Page:A History of the Knights of Malta, or the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.djvu/198

172 Having thus glanced at the various items standing on the credit side of the balance-sheet, we now come to the expenditure. The first and principal charge against the funds of the cornmandery was that for the maintenance of the household. In every manor there was a commander, in whose charge was vested the property, and attached to him were other brethren termed confratres. These, together with the chaplains, formed the first class in the establishment, and a separate table was provided for their use. There appear to have been three different tables, at which, according to their rank, the members of the establishment had their commons; the first, that already mentioned, the second for the free servants of the Order, and the third for the labourers or garciones kept in its employ. Most of the provisions consumed at these several tables were provided from the stock on the land, and consequently cost nothing. There appears, however, very generally an item under the name of coquina, which embraced the supply of meat and fish beyond what was taken from the estate. Three different kinds of bread were supplied to the several tables, iris., white bread, ration bread, and black bread. There were also two kinds of beer, the melior and the secunda. In addition to their keep the commander and his confratres had an annual allowance for their dress, and as this was the same in each cominandery it may be assumed that it had been fixed by authority. It consisted of £1 for a robe, 6s. 8d. for a mantle, and 8s. for other articles of clothing. The members of the household had wages in addition to their keep, which not only varied greatly for the different classes, but also for the same service in different commanderies. The highest in rank was the armiger, who in some cases received as much as £1 a year; the more usual stipend for him as. well as the claviger, the ballivus, the messor, and the coquus, being a mark. The wages of the lotris or washerwoman seem to have been the smallest, in most cases amounting to 1s. only.

A very heavy charge is of frequent occurrence in these accounts under the head of corrody. This term signified a claim to commons at the different tables of the establishment, and was probably originally granted either in repayment for money lent