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| He was generous; and charity, as it is well known, covereth a multitude of sins, in another sense than that in which it is said to do so in Scripture. | Дело в том, что Эймер был очень щедр, а за милосердие, как известно, отпускается множество грехов. |
| The revenues of the monastery, of which a large part was at his disposal, while they gave him the means of supplying his own very considerable expenses, afforded also those largesses which he bestowed among the peasantry, and with which he frequently relieved the distresses of the oppressed. | Большая часть монастырских доходов находилась в его полном распоряжении. Это давало ему возможность не только много тратить на свои прихоти, но и оказывать щедрую помощь соседним крестьянам. |
| If Prior Aymer rode hard in the chase, or remained long at the banquet,-if Prior Aymer was seen, at the early peep of dawn, to enter the postern of the abbey, as he glided home from some rendezvous which had occupied the hours of darkness, men only shrugged up their shoulders, and reconciled themselves to his irregularities, by recollecting that the same were practised by many of his brethren who had no redeeming qualities whatsoever to atone for them. | Если и случалось приору Эймеру с излишней пылкостью скакать на охоте или чересчур засиживаться на пиру, если кому-нибудь приходилось видеть, как на рассвете он пробирается через боковую калитку в стене своего аббатства, возвращаясь домой после свидания, продолжавшегося целую ночь, люди только пожимали плечами и примирялись с такими проступками настоятеля, вспоминая, что точно так же грешили и многие из его собратий, не искупая своих грехов теми качествами, какими отличался этот монах. |
| Prior Aymer, therefore, and his character, were well known to our Saxon serfs, who made their rude obeisance, and received his "benedicite, mes filz," in return. | Словом, приор Эймер был очень хорошо известен и нашим саксам. Они неуклюже поклонились ему и получили его благословение: "Benedicite, mes filz". [8] |
| But the singular appearance of his companion and his attendants, arrested their attention and excited their wonder, and they could scarcely attend to the Prior of Jorvaulx' question, when he demanded if they knew of any place of harbourage in the vicinity; so much were they surprised at the half monastic, half military appearance of the swarthy stranger, and at the uncouth dress and arms of his Eastern attendants. |
