WHAT WE WANT AS THE PROGRAM FOR MILLS
OR MALTHOUSES
First, that a manse and six bonuaria[104]
of land should be given
to each miller, because we wish him to have the wherewithal
which allows him to carry out the orders laid on him and to see
to it that the millings are properly protected. That is, he should
have oxen and ready implements with which to work, whereby
he and all his helpers can live, feed the swine, geese, and
chickens, maintain the mill and acquire all the timbers needed
to keep it in repair, renovate the weir, tend to the millstones and
be capable of supplying all the materials and labor which are
needed for maintenance and operation there.[105]
And therefore
we do not want him to do any other service—not with cart nor
horse nor manual labor nor plowing nor seeding nor gleaning
the fields or meadows, nor by making mash or hops nor by
trimming trees, nor should he do anything else needed on the
domain aside from what is needed to take care of himself and
his mill.[106]
But the swine, geese, and chickens which he ought to
fatten at his mill, let him feed from his own meal. Let him also
gather the eggs. And, as we have said, let him tend to procuring
those things which he needs to make the mill work or which the
mill ought to produce. But what we have stated above[107]
—that
2000 modii should be coming from the mills to the monastery
for our use—we have not stated with a view to removing that
other production from that granary, but in order that the miller
should try to demonstrate in the course of a year whether it be
necessary to add or to subtract from the amount. He should be
in a position to produce in the course of a whole year such a
number as is conformable with the number of prebends and with
the variety of operations carried on in the monastery each year,
which are governed by the vintages, the gardens, the fields, and
such like.
We also desire that, in the presence of the millers, the older
modii be made to conform exactly in every way with the new
modius. Then, however many new modii they find are equivalent
to the old ones, they should in the future pay as their due,
whether of flour or grain, according to these new modii, so that
the tally agrees.[108]
And we desire that every one of the millers should keep his
plant in operational order with six wheels ready to work. But
if anyone does not wish to have six, but only half that number,
that is, three wheels, he should not have more than half of the
land that attaches to that millstead. That is, he should hold three
bonuarias, and his associate the other three. Then between those
two they should render the full milling and perform the full
service required of that one mill, with regard to milling or the
millpond or the bridge or all other duties as they are assigned
to each separate mill.[109]