ihercdii. - Noticcn i-r LMr;iit,s lUs MS.S. v ' Ibid. !>. '2U1, la.l.'. •* Muiiucliinni, |>. .'1<'J.