Page:Harvard Law Review Volume 8.djvu/92

76 HARVARD LAW REVIEW. Robert Fabyan, retired merchant of London, and the well known chronicler of England, by his will dated July 11,1511/ bequeaths — " my soule to the infynite mercy of our Saviour J'hu Crist, and to the prayers and tuycion of his moost blissid moder our Lady Seynt Mary, blissid Seynt CristofTer, myn advowry [patron or advocate] ; my corps to be buried atwene my pewe and the high awter within the qwere of tlie parisshe churche of Alhalowen of Theydon Garnon, in the shyre of Essex ; at which tyme of burying and also at the monethis mynde I will that myn executrice doo cause to be carried from London xii new torches to burne in the times of said burying and monethis mynde, and also that they do purvay iv tapers of iii lb evry pece to brenne about the corps and herse for the forsaid ii seasons ; which iv tapers I wyll be holden at every tyme by foure poore men, to everych of them I wyll there be geven for their labours at either of the said ii tymes iiii d to as many as been weddid men, and if any of theym happen to be unmarried, then they to have but iii d. apece." And so on, detailing with delightfully minute — if slightly tedious — particularity the trentals to be sung, by whom, and how much to be paid. He then continues: — " vi preests to be present at myn burying and six masses to be sung ; oon of requiem, oon a masse of the v wounds [of the Saviour] the iii a masse of thassumpcion of our Lady, the iv*** a masse of all martirs, with a speciall memory of Seynt Christoifer ; the v* a masse of all confessours with a speciall memory of Seynt Nicholas ; the vi'"' a masse of all virgyns with a speciall memory of Seynt Dorothe ; " thus securing the special advocacy of these three powerful saints ; for of the saints of that day it might be said as of the deacons of ours: " All were good, but there were odds in saints." "To the either of which preests I bequeth and everych of them v d with condicioun, that at the time of the lavatory everyche of theym turne theym to the people and exorte theym to pray for the soules of Robert Fabyan and his children," &c., enumerating a dozen more favored " soules " by name. Divers further bequests provide for the masses, &c., at xiii d. for each church ; for a — " knyll to be rongyn at my monethes mynde after the guyse of London, and that myn executrice doo assemble upon the said day of monethes 1 Nicolas, Test. Vet. ii. 498.