Letter 24
To the abbot of the monastery of Saint Martin and the abbot of the monastery of the Holy Cross,
The dispute over the water rights on the river between your two communities has come before us, and we have heard the representations of both sides through the priests you sent to our court.
The river in question and the fishing rights on it were granted to the monastery of Saint Martin by a charter of our predecessors, a copy of which we have examined. The right of the monastery of the Holy Cross to draw water for its mill is established by a subsequent grant that does not conflict with the earlier one. The question of whether the mill operations have impaired the fishing rights is a factual question on which the evidence is disputed.
We direct that a panel of three men — one nominated by each monastery, and one nominated by the bishop in whose diocese both monasteries fall — be assembled to examine the physical situation and report their findings to us. We will make our decision on the basis of their report.
In the meantime, both monasteries are to refrain from any action that could escalate the dispute, and both are to cooperate fully with the panel we are establishing.
By order of the king
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.