The+Monk


 * =The Monk (450 ad - 1300 ad) - is a person who practices religious [|asceticism], living either alone or with any number of monks, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy. =

Any man, rich or poor, noble or peasant could become a Medieval monk. Every candidate for admission to the order of the Benedictine monks took the vow of  obedience. The postulancy usually lasted one month, the novitiate one year, at the end which simple vows were taken. The solemn vows of the Medieval monks were taken four years later. Having once joined he remained a monk for the rest of his life. The Medieval monks lived under strict discipline. They could not own any property; they could not go beyond the monastery walls without the abbot's consent; they could not even receive letters from home; and they were sent to bed early. A violation of the regulations by a Medieval monks brought punishment in the shape of private admonitions, exclusion from common prayer, and, in extreme cases, expulsion. Medieval ecclesiastic terms which related to becoming a monk:
 * Oblate - an oblate was a person given in childhood to a monastic community by his parents, to be brought up as a monk
 * Postulant - a postulant was a person seeking admission to a religious order
 * Novice - a novice was a member of a monastic community under training, who has not yet taken final vows

The life of a monk was hard, it was said to be a riteous path to god. To become a monk was to become a lover of life. The life of a Medieval monk appealed to many different kinds of people in the Middle Ages. The reasons for becoming a Medieval monk were as follows:
 * To devote their lives to serving God
 * To live a life in a secure retreat
 * To escape from a violent world
 * The lead a quiet and peaceful lives

Monks have three vows, a vow of poverty, a vow of chastity, and a vow of obedience.
 * A [|vow] of Poverty, is made to ensure a monk's trust with god. Having no non-essential worldly [|Possession's].
 * A vow of [|Chastity], to also ensure sexual abstention, or virginity.
 * A vow of Obedience, to conform to a [|monastic] rule or the authority of a religious superior, esp. on the part of one who has vowed such conformance.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Occupation =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Daily Life of Medieval Monks - Monastic Jobs and Occupations <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The daily life of Medieval monks included many different jobs and occupations. The names and descriptions of many of these positions are detailed below:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Abbot - the head of an abbey
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Almoner - an almoner was an officer of a monastery who dispensed alms to the poor and sick
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Barber Surgeon - the monk who shaved the faces and tonsures of the monks and performed light surgery
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cantor - the cantor was the monk whose liturgical function is to lead the choir
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cellarer - the cellarer was the monk who supervised the general provisioning of the monastery
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Infirmarian - the monk in charge of the infirmary
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lector - a lector was a monk entrusted with reading the lessons in church or in the refectory.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sacrist - the sacrist was the monk responsible for the safekeeping of books, vestments and vessels, and for the maintenance of the monastery's buildings
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Prior - in an abbey the deputy of the abbot or the superior of a monastery that did not have the status of an abbey

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Daily Life of a Monk in the Middle Ages - the Daily Routine ** The daily life of a Medieval monk during the Middle Ages centred around the hours. The Book of Hours was the main prayer book and was divided into eight sections, or hours, that were meant to be read at specific times of the day. Each section contained prayers, psalms, hymns, and other readings intended to help the monks secure salvation for himself. Each day was divided into these eight sacred offices, beginning and ending with prayer services in the monastery church. These were the times specified for the recitation of divine office which was the term used to describe the cycle of daily devotions. The times of these prayers were called by the following names - Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Vespers and Compline:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Lauds] : the early morning service of divine office approx 5am
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Matins]: the night office; the service recited at 2 am in the divine office
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Prime] : The 6am service
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Sext] : the third of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the sixth hour (noon)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Nones] : the fourth of the Little Hours of the divine office, recited at the ninth hour (3 pm)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Terce] : the second of the Little Hours of divine office, recited at the third hour (9 am)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Vespers] : the evening service of divine office, recited before dark (4 - 5pm)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Compline] : the last of the day services of divine office, recited before retiring (6pm)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Any work was immediately ceased at these times of daily prayer. The monks were required to stop what they were doing and attend the services. The food of the monks was generally basic and the mainstay of which was bread and meat. The beds they slept on were pallets filled with straw <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">** Mondern Monks ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**﻿**The mondern monks live in monastary with other monks to learn and teach about god. There is not that much that has changed to monks from Canterbury Tales. They still do all the same things as they did in the middle ages. live for them is a vow to live there live in povertiy and absence. this is the life of a modern mon



=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿The Monk﻿ =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A mysterious monk, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">who stayed away from society, and loved to hunt. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He was a strong monk, and also an abbot. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His stables were full of powerful and pure horses. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Men followed and rode along side him. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather was fine, and the horses could be heard. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The horses were as loud as the church bell. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk ruled the sleeping quarters. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He ruled under Maurice and Saint Benedict. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk had to follow many rules. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk adapted to new ways of religion, and life. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He did not listen to the book that claimed hunters were unholy, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and against god. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A monk without his church is just like a fish out of water. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk did not follow the bible very clearly. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I claimed his opinion was correct, but should be studied, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">greatly. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He will work himself to death, as religious scholors claimed he should. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk shall have his own goods, from working. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He road his horse a lot. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His dogs were mighty and powerful, and quite loyal. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He loved to hunt for bunnies, he spent large amounts of money doing it. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He wore expensive fur gloves for the hunt. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He wore a hat to keep from the bridly cold. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He had ample amounts of gold, which he loved dearly. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The monk shined his head. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A monk had a clean shaven face. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The lord saw him as a good man. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He himself had fire in his eyes, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">he took good care of his boots. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just as good of care as his horse.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Original Poem, non-translated =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A monk there was, one made for mastery, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An outrider, who loved his venery; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A manly man, to be an abbot able. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Full many a blooded horse had he in stable: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And when he rode men might his bridle hear <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His boots were soft; his horse of great estates <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A-jingling in the whistling wind as clear, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Aye, and as loud as does the chapel bell <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where this brave monk was master of the cell. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rule of Maurice or Saint Benedict, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By reason it was old and somewhat strict, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This said monk let such old things slowly pace <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And followed new-world manners in their place. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He cared not for that text a clean-plucked hen <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Which holds that hunters are not holy men <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nor that a monk, when he is cloisterless, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is like unto a fish that’s waterless; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That is to say, a monk out of his cloister. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But this same text he held not worth an oyster; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And I said his opinion was right good. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What? Should he study as a madman would <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Upon a book in cloister cell? Or yet <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Go labour with his hands and swink and sweat, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As Austin bids? How shall the world be served? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let Austin have his swink to him reserved! <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Therefore he was a rider day and night; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Greyhounds he had, as swift as fowl in flight. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since riding and the hunting of the hare <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Were all his love, for no cost would he spare. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I saw his sleeves were lined around the hand <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">With fur of grey, the finest in the land; <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, to fasten hood beneath his chin, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He had of good wrought gold a curious pin: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A love-knot in the larger end there was. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His head was bald and shone like any glass <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And smooth as one anointed was his face. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fat was this lord, he stood in goodly case. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">His bulging eyes he rolled about, and hot <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They gleamed, and red, like fire beneath a pot.

=﻿Feelings toward the Monk=

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chaucer likes the Monk and seems to agree with his way of life. He says that the monk is "fair for the maistrye, an outrider or a manly man, to been an abbot worthy". He probably says this because the Monk has leadership skills since he dictates his life by ignoring the rules of the monastery. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chaucer shows the Monk's characteristics in the way he looks, the things he says and does, and in the things the host and Chaucer say about him. Chaucer says that the Monk's lust is for riding and hunting while the host says it is for women. The Monk is honest with himself. He is very modern since he ignores the rules of the monastery and wears his robe with gray fur lining at the sleeves. He also seems like he is more of a regular person than a monk.

=﻿Extra Interests=

include component="comments" page="The Monk" limit="100"

=﻿Common Mistake=

This is Monk, a famous detective from a tv show called "Monk". Many people think this is what a Monk is. Which is a large mistake. This monk is a germaphobe and is ment for another wiki page, when can be found....... [|here].

Devon Burdette, Nick Porter