John Mason Neale

Ayton Priory, Or, the Restored Monastery John Mason Neale

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1843 Excerpt: ... have would be a poor acknowledgment of my sense of it." "Now, may I ask, in what way do you intend to use this property?" "I will answer by another question. What do you think of the re-establishment of monasteries 1" "If you ask me," said Sir John, " as one layman and friend may ask another, for a private opinion, by which I wish nobody to be influenced, I will very willingly tell you. I not only think that it would be one of the greatest blessings which could be conferred on the English Church, but that it is one of those things which will, sooner or later, be done in some way or other. At the same time, no one is more conscious than myself of the immense difficulties attending the design." "Many have occurred to me," answered Col. Abberley. "But what strike you as the most formidable?" "The whole question of vows; their nature, extent, and stringency; the degree to which religious houses should be subject to parochial superintendence; the nature of the Daily Services; the discipline. These are four considerations, involving difficulties innumerable." "The question of vows seems to me one of the hardest. For my own part, I cannot even imagine a satisfactory conclusion to it." "It is fortunate for us that we are not called upon to do so. In the first place, it seems to me that vows for life are out of the question, at least in the present state of the Church. At the same time, I can hardly imagine a monastick establishment without vows. For it might so happen, that such an one would be all at once broken up: there being nothing to bind any member of it to such a life for a moment longer than it might suit his fancy. Again, a man might enter himself as an inmate of the house, and after taking up his abode in it, might find after a trial of two or three days...