Brethren are the same with regard to colour
and cut as those worn in the time of Henry VI, those worn by the
recipients of Beaufort's charity being of red cloth, with the badge, a
cardinal's hat and tassels on a silver plate, worn on the left breast.
The Brethren of the older institution, founded by de Blois, wear black
gowns, with the silver cross _potent_ pinned on the left breast. On the
death of a Brother the cross is placed on a red velvet cushion and laid
on his breast in the coffin; but before burial the cross is removed and
fastened by the Master on the breast of the Brother elected in place of
the deceased.

The Hospital buildings consist of an outer courtyard and gateway, to the
right of which are the kitchens, and on the left the old brewhouse and
remains of some of the earlier buildings. Immediately facing us is the
tower gateway, thoroughly restored, if not built originally, by Cardinal
Beaufort, under the groined archway of which is the porter's lodge,
where the "Wayfarers' Dole" is still distributed to all who apply at the
hatchway, an interesting and almost sole survival of the mediaeval
custom by which food and drink were offered to passers-by. The daily
dole at the present day consists of two gallons of ale and two loaves of
bread, divided into thirty-two portions. The apartment over the archway
is the Founder's room, wherein are stored all the ancient documents
relating to the foundation. Beaufort's arms appear in one of the
spandrels above the gateway arch, the corresponding spandrel exhibiting
the ancient regal arms of England. On this side of the entrance are
three niches, one of which contains a figure of the cardinal in a
kneeling posture. The vacant niche in the south front once held a statue
of the Virgin, which fell to the ground more than a century ago, and
nearly killed one of the Brethren in its descent.

Passing through this noble gateway, which, somehow or other, does not
look as old as we know it to be, we enter the great quadrangle, around
which the various buildings are grouped. On the eastern side is the
Infirmary, with the Ambulatory beneath it, a long, low cloister of
sixteenth-century date, which extends along the whole side to the
church. In one of the rooms above, a window opens into the church, where
there may once have been a gallery to enable the infirm to hear the
services. In 1763 Bishop Hoadley granted a license to the Master to pull
down the cloister and use the material