ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ORIGIN OF CY PRFIS. 8 1 And he then provides for the consideration to be paid : —
- ' And I will have immediatelie after my decesse, as shortly as may be
possible, a thousand masses to be saide within the citie of Norwich and other places within the Shire of Norfolk ; whereof I will have in honor of the blessed Trinitie one hundreth, in honor of the five wounds ' of our Savyour J'hu Christ one hundreth, in honor of the five joys of our blissed Lady one hundreth, in honor of the nine orders of Aungells one hundreth, in honor of the Patriarchs one hundreth, in honor of the twelve Apostells one hundreth, in honor of all Saints one hundreth ; of Requiem one hun- dreth, in honor of St John the Evangelist thirty ; in honor of St George forty, in honor of St Thomas of Canterbury thirty, in honor of St Margaret forty, in honor of St Kateryn thirty, and of St Barbara thirty." It is not wonderful therefore that no bounds were set to the efforts to escape the " tereablenes of the yll and dampnabell spirite," and that the Church's intervention should be purchased at any price. Thus Lord Bergavenny's will, April 25, 1408,^ directs that " ten thousand masses be said for my soul with all possible haste after my death, by the most honest^ priest that can be found." Joan Lady Cobham, August 13, 1369, wills* that seven thousand masses be said for her soul by the canons of Tunbridge and the Friars, Preachers, Minors, Augustines, and Carmelites of London, who for so doing shall have xxiv^ iii^. & iv^. Robert Lord Hungerford ^ provides for " a thousand priests saying the exequies of the dead, commendations, and the seven penitential ^ This particular subject of commemoration was a favorite one. Hence the number " five " was constantly used for the number of tapers about the coffin. See wills of- Edmond Earl of March, Nicolas, Test. Vet. i. no; William' Lord Ferrers, ib. 76; William Earl of Suffolk, ib. 114; Robert Earl of Suffolk, ib. 73 ; James Lord Audley, ib 117 ; Sir J. Montacute, ib. 124; Lady Elizabeth Audley, ib. 152 ; Margaret Countess Warwick, ib. 169; Elizabeth Lady Despenser, ib. 174; Elizabeth Countess of Salis- bury, ib. 183; William Lord Bergavenny, ib. 171; Isabel Countess of Suffolk, ib. 193; Thomas Duke of Exeter, ib. 207 ; Thomas Lord St. John, ib. 214. 2 Nicolas, Test. Vet. i. 171. ' This requirement is very significant. It occurs repeatedly; see will of Lady Despenser, Nicolas, Test. Vet. i. 174; William Lord Roos, ib. 182; Elizabeth Countess of Salisbury, ib. 183 ; Sir J. Nevil, ib. 264 ; John Duke of Exeter, ib. 255 ; Ann Duchess of Exeter, ib. 281 ; Joan Lady Clinton, ib. 284; William Lord Bergavenny, ib. 171; Sir H. Stafford, ib. 324 ; John Lord Marney, id. 2, 626 ; Sir Piers Edgcomb, ib. 647 ; Thomas Lord Dacre, ib. 653. Its frequency indicates strongly that the priestly fra- ternity were not above suspicion to say the least. Cardinal Beaufort, in his will, Nicolas, Test. Vet. i. 249, even provides that the prior, etc., of Canterbury should give security.
- Nicolas, Test. Vet. i. 81. * Ib. 294.
