THE PRECEPTS
 

EXORDIUM PRAECEPTORUM.
PL 23

1. WHEN an uninstructed person comes to the gathering of the saints, he will be introduced by the porter of the monastery and given a seat according to his rank [in the assembly of the brothers]; he will not be allowed to change his seat or rank until the oikiakos, that is the superior of the house, transfers him to the place that is appropriate for him.

^{[65B] 57} I. QUI rudis in collectam sanctorum ingreditur, et quem per ordinem janitor ab ostio monasterii introduxerit, et sedere fecerit in conventu fratrum, non ei licebit sedendi locum vel ordinem commutare, donec eum transferat oikiakos, id est, praepositus domus suae, ad locum qui ei rite debetur.

2. He will sit with all decorum and modesty, placing underneath his bottom the lower part of of his goat skin that he ties to his shoulder, and closing his garmet very carefully, this is the sleeveless linen tunic called the lebitonarium, so that he has his knees covered.

II. Sedebit autem cum omni decore et mansuetudine; pelliculamque super humerum geret: ex latere et inferiori parte subdens natibus; et vestimentum, id est, tunicam lineam absque manicis, quam Levitonarium vocant, diligenter astringens, ita ut genua operiat.

3. When the voice of the trumpet is heard that calls to the synaxis, in the same moment they will go to the cell, meditating a passage of Scripture until they reach the door of the communal gathering.

III. Cumque audierit vocem tubae ad collectam vocantis, statim egrediatur cellulam suam, de scripturis aliquid meditans usque ad ostium conventiculi.

4. When they go to church to take the place where they have to sit or stand, [they will be careful to not smash the steeped rushes prepared for the weaving of ropes], so that the negligence does not cause any damage, even if minimum to the monastery.

^[65C] IV. Et quando in loco collectae coeperit ambulare, ut ad locum sedendi standique perveniat, ne vel parum damni in monasterio ex alterius veniat negligentia.

5. In the evening, when they hear a sign, do not delay next to the fire that is usually lit to warm up the body to defend from the cold. Do not stay sitting without doing anything during the synaxis, but prepare with a watching hand the rushes that will serve to weave the strings of the dorm mats. Nevertheless, avoid being tired, he who has a weak body, will be given a permission to interrupt his duty from time to time.

V. Sin autem nocte signum insonuerit, ne steterit ad focum, quem propter calefacienda corpora, et repellendum frigus ex more succenditur: nec otiosus in collecta sedebit, sed funiculos in mattarum stramina manu celeri praeparabit; absque infirmitate duntaxat corpusculi, cui cessandi tribuitur venia.

6. When the one that has the first place has clapped his hands, repeating a memorized passage from Scripture, to give a sign of the end of the prayer, none will delay in getting up, but everybody will get up at the same time.

VI. Cumque major, vel stans prior in gradu, manu percusserit, de Scripturis quidpiam volvens memoriter, ut oratio finiatur, nullus consurget tardius, sed omnes pariter levabunt.

7. No one should watch the other brother who would be prancing a string or praying; his eyes should be focused on his own job.

^[66B] VII. Nemo aspiciat alterum torquentem funiculum, vel orantem; sed in suo defixis luminibus opere sit intentus.

8. Behold the precepts of life that the elders have transmitted.  If during the chanting, the prayers, or the readings, someone talks or laughs, he will untie his girdle instantly and will go before the altar with his head bowed and downfallen arms.  After the father of the monastery had reprehended him there, he will repeat this same penitence in the refectory, when all of the brothers had gathered.

VIII. Haec enim praecepta vitalia a nostris majoribus tradita. Si acciderit ut psallendi tempore, vel orandi, aut in medio lectionis aliquis loquatur, aut rideat, ⁵⁸ illico solvat cingulum, et inclinata cervice manibusque ad inferiora depressis, stabit ante altare, et a principe monasterii increpabitur. Hoc idem faciet et in conventu fratrum, cum ad vescendum pariter convenerint.

9. During the day, when the trumpet had rung for the synaxis, the one who gets there after the first prayer will be lectured by his superior with a reprimand and will stay standing in the refectory. 

IX. Quando ad collectam tubae clangor increpuerit per diem, qui ad unam orationem tardius venerit, superioris increpationis ordine corripietur [Al. increpabitur], et stabit in loco convivii.

10. But, during the night, since (at those hours) we are more understanding to the weakness of the body, the one who arrives after the first three prayers, will be corrected in the same way at church and at the refectory.

X. Nocte vero, quoniam corporis infirmitati plus ^[66C] aliquid conceditur, qui post tres orationes venerit, eodem et in collecta et in vescendo ordine corripietur.

11. When the brothers are praying during the synaxis, no one will leave without orders from the elders, or without having asked and being given the permission to leave for the natural needs.

XI. Quando in collecta orant fratres, nemo egredietur absque jussione majorum, nisi interrogaverit, concessumque ei fuerit exire pro naturae necessitate.

12. No one will distribute the rushes that are to weave the strings, unless he is the one who is on duty during the week to do that. If someone is not allowed to do it because of a justified work, he will wait for the orders of his superior.

XII. Nullus dividet juncos ad texendos funiculos praeter eum qui ministrat hebdomadae; et si ille justo opere detentus est, majoris imperium praestolabitur.

13. For the service during the week in each house, they will not choose the ones who have the first places who recite passages from Scripture in the assembly of all the brothers.  They will choose by the order of the brothers who are sitting and standing, the ones who were capable to repeat by heart whichever thing has been commanded to them. If the weekly person in charge of officiating the choir or the altar forgets or hesitates when reciting something, he will get the correction that negligence and forgetfulness deserve.

XIII. De hebdomadariis unius domus non eligentur qui stent in gradu, et conventu omnium de Scripturis aliquid replicent: sed omnes juxta sedendi et standi ordinem memoriter repetent quae ^[67A] sibi fuerint imperata. E quibus si quis oblitus quid haesitaverit in dicendo, negligentiae et oblivionis correptionem sustinebit.

14. None of them will be absent on Sundays, or when they make the oblation because he must have the place of the singer to respond to the one who chants.  This regards to at least the ones who belong to the house that is on duty of the great week.  Because in each house there is a service of a small week assured by a smaller number of brothers. 

XIV. In die dominica, vel oblationis tempore nullus deerit de hebdomadariis, sedens in loco Ebiymii, psallentique respondens, ex una duntaxat domo, quae in majori servit hebdomade. Altera est etiam minor hebdomas, quae per singulas domos a paucioribus exhibetur.

15. If this number were to increase, the chief of the house of the great week will call other brothers of the same group that his house belongs to.  But without his order no one who belongs to another house of the same group will chant.  And it is absolutely forbidden to a brother from a house to participate in the service of another house, unless it is a part of the same group, or tribe, as his. 

XV. At si major est numerus necessarius, de eadem tribu alii vocabuntur a Praeposito domus, qui ministrat hebdomadae: et absque jussione ejus nullus ⁵⁹ de altera domo ejusdem tribus ad psallendum veniet, et penitus non licebit in alterius hebdomade, et de alia venire domo, nisi forte ejusdem tribus ^[67B] sit.

16. We call tribe the group of three or four houses (this number varies) it depends on the number of brothers and the importance of the monastery, which we could call families or clans of a same nation.

XVI. Vocatur autem una tribus, habens tres vel quatuor domos, pro numero et frequentia monasterii: quas nos familias, vel populos unius gentis possimus appellare.

17. None will receive permission of chanting on Sundays or during the synaxis in which he should offer oblation, except the chief of the house and the elders of the monastery or the ones which function is incumbent on.

XVII. In die dominica et collecta, in qua offerenda est oblatio, absque praeposito domus, et majoribus monasterii, qui alicujus nominis sunt, nemo psallendi habeat potestatem.

18. If an elder makes a mistake when he chants, namely: when he reads the Psalter, he will submit to the point, before the altar, to the ritual of penitence and of the reprimand.

XVIII. Psallente autem quolibet de majoribus, id est, dicente responsorium, si quis defuerit, statim ante altare poenitentiae, et increpationis ordinem sustinebit.

19. He who abandons the synaxis of the offering of the oblation without the permission of its superior, will be rebuked instantly.

XIX. De collecta in qua offerenda est oblatio, qui sine praecepto majoris exierit, statim increpabitur.

20. By the morning, in each house, after finishing the prayer, the brothers will not go back immediately to their cells.  They will first have a colloquy about what was exposed by the superior in the conferences and then they will return to their rooms.

^[67C] XX. Mane per singulas domos finitis orationibus non statim ad suas cellulas revertentur: sed conferent inter se quae Praepositos audierint disputantes, et sic intrabunt cubilia sua.

The ones who govern the houses will give three conferences a week; in these conferences, when the brothers sit or stand, they will take their own seats, according to the order of the houses and the individuals.

XXI. Disputatio autem a Praepositis domorum per singulas hebdomadas tertio fiet: et in ipsa disputatione sedentes, sive stantes fratres suum ordinem non mutabunt, juxta domorum ordinem et hominum singulorum.

If anyone who is sitting falls asleep during the conference, the superior of the house or the father of the monastery, will commanded to him to stand up immediately and will remain standing until he has received the order of sitting again.

XXII. Si quis dormitaverit sedens, Praeposito domus, vel monasterii principe disputante, statim surgere compelletur: et tamdiu stabit, donec ei jubeatur ut sedeat.

When the signal had rang for getting together to listen to the precepts of the elders, no one will stay where they were and will not stir the fire up, until the end of the conference.  Whoever omits one of these precepts, will be reprimanded with what we had mentioned before.

XXIII. Quando signum insonuerit, ut conveniant ^[67D] et audiant praecepta majorum, nullus remanebit: nec succendetur focus antequam disputatio compleatur. Qui unum ex his praeterierit, praedictae correptioni subjacebit.

The one who is on duty during the week will not be able to give the [musical] strings or any other object without the order of the father of the monastery.  Without it he would not even be able to give the sign to gather for the synaxis at noon or the six prayers in the afternoon.

XXIV. Qui hebdomadarius est, non habebit potestatem absque praecepto principis monasterii dare cuiquam funiculos, vel aliorum quid vasorum: et nisi ille jusserit, signum dare non poterit, ut ad collectam meridianam, vel ad vespertinam sex orationum congregentur.

After the morning prayer, the officer of the week whom has been trusted the work, will ask the father of the monastery about all the things that he consider necessary and about the moment in which the brothers should go to work in the fields; and, according to the order that he had received, he will traverse each house and will teach each one what they have to do. If anyone asks for a book to read, he will receive it.  But on the weekend he will return it to its place because of the brothers that succeed in the service.

^[68A] XXV. Post orationes matutinas minister hebdomadis, cui hoc opus fuerit injunctum, interrogabit principem monasterii de singulis rebus, quas necessarias putat; et quanti exire debeant operari [Fort. operarii] in agrum. Et juxta illius jussionem ⁶⁰ circumibit singulas domos, et discet quid unusquisque habeat necessarium. Codicem si ad legendum petierint, accipiant; et finita hebdomade, propter eos qui succedunt in ministerium, suo restituant loco.

If they weave door mats, the weekly person in charge of the choir and the altar will ask in the afternoon the chiefs of each house which is the amount of rushes that they need in their house; depending on the answer he will wet the amount of rushes needed, to distribute them the next morning to each one by their order.  If during the morning he realizes that he is going to need more, he will wet them and take them to each house, until they give the sign for lunch.

XXVI. Si mattas operabuntur, interrogatur minister ad vesperum Praepositos domorum singularum, quibus juncorum singulis domibus necessarium sit; et sic infundet juncos, et mane per ordinem unicuique tribuet. Et si mane viderit aliis quoque ^[68B] juncis opus esse, infundet eos, et ad singulas domos perferet tamdiu, donec signum vescendi increpet.

The chief of the house who finishes the week and the one who relieves him, as well as the father of the monastery, will take care of checking what has been omitted or neglected from the work.  He will also make the door mats shake that are extended ordinarily on the floor of the church and will count the strings of each week that are to be weaved.  They will write the result on the wooden tablets that they will keep until the time of the annual reunion, in the course of which they settle accounts and give absolution of the faults.

XXVII. Praepositus domus, qui implet hebdomadam, et alius qui venturam suscipiet, principesque monasterii habebunt curam videndi quid operis praetermissum sit vel neglectum; et executi facient mattas, quae super pavimentum in collecta expandi solent: numerabuntque funiculos, quos per singulas hebdomadas torserunt, et eorum summam describent in buxis, et servabunt, usque ad tempus annuae congregationis, quando reddenda est ratio, et peccata omnibus dimittuntur.

When coming from the synaxis, the brothers, who are leaving one by one, to their cells or to the refectory, will meditate about any passage of Scripture and no one will have their heads covered when they meditate.

XXVIII. Dimissa collecta, singuli egredientes usque ad cellulas suas, vel usque ad vescendi locum, de Scripturis aliquid meditabuntur; nullusque habebit ^[68C] opertum caput meditationis tempore.

And when they had come to the refectory, they will sit by order of the places that have been given and will cover their head.

XXIX. Cum autem ad vescendum venerint, sedebunt per ordinem statutis locis, et operient capita.

When an elder tells you to change tables, you will not resist him in the least.  You will not dare to serve yourself before the chief of the house.  You will not observe the ones who eat. 

XXX. Statimque cum tibi a majore fuerit imperatum, ut de alia mensa ad aliam transire debeas, in nullo penitus contradices. Nec audeas ante Praepositum domus tuae manum in mensam extendere: nec circumspicias alios vescentes.

Each of the chairmen will teach the members of their house how to eat, with discipline and modesty.  If anyone talks or laughs during the meals he will make penance and will be rebuked instantly in his place.  He will stand and will stay standing until some of the other brothers that are sitting stand. 

XXXI. Unusquisque Praepositorum docebit in domo sua, quomodo debeant cum disciplina et mansuetudine comedere. Quod si quis vel locutus fuerit, vel riserit in vescendo, aget poenitentiam, et in eodem loco protinus increpabitur: stabitque, donec alius surgat de vescentibus.

If anyone gets to the table late, unless it was because the order of a superior had caused the tardiness, he will make the same penance or will go back to his house without having eaten.

XXXII. Si quis ad comedendum tardius venerit, ^[68D] excepto majoris imperio, similiter aget poenitentiam, aut ad domum jejunus revertetur.

If at the table they need something, no one will dare to talk; but rather, through a sound will make a sign to the ones who serve.

XXXIII. Si aliquid necessarium fuerit in mensa, nemo audebit loqui, sed ⁶¹ ministrantibus signum sonitu dabit.

If you leave the table, you will not speak when you come back, until you have come back to your place.

XXXIV. Si egressus fueris a cibo, non loquaris in redeundo, donec ad locum tuum pervenias.

The ones who serve will not eat any other thing but that which has been prepared for all the brothers in general and will not be permitted to make different dishes.

XXXV. Ministri absque his, quae in commune fratribus praeparata sunt, nihil aliud comedant, nec mutatos cibos sibi audeant praeparare.

The person in charge to call the brothers to the refectory will meditate while he does it.

^[69A] XXXVI. Qui percutit ad vescendum et congregat fratres, meditetur aliquid in percutiendo.

That one who, at the doors of the refectory, distributes the dessert to the brothers who leave the table, will meditate about any passage from Scripture while he does his duty.

XXXVII. Qui ante fores convivii egredientibus erogat fratribus tragematia, in tribuendo meditetur aliquid de Scripturis.

The person that receives the given dessert, will not put it in his cowl but in his skin (of goat) and will not eat before having come to his house. 

XXXVIII. Qui suscipit ea quae dantur, non in cucullo, sed in pelle accipiat; neque gustabit ante de his quae acceperit, donec ad domum perveniat.

The one who distributes the dessert to the brothers will receive his portion from the hands of his chairman, which the other servers will also do.  Whatever they have received should be enough for three days.  If at the end of those three days they have some in excess, they will take it back to the chief of the house who will reintegrate it in the pantry, where it will remain until, mixed with others, will be given to all the brothers.

XXXIX. Ipse autem, qui caeteris dividet, suam partem a Praeposito accipiet. Quod et caeteri ministri faciant, accipientes ab alio, et nil sibi suo arbitrio vindicantes. Ea quae acceperint, per triduum eis sufficient: et si cui residuum fuerit, reportabit ad Praepositum domus, et ille reponet in cellario, donec misceatur cum aliis, et cunctis fratribus praebeatur.

The Sick 

cf. RB 36;  RBas 36

40. Nobody will give more to one than to another. If one is sick, the superior will go to see the servants of the sick and will receive from them whatever is necessary.

^[69B] XL. Nemo plus alteri dabit, quam alter acceperit; quod si obtenditur infirmitas, Praepositus domus perget ad ministros aegrotantium, et ab his quae necessaria sunt accipiet.

41. If the sick is one of the servants of the table, he will not have permission to enter into the kitchen or in the pantry with the purpose of withdrawing anything.  The other servants will be the ones who will give him whatever he needs.  He will not be allowed to cook for himself if he wants to, but the chairmen will receive from the other servants whatever they consider necessary.

XLI. Si de ipsis ministris aliquis languerit, non habebit licentiam introeundi in coquinam vel cellarium, et sibi aliquid auferendi: sed caeteri ministri, id quod ei necessarium viderint, dabunt: nec permittetur coquere sibi quod desideraverit, sed Praepositi domorum quae necessaria viderint ei, ab aliis ministris accipient.

42. No one will enter the infirmary without being sick. Whoever is sick will be conducted by the superior of his house to the infirmary.  If he needs a robe or other things like dresses or food, the superior will be the one who will receive from the hands of the servants and will give them immediately to the sick person. A sick brother will not be able to enter into the place where they eat, nor consume whatever he desires, without being taken there to eat by the superior in charge of that duty.

XLII. Nullus introeat locum aegrotantium, qui non aegrotat. Qui aegrotaverit, a Praeposito domus ducetur in triclinium aegrotantium: et si opus habuerit palliolo, aut tunica, aut caeteris, quae ad operiendum, ^[69C] vel ad vescendum necessaria sunt, ipse Praepositus accipiat a ministris, et dabit aegrotantibus. Nec poterit languidus ingredi cellam vescentium, et comedere quae desiderat, nisi a ministro, qui huic rei praepositus est, ducatur ad vescendum.

43. He will not be allowed to take anything to the room he was assigned in the infirmary, not even fruit.

⁶² XLIII. Non ei licebit de his quae acceperit in loco aegrotantium, ferre ad cellam suam, ne pomum quidem.

the

44. The ones who cook will serve by turns to the ones who are in the table.

XLIV. Qui pulmentaria coquunt, ipsi vicissim ministrantibus et vescentibus ministrabunt.

45. No one may receive wine or soup except in the infirmary.

XLV. Vinum et liquamen absque loco aegrotantium nullus contingat.

46. If anyone from the ones who are sent on a trip gets sick on the way or on a boat and has the need or desires to eat soup of fish or other things that are eaten usually in the monastery, he will not eat with other brothers but apart from them, and the ones who serve will give him abundantly, so that that sick brother is not saddened in anything.

XLVI. Si aliquis eorum qui peregre mittuntur, in itinere, vel in navi aegrotaverit, et habuerit necessitatem sive desiderium comedendi liquamen de piscibus, ^[69D] vel aliarum rerum, quae in monasterio comedere consueverunt, non manducabit cum fratribus caeteris, sed separatim: et dabitur ei a ministris ad omnem abundantiam, ne in ullo frater languidus contristetur.

47. No one will dare to visit a sick person without the permission of his superior.  Not even someone of his relatives or his brothers will be able to see him without the order of the chairman.

XLVII. Aegrotantem absque concessione majoris nullus audeat visitare; nec propinquus quidem atque germanus sine imperio Praepositi domus ingrediendi habebunt potestatem.

48. If anyone transgresses or neglects some of these prescriptions, he will be rebuked with the usual reprimand.

^[70A] XLVIII. Si unum ex his ab aliquo fuerit praetermissum atque neglectum, increpatione solita emendabitur.

Reception of Novices

Required Qualities of a Postulant

[1] he has not committed a crime, and motivated by fear, had suddenly fled to the monastery;

[2] or that he is subject to someone else’s authority,

[3] and whether he is otherwise able to leave his relatives

[4] and have contempt for his own [possessions].

[5] he has aptitude for prayer

[6] and for all the practices of the monastery that he is taught and that he must accept and perform,

[7] whether in the gathering of all of the brothers in the house where he is to be sent

[8] or in the refectory.

Investiture and Assignment in choir

Then he will be divested of his secular clothing and clothed in the monastic habit.  He will be entrusted to the porter who will bring him during the time of prayer into the presence of all the brothers and will make him sit in his assigned place.  The clothes that he brought will be received by the ones in charge of this duty, kept in a safe place at the disposition of the father of the monastery.

 Tunc nudabunt eum vestimentis saecularibus, et induent habitu monachorum, tradentque ostiario, ut orationis tempore adducat cum in conspectum omnium fratrum: sedebitque in loco, in quo ei praeceptum fuerit. Vestimenta autem, quae secum detulerat, accipient qui huic rei ⁶³ praepositi sunt, et inferent in repositorium, et erunt in potestate principis monasterii.

50. No one who lives in the monastery will be able to receive somebody in the refectory; but will send him to the doorman of the hostel so that he is received by the ones in charge of this duty. 

L. Nemo manens in monasterio suscipiendi quempiam ad vescendum habeat potestatem; sed mittet eum ad ostium xenodochii, ut suscipiatur ab his qui ^[70C] huic rei praepositi sunt.

When people come to the door of the monastery, if it is about clergymen or monks, they will be received with samples of the highest honor.  They will wash their feet, according to the evangelic precept (John 13) and will be taken to the hostel where they will supply them with all the things that are used by the monks.  If, at the moment of the prayer or the synaxis, they desire to participate in the reunion with the brothers, if they belong to the same faith, the doorman or the servant of the hostel will warn the father of the monastery; then they will be taken to the prayer. If they are laymen, sick or weaker persons (1 Peter 3:17) we mean women by weaker persons, the ones who come to the door will receive them in different places, depending on their sex and the direction of their purpose.  Over all women will be treated with a higher respect, including attention and fear of God.  They will host them totally separated from men, so that immoral things will not happen.  And even if they arrived in the evening, it would look bad if they did not receive them.  In this case they will receive them in the separate and closed lodging which we have mentioned before, with all the discipline and precautions required so that the multitude of the brothers can be freely busy in their works and we don’t give a motive so anyone is denigrated.

LI. Quando ad ostium monasterii aliqui venerint, si clerici fuerint aut monachi, majori honore suscipiantur: lavabuntque pedes eorum, juxta [Al. servabunt] Evangelii praeceptum, et deducent ad locum xenodochii, praebebuntque omnia quae apta sunt usui monachorum. Quod si voluerint orationis tempore atque collectae venire ad conventum fratrum, et [Al. si] ejusdem fidei fuerint, janitor vel minister xenodochii nuntiabit Patri monasterii, et sic deducentur ad orandum. Si homines saeculares, aut debiles, aut vasa infirmiora, id est, mulierculae venerint ad ostium, et orandum, suscipient singulos in diversis locis, juxta ordinem propositi et sexus sui; praecipueque feminas majori honore et diligentia ^[70D] curabunt, cum omni timore Dei, et locum separatum ab omni virorum vicinia eis tribuent, ut nulla sit occasio blasphemandi. Quod si ad vesperam venerint, abigere eas nefas est; sed accipient, ut diximus, separatum locum et clausum cum omni disciplina atque cautela: ut grex fratrum libere suo officio serviat, et nulli detur offendiculum detrahendi.

If anyone shows up at the door of the monastery, asking to see his brother or a relative, the doorman will let the father of the monastery know, and this one will call the chief of the house and will ask him if the brother is part of it, and with his permission, the brother will receive him with a safe companion and will send him to see his brother or relative.  If by any chance this one has taken some of the kind of food that it is allowed to eat in the monastery, the monk will not be able to receive them directly but will call the doorman who will receive the gift.  If this gift is something that can be eaten with bread, this will not be allowed to be eaten anywhere by the monk, except in the infirmary.  But if they are snacks or fruits, they will give them to the doorman so that he can eat them and the rest will be taken to the infirmary.  The doorman will not be able to eat anything that he has received.  He will recompense the donor with cabbage, breads or some vegetables. That one who had been given the food which we have mentioned, the ones that are brought by relatives or friends and are to be eaten with bread, will be taken by his superior to the infirmary and he will eat them just once.  What is left will be to the disposition of the servant of the sick, but not for his personal needs.

LII. Si quis ante ostium steterit monasterii, dicens se velle videre fratrem suum vel propinquum, janitor ^[71A] nuntiabit Patri monasterii, et ille accitum interrogabit Praepositum domus, utrumnam apud eum sit; et permittente eo, accipiet comitem egressionis suae, cujus fides probata est, et sic mittetur ad fratrem videndum, vel ad proximum. Si forte ei aliquid attulerit ciborum, quibus in monasterio vesci licitum est, suscipere ipse non poterit, sed vocabit janitorem, et ille allata accipiet, quae si talia fuerint [Al. quae], ut cum pane vescenda sint, nihil eorum is cui allata sunt, accipiet: sed cuncta ad loca aegrotantium deferentur. Si vero sint tragematia, vel poma, dabit ei janitor ex his comedere quae poterit; et caetera ad cellam languentium deportabit. Ipse autem nihil ex his quae allata sunt gustare ⁶⁴ poterit, sed reddere ei qui attulit, sive lapsania, ^[71B] quod genus herbarum est viliorum, sive panes, sive olera praemordica. Eos autem cibos, quos allatos a parentibus vel propinquis diximus tales esse qui comedi cum pane debeant, is cui allati sunt deducetur a Praeposito domus ad cellam aegrotantium, et ibi semel tantum ex his comedet: caetera autem erunt in manu ministri aegrotantium. Ipse quoque minister de his comedere non poterit.

When letting a brother know that one of his relatives or friends is sick, the doorman will first tell the father of the monastery.  This one will call the superior of the house which that brother is a part of, he will interrogate him, and together will think of a man they trust and is observant of the rules no matter how hard the trial and will send him with the brother to visit the sick person. (For the trip) they will take the amount of provisions that the chief of the house had disposed. 

LIII. Si fuerit nuntiatum, quod de propinquis eorum atque cognatis qui in monasterio commorantur, aliquis aegrotet, janitor primum nuntiabit Patri monasterii, et ille accitum interrogabit Praepositum domus. Videbuntque virum, cujus fides et disciplina probata sit, et mittent cum eo, ut visitet aegrotantem, tantumque accipiet viatici, quantum Praepositus ^[71C] domus ejus decreverit.

If the need obligates them to stay longer (from what they had planned) out of the monastery and to eat with his parents and relatives, they will not accept it, but rather they will go to a church or a monastery of the same faith.  If the relatives or friends prepare or offer food they will not accept them or eat them unless they are the same that are usually eaten in the monastery.  They will not taste brine-pickle, nor wine, nor other thing out of the ones they usually eat at the monastery.  When they have accepted a thing from their relatives, they will eat only enough for the trip, the rest they will give it to the chief of the house, who will take it to the infirmary.

LIV. Quod si necessitas impulerit, ut foris maneat, et vescatur in paterna sive propinquorum domo, nequaquam hoc faciat; sed manebit vel in Dominico, vel in monasterio ejusdem fidei. Et si eis affines vel cognati praeparaverint cibos, et apposuerint, non accipient omnino, nec vescentur nisi his, quae in monasterio comedere consueverunt. Non gustabunt liquamen, nec vinum bibent, nec aliud quidpiam, quorum edendi consuetudinem non habent. Si a parentibus quidpiam acceperint, tantum comedent quantum in via sufficiat; caetera quae remanserint, dabunt Praeposito domus suae, et ille deportabit ea in cellam languentium.

If the father or brother of one of the brothers dies, this person will not be able to attend the funeral rites unless the father of the monastery allows him to.

LV. Si propinquus alicujus, aut consanguineus mortuus fuerit, prosequendi funus non habebit licentiam ^[71D] [Al. potestatem], nisi Pater monasterii praeceperit.

No one will be sent alone to take care of a matter of the monastery, but he will be given a companion.

LVI. Nullus solus foras mittatur ad aliquod negotium, nisi juncto ei altero.

And when they come back to the monastery, if they find someone in front of the door that wants to see someone from the monastery that they know, they will not be able to look for him, or tell him that someone is waiting outside for him or call him.  They will not be able to say anything in the monastery of what they had seen outside.

LVII. Quando autem reversi fuerint in monasterium, si viderint ante ostium quaerentem aliquem suorum affinium de his, qui in monasterio commorantur, non audebunt ire ad eum, et nuntiare, vel vocare. Et omnino quidquid foris gesserint, et audierint, in monasterio narrare non poterunt.

When they ring to leave for work, the chief of the house will march ahead of the brothers and no one will remain at the monastery without having been told to do so by the father of the monastery.  The ones that leave for work will not ask where they are going.

^[72A] LVIII. Si signum datum fuerit, ut egrediantur ad opus, Praepositus antecedet eos; et nullus in monasterio remanebit, nisi is cui Pater praeceperit. Et ⁶⁵ hi qui pergunt, non interrogabunt quo vadant.

When all the houses get together, the chief of the first house will march ahead of everybody else according to the order of the houses and individuals.  They will not speak, but each will meditate over a passage from Scripture.  If somebody happens to encounter the brothers and wants to speak to one, the doorman of the monastery will go ahead of them that is in charge of this duty and will reply to him.  They will be served by him as an intermediate.  If the doorman is not there, the chief of the house or some other brother that has received the order for it, will reply to the ones that are with the brothers.

LIX. Cumque universae domus in unum fuerint congregatae, prioris domus Praepositus omnes antecedet, et pergent juxta ordinem domorum et hominum singulorum. Nec loquentur mutuo, sed unusquisque de Scripturis aliquid meditabitur. Si forte eis aliquis occurrerit, et voluerit cum aliquo eorum loqui, janitor monasterii, qui huic operi delegatus fuerit, occurret, et respondebit ei, eoque utentur nuntio. Si janitor coram non fuerit, Praepositus domus, vel alius cui hoc fuerit injunctum, occurrentibus respondebit.

During the work of the brothers they will not utter any worldly word; they will meditate in the holy things, or, at least, will keep quiet.

^[72B] LX. Operantes nihil loquentur saeculare; sed aut meditabuntur ea quae scripta sunt, aut certe silebunt.

No one is allowed to take their mantle of linen for going to work, unless their superior has allowed him to.  In the beginning, no one will dress in his mantle when they are walking around the monastery after the synaxis.

LXI. Nemo palliolum lineum tollet secum vadens ad operandum, nisi forte concessione majoris: ipsoque palliolo in monasterio ambulans post collectam nullus utetur.

Nobody will sit during the work without the order of his superior.

LXII. Operans non sedebit sine majoris imperio.

If the ones that guide the brothers by the way have the need of sending someone for any kind of business, they will not be able to do it without the order of the chairman.  And if the same that guides the brothers is compelled to go to a certain place, he will trust his obligations to the one that, according to the order, comes after him.

LXIII. Ductores fratrum in itinere, si necessarium habuerint aliquem mittere, sine Praepositi jussione non poterunt. Quod si ipse qui ductor est, cogeretur [Al. cogitur] necessitate ire ad aliquem locum, officium suum ei qui post se est in ordine, delegabit.

If the brothers that are sent to work in the exterior of the monastery need to eat outside of the monastery, a weekly worker will accompany to give them their meals that do not need baking and to distribute them water, as it is done in the monastery.

LXIV. Missi fratres, vel foris constituti, si absque ^[72C] monasterio vescentur, hebdomadarius qui eos sequitur, dabit cibos, absque coctione pulmenti; et ipse aquam circumferet et juxta vitrum: nullusque surgendi, vel hauriendi, vel bibendi habebit potestatem.

No one will be able to stand up to take out or to drink water.

LXV. Quando revertuntur in monasterium, nemo ex ordine remanebit.

When coming back to the monastery (from their job) they will do it in the order that is correspondent to each of them by their rank.  When they return to their houses, the brothers will give the supplies back, and their shoes will be given to the second after the chief of the houses.  By the afternoon this one will take them to a separate cell where he will keep them. By the end of the week, all of the supplies will be taken and put in order just in one house so that the ones that take their turn every week know what they will provide for each house.

LXVI. Cum ad domus suas pervenerunt, ferramenta quibus opus fecerunt, et gallicas tradent ei, qui secundus est post Praepositum domus; et ille inferet ea vespere in cellulam separatam, ibique concludet. Omnia autem ferramenta, hebdomade completa, reportabuntur in unam domum: et rursus qui succedunt hebdomade, singulis domibus noverint quid destribuant.

No monk will wash the robes and all that is a part of their outfit on a day other than Sunday, except the sailors and the bakers.

LXVII. Levitonarium et quidquid in veste est ^[72D] monachorum, nemo lavet in die dominica, praeter nautas et pistrinarios.

No one will go do the laundry if they have not given the order for everybody to do so; they will follow their chairman; the laundry will be done silently and with order.

LXVIII. Nec vadant ad lavandum ⁶⁶ nisi omnibus unum signum insonuerit; sequenturque Praepositum suum, et lavabunt taciti cum disciplina.

When doing the laundry, no one will roll up their clothes more than what is allowed.  When they finish washing, everybody will come back at the same time.  If anyone is absent or at the monastery, he will let his superior know who will send another brother. Once he has washed his clothes he will return to his home.

LXIX. Nemo Iavet retractis in altum vestibus plus quam statutum est; cumque laverint, omnes pariter revertentur. Si quis remanserit eo tempore quo ibitur ad lavandum, vel in praesenti non fuerit, commonebit Praepositum suum, et ille mittet cum eo ^[73A] alterum: et sic loto vestimento revertentur domum.

The brothers will pick up their robes in the afternoon when they are dry, and will give them to the second (namely, the one that is next to them up to the chairman), who will send them to the clothing room. 

LXX. Vesperi sicca levitonaria tollent, et dabunt secundo, id est ei qui post Praepositum est, et ille reponet ea in cellula.

But if they were not ready, they will hang them in the sun until the next they or until they are dry.  They will not be exposed to the sunbeams any later than nine a.m..  After they pick them they will soften them lightly. 

LXXI. Quod si sicca non fuerint, altera die expandentur ad solem, donec siccentur: nec dimittentur in ardore solis plus quam in horam tertiam; cumque collecta fuerint, leviter mollientur.

They will not be kept by the brothers in their cells, but they will hand them in so they are put in order in the clothing room until Saturday.

LXXII. Nec tenebunt ea singuli apud se, sed dabunt, ut reponantur in cellam usque ad sabbatum.

No one will take vegetables from the Garden; they will receive them from the gardener.

LXXIII. Nullus de horto tollat olera, nisi ab hortulano acceperit.

No one will just decide to pick up the leaves of the palm tree that are used to weave the baskets, except the person in charge of the palm trees.

LXXIV. Palmarum folia, ex quibus texuntur sportae, nemo suo jure tollet, absque eo cui palmae creditae sunt.

No one is supposed to eat grapes or ears of corn that are not ripe yet, this is to be careful to keep everything in order.  And in general, no one that eats in private can find it in the field or in the garden patch before the products are presented to all of the brothers.

^[73B] LXXV. Nullus uvas aut spicas adhuc immaturas comedere audeat praeter ordinem disciplinae: et omnino de omnibus quae in agro sunt, vel in pomariis, nemo comedat separatim, antequam cunctis fratribus pariter exhibeantur.

The cook will not eat before the brothers.

LXXVI. Qui coquet (Al. coquent), antequam fratres comedant, non gustabit (Al. audebunt edere).

The person in charge of the palm trees will not eat of its fruits before the brothers had tasted them.

LXXVII. Qui super palmas est non comedet de fructibus earum, nisi prius fratres comederint.

The ones that had been told to reap the fruits of the palm trees will receive each from their chairman, in their same work place, some fruits to eat, and when they have come back to the monastery, they will receive their part like the rest. If they find fallen fruits from the trees they will not dare to eat them, and the ones on their way will put them at the foot of the trees.  The one that distributes the fruits to the workers will not be able to eat them.  He will take them to the curator-trustee that will give him his part at the moment of the distribution to the other brothers.

LXXVIII. Si jussi fuerint palmarum fructus colligere, praepositus colligentium dabit in eodem loco singulis ad vescendum modica: et cum ad monasterium venerint, inter caeteros fratres partes suas accipient. Si autem invenerint sub arboribus poma cecidisse, comedere non audebunt, sed reperta in ^[73C] transitu juxta radices arborum collocabunt. Ipse quoque, qui caeteris colligentibus distribuit, gustare non poterit; sed portabit ad dispensatorem, qui cum caeteris dederit fratribus, et ipsi tribuat partem suam.

Nobody will store food in their cells, except he had received it from the economist-trustee.

LXXIX. Nullus in cellula sua reponat aliquid ad vescendum, absque his quae a dispensatore acceperit.

Regarding the bread the chiefs of each house receive to give them to the ones who don’t want to eat in the common refectory  with the brothers, because they are dedicated to a more austere abstinence, the chairmen will take care to give them to them without making any difference, not even with the ones who leave (to travel).  They will not place them in a common place because then everybody could take anything they want.  They will give them to each brother in their cell, respecting the order of periodicity with which they want to eat.  With these pieces of bread, the brothers will not eat anything other than salt. The food will be cooked only at the monastery and in the kitchen. If the brothers go to the exterior, namely, if they go to work in the fields, they will receive seasoned vegetables with salt and vinegar.  In the summer these vegetables will be prepared in an abundant amount so there is enough (food) for the prolonged works.

LXXX. De parvulis autem panibus, qui dantur domorum Praepositis, ut his eos distribuant, qui nolunt in commune ⁶⁷ vesci cum caeteris, et quasi majori abstinentiae se dedicant, ita observare debebunt, ut nulli dent juxta gratiam, ne proficiscenti quidem peregre. Nec ponantur in medium: sed quando comedere volunt, cum disciplina dabuntur in cellulis, et cum his nihil aliud comedent, nisi salem tantum. ^[73D] Praeter monasterii autem coquinam nullus coquendi cibos potestatem habeat. Et si quando foris vadant, hoc est in agros ad operandum, accipiant olera sale acetoque condita, et in longos usus aestatis tempore praeparata.

Nobody will have in their house or cell anything beyond what it is prescribed in general in the rule of the monastery.  Therefore, the brothers will not have a linen robe, nor a softer skin –the one for the lamb that has not been sheared -, nor money, nor pillows of feathers for their head, nor other effects.  They will not have anything but what the father of the monastery distributes to the chiefs of the house, which is two robes, plus another worn out by the use, a garment big enough so as to roll the collar and the back, and a skin of goat, that is buttoned on one side, shoes, two cowls, and a cane.  Everything they find beside this they will put away without protesting.

LXXXI. Nemo in domo et in cellula sua habeat ^[74A] praeter ea quae in commune monasterii lege praecepta sunt: non tunicam laneam, non pallium, non pellem intonsis arietum lanis molliorem; non paucos nummos, non pulvillum quidem ad caput, aut aliud variae supellectilis: exceptis his, quae a Patre monasterii per domorum Praepositos dividentur, id est, armatura sua, levitonariis duobus, et uno attrito ex usu, sabano (Scil. linteo) longiore quod collo humerisque circumdat; pellicula quae pendet ex latere, gallicis et cucullis duobus, zona et bacello. Praeter haec quidquid inveneris, absque contradictione auferes.

No body will have for their particular use tweezers to remove the thorns that he sticks himself with when walking.  They are reserved for the chairmen of the house and their second-in-command; he will hook it in the window where they place the books on.

LXXXII. Nullus habeat separatim mordacem parvulam (Leg. pavulam) ad evellendas spinas, si forte calcaverit, absque Praeposito domus et secundo: ^[74B] pendeatque in fenestra in qua codices collocantur.

If anyone passes from a house to another one, he will not be able to take more than what we have said above. 

LXXXIII. Si quis de altera domo transfertur in alteram, exceptis his quae supra diximus, secum transferre nihil poterit.

Nobody will be able to go to the fields, walk around the monastery or go beyond their place without having been allowed by the superior of the house.

LXXXIV. Nullus neque exeundi in agrum, neque ambulandi in monasterio, neque extra murum monasterii foras habeat facultatem, nisi interrogaverit Praepositum, et ille concesserit.

It is necessary to restrain from bringing stories from one house to the other, or from a monastery to the other, or the monastery to the fields, or from the fields to the monastery.

LXXXV. Cavendum ne quis de domo in alteram domum verba transferat, nec de monasterio in monasterium, nec de monasterio in agrum, nec de agro in monasterium.

If a brother is traveling, on land or by ship or works outside the monastery he will not tell anyone at the monastery what he has seen people doing outside it.

LXXXVI. Si quis ambulaverit in via, vel navigaverit, aut operatus fuerit foris, non loquatur in monasterio quae ibi geri viderit.

They will always sleep upon the sidewalk prepared for this reason, or in the cell, on the terraces (where one settles at night to avoid the high temperatures), or in the fields. When they have settled to sleep they will not speak with anybody. If after being laid down they awake during the night and they are thirsty, if it is a day of fasting they will not be allowed to drink.

^{[74C] 68} LXXXVII. Nemo dormiens supponat, nisi reclinet in cellula sua, quae ei fuerit mancipata. Nec in cella, nec in domatibus, in quibus vitandorum aestuum causa nocte requiescunt, nec in agris cum ad dormiendum se collocaverit, alteri non loquetur, postquam obdormierit. Si post somnum noctu evigilaverit, oret; si sitire coeperit, jejunii autem instat dies, bibere non audebit.

Outside the door mat, nothing will be extended on the sidewalk.

LXXXVIII. Praeter psiathium, id est, mattam, in loco cellulae ad dormiendum nihil aliud omnino substernet.

It is prohibited to enter in the cell of the neighbor without having knocked first on the door.

LXXXIX. Cellulam alterius, nisi prius ad ostium percusserit, introire illicitum est.

Nobody will go eat without having been called by the general sign.  They will not circulate around the monastery before they have been given a signal.

XC. Ad cibum non pergent nisi generali sonitu convocentur; nec ambulabunt in monasterio priusquam ^[74D] commune signum intonuerit.

Monks do not walk by the monastery to go to the synaxis or to the refectory, without their cowl and their goat skin.

XCI. Absque cucullo et pellicula nemo ambulet in monasterio, nec pergat ad collectam, nec ad vescendum.

They are not allowed to soften their hands after work without the company of a brother.  Nobody will anoint the body completely, except in the case of sickness; nor would take a shower or wash completely with water without being manifestly sick.

XCII. Vespere ad ungendas et molliendas ab opere manus oleo, absque altero ire non poterit. ^[75A] Totum autem corpus nemo unguet, nisi causa infirmitatis; nec lavabitur aqua nudo corpore, nisi languor perspicuus sit.

No one will be allowed to shower or anoint a brother without being told to do that.

XCIII. Nullus lavare alterum poterit, aut ungere, nisi ei fuerit imperatum.

Don’t let anyone talk to their brother in darkness. Do not let any brother sleep with another brother on the same door mat. Let no one hold another’s hand. When the brothers are standing, walking, or sitting, there will always be between them the distance of an elbow.

XCIV. Nemo alteri loquatur in tenebris: nullus in psiathio cum altero dormiat: manum alterius nemo teneat; sed sive steterit, sive ambulaverit, sive sederit, uno cubito distet ab altero.

No one will be allowed to remove the thorn of another’s foot, except the superior of the house, their second or the one that has received that order.

XCV. Spinam de pede alterius, excepto domus Praeposito, et secundo, et alio cui jussum fuerit, nemo audebit evellere.

Nobody will cut their hair without his superior’s order.

CXVI. Nullus attondeat caput absque majoris arbitrio.

It will not be allowed to exchange the things that are received from the chairman. Do not accept something better in place of something not as good.  And vice versa, do not give something better in change of something not as good.  Regarding the attires and habits, they will not procure anything that is newer than what they have over the other brothers, wanting it because of its elegance.

XCVII. Mutare de his quae a Praeposito acceperit, ^[75B] cum altero non audebit: nec accipiet melius, et dabit deterius: aut e contrario dans melius, et deterius accipiens. Et in vestimento et in habitu suo nihil novi praeter caeteros causa decoris inveniet.

All of the skins will be adjusted and will be pinched in the back.  All of the cowls of the brothers will have a mark of the monastery and their house.

XCVIII. Omnes pelles ligatae erunt, et pendebunt ex humeris.

Let no one leave their book opened when going to the church or the refectory.

XCIX. Cuculli singulorum habebunt et monasterii signa et domus.

The books that are placed underneath the window in the evening, in the void of the wall, will be under the responsibility of the second in command, who will count them and take them according to the custom.

⁶⁹ C. Nemo vadens ad collectam aut ad vescendum dimittat codicem non ligatum. Codices qui in fenestra, id est intrinsecus parietis reponuntur ad vesperum, erunt sub manu secundi, qui numerabit eos, et ex more concludet.

Nobody will go to the synaxis or to the refectory covered with their linen robe, whether at the monastery or the fields.

CI. Nullus vadat ad collectam vel ad vescendum habens galliculas in pedibus, vel palliolo lineo invittatus, ^[75C] sive in monasterio, sive in agris.

The ones who leave their clothes exposed to the sun beyond the sixth hour when the brothers are called to the refectory, will be lectured for their negligence. 

CII. Qui vestimentum suum plus quam usque ad meridiem, quando fratres convocantur ad cibum, in sole esse permiserit, negligentiae increpabitur.

And if anyone scornfully breaks this by rejecting the mentioned rules, he will be lectured with a proportional punishment. 

CIII. Et si unum de his quae supradicta sunt, contemptum praeterierit, correptione simili corrigetur.

No one will be allowed to anoint their shoes or to take care of any object, unless the superior of the house has received this order.

CIV. Galliculas, et si quid aliud jungendum est vel componendum, absque eo cui hoc ministerium delegatur a Praeposito domus, facere nullus audebit.

If a brother has injured himself, but has the need to stay in bed, if he walks with difficulty and needs something –a pawn, a garment, or anything that can be useful-, the superior of his house will go to the people in charge of the clothes room and will take whatever is necessary.

CV. Si quis fratrum laesus fuerit aut percussus, et tamen lectulo non discumbet [Al. decumbit], sed deambulat invalidus, et aliqua re indigebit, vestimento videlicet, vel palliolo, et caeteris utensilibus, Praepositus domus ejus vadet ad eos, quibus fratrum vesticulae commissae sunt, et accipiet et dabit. ^[75D] Cumque sanus fuerit, reportabit absque ulla mora.

No one will receive anything from another brother without the order of the chairman.

CVI. Nemo ab altero accipiet quidpiam, nisi Praepositus jusserit.

No one will sleep in a locked cell, and will not have a cell in which he can lock himself, unless the father of the monastery has given that permission to a brother in reason to his age or illnesses.

CVII. Clausa cella nullus dormiat, nec habebit cubiculum quod claudi possit, nisi forte aetati alicujus vel infirmitati Pater monasterii concesserit.

Let no one go to the farm without being told, except the shepherds, the cowherds, and cultivators.

CVIII. In villam nullus vadat nisi missus, exceptis armentariis, et bubulcis, et agricolis.

Do not let two brothers ride the same donkey, and do not sit over the pole of a cart.

^[76A] CIX. Sub nudum dorsum asini duo pariter non sedebunt, nec super tegmine plaustri.

If anyone rides a donkey without being sick, he will dismount before the door of the monastery, and then will go on ahead of his donkey having the reins in his hand.

CX. Si asino sedens venerit aliquis, excepta infirmitate, desiliet ante fores monasterii, et sic asinum praecedens, funiculo ducet ad manum.

Only the chairmen will go to the different workshops to receive there what is needed. 

CXI. Ad tabernulas [Al. officinas] diversarum artium soli pergent Praepositi, ut accipiant quod necessarium est.

They will not be allowed to go after the sixth hour, in which the brothers are called to the refectory, unless there is an urgent need; in this case, they will send a weekly brother (in charge of the altar and singing) to the father of the monastery to warn him and let him know that it is urgent. In general, without the order of the superior, nobody will be permitted to enter in the cell of another brother. 

CXII. Ipsi [Al. ipse] quoque ante meridiem, quando fratres ad vescendum vocantur, ire non poterunt, nisi forte quaevis incumbat necessitas, et consilio Patris monasterii mittet hebdomadarius, ut deferat quod necesse est. Et omnino absque ⁷⁰ jussione majoris in alteram cellam nullus audebit introire.

No one will receive anything lent, not even from his own flesh and blood brother.

CXIII. Commendatum etiam aliquid a germano ^[76B] fratre nullus accipiet.

Do not let anybody eat anything inside his cell, not even a common fruit or other foods of the same type without the permission of the chairman.

CXIV. Nihil in cella sua absque Praepositi jussione quispiam condet, nec poma quidem vilissima, et caetera hujusmodi.

If the boss of a house is on a trip, another superior that belongs to the same nation and to the same tribe will take responsibility of the one that leaves. He will use his powers and will be in charge of everything with solicitude. Regarding the catechesis, on the days of fasting, he will give one in his house and the other one at the house of the one that is being substituted.

CXV. Si Praepositus domus alterius quoquam profectus fuerit, alius Praepositus dux erit ejusdem gentis, et tribus geret curam proficiscentis, et ejus utetur potestatibus, ac sollicite omnia faciet: doctrinamque duorum jejuniorum ita dividet, ut unam in sua domo, alteram in proficiscentis exerceat.

Let’s talk about the bakers.  When they pour the water in the flour and when they dough the pasta, nobody will talk to their neighbor.  In the morning, when they take the bread to the ovens and hearths, they will be as silent and will chant psalms or passages from Scripture until they have finished their job.  If they need anything, they will not talk, but they will make a sign to the ones that are able to take that which they need.

CXVI. Quando farinam conspergunt aqua, et massam subigunt, nemo loquatur alteri. Mane quoque quando tabulis ad furnum vel ad clibanos deportant panes, simile habebunt silentium, et tantum de Psalmis et de Scripturis aliquid decantabunt [Al. meditabuntur], ^[76C] donec opus impleatur. Si quid necessarium habuerint, non loquentur, sed signum dabunt his qui possunt afferre, quibus indigent.

When they make a sign to the brothers to dough the pasta, no one will stay in the place where the bread is being baked.  Besides the ones that are enough to boil and that have received the order to make it, no one will stay in place where it is baked.

CXVII. Quando ad miscendam farinam vocati fuerint, nullus resideat in loco panes coquentium; exceptis his qui coctioni sufficient, et quibus jussum est, nemo residebit.

Concerning the ships, the rule to follow is the same.  Without the order of the father of the monastery no one will untie a boat from the edge of the water, not even a little boat. 

CXVIII. In navibus quoque similis disciplina est. Nemo autem a terra solvet funiculum absque jussione Patris, ne lembum quidem.

Do not let anyone sleep in the bilge-sink nor any other place of the boat; the brothers will rest on the bridge.  And no one will tolerate the laymen to sleep with the brothers from the embarkation. Women will not sail with them, unless the father of the monastery has allowed it.

CXIX. In loco sentinae et interiore parte navis, caeteris fratribus super transtra et tabulata quiescentibus, nullus dormiat, et saeculares homines dormire secum in navi nemo patietur. Vasa infirmiora cum caeteris eis non navigabunt; nisi forte Pater monasterii ^[76D] praeceperit [Al. praecepit].

No one will be allowed to light a fire in their house without everybody else being able to do it.

CXX. Nullus in domo sua audebit focum facere, nisi in commune omnibus succendatur.

The one who is late, after the first of the six prayers in the evening, as well as the one who had whispered with his neighbor or laughed secretly, will do penance according to the established way, during the rest of the prayers.

CXXI. Qui una oratione de sex orationibus vespertinis tardius venerit, vel qui mussitaverit, et locutus fuerit ad alterum vel subriserit in reliquis orationibus, constituto ordine aget poenitentiam.

When the brothers are sitting in their houses, they will not be allowed to say worldly words.  And if the superior teaches any word from Scripture, they will repeat it between themselves taking turns, and will take advantage of what each of them has learned and memorized.

CXXII. Quando domi sedebunt, non eis liceat loqui ^[77A] aliquid saeculare; sed si quid Praepositus de Scripturis docuerit, vicissim inter se ruminent, et referant quae quis audierit, vel quae memoriter teneant.

When they are trying to memorize they will not be allowed to do any work, nor take water, nor to weave cords, until the superior has given an order to do it.

⁷¹ CXXIII. Nemo quidquam operis faciet, nec scyphos plenos aqua circumferet, nec funiculum quidem torquebit, nisi Praepositus jusserit.

Nobody will take by himself the rushes put to soak by the workers, if the servant of the week does not give them to them.

CXXIV. Nemo juncos infusos in aqua sibi tollet ad operandum, nisi magister hebdomadis ei dederit.

Anyone who breaks a jar of clay or had soaked the rushes three times will make penance during the six prayers in the evening.

CXXV. Qui vas fictile fregerit , et juncos tertio infuderit, aget poenitentiam vespere in sex orationibus.

After the six prayers, when everybody separates to go to sleep, no one will be allowed to leave their cell, except in case of necessity.

CXXVI. Post sex orationes quando ad dormiendum omnes separantur, nulli licebit, excepta causa necessitatis, egredi cubiculum suum.

When a brother had slept in the Lord, the community of the brothers will accompany him.  No one will stay at the monastery without the order of their chairman.  No one will chant but the one that had been told to do it.  No one will add any other psalm to the one that he finished reciting without the approval of their superior.

^[77B] CXXVII. Si frater dormierit, omnis eum fraternitas prosequatur. Nemo permaneat absque majoris imperio, nec psallat nisi ei jussum fuerit: nec post alterum psalmum jungat alterum sine Praepositi voluntate.

In the case of a duel, they will not chant by two; they will not take the garment of linen. Do not let any brother restrain from replying to the one that chants, but every brother will be in concord in the same position and at unison.

CXXVIII. Duo simul tempore luctus non psallent, nec pallio circumdabuntur lino [Forte lineo]. Nec quisquam erit qui psallenti non respondeat, sed jungetur et gradu, et voce consona.

The one that is sick during a funeral will be sustained by a servant. In general, anywhere where the brothers are sent, the servants will go with them during the week to assist the sick, in case that any bad thing happened during the trip or in the fields.

CXXIX. Qui est infirmus, in funere habebit ministrum qui eum sustentet, et omnino ad quemcumque locum missi fuerint fratres, de hebdomadariis habebunt eos qui aegrotantibus serviant, si forte in itinere vel in agro languor obrepserit.

Do not let anyone march ahead of the chairman, nor the conductor of the brothers.  Do not let anyone separate from their lines. 

CXXX. Nemo ante Praepositum et ducem suum ^[77C] ambulet: nullus remaneat ab ordine suo.

If anyone loses anything will be punished publicly before the altar; if what he lost was part of his trosseau-layette, he will be three weeks without receiving what he lost, but on the fourth week, after having made a penance, he will receive a similar effect similar to the one he lost.

CXXXI. Si quis aliquid perdiderit, ante altare publice corripietur. Si vero de propriis vesticulis fuerit quod perditum est, tribus hebdomadis non accipiet; et in quarta acta poenitentia dabitur ei quod amiserit.

The one who finds any object, he will suspend it during three days before the place where the brothers celebrate the synaxis, so that the one who recognizes it as of his own can take it.

CXXXII. Qui invenerit aliquid, per tres dies ante collectam fratrum suspendet, [Forte ut] et tollat qui cognoverit.

The chiefs of the houses will be enough to reprimand and exhort about the matters that we have indicated and established.  But if they are before a fault that we have not anticipated, they will refer it to the father of the monastery.

CXXXIII. Cunctis increpationibus atque doctrinis, quarum scripta est et constituta, correptio Praepositi ^[78A] sufficiet, et quid autem novi fuerit in delicto: referet ad principem monasterii.

The father of the monastery is the only one who will judge the matter; and it will be his decision to rule of the new cases.

⁷² CXXXIV. Lotum in domo nullus faciat absque eo; et omne quod novum est illius sententia disponetur.

Any punishment will be fulfilled like this: the ones who suffer any correction will be without a belt and will stay standing during the great synaxis and in the refectory.

CXXXV. Omnis correptio ita fiat, ut distincti sint qui corripiuntur; stentque in majori collecta, et in vescendi loco.

The one who has abandoned the community of the brothers and then had come back, will not return to his place, after having made penance, without the order of the superior.

CXXXVI. Qui absque commonitione fratrum recesserit, et postea acta poenitentia venerit, non erit in ordine suo absque majoris imperio.

The same we establish for the chief of the house and the trustee-economist: if any night they leave to sleep outside, far from the brothers, but they change their mind and return to the assembly of them, they will not be allowed to enter in their houses, nor to occupy their places without the order of the superior one.

CXXXVII. Praepositus domus et dispensator si una nocte absque fratribus dormierit: et postea acta poenitudine ad conventum venerit fratrum, non ei permittetur, ut introeat domum, aut stet in ordine ^[78B] suo absque majoris imperio.

May the brothers be seriously compelled to review among them all of the teachings that they have listened to in the common meeting, do this mainly on the days of fasting in which their chairmen teach the catechesis.

CXXXVIII. Omne quod in conventu fratrum audierunt disputatum, necessitate cogentur, ut inter se replicent, jejuniorum maxime tempore, quando a suis docentur Praepositis.

The new arrivals to the monastery will be taught first of all about what they have to observe; then after this first instruction and they has accepted everything, they will be told to learn twenty psalms, or two epistles of the Apostle, or a part of another book from Scripture. If he is illiterate, he will go, at the first, third and sixth hour, to meet the one who can teach him and was assigned for that.  He will keep standing before him and will learn with the greatest attention and gratitude. 

CXXXIX. Qui rudis monasterium fuerit ingressus, docebitur prius quae debeat observare: et cum doctus ad universa consenserit, dabunt ei viginti Psalmos et duas Epistolas Apostoli, aut alterius Scripturae partem. Et si litteras ignoraverit, hora prima, et tertia, et sexta vadet ad eum qui docere potest, et qui ei fuerit delegatus, et stabit ante illum, et discet studiosissime, cum omni gratiarum actione.

Next to that, he will write the letters and syllables, the verbs and nouns, and will be forced to read even if he refuses to do it. In general, no one at the monastery will stay without being able to read or memorize something from Scripture, at least the New Testament and the Psalter. 

CXL. Postea vero scribentur ei elementa, syllabae, verba, ac nomina; et etiam nolens legere compelletur, ^[78C] et omnino nullus erit in monasterio, qui non discat litteras, et de Scripturis aliquid teneat: qui minimum usque ad novum Testamentum et Psalterium.

Do not let anyone find excuses for not going to the synaxis, to the chanting or the prayer.

CXLI. Ad collectam, et ad psallendum et orandum nullus sibi occupationes inveniat, quibus se dicat occupatum, quasi ire non possit.

They will not skip the prayer time and chanting time for any reason, even if they are sailing or at the monastery, or in the fields or on their way.

CXLII. Et si in navi fuerit, et in monasterio, et in agro, et in itinere, et in quolibet ministerio, orandi et psallendi tempora non praetermittat.

Let’s talk finally about the monastery of the virgins. Do not let anyone visit them, unless she has their mother there, or a sister, or a daughter, relatives or cousins or the mother of his children.

If it is necessary that those who had not quit the world, nor entered the monastery see the virgins, a necessity caused by the death of the father (whose inheritance they have the right to have), or rather by other unquestionable reason, they will send the visitors to a man of age and proven virtue.  They will see her together and will return.

Therefore, let anyone go to see the virgins, except those who we have mentioned above.  And when they go to visit them, they will first of all let the father of the monastery know. This one will send them to the elders who have received the ministry of the virgins.  The elders will go with them to visit the virgins whom they need to see, with all of the discipline that the fear of God demands.  When they see them they will not talk about secular things.  Anyone who breaks any of these dispositions will make public penance without any delay, due to their negligence and contempt, to be able to enter possession of the kingdom of heaven.End of the first part.

PRAECEPTA ET INSTITUTA S. P. N. PACHOMII. [⁷⁷]

Quomodo collecta fieri debeat, et fratres congregandi sint ad audiendum sermonem Dei, juxta praecepta majorum, et doctrinam sanctarum Scripturarum, ut liberentur de errore animae , et glorificent Deum in luce viventium, et [Al. ut] sciant quomodo oporteat in domo Dei conversari sine ruina et scandalo, ut non inebrientur aliqua passione, sed stent in mensura veritatis, et traditionibus apostolorum et prophetarum; et solemnitatum ordinem teneant, imitantes conversationem [Al. congregationem] eorum in domo Dei, et jejunia atque orationes ex more complentes. Qui enim bene ministrant sequuntur regulam Scripturarum.

^{[77D] 73} CXLIII. Hoc est ergo ministerium quod Ecclesiae ministri exercere [Al. implere] debebunt. ^[78D] Congregent fratres orationis tempore, et omnia faciant, quae rite complenda sunt, nullam [Al. ut nullam] ^[79A] detrectationi occasionem tribuant, nec sinant ambulare quempiam contrarium disciplinae.

CXLIV. Si codicem postulaverint, deferant eis.

CXLV. Si quis de foris venerit vespere, et non occurrerit accipere opus quod altera die facturus est, mane ei tribuatur.

CXLVI. Si defecerit opus quod habebat in manibus, referat ad majoris scientiam [Al. sententiam], et quod ille praeceperit, faciat.

The trustee-economist should take care of not losing any object in the monastery, nor any object in any of the offices where the brothers work.  If they lose or destroy something by negligence, the father of the monastery will reprimand the one responsible for that service, who at the same time, will reprimand the one who lost the object in question, but this will be done only by the will and determination of his superior, because without his order, no one will have the power to reprimand a brother. 

CXLVII. Qui minister est habeat studium ne quid operis pereat in monasterio in ulla omnino arte quae exercetur a fratribus. Quod si quid perierit, et negligentia fuerit dissipatum, increpabitur a Patre minister operum singulorum, et ipse rursus increpabit alium, qui opus perdiderit: dumtaxat juxta voluntatem ^[79B] et sententiam principis, absque quo nullus increpandi fratrem habebit potestatem.

If they find a piece of clothing exposed to the sun for three days, the one who was using that piece of clothing will be reprimanded, and will make public penance during the synaxis and will remain standing in the refectory. (...) If anyone looses a skin of goat, or shoes or a belt, or another effect, he will be reprimanded.

CXLVIII. Si vestimentum ad solem expansum tertius invenerit dies, dominus pro eo increpabitur, et aget poenitentiam publicam in collecta . Pellicula et galliculae, et cingulum, et si quid aliud perierit, qui perdiderit increpabitur.

If anyone took something that is not their own, they will put it on his back, he will make penance publicly in the synaxis and will remain standing in the refectory.

CXLIX. Si quis tulerit rem non suam, portet [Al. ponetur] supra humeros ejus, et aget poenitentiam publice in collecta, stabitque in vescendi loco .

If they find anyone that is doing anything whispering or is against the order of a superior, will be lectured according to the measure of his sin.

CL. Si inventus fuerit unus e fratribus aliquid per contentionem agens, vel contradicens majoris imperio, increpabitur ⁷⁴ juxta mensuram peccati sui.

If it is stated that a brother lies or hates someone, or it is proved that he is disobedient, that he is given to telling jokes more than what convenient, that he is lazy, or that he has hard words or the habit of whispering about his brothers or strangers -things absolutely contrary to the rule of Scripture and to the monastic discipline -, the father of the monastery will judge him and will punish him according to the gravity and the kind of the sin that he has committed.

CLI. Qui mentitur, aut qui odio quemquam habere fuerit deprehensus, aut inobediens, aut plus joco ^[79C] quam honestum est deditus, aut otiosus, aut dure respondens, aut habens consuetudinem fratribus detrahendi, vel his qui foris sunt, et omnino quidquid contra regulam Scripturarum est et monasterii disciplinam, audiet Pater monasterii, et vindicabit juxta mensuram opusque peccati.

When an item has been lost on the way, in the fields or in the monastery, the chief of the house will be responsible of that fault and put under reprimand if during three days he did not inform the father of the monastery.  He will make public penance according to the established way.  If a brother flees and his superior does not let the father of the monastery know til after three hours, the superior will be considered as guilty of the lost, unless he finds him.

CLII. Praepositus domus culpae et increpationi subjacebit, si ante tres dies non nuntiaverit Patri; sive in via, sive in agro, sive monasterio quid perierit: agetque publice poenitentiam juxta ordinem constitutum. Et si homo fugerit, et ante tres horas non nuntiaverit Patri, reus erit perditionis ejus: nisi tamen eum rursus invenerit.

This will be the punishment that the person who lost one of the brothers will suffer:  during three days he will make penance publicly.  But if he came up to the father of the monastery when this brother fled, he will not be responsible for that.

CLIII. Haec est ultio in eum qui fratrem de domo perdiderit: tribus diebus aget publicam poenitentiam, ^[79D] quod si eadem hora nuntiaverit Patri, in qua fugit, reus non erit.

If a chairman, having stated about a loss in the house, did not admonish the guilty one and did not come up to the father of the monastery, he will be put under the expected penance.

CLIV. Peccatum si in domo sua Praepositus viderit, et non statim increpaverit delinquentem, nec nuntiaverit Patri monasterii, ipse increpationis ordini subjacebit.

In the afternoon, they will pray in each house the six prayers and the six psalms, according to the rite of the synaxis that all of the brothers celebrate in common.

CLV. Per domos singulas vespere sex orationes ^[80A] psalmosque complebunt, juxta ordinem majoris collectae, quae a cunctis fratribus in commune celebratur.

The chairmen will give two conferences each week.

CLVI. Per singulas hebdomadas binae disputationes, id est catecheses, a Praeposito complebuntur.

Do not let anyone at the house do anything without the order of the chairman.

CLVII. Nullus in domo quippiam faciet, nisi quod Praepositus jusserit.

If the brothers of the same house state that their superior is very negligent, that he reprimands the brothers with hardness, exceeding the measure observed in the monastery, they will tell the father of the monastery who will reprimand him In principle, the superior will not do anything but what the father of the monastery has told him to do, mainly in the area of the innovations, because, for the habitual matters, will be rely on the rules of the monastery..

⁷⁵ CLVIII. Si omnes fratres qui in una domo sunt, viderint Praepositum nimium negligentem, aut dure increpantem fratres, et mensuram monasterii excedentem, referent ad Patrem, et ab eo increpabitur. Ipse autem Praepositus nihil faciet, nisi quod Pater jusserit, maxime in re nova. Nam quae ex more descendit, servabit regulas monasterii.

The superior is not supposed to get drunk (Eph. 5,18)

CLIX. Praepositus non inebrietur:

He cannot sit in the most humble places, close to where they place the supplies of the monastery.

non sedeat in humilioribus locis juxta vasa monasterii,

He cannot break the bonds that God created in heaven so that they are respected upon the earth.

ne rumpat ^[80B] vincula, quae Deus in coelo condidit, ut observentur in terris.

He cannot be sad on the day when the Lord saves. He is supposed to control his flesh like the rule of the saints (Rom. 8:13)

Ne lugeat in die festo Domini Salvatoris. Dominetur carni suae juxta mensuram Sanctorum.

He cannot sit in the most honorable seats, as it is habitual among the gentiles. (Lk. 14:8).

Ne inveniatur in excelsis cubilibus imitans [Al. imitatus] morem gentilium.

His faith should be without fluctuation.

Ne sit duplicis fidei.

He should not follow the thoughts of his heart but the law of God.

Ne sequatur cordis sui cogitationes, sed legem Dei.

He should not oppose the superior authorities with a prideful spirit (Rom. 13:2)

Ne resistat sublimioribus tumenti animo potestatibus.

He should not get angry or impatient with the weakest.

Ne fremat, neque hirriat super humiliores.

He should not cross over the limits (Dt. 27:17)

Ne transferat terminos.

He should not feed his spirit with fraudulent-deceitful thoughts.

Ne sit fraudulentus, neque in cogitationibus verset dolos.

He should not neglect the sin of his soul.

Ne negligat peccatum animae suae .

He should not let himself be overcome by the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:19)

Ne vincatur carnis luxuria.

He should not walk in laziness.

Ne ambulet negligenter.

He should not hurry to pronounce idle words (Mt. 12:36).

Ne cito loquatur verbum otiosum.

He should not put bows on the feet of the blind (Lev. 19:14)

Ne ponat scandalum ante pedes caeci.

He should not teach his soul voluptuousness.

Ne doceat voluptatem animam suam.

He should not let himself be dissipated by the laughter of the fool or by joking.

Ne resolvatur [Al. solvatur] risu stultorum ac joco.

He should not let anyone influence his heart by using flattering words and sugar coating the truth.

Ne rapiatur cor ejus ^[80C] ab his qui inepta loquuntur et dulcia.

He should not let people win him over by gifts (Ex. 23:8)

Ne vincatur muneribus.

He should not allow himself to be seduced by the word of children.

Ne parvulorum sermonem ducat.

He should not be troubled by trials (2 Cor. 4:8)

Ne affligatur in tribulatione.

He should not fear death, but God (Mt. 10:28)

Ne timeat mortem, sed Deum.

The fear of an imminent danger should not make him sin.

Ne praevaricator sit propter imminentem [Al. eminentem] timorem.

He should not abandon the true light for a little bit of food.

Ne relinquat verum lumen propter modicos cibos.

He should not hesitate or be undecided in his actions.

Ne nutet ac fluctuet in operibus suis.

He should not be versatile in his language; his decisions should be firm and founded; he should be just, cautious, one that judges according to the truth without expecting his glory, he should show before God and men just as he is, moved away from all fraud.

Ne mutet sententiam, sed firmi sit solidique decreti, justeque cuncta considerans, judicans in veritate, absque appetitu gloriae, manifestus Deo et hominibus, et a fraude procul [Al. elongans se a fraude].

He should not ignore the conduct of the saints and should not be blind before their science.

Ne ignoret conversationem Sanctorum, nec ad eorum scientiam caecus existat.

He should not hurt anyone by selfishness.

Nulli noceat per superbiam:

He should not let himself be carried away by the concupiscence of the eyes.

nec ⁷⁶ sequatur concupiscentias oculorum suorum.

He should not be dominated by the ardor of the vices.

Ne eum superent incentiva vitiorum.

He should never walk ahead of the truth.

Veritatem numquam praetereat.

He should hate injustice.

Oderit injustitiam:

He should not show preferential treatment in his judgments, because of the gifts that they may give him.

 ^[80D] secundum [Al. sed] personam numquam judicet pro muneribus,

He should not condemn pride an innocent out of pride.

nec condemnet animam innocentem per superbiam.

He should not have fun with children.

Ne rideat inter pueros.

He should not abandon the truth under the empire of fear.

Ne deserat veritatem timore superatus.

He should not eat bread that he has obtained by lying.

Ne comedat panem de fraudulentia.

He should not covet other peoples' land.

Ne desideret alienam terram.

He should not put pressure over a soul to undress others.

Ne opprimat animam propter aliorum spolia.

He should not look away from the one who has need of mercy.

Ne despiciat eos qui indigent misericordia.

He should not give false testimony, seduced by the profit. (Ex. 20:16)

Ne falsum ^[81A] dicat testimonium seductus lucro.

He should not lie because of pride.

Ne mentiatur propter superbiam.

He should not sustain anything that is contrary to the truth by exaltation of his heart.

Ne contendat contra veritatem ob tumorem animi.

He should not abandon justice by fatigue,

Ne deserat justitiam propter lassitudinem.

he should not lose his soul for human respect.

Ne perdat animam suam propter verecundiam.

He should not put his attention in the delicacies of a sumptuous table.

Ne respiciat dapes lautioris mensae.

He should not desire beautiful clothing.

Ne pulchra vestimenta desideret.

He should not neglect to always consult the elders to be able to discern his thoughts.

Ne se negligat, ut semper dijudicet cognitiones suas.

He should not get drunk with wine, he should put humbleness together with the truth.

Ne inebrietur vino; sed humilitatem habeat junctam veritati.

When he judges he should follow the precepts of the elders and the law of God, preached in the whole world.

Quando judicat, sequatur praecepta majorum et legem Dei, quae in toto orbe praedicata est.

If the chief of the house violates one of this precepts, they will use him the measure that he used (Mt. 7:2) and he will be repaid according to his deeds, because he committed adultery with the log and the stone (Jn. 3:9), because the shine of the gold and the gloss of silver made him abandon his duties of administrating justice, and the desire of a temporary profit made him fall in the trap of the wicked.

Si quidquam de his praeterierit, reddetur ei mensura juxta quam mensus est, et recipiet secundum opera sua, quia moechatus est in ligna sua et lapides: et propter fulgorem auri, et splendorem argenti dimisit judicium, ^[82A] et desiderio temporalis lucri laqueis se induit ethnicorum (Jerem. III).

The punishment of Heli and his descendants will reach that man (Samuel 4:8), the curse of Doeg (Psalm 51) he implored against David; he will take the sign with which Cain was marked (Gen. 4:15), he will have the funeral worthy of a donkey, as Jeremiah says (22:19), that because of the perdition he will deserve the fate of the sinners (the ones who were swallowed by the earth); he would be broken by the fountain of waters like a pitcher (Ecl. 12:6), and will be beaten like the sands of the coast, beaten by the brackish waves, he will be broken by the dominating scepter that Isaiah talks about (14:5) and he will stay blind, obligated to estimate the walls with his hand (Is. 59:10)

Et veniet ei contritio Heli et filiorum ejus (I Reg. IV); maledictio David, quam imprecatus est Doech (Psal. LI.): signum quo donatus est Cain (Gen. IV); sepultura asini, de qua loquitur Hieremias (Jerem. XXII): perditio qua peccatores terrae hiatus absorbuit (Num. XVI), et interitus Chananaeorum, et contritio hydriae ad fontem, et arenarum comminutio in littoribus et saxis, quae fluctibus verberantur (Eccles. XII); et confractio virgae gloriosae de Isaia, ut sit quasi caecus manu palpans parietem (Isai. V et LIX).

All of these calamities will come upon him if he does not observe the truth of his judgments and if he builds with iniquity in everything that constitutes the work he received [from the elders to work on].End of the second part.

Haec omnia ei evenient, qui non servavit veritatem in judicio, et inique [Al. iniquae] egit in omnibus quae ei credita sunt.

PRAECEPTA ATQUE JUDICIA S. P. N. PACHOMII.

The fullness of the law is charity; for us that know which times we are living in, it is the time for us to wake up from sleep, salvation is much closer to us than when we began to believe.  The night is almost over and the daylight is near, so let us discard the works of darkness (Rom 13:10-20): discussions, murmuring, hatred and pride that inflates the heart (Gal 5:20). If a brother, quick to defame and say whatever is not true is surprised in flagrant crime, they will warn him twice. If he refuses with contempt to listen to the observations, he will be separated from the community of the brothers for seven days and will not have more food than bread and water until he commits himself formally to abandon his vice and proves it (because of his behavior), then he will be forgiven.

[⁸¹] ^{[81B] 77} CLX. Plenitudo legis charitas, scientibus tempus, quia jam instet hora, ut de somno consurgamus, et vicinior sit salus [Al. salus nostra] quam eo tempore quo credidimus. Nox praecessit, dies appropinquavit: deponamus opera tenebrarum (Rom. XIII); quae sunt contentiones, detractiones, odia, et tumentis animi superbia. Qui facilis est ad detrahendum, dicitque quod non est, si in hoc peccato fuerit deprehensus, ^[81C] monebunt eum secundo; et si audire contempserit, separabitur extra conventum fratrum septem diebus, et panem tantum cum aqua accipiet, donec polliceatur atque confirmet se ab hoc vitio recessurum, et sic dimittetur ei.

If a choleric and violent brother gets upset often without a reason because of things that do not have any importance, he will be rebuked six times.  The seventh time he will be told to get up from the place where he usually sits and will be placed between the last people.  Like that, he will learn to purify himself from that disorder of his soul.  When he can present three sure witnesses that promise in their names that he will not do anything like that, he will recover his position.  But if he perseveres in the vice, he will remain among the last ones.  Then he will have lost his former rank. 

CLXI. Iracundus et furiosus si frequenter irascitur sine causa et propter rem inanem et vacuam, per sex vices commonebitur, in septima facient eum consurgere de ordine sessionis suae, et inter ultimos collocabitur: docebuntque eum ut ab hac mentis perturbatione mundetur; cumque tres dignos testimonio testes, qui pro eo polliceantur, nequaquam simile quid esse facturum, adduxerit, recipiet sessionem suam. Alioquin si permanserit in vitio, moretur inter ultimos perdito priore loco.

That one who desires to impute something false to another to oppress somebody innocent will receive three warnings, then he will be considered guilty of sin, whether he is among the most prominent or among the most humble.

^[81D] CLXII. Qui falsum cupit probare contra alterum, ut opprimat innocentem, tertio commonebitur; et postea reus erit iniquitatis, sive de prioribus sit, sive de inferioribus.

Whoever has the hateful vice of deceiving his brothers by using perverting words with the simple ones he will be warned three times: if he gives proofs of his sin, is obstinate and persevering in hardness of his heart, he will be put apart outside the monastery and he will be beaten with twigs at the door.  Then they will take him food, but only bread and water, until he purifies his spots.

CLXIII. Qui habet pessimam consuetudinem, ut fratres suos sermone sollicitet, et pervertat animas simpliciorum, tertio commonebitur; si contempserit, et obstinato animo in duritia perseveraverit, separabunt eum extra monasterium, et verberabitur ante ^[82B] fores : dabuntque ei ad vescendum foris panem et aquam, donec mundetur a sordibus.

If a brother has the habit of whispering or lamenting himself, with the excuse that he is overwhelmed by a heavy load, he will be told up to five times that he whispers without a reason and they will make reality clear to him.  If after this he disobeys, and if this is an adult, they will consider him sick and they will install him at the infirmary, he will eat there as an unemployed person until he returns to reality. But if his laments are justified and he has been oppressed with wickedness by his superior, this one, that has induced him to sin, will be under the same punishment.

CLXIV. Qui habet consuetudinem murmurandi, et quasi gravi opere se opprimi queritur, docebunt eum quinquies, quod sine causa murmuret, et ostendent perspicuam veritatem. Si et post hoc inobediens fuerit, et est perfectae aetatis, ita eum habebunt ut unum de ⁷⁸ aegrotantibus, et ponetur in loco infirmorum; ^[82C] ibique aletur otiosus, donec redeat ad veritatem. Sin autem justa est illius querela, et a majore inique opprimitur; qui eum scandalizaverit, eidem sententiae subjacebit.

If anyone is disobedient, stubborn, contradictory or a liar, if he is an adult, he will be warned ten times to get rid of his vices.  If he will not listen, he will be reprimanded depending on the rules of the monastery.  But if he falls in his sins for the lack of another person and if this is proven, the guilty one will be the one who was the cause of the sin of his brother.

CLXV. Si inobediens quis fuerit, aut contentiosus, aut contradictor, aut mendax, et est perfrictae frontis, decies commonebitur, ut desistat a vitiis: si audire noluerit, monasterii legibus increpabitur. At si per alterius culpam ad haec vitia devolvitur, et hoc fuerit comprobatum: ille qui causa exstitit, reus erit ultionis.

If a brother is fond of laughing and/or playing freely with children; if he has a friendship with the younger ones, he will be warned three times that he should break those ties and remember the honor and fear of God.  If he does not abandon such behavior, he will be lectured as he deserves, with the most severe punishment.

CLXVI. Si deprehensus fuerit aliquis e fratribus libenter cum pueris ridere et ludere, et habere amicitias aetatis infirmae, tertio commonebitur, ut recedat ab eorum necessitudine, et memor sit honestatis ^[82D] et timoris Dei; si non cessaverit, corripietur, ut dignus est, correptione severissima.

The ones who underestimate the precepts of the elders and the rules of the monastery (that have been established by the order of God), and the ones who do not pay attention of the warnings of the elders, will be punished according to the established form until they correct themselves.

CLXVII. Qui contemnunt praecepta majorum et regulas monasterii, quae Dei praecepto constitutae sunt, et parvi pendunt seniorum consilia, corripientur juxta ordinem constitutum, donec corrigantur.

If the one that judges concerning the sins abandons the truth with perversity of spirit or by negligence, twenty, ten or even five holy men who are fearful of God, accredited by the testimony of all of the brothers, will sit to judge him and will degrade him; and he will be assigned the last place until he reforms himself.

CLXVIII. Qui judex est omnium peccatorum, et perversitate mentis, vel negligentia reliquerit veritatem, viginti viri sancti et timentes Deum, sive decem, ^[83A] et usque ad quinque, de quibus omnes dent testimonium, sedebunt et judicabunt eum, et regradabunt in ultimum gradum donec corrigatur.

The one who troubles the hearts of the brothers and has a quick word to seed discords and quarrels will be warned ten times, and if he does not reform himself, he will be punished according to the rule of the monastery until he corrects himself.

CLXIX. Qui conturbat fratrum animos, et facilis ad loquendum est, lites serens ac jurgia, decies commonebitur. Et si non fuerit emendatus, corripietur ordine monasterii, donec corrigatur.

If a superior or a chairman, seeing one of his brothers on trial, refuses to seek the cause and in doing so disvalues him, the aforesaid judges will put in the clear the matter between the brother and the chairman.  If they find out that the brother has been oppressed by the negligence or the selfishness of the superior and this one takes his decisions not according to the truth but according to people, they will degrade his rank for not having taken into consideration the truth but instead taking into consideration people and for having made himself a slave of the vileness of his heart before the judgment of God.

CLXX. Qui viderit de majoribus et Praepositis fratrem suum in tribulatione, et noluerit causam tribulationis inquirere, eumque contempserit, quaeretur causa a supradictis judicibus inter fratrem atque Praepositum; et si deprehendatur negligentia Praepositi vel superbia coangustatum fratrem, et judicasse eum ⁷⁹ non secundum veritatem, sed secundum personam, regradabitur de solio suo, donec ^[83B] corrigatur et ab injustitiae sordibus emundetur: quia non consideravit veritatem, sed personas, et servivit pravitati animi sui, et non Dei judicio.

If anyone promised to keep the rules of the monastery, he started to practice them and then he abandoned them only to immediately return to them, repentant, excusing himself on the pretext that the weakness of his body did not allow him to carry on with what he had promised, they will place him among the sick brothers, until he fulfills what he has promised, after having made penance.

CLXXI. Si quis promiserit se observare regulas monasterii, et facere coeperit, easque dimiserit; postea autem reversus egerit poenitentiam, obtendens infirmitatem corpusculi, per quam non possit implere quod dixerat, faciant eum inter languentes commorari, et pascetur inter otiosos, donec, acta poenitentia, impleat quod promisit [Al. promiseris].

If in the house, the children give themselves to the idleness without effective punishments, the superior himself will admonish them and punish them for thirty days.  If he states that they persevere in their wrong dispositions and discovers any sin but does not inform the father of the monastery, he himself, in his place, will be put under a proportional punishment to the sin that he discovered.

CLXXII. Pueri si in domo fuerint dediti lusibus et ^[84A] otio, et correpti non possint emendari, debet Praepositus usque ad dies triginta ipse eos monere et corripere. Si viderit in pravitate persistere, et non renuntiaverit Patri , et aliquod peccatum in eis fuerit deprehensum, ipse pro eis culpae subjacebit, juxta quod peccatum fuerit inventum.

⁸⁰ CLXXIII. Omnes autem pueri qui non timent confundi pro peccato, et per imprudentiam judicium Dei non cogitant, et correpti verbo non emendaverint, verberentur quamdiu disciplinam accipiant et timorem.

The one who judges unjustly will be punished by the others due to his injustice.

CLXXIV. Qui injuste judicaverit, juste ab aliis condemnabitur.

If one, two or three brothers have been scandalized by any thing and leave their house but return afterwards, they will inquire what has scandalized them and when they have discovered the guilty one, they will correct him according to the rules of the monastery.

CLXXV. Si unus e fratribus, vel duo, vel tres scandalizati ab aliquo recesserint de domo, et postea ^[84B] venerint, ventilabitur inter eos et scandalizantem ante judicium; et si reus inventus fuerit, monasterii regulis emendabitur.

The one that becomes an accomplice with the ones who sin and defends a brother who has committed any fault, he will be cursed by God and the men, and will be punished with the most severe correction. If he has let himself be taken by ignorance, without thinking that he was actually doing that, he will be forgiven. In the beginning, all the ones who sin by ignorance will obtain forgiveness easily, but the one who sins with knowledge will be put under a punishment proportional to his action. 

CLXXVI. Qui consentit peccantibus, et defendit alium delinquentem, maledictus erit apud Deum et homines, et corripietur increpatione severissima [Al. pessima]. Quod si per ignorantiam deceptus est, et non ita putavit, ut verum est, ignoscetur ei. Et omnis qui peccat per ignorantiam, facile accipiet veniam: qui autem sciens peccaverit, sustinebit increpationem juxta mensuram operis sui.

Prescriptions and Laws of our Father Pachomius

PRAECEPTA AC LEGES S. P. N. PACHOMII. ^[83]

concerning the six Prayers of the evening and the Synaxis of Six Prayers that are celebrated in each house

De sex orationibus vespertinis, et de collecta quae per singulas domos fit sex orationum.

The chief of the house and his second in command would weave twenty five armfuls of palm leaves so that everybody else will adjust their work to follow their examples.  If they are absent at that moment, the one who replaces them will be applied to fulfill this measurement of work.

^[83C] CLXXVII. Viginti quinque orgyas Praepositus domus ac secundus debebunt de palmarum foliis texere, ut ad exemplum eorum operentur et caeteri. Quod si non fuerint in praesenti, qui loco eorum praefuerit, huic operi atque mensurae studium commodabit.

The brothers should go to the synaxis after having been summoned; before the signal, no one will leave their cell.  If anyone transgresses these prescriptions he will receive the usual reprimand.

CLXXVIII. Postquam acciti fuerint veniant ad collectam; et antequam vocentur, cellula nullus exibit. Si qui haec praecepta contempserint, increpationi solitae subjacebunt.

You should not force the brothers to work more than they really need to; a task exactly measured to stimulate everybody at work is all that is needed; and the peace and concord will reign among them; if you follow this rule they will submit gladly to their superiors whether they are seated, walking or standing in their places and together they will compete in humility.

CLXXIX. Ne plus operis fratres compellantur facere: sed moderatus labor omnes ad operandum provocet. Sitque inter eos pax et concordia, et libenter majoribus subjiciantur, sedentes, ambulantes, ac stantes in ordine suo, et invicem de humilitate ^[83D] certantes [Al. curantes].

In the presence of any sin all of the fathers of the monasteries will be able and should reprimand and set the deserved correction.

CLXXX. Si quid peccatum fuerit, Patres monasteriorum emendare poterunt, et constituere quod sequi debeant.

The chief of the house and his second in command will only have the right to obligate the brothers to submit to penance (by the individual sins) in the synaxis of the house and at the great synaxis, namely the one that all of the brothers celebrate.

CLXXXI. Praepositus autem domus, et qui secundus ab eo est, hoc tantum habebit juris, ut compellat ^[84C] fratres in collecta domus, sive in collecta majore, hoc est omnium fratrum, subjacere poenitentiae.

If a superior has gone on a trip, his second in command will occupy his place to receive the penances of the brothers as well as for anything that is necessary at the house.

CLXXXII. Quod si Praepositus peregre fuerit, qui secundus est locum ejus obtinebit, tam in poenitentia fratris recipienda, quam in quocumque alio eorum, quae in domo [Al. domino] necessaria sunt.

If in the absence of the superior and his second somebody comes to another house, to another brother of another house, to borrow a book or any other object, and if such thing is proven, he will be rebuked according to the rule of the monastery.

CLXXXIII. Si quis absque conscientia duorum ierit ad alteram domum, vel alterius domus fratrem, codicem legendum mutuum postulare [Al. postulaverit], vel quodlibet aliud, et in hoc inventus fuerit, monasterii ordine increpabitur.

The one who wants to live without fault and without contempt in the house that has been assigned to him will have to observe before God everything that has been prescribed.

CLXXXIV. Qui vult sine macula et absque contemptu in domo cui deputatus est, esse [Al. vivere], omnia quae praecepta sunt coram Deo observare debebit.

When the chief of the house is busy, the second in command will provide everything necessary in the monastery and at the fields.

^[84D] CLXXXV. Quidquid necessarium est in monasterio, sive in agro, si Praepositus domus occupatus est, secundus impleat.

The supreme happiness is to celebrate the six prayers in the evening upon the model of the great synaxis that reunites all of the brothers at the same time; it is celebrated with so much joy that the brothers do not find anything shameful in it nor experience any misfortune.

CLXXXVI. Sex orationes facere vespertinas, juxta exemplum majoris collectae, ⁸¹ in qua omnes fratres pariter congregantur, summae delectationis ^[85A] est, et ita facile fiunt, ut nullum onus habeant, et [Fort. ut] ex onere nascatur taedium.

If anyone has endured the heat and comes in from outdoors at the moment when the other brothers are celebrating the prayers, he will not be obligated to attend if his situation allows it.

CLXXXVII. Si quis de foris venerit, et aestu laboraverit, aliique fratres orationem celebrabunt [Al. celebraverint]; si ire non potest, non cogetur.

When the chiefs of the house instruct the brothers about the way to have a holy life (in the community), no one will restrain from attending without having a good reason.

CLXXXVIII. Quando Praepositi domorum fratres de conversatione sanctae vitae docebunt, absque gravissima necessitate nullus aberit.

The elders that are sent outside with the brothers will have, during the time that they spent outside, the powers of the chairmen and will determine all of the things by their own initiative.  They will give the catechesis to the brothers all of the set days, and if it happens that there is some rivalry and competition the brothers, the elders will be the ones to listen and to judge about the matter; they will reprimand the guilty one and the brothers who receive their orders will receive peace with all of their hearts.

CLXXXIX. Majores qui cum fratribus mittuntur foras, quamdiu ibi fuerint, habebunt jus Praepositorum, et eorum cuncta regentur [Al. gerentur] arbitrio, docebuntque fratres per constitutos dies. Et si forsitan aliquid inter eos ortum fuerit simultatis, audient ipsi majores [Al. audientur a majoribus], et dijudicabunt causam, et dignum culpa increpabunt, ut ad imperium eorum statim pacem pleno corde consocient.

If any of the brothers experiences resentment against the chief of the house, or the same superior has any complaint against a brother, those brothers of observance and solid faith should listen and judge about their matters.  If the father of the monastery is absent and if he has left for a short period of time, they will wait for him, but if they see that his absence is prolonged for some more time, then they will hear the superior and the brother for fear that a long time of waiting will be the cause of a deeper resentment.  The superior and the brother, as well as the ones who listen, need to do according to all that the fear of God requires and to not give occasion to discord.

CXC. Si quis ex fratribus contra Praepositum domus suae habuerit tristitiam, aut ipse Praepositus contra fratrem aliquam querimoniam, probatae fratres conversationis et fidei eos audire debebunt, et dijudicabunt inter eos. Si tamen absens est Pater monasterii, vel aliquo ⁸² profectus, primum quidem ^[86A] exspectabunt eum; sin autem diutius foris viderint commorari, tunc audient inter Praepositum et fratrem, ne diu suspenso judicio tristitia major oriatur. Et ille qui Praepositus est, et ille qui subjectus, et hi qui audiunt, juxta timorem Dei cuncta faciant, et non dent in ullo occasionem discordiae.

CXCI. Igitur qui animo uno esse concupiscunt, et vivere mente communi disposuerunt, consiliis majorum inserviant: quod ex consiliis processerit Patrum, id faciant.

In the area of clothing, if anyone has more clothes than what the rule authorize, he will send it to the one that keeps it in the clothing room without waiting for a warning from their superior and will not be able to go to ask for it because those articles will be at the disposition of the superior and his second in command.End of the fourth and last part.

CXCII. De vesticulis. Si quis ab [Al. de] his quae praecepta sunt, amplius habuerit, absque commonitione majoris, deferet ad custodem cellae, et introeundi, vel postulandi ea non habebit potestatem; sed erunt sub Praepositi, et ejus qui secundus est, arbitrio.

CXCIII. De puellarum disciplina. Nemo ad eas vadat visitandas, etc.

CXCIV. Quicumque de his mandatis aliquid praeterierit absque ulla dubitatione negligentiae et contemptus, aget poenitentiam, ut possidere valeamus regna coelorum.

 
ANTIRRHETIKOS: PROLOGUE