Ordo Monasticus in veteri Scotiae monasterio de Kil-ros

The Monastic Order Once Observed in the Ancient Monastery of Kil-ros in Scotland. Servanus, a disciple of Saint Palladius, built the monastery of Culros around the year, and there gathered a community of monks, whom he kept in the fear of God and in great continence. They were called by the common people Culdees or Colidees, but were properly called Kiledees, so named from the cells which they inhabited, and they were true monks, imitating the Egyptian monks and leading a life similar to theirs. For first of all, they observed a perpetual fast, taking food once a day, and that in winter when the stars appeared in the firmament, but in summer after sunset. This meal was called by them supper, and on the table they did not set dishes of various flavors, nor more sumptuous fare, but according to the number of eaters, as many loaves of bread, and boiled vegetables seasoned only with salt. They never ate meat or fish, nor did they admit cheese or butter, except on Sundays and feast days, when they took a second meal, namely, lunch and supper. For drink they had pure water, and sometimes water mixed with milk, for wine and beer were unknown to them. However, to the sick, or the elderly, or even those wearied by a long journey, some more pleasant food was given, but they never ate meat.

At table, moreover, they observed silence, intent on the divine reading and the exhortations of the spiritual father, and in this way they relieved their weary limbs with the refreshment of the evening meal they had received, yet not to satiety; for excessive satiety, even of bread alone, begets lust, but then, according to the unequal condition of bodies or ages, each was able to take his meal. All slept in one place, but on separate beds, and indeed clothed, and girded with a leather belt, so that when awakened they might rise more briskly. For at the first cockcrow all were to be present in the oratory, whatever the time of year, roused by the ringing of a bell, so that they always rose at midnight to perform the night vigils. These vigils lasted for a full three hours, because they assigned twenty psalms to each, and at the end of each psalm they bent the knee deeply, prostrating themselves on the ground. When the three night vigils were completed, all were to leave the oratory with a harmonious intention of voice and heart; the father of the monastery alone poured forth a secret prayer to God for the state of the Church, while the rest applied themselves to meditations, genuflections, and other pious works until dawn.

And then, at the given signal, all proceed to the oratory to perform the morning praises, which completed, the father of the monastery, overflowing with daily fountains of tears, fragrant with the burnt offerings of prayers, burning with the ardor of gem-like charity, consecrated the due oblation of the Lord’s body with pure hands, and thus proceeded to the angelic discourse. The synaxis finished, some sought cold water, in which, lingering for a time, they bathed the body and subdued all ardor of the flesh: but as long as they prayed in the oratory, no one would dare to yawn, to sneeze, or to spit. Then all prepared to labor at home or in the fields, so that, sweating at daily work, they would spend their life in common by the labor of their hands, well knowing that secure rest and idleness are the mother and fuel of vices, and therefore they submitted their shoulders to divine fatigues; and with more intense zeal, they labored with foot and hand, and thus, by their own strength, they accomplished all the works of the congregation with joy. For, girded for rural work, they place the yoke on their shoulders, they fix mattocks and spades to the earth with unconquered arm, they carry hoes and saws for cutting in their holy hands, and they provide everything by their own labor that rustic men are accustomed to accomplish with the help of oxen and horses.

Among them, no oxen, horses, or other animals were to be found for cultivating the fields or for performing any work, because each one was his own ox and horse for labor. Only the little old abbot had a small horse for making journeys and a few cows for the sake of milk, just as they also kept sheep for the sake of wool and skin; for they rejected all other possessions and detested riches. When, however, rural work lasted longer, they then performed the customary measure of psalms in the fields, observing the due time for each canonical hour; for they were intent on devoutly reciting the entire Psalter each day. As long as they labored, no murmur was heard, no conversation was held beyond what was necessary, but each one, either by praying or by thinking rightly, performed the work assigned to him. When the rural work, or any other assigned labor, was finished, they returned to their own cells, where they spent the whole day until evening either writing or praying, except when the time came for praying the canonical hours in the oratory. As evening approached, when the sound of the bell was heard, each one abandoned his study or labor. For as soon as the sound resounded in anyone's ears—whether a letter was half-formed in writing, or even half of that same letter's shape—they rose quickly, finished their duties, and thus with silence and gravity, without any fanciful conversation, they made for the oratory.

After the chanting of the psalms was completed, each one, with a harmonious intention of heart and voice, devoted himself to private prayers and genuflections, until the stars seen in the sky closed the day at its end, but in summer, on account of the brevity of the night, until sunset. Finally they gather at table, to relieve their weary limbs with the refreshment of supper, where indeed they paid more attention to spiritual reading than to the flavor of the foods; for the entire meal consisted of no other foods than common bread seasoned with salt, as has already been said. Thus, having been moderately refreshed, with the offering of thanks they sought the oratory, and after pouring forth prayer for a short time, upon the signal being given and having received the blessing of the spiritual father, all approached the dormitory, the seniors equally with the juniors, according to the claustral order, nor was any murmur of a voice heard, but they took their rest until the first cockcrow. And in this manner, through each day and night of the year, they served their Creator, except that from the night of the Sabbath until the first light of dawn, that is, the first hour of the Lord's day, had shone, they devoted themselves to vigils, prayers, and genuflections, except for one hour after the morning lauds, when they prepared themselves to scrutinize the hidden secrets of the heart. This having been completed, and truly contrite, they approached the spiritual father, to whom they disclosed their thoughts, without whose command they could undertake nothing, but they obtained his permission even for the necessities of nature.

They cultivated poverty most highly, and had no other possessions than those which they could work with their own hands. Hence they spurned the gifts of the wicked and detested riches. If, however, any of the great ones of the land wished to give something as alms, they immediately distributed it to the poor, to whom they also granted the offerings of the faithful; for they had in the vicinity a hospice, where they nourished the poor and the weak, the lame and the blind, the aged and the orphans, of whom S. Servanus had special care, providing them with all necessities and serving them with pious exhortations. They wore cheap garments, especially of skins, but of white color, so that they might appear candid in both morals and dress. For the inner habit, woven from white wool, descended to the knees, and they used it for laboring, for they never employed linen garments. The outer habit was a birrus, which is also called an amphibalus, covering both body and head, which they girded with a leather belt, and thus they went forth daily to pray and to labor, and also slept thus.

Therefore, among those ancient monks or Culdees, there shone forth complete uprightness of character, poverty of life, perpetual continence in their actions, and unfailing obedience to the command of the spiritual father. Nor were they bound to obey only the father of the monastery, but also the seniors appointed by him to keep watch, and those who resisted were subjected to severe penances. For every fault, even the slightest, a harsh penalty was imposed; thus, when anyone claimed and declared something as his own, for example, "my book," etc., then, stripped of his garments, he had to immerse himself in water up to his neck, and there, remaining for a long time, extinguish every evil desire of his own will. If, however, he did not fulfill the commands of the spiritual father or of the other seniors cheerfully and promptly, he was separated from the fellowship of the brothers and had to live on bread and water until he came to his senses; and if he persisted obstinately in disobedience and refused to acknowledge the fault committed, he was punished by the squalor of imprisonment. For minor faults publicly committed, they performed penance before the entire congregation, struck with harsh blows, which were called penitential scourges.

This harsh and difficult way of life the Kiledei, or ancient monks of Culross, entered upon with great joy, so that they might violently seize the kingdom of heaven; nor was easy admission granted to undergo so arduous a discipline of the monastery, although many flocked there for the reformation of their morals. For whoever desired the preservation of the holy purpose and sincerely sought the fellowship of the brothers, had first to remain for ten days before the doors of the monastery, as if rejected, and also confounded by verbal reproaches, knocking frequently but finding no entrance. If, however, making good use of patience, he persisted to the tenth day, then the gate of the cloister was opened, and the newcomer had to serve the elder appointed at the gate, and there, laboring for a very long time and tested by many adversities of the spirit, he finally merited to enter the fellowship of the brothers. Moreover, whoever desired the conversation of the brothers had first to distribute all his substance to the poor, for the spiritual father wished to receive from him nothing, not even, so to speak, a single denarius, for the use of the monastery; but he was received into the congregation naked, as if escaping from a shipwreck, for he also had to lay aside his secular garments before entry and give them to the poor. And the new recruit was obliged to do all these things so that he might there choose voluntary poverty, and never exalt himself as excelling among the brothers, or

labor without the support of substance, or, bringing the religious habit, would extort from the monastery the things he had left behind, and would provoke the patience of the brothers into anger. These and many other harsh and severe practices were observed by those ancient Kiledei, whose rigor of discipline, although necessary to imitate, the brevity of the present compendium forbids us to expound. But they imitated the Egyptian monks in all things, and led a life similar to theirs.