Chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds

"He was a very serious-minded man and was never idle" (36).
             Abbot Samson was a person who hated grumblers. He disapproved of people complaining about the food that was set in front of them. He believed in eating what was given to you and not wasting that. A good example of this would be when Jocelin wanted to test the validity of this and served Samson a very distasteful meal served on a broken plate. The abbot acted as if he did not notice and began to eat the meal he was served (37). He strongly disapproved of his monks grumbling over the food that they were served. This shows that the abbot has very good character and does not think he is above everybody else and that he does not deserve a high class meal.
             The abbot was naturally quick-tempered and he was easily provoked, but for the sake of his high position he usually controlled his anger, even if it took a great deal of effort. The abbot even told Jocelin that what he fears most in the world is that his convent will do something that will make him rage. If they should say or do something that is contrary to his wishes, secretly grinding his teeth, he would force his self "not to rage in what I say or do, and my suppressed grief chokes me and seethes within me" (34).
             The abbot also had a characteristic of never, or very seldom, showing any sign of affection he felt for many people (39). Another noteworthy thing that Abbot Samson did was that he knowingly suffered loss from his servants knowing that his servants caused this loss. But Jocelin believes that a reason he did this is because he waited for the right time to bring the matter back up, or that by concealing his knowledge he might avoid greater loss (39).
             One of the first things Samson did after his election was take on the task of understanding and dealing with the poor financial state in which the abbey was in. He insisted upon immediate production of every claim against the monastery and he personally visited each of its many manors.