THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY
monks called him Bramantip) struck the hours and played his hymns to the admiration of all men, and, as I have said, won great fame in Gwent for a doughty knight; and had monies and rents and charges devised to him, so that seventy years after Dom. Maria was buried (he became sub-prior of the Convent) Sir Jenkin glittered all over with gold and silver, and was as fresh and ruddy of countenance as on the day he was set in his place. And in course of time a new officer was created in the Convent, who was called Clochasteriarus and had a cell in the tower, his duty being to keep in order the curious mechanique of the clock, also to astrologise or star-gaze: but one or two of them that held this office are reported to have abused it, that is in place of prying into matters sidereal they pryed into matters Burgavennian, and what was worse talked of what they had seen, by which bad conduct much scandal arose. And certainly they that devised those curious optical glasses by the which we can see what kind of a place Venus is, never intended us to use them for spying into orchards or walled gardens to the great annoyance of respectable people. And one of these holy star-gazers, Brother Roger by name, when reproved by the Prior for this same misplaced curiosity, replied that a strong conceit had possessed him to the effect that Venus was as a matter of fact the earth and the earth Venus, and so he thought it his business to see what was being done on that planet: but the Prior would not listen to these refinements, and gave the post of Clochasteriarius to the oldest monk in the Convent, who merely sang with
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