CHAPTER XVII

ST. LAWRENCE'S MONASTERY

THE monastery of St. Lawrence was founded, as we have seen, in 1606 by the Spanish monks of Douai, and conventual life began there on 9th August 1608. D. Augustine Bradshaw and D. Gabriel Gifford were the principal promoters of this great work. For more than six years the Spanish fathers were in peaceful possession of the house; and, for a time, the latter of the above-named, it is said, exercised superiority over the new foundation. Under the circumstances mentioned in chapter xiii., the owners, for the sake of peace, and to give "a local habitation and name" to the few men, then the sole representatives of the old English congregation, admitted them to a share in the house at Dieuleward (1612), and the "Union of the Four Articles " was drawn up to regulate this concession. The

1 So says D. Maihew in his dedication to archbishop Gifford of the Trophœa. He says: "In hoc enim monasterio Illustrissima et Reverendissima Dominatio vestra mundo renuntiavit, habitum religionis assumpsit, vota monastica emisit ac primum Prioris officium obivit." As the two first statements are contradicted by facts, it makes the certainty of the last, D. Gifford's priorship, at least doubtful. D. Maihew was away on the mission during the short residence of D. Gifford at St. Lawrence's.

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plan, however, could not, of course, be carried out till it had received the approbation of the Spanish general, who gave it, May 5, 1613. But before this was received, D. Maihew, the most active spirit of the English fathers, had already left the mission and came to Dieuleward, and, making his first essay of conventual life, took possession of the share bestowed on his congregation.

On his arrival, D. Paulinus Appleby, a professed monk of the Spanish congregation, was holding the prior's chair. Since its foundation, no less than eighteen monks, also of the Spanish congregation, had been professed for that particular house; and already St. Lawrence's had sent out off-shoots. D. Gabriel Gifford and D. John Barnes had been sent, in 1611, to Spain to ask for help for the new community, which had grown too large for its means of support, and was now threatened with an increase in numbers by the English fathers who were claiming a share. Tarrying at St. Malo for a ship, they were induced by the bishop of that town to settle there. D. Bradshaw, the vicar, finding in this a solution of his difficulties, consented, and sent for six others from Dieuleward to join them, three only of whom were professed of St. Lawrence's. Another opening that same year occurred at Chelles, and D. Francis Walgrave with several others were sent from St. Lawrence's to form a little community, and act as confessors and chaplains to the royal convent in that place. The abbess was anxious to reform her

nunnery, and having heard from the prior of Cluny college in Paris of the wonderful abstemious life of the Dieuleward monks, begged for some to be sent to help her in her work. In 1612 D. Bradshaw himself went to Chelles and admitted some English youths to the habit.

Thus when D. Maihew came the community was greatly reduced. Almost all the Spanish monks who had been professed there since 1609 had been drawn off. This was useful to the end he had in view, which was practically to obtain entire possession of what he had already a part. He had strong "home rule" proclivities, and determined St. Lawrence's should be for the English, and for them alone. His policy succeeded. Upon his arrival in the February of 1613 he held a general chapter of the old English congregation, which was now set free from their dependence on the Cassinese, D. Anselm Beech. He began also to act as prior on behalf of D. F. Forster, who, though appointed prior, remained on the English mission. Then he began to clear the house of the rest of the Spanish fathers. These went to Paris to start the monastery of St. Edmund. Among them was the future martyr, D. Alban Roe. During his presidency, which lasted till 1620, twelve novices made their profession. Having established himself at Dieuleward, he was in a better position as regards the questions then pending. As we have

1 See Downside Review, vol. iii. p. 180; and Jas. Gillow's St. Thomas' Priory, PP. 34, 35.

seen, he now threw over the "Union of the Four Articles," under which he had entered into his share. How this all eventuated we have narrated in the account of the renewal of the English congregation. We must now chronicle the chief events in the history of St. Lawrence's monastery; and here we lament a great dearth of materials upon which to work. Dieuleward, out of the way of any great centre of English activity, such as Douai then was, was also happily free from any of the vexations with which that house had to deal. The record of her sons is more to be found in England, where, in course of time, they did a great work on the mission, and bore their full share of toil and suffering. Missionary work has been from the days of D. Maihew the great object. He, himself a missioner, and unaccustomed to any other kind of work, would naturally impress that character on the house he practically refounded. The mission oath was first started at Dieuleward, at the general chapter held on February 28, 1613. To this oath, and under the same formula, was joined another in use among the fathers of the society, de non ambiendo, that is, not to aspire after ecclesiastical dignities. We think that the introduction of these oaths is due directly to D. Maihew, for they bear decided marks of his early training under the influence of jesuit ideas at Rome.

The house was to be one of strict observance, or, as D. Maihew was wont to say, ad pedem literæ.1 1 Cf. document in Downside Review, vol. ii. p. 179.

For fifty years perpetual abstinence was kept up, and the monks arose at midnight for matins. The monastery got a great reputation, and attracted a number of postulants; so that we find, within the first twenty years, no less than fifty choir monks were professed. In 1621 a monk of this house, D. Clement Reyner, then at Chelles, was sent to the great abbey of St. Peter at Ghent, where St. Dunstan had stayed, to introduce the stricter observance practised by the monks of the restored English congregation; and so much was he loved there, that much importunity was used to induce him to accept the abbacy. But he refused, and returned to his own congregation. Together with this good reputation came a temporal increase. Considerable additions were made to the property by the purchase of farms, one of which, Marivaux, cost 31,000 francs of modern money. The monks also planted the hop, and established the first brewery (still standing) in those parts, thus establishing a new industry.

But the prosperity of St. Lawrence's was to be sadly shaken. The war of 1636 broke out, and St. Lawrence's was in the midst. For six years the monastery suffered greatly.

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On the 8th January 1636 two of the religious, D. Anselm Williams and Br. Leander Neville, being sent by their superiors to charitably assist a lady of quality in Lorraine, were met by certain soldiers belonging to the heretical army of Saxon