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ORDINIS STATUTA
ï . ÜI S QU I S in Anglia Regni fòlio potietur, is ipfe perpe-tuis ab hirlc temporibus hujus illuftriflimi Ordinis Sueremus& erit, öcappellabitur.
z. Nullus in hanc clariffimam Societatem afcribetur, nifi qui generisac militiæ nomine dignus fuerit, ut qui Moribus ac fama fplendidus, &eques ante ut minimum auratus : Ignobiles autem & improbi repulfamhic omnino patientur. Improbitates etenim & probra hic probitatis &honorificæ virtutis ordo minus admittet, aut fuilinebit.
3. Commilitones egregii hujus Ordinis & ornatiffimi Collegæ Vi-giliti fex erunt, qui trabeas ac fiibligaria apud Windefmm habeant in ufùm& fplendorem Ordinis apte parata, ut quoties utendum fit, hiis illic,utantur. Utendum autem quotiefcunq^ Divi fui Georgii facellum in- .grediuntur, feu domum fùæ fuorumq; Sacerdotum confultationi dedica-tam, vel ad conventum ibi celebrandum, vel quid aliud agitandum autconflituendum, quod Societatis hujus interefle poterit. Eodem habituceiebriq; ornatu, fiib vefperis vigiliæ Divi Georgii , fhb antemeridiano cra-jftinæ diei Solenni, & fecundis deinde vefperis cum Supremo vel in lo-cum ejus Allignato de magno Regis Cubiculo ad Sacellum & Domum,quam de rebus confhlturi fubintrant, ibunt ac redibunt. Trabeis itidemac fiibligaribus illic fuis induti confidebunt, tam in prandio diei DiviGeorgii , quàm in cœnâ vigiliæ ejus pariter & diei, comedentes fimul acabftemii $ neque fe illis exuent, donec ipfe Supremus ejufve loco Conftitutusexuerit, exuendive tenipüs effe decrevërit.
It is here to be obferved that the Numbers prefixed tothefe Articles, have been inferted by fome lateHand, and are continued bere for the Eafe onlyof References.
The ColleBor having with Freedom taxed the Te-merity of Dr, Aldrydge, in turning the Statutes in-to his own Latinity t is apprebenfive that fome Partof that Cenfure may return upon himfelf, in cafehe fbould attempt to tronfiate into Englifh this pri-vate Verfion, for fuch it U, and which is worfe,notprade immediately from the Statutes of the Inflitu-tion, hut (as Mr. Afhmole, Hifi.p, 191, hath alrea-dy remarked) from a Tranfcript entered in the Re.giftrum Chartaceum, who hath farther taken Notice ,that there being in the 16th Article of this Tranf-cript, an Interlineation by a laterHand,and in frtfherInk, of the Titles of Mar que ff es and Vifcounts, theDoBor without any Hefitation, hath inferted them inbis Test, as though thefe were Titles of Peerage,known in the Reign of the Founder ; to whichPray be added, that the DoBor feems not wellverfed, even in the Antiquities of his own College,for he mentions in the 17 and 26 Articles the Deanof that Place , though ’tis well known, that in the Timeof the Founder, and till the laß Tear of Hen. IV,that Church was governed by a Cuftos or Warden.The mofl learned Dr. Matthew Wren, Regifler ofthis Orders afterwards Bifbop of Ely, acquaints us,
that it can be demonflrated by mofl clear Arguments,that the Statutes here sntred were made by Ed. IV,foon after the Commencement of his Reign. Indeed,the p,<,th Article (as it it now numbered) is evi-dently ofthat Period,but all preceding the Word Ineon-fummatum is certainly no more than an elegant andpolite Latin Drefs, given to the Statutes entred inthe Regiftrum Chartaceum, which is the firfl Inflru-ment printed by Mr. Alhmole in his Appendix ;this Editor muft however confefs , he hath not asyet found any charaBeriflicks to afcertain the Æraof this prefent Tranfcript to the Reign of Ed. IV,though by Perufal we mufl be convinced that it isnot a true Copy of the original Statutes, becaufe bythe 1 2th Article fuch a MulB is infiiBed on theCompanions for not wearing the Garter, as tbofewho had been formerly found in the fame Fault hadpaid “ ficut alii ante tolvemnt qui in eîdem culp⣠‘ fuere conftituti.” Therefore it is thought need-lefs to convert tbofe Statutes into Englifh, and moreefpecially frnce tbofe made by Hen. VIII, will behereafter inferted in three feveral Languages, witha fhort Commentary annexed, flowing their Varia-tions from the former Statutes, and alfo from thisCopy, though this latter may indeed be fuppofedtobe of fuch Weight, as the private Opinion of an Of.ficer of the Order, accompanied poffibly with theFradice of that Age in feveral Particulars , mayamount to.
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