Ye shall eat no flesh nor lard except in great sickness; or whosoever is infirm may eat potage without scruple; and accustom yourselves to little drink. Nevertheless, dear sisters, your meat and drink have seemed to me less than I would have it. Fast no day upon bread and water, except ye have leave. There are anchoresses who make their meals with their friends outside the convent. That is too much friendship, because, of all orders, then is it most ungenial, and most contrary to the order of an anchoress, who is quite dead to the world. We have often heard it said that dead men speak with living men; but that they eat with living men, I have never yet found. Make ye no banquetings, nor encourage any strange vagabond fellows to come to the gate; though no other evil come of it but their immoderate talking, it might sometimes prevent heavenly thoughts.

She must live upon alms, as frugally as ever she can, and not gather that she may give it away afterwards. She is not a housewife, but a church anchoress. If she can spare any fragments for the poor, let her send them quite privately out of her dwelling. Sin is oft concealed under the semblance of goodness. And how shall those rich anchoresses that are tillers of the ground, or have fixed rents, do their alms privately to poor neighbours? Desire not to have the reputation of bountiful anchoresses, nor, in order to give much, be too eager to possess more. To beg in order to give away is not the part of the anchoress.

Make women and children who have laboured for you to eat whatever food you can spare from your own meals; but let no man eat in your presence, except he be in great need; nor invite him to drink any thing. Nor do I desire that ye should be told that ye are courteous archoresses. From a good friend take whatever ye have need of when she offereth it to you; but for no invitation take any thing without need, lest ye get the name of gathering anchoresses... It must be a great need that shall drive you to ask any thing; yet humbly shew your distress to your dearest friend.

Ye shall not possess any beast, my dear sisters, except only a cat. An anchoress that hath cattle appears as Martha was, a better housewife than anchoress; nor can she in any wise be Mary, with peacefulness of heart. For then she must think of the cow's fodder, and of the herdsman's hire, flatter the heyward, defend herself when her cattle is shut up in the pinfold, and moreover pay the damage. Christ knoweth, it is an odious thing when people in the town complain of anchoresses' cattle. If, however, any one must needs have a cow, let her take care that she neither annoy nor harm any one, and that her own thoughts be not fixed thereon.

Because no man seeth you, nor do ye see any man, ye may be well content with your clothes, be they white, be they black; only see that they be plain, and warm, and well made - skins well tawed [tanned ]; and have as many as you need, for bed and also for back.

Next your flesh ye shall wear no flaxen cloth, except it be of hards and of coarse canvass... Ye shall sleep in a garment and girt. Wear no iron, nor haircloth, nor hedgehog-skins; and do not beat yourselves therewith, nor with a scourge of leather thongs, nor leaded.

An anchoress must not become a schoolmistress, nor turn her anchoress-house into a school for children. Her maiden may, however, teach any little girl concerning whom it might be doubtful whether she should learn among boys, but an anchoress ought to give her thoughts to God only.

Ye shall not send, nor receive, nor write letters without leave. Ye shall have your hair cut four times a-year to disburden your head; and be let blood as oft, and oftener if it is necessary; but if any one can dispense with this, I may well suffer it. When ye are let blood, ye ought to do nothing that may be irksome to you for three days; but talk with your maidens, and divert yourselves together with instructive tales. Ye may often do so when ye feel dispirited, or are grieved about some worldly matter, or sick. Thus wisely take care of yourselves when you are let blood, and keep yourselves in such rest that long thereafter ye may labour the more vigorously in God's service, and also when ye feel any sickness, for it is great folly, for the sake of one day, to lose ten or twelve. Wash yourselves wheresoever it is necessary, as often as ye please.

When an anchoress hath not her food at hand, let two women be employed, one who stays always at home, another who goes out when necessary; and let her be very plain, or of sufficient age; and, by the way, as she goeth let her go singing her prayers; and hold no conversation with man or with women; nor sit, nor stand, except the least possible, until she come home. Let her go nowhere else, but to the place whither she is sent. Without leave, let her neither eat nor drink abroad. Let the other be always within, and never go out of the gate without leave. Let both be obedient to their dame in all things, sin only excepted. Let them possess nothing unknown to their mistress, nor accept nor give any thing without her permission. They must not let any man in; nor must the younger speak with any man without leave; nor go out of town without a trusty companion, nor sleep out. If she cannot read her hours in a book, let her say them with Paternosters and Ave Marias; and do the work that she is commanded to do, without grudging. Let her have her ears always open to her mistress. Let neither of the women either carry to her mistress or bring from her any idle tales, or new tidings, nor sing to one another, nor speak any worldly speeches, nor laugh, nor play, so that any man who saw it might turn it to evil. Above all things, they ought to hate lying and ribaldry. Let their hair be cut short, their headcloth sit low. Let each lie alone... Let no man see them unveiled, nor without a hood. Let them look low. They ought not to kiss, nor lovingly embrace any man, neither of their acquaintance nor a stranger, nor to wash their head, nor to look fixedly on any man, nor to romp nor frolic with him. Their garments should be of such a shape and all their attire such that it may be easily seen to what [life] they are dedicated.

Ye anchoresses ought to read these little concluding parts to your women once every week until they know it well. And it is very necessary for you both that ye take care of them, for ye may be much benefited by them; and, on the other hand, made worse. If they sin through your negligence, ye shall be called to give account of it before the Supreme Judge; and therefore, it is very necessary for you, and still more for them, that ye diligently teach them to keep their rule, both for your sake and for themselves; in a gentle manner, however, and affectionately; for such ought the instructing of women to be - affectionate and gentle, and seldom stern.

As far as ye can, in regard to drink, and food, and clothing, and other things which the wants of the flesh require, be liberal to them, though ye be the more strict and severe to yourselves; for so doth he that bloweth well: He turneth the narrow end of the horn to his own mouth, and the wide end outward. And do ye the like, as ye would that your prayers may resound like a trumpet, and make a sweet noise in the ears of the Lord; and not to your own salvation only, but to that of all people; which may our Lord grant through the grace of himself, that so it may be. Amen. In this book read every day, when ye are at leisure - every day, less or more; for I hope that, if ye read it often, it will be very beneficial to you, through the grace of God, or else I shall have ill employed much of my time. God knows, it would be more agreeable to me to set out on a journey to Rome, than to begin to do it again.

As often as ye read any thing in this book, greet the Lady with an Ave Mary for him who made this rule, and for him who wrote it, and took pains about it. Moderate enough I am, who ask so little.