VII. Item, It is agreed that if the Soverayne cannot be at Saynt George’s Feast, that he shall make his Deputy, by his Letters, for to kepe the Chapter upon Saynt George’s Even, at the Owre of Tierce, the which is at three of the Clocke at Afternone, and on Saynt George’s Day, to kepe the said Feast at the Costes of the said Soverayne for the space abovesaid, without any new Ordenance to be made, havyng Power to correcte and redresse all Poynts of the said Chapter as for then shall seme necessary.
VIII. Item, That every one on Saynt George’s Even, that is to wit, the twenty second Day of April, a gatheryng together shall be made of all the Knyghtes of Saynt George within the Castell of Wyndesore, that is to wit, of all them that shall be within this Realme of Englande or withoute, that conveniently may come; and there they shall have the Service of Saynt George, and also shall were their hole Habit of the said Order, duryng the seid Servyce, being ordinarily in theyre Stalls. And every of them shall have his Banner, Sworde, with his Helme and Creste, above his Stall, the which, duryng his Lyff, shall abyde in the said Chappell for his Honor, and in Signe and Knowledge that he beres them in defence of holy Churche, as the Order of Knyghthod requireth. But in Case that the seid Feast of Saynt George happen to fall within fifteen Days after the Feast of Easter, or upon any Fyshe-Daye or Fastyng-Day, then shall it be proroged and prolonged at the Soverayn’s Pleasure, as above is said, if so be that the Day of the seid Feast be not assigned nor ordeyned to be kepte the twenty fourth, twenty fifth, twenty sixth, nor the last Day of April, nor upon the fowre first Dayes of May, for by cause of the impediment or let of Devyne Servyce ordened by Holy Churche, for the double Feasts of Saynt Marke, Philipp and Jacob, and the invention of the Holy Cross of our Lord Jesu Chryste, nor at such Dayes as shall fall the Assencion, or the Feast of Pentecoste, or any other Feaste of Solempnitie as is ordened in Holy Churche, whereby the fyrst or second Even Songe, by suche Prorogacions, might be letted or distorbed.
IX. Item, That all the Knyghtes of the said Order shall come Yerely in the said Place of the said Castell of Wyndesore, on Saynt George’s Even, at the Owre of Tierce, the which is at three of the Clocke at Afternoone, as it is abovesaid; and if thei come not at the tyme assigned, without havyng a juste and reasonable Excuse, that they may be acceptable to the said Soverayne or to his Deputy, or otherwyse pardoned by the said Soverayne, of their absence, by special Letters of Excuse, in the whiche Letters theyr Names and Causes shall be wryten, or otherwyse shall have their Pennance after the Ordenaunce and Agreement of the said Chapter; And the said Ordenaunce is such, that they shall not entre into the Chaptre for that tyme, but shall byde without the Dore, and shall have Voyce in any thynge that is done in the said Chapter at that tyme allonly; and if they come not to Even Songe before the begynnyng of the said Even Songe, they shall not enter into their Stalles, but shall byde belowe affore the said Stallis, in the Queristers Places, duryng the said Even Songe; and like Pennance is ordened for them that come not to the High [[7]] Masse betyme, and at Even Songe on St. George’s Daye. And if there be any that come not to the Feaste, and have not a reasonable Excuse towarde the Soverayne or his Deputye, as is above declared, his Pennance shall bee, that he shall not enter within his Stalle the next Feaste after, but shall byde below, as it is said at the first Even Songe, and shall goo in the Procession before all the [[8]] three Crosses, and shall sit below as afore is said, all the [[9]] Masse tyme, untyl the Offering, and he shall Offer laste; and after his Pennance so done, incontinent he shall come before the Soverayn’s Stalle, or his Deputye, and there he shall aske Pardon; and after that, the Soverayne or his Deputye shall Command hym to goo unto his Stalle in his fyrst Estate; and if he come not to the seconde Feaste, and be dwellyng within the Realm, without having any Excusation alowable to the Soverayne or his Deputye, as is abovesaid, he shall not enter into his Stalle from thenceforth, until the tyme that he hath gyven and offered a Jewell unto Saynte George’s Aultar, within the said Chappell, of the valew of twenty Markes of Silver of Troye, and fro thensforwarde, he shall double every Yere the Penaltie, unto the tyme he be reconsciled.
[7]. Morning Service.
[8]. Queristers.
[9]. Divine Service.
X. Item, It is agreed, That if any Knyghte of the sayd Companye be founde in apperte without his Garter, that he pay anon, after that the Chalenge be made to hym by any of the five Officers of the Order, or of the Warden of the seid College, a Marke of Money, except he be boted for to ryde, that then it shall suffice to were under his bote a blew Ribande of Sylke, in signyfying of the Garter, and also provided that no Knyght of the seid Order from hensforthe, do entre into the Chaptre without his Garter, upon the Payne abovesaid; and whosoever of the said Officers or Warden shall make the fyrst Chalence, shall have the Penaltye for his Labor.
XI. Item, It is agreed, That the Knyghts of the Order of St. George, alway, and as often as they were theyr Mantels, they shall goo before there Soverayne, every of them with his Felow, that is for aneynst him ordinarily as they be set in their Stalls. And if it should happen that eny of them were not there present, his Felow for aneynst hym shall goe alone, the which Order shall be kepte and observed, as well in goyng in Procession as elliswhere in other Places. But at the Offryng, the Soverayne or his Deputye shall goo before all the Company, and the ordinaire Officers of the said Order shall goo as they have bene accustomed, when any Procession shall be done in the Chapter, Chappell, or elliswhere. And for the Order of the said Knyghtes for to sitt at the Table, for to take their refeccion by it at Dinner, or at Souper, they shall sitt all along on one side after there Stalles, and not after there State, except Children or Bretherne of Kinges, Princes, and Dukes, that be Strangers, the which shall kepe their Places and Romes after their Astate; and at their voiding and going out shall abide and goo in Order, so as thei sat at the Table.
XII. Item, It is agreed, That every one of them at the Castell of Wyndesore, on the Morrow after the Feast of Saynt George, before the departyng of the Company, that the said Knyghtes, upon such Gownes as shall please them, at the Chapter Dore, shall take their Mantels, and shall goo into the said Chapter, and after that shall goo and here a [[10]] Masse of Requiem, the which shall be Solempnely songe for the Souls of all the Felows of the said Order, which be departed and deceassed, and for all Christen Sowlles; and that all the Company be there present, without eny of them be lett bi a reasonable Cause, or have Lysence of the Soverayne or his Deputie before the departyng; and when it happens that for any Cause of the voydyng of eny of the said Felowship, there shall be certayne Banners, Swordes, Helmets, and Crestes, the which ought to be offered up before the offeryng of eny Silver, the said Hachements ought to be offered, fyrst the Banner, by two of the seid Felowship, such as the Soverayne or his Deputye shall appoynte or name, and after that the Sworde shall be offered by two other, and likewise his Helmet and Crest by two other Knyghtes of the seid Order, assigned by the Soverayne or his Deputye; and if any Knyghte of the seid Order shuld decease the Yere afore, then every Knyghte beyng in the said Castell of Wyndesore, at the said [[11]] Masse of Requiem, shall offer a Tapre armed with a little Scuchion, of the Arms of the Knyghte departed; and if there were more then one deceassed, that then be made for every of them a Scuchion of Arms, and a grote sett nye to the light of the Tapre, the which Scuchions and Tapers shall be made at the Coste and Charge of the Knyghts of the seid Order.
[10]. Divine Service.