The Curse Upon Mitre Square — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

8 THE CURSE UPON MITRE SQUARE. lt is true that its wealth had been in former times even greater, and its sway over a portion of the city more undisputed; but still so much remained, so much glory and magnificence still adhered to the monastery, that it was strange the forty monks should have cause for apprehension. These monks were of the order of canons regular, and with greater power and greater wealth than fell to the lot of other monasteries, they, notwithstanding, escaped the open hostility of the king and his nobles. This being the case, it is plain that they were chari- table and popular with their parishioners. Had any scandal attached to the Priory or its inmates, had its revenues been ill-managed, or the poor of the district adjoining cause for complaint that their wants were not attended to, then certain is it that the rapacious King Hal and his still more rapacious nobles would have marked it for destruction. Such, ~ however, was not the case; neither king nor nobles dared lay hand on so useful and popular an insti- tution, and Prior and monks reigned supreme, safe from the temporal power which feared to touch them. Ihe monks were, however, unhappy, and knew. well the cause of their uneasiness. In the beginning of the year a rumour had reached the Prior that one of the forty had been seen in an adjoining church under very suspicious circumstances. What these were the Prior did not deem fit to mention; all he — attempted was to discover the delinquent who was so likely to bring discredit on his fellows. ‘This was comicboo <S co m