When the scholars
went home the friars crept out, lit a fire and sat round it, boiled
their porridge, and mixed their small beer, sour and thick as we are
told it was, with water to make it go further, and each contributed
some word of edification to the general stock, brought forward some
homely illustration which might serve to brighten the next sermon
when it should be preached, or told a pleasant tale, thought out
during the day--a story with a moral. Of the five left behind at
Canterbury it is to be observed that no one of them was qualified as
yet to preach in the vernacular. William of Esseby was too young for
the pulpit, though he became a very effective preacher in a few
years. He was, however, doing good service as interpreter, and
doubtless as teacher of English to the rest.
Before long the cheerfulness, self-denial, and devout bearing of the
little company at Canterbury gained for them the warm support and
friendship of all classes. They had a very hard time of it. Sometimes
a kind soul would bring them actually a dish of meat, sometimes even
a bottle of wine, but as a rule their fare was bread--made up into
_twists_, we hear, when it was specially excellent--wheat-bread,
wholesome and palatable; but, alas, sometimes barley-bread, washed
down with beer too sour to drink undiluted with water.
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