Wasserschleben, Die Bussordnungen der abendländischen Kirche (1851) — translated from the Latin.

§ 1 Whoever sins with a woman or with a man shall be expelled, so that he lives in the monastery of another land and, having confessed, does penance for three years in confinement, and afterwards, as a brother, shall be subject to the altar for one year as deacon, three as priest, four as bishop; and an abbot, deprived of his own rank, shall do penance by the judgement of a teacher.

§. 2. (Cf. Th. I. 2. §. 9 and Bed. III. 30.) Whoever has defiled himself shall do penance for a year in confinement; a boy of twelve years, forty days or three forty-day periods. A deacon shall do penance for a year in confinement and half a year with the brothers; a priest, one year in confinement and a second with the brothers.

§. 3. A monk who steals consecrated things shall do penance one year in exile and another with the brothers. But if he repeats it, he shall suffer exile.

§. 4. (Cumm. IV. 7.) Whoever steals food: forty days; if a second time, three forty-day periods; if a third, a year; if a fourth, he shall do penance in perpetual exile under another abbot.

§. 5. (Cumm. XI. 9.) The accused and the accuser shall be judged by the same rule.²) If the accused denies, he shall do penance for a like period³), on two days in the week⁴) on bread and water, and a two-day fast⁵) at the end of each month, all the brothers prostrating themselves and calling God to witness as their judge.⁶)

§. 6. (Cumm. XI. 10.) But those who persist in obstinacy, when the year is completed, shall be joined⁷) to the communion of the altar⁸) under the judge Gamma, and left to the judgement of God.

§. 7. (Cumm. ibid.) If ever one has confessed, as much labour as he has brought upon another, so much shall be multiplied upon himself.

¹) From the Cod. Paris. 3182, olim Bigot., p. 281, Martène IV. col. 9. (See above p. 9.)

²) “of like person” (judicentur is missing): Cumm. ³) “at the same time”: Cumm. ⁴) “in each week”: Cumm. ⁵) “two-day fast”: Cumm. ⁶) “calling God to witness that he is judge”: Cumm. ⁷) “completed”: Cumm. ⁸) “communion of the altar”: Cumm. ⁹) “shall be joined”: Cumm.

104 The Old British and Irish Penitentials. I. 3.

3. HERE BEGINS ANOTHER SYNOD OF THE GROVE OF VICTORY ¹).

§. 1. (Cf. Cumm. IV. 4. Bigot. III. 1. §. 2) Whoever commits theft once: one year; if more, two years.

§. 2. (Cf. Bed. IV. 4.) Whoever kills his brother, not through premeditated hatred but in sudden anger, shall do penance for three years.

§. 3. An adulterer likewise: three years.

§. 4. (Rom. IX. 6. Cumm. VI. 28.) Those who give a guide to barbarians: thirteen²) years — provided that no slaughter of Christians, no shedding of blood, and no dreadful captivity has come about. But if it does come about, let them do penance for the rest of their lives, having laid down their arms.³) But if he wished it and the barbarians did not bring the Christians away in accordance with his vow, he shall do penance for the rest of his life.

§. 5. (Bigot. III. 3. §. 4. Bed. V. 3. Egb. VI. 3. 6.) Whoever swears a perjury: four years; whoever leads another unknowing into perjury: seven years; whoever is led into it ignorant and afterwards knows: one year; but whoever suspects that he is being led into perjury and yet swears for the sake of agreement: two years.

§. 6. Whoever has committed adultery with his mother: three years, with perpetual pilgrimage.

§. 7. (Bed. III. 25.) Whoever has sinned with a dog or with any animal: two and a half years.

§. 8. (Cf. Th. I. 2. §. 7. Bed. III. 19.) Whoever commits the manly crime, as the Sodomites: four years. Whoever between the thighs: three years; with the hand, whether another’s or his own: two years.

§. 9. All this that we have said applies if a man has done it after the vow of perfection. But if before the vow, one year is remitted from all of these⁴), and of the rest it is diminished as it ought to be, since he did not vow.

¹) From the Cod. Paris. 3182, p. 282, Martène IV. col. 9. See above p. 9.

²) Fourteen: Martène; three: Rom., Cumm.

³) “But if not, let them live dead to the world, having cast away their arms until death”: Cumm.

⁴) “all these three”: Martène.

§. 4. The Synod of the Grove of Victory. Gildas.