No More Learning

He was abbot of the
monastery that is called Ingetlingum,(446) and is the place where King
Oswin was killed, as has been said above; for Queen Eanfled, his
kinswoman, in expiation of his unjust death, begged of King Oswy that he
would give Trumhere, the aforesaid servant of God, a place there to build
a monastery, because he also was kinsman to the slaughtered king; in which
monastery continual prayers should be offered up for the eternal welfare
of the kings, both of him that was murdered, and of him that commanded the
murder. The same King Oswy governed the Mercians, as also the people of
the other southern provinces, three years after he had slain King Penda;
and he likewise subdued the greater part of the Picts to the dominion of
the English.

At this time he gave to the above-mentioned Peada, son to King Penda,
because he was his kinsman, the kingdom of the Southern Mercians,(447)
consisting, as is said, of 5,000 families, divided by the river Trent from
the Northern Mercians, whose land contains 7,000 families; but Peada was
foully slain in the following spring, by the treachery, as is said, of his
wife,(448) during the very time of the Easter festival. Three years after
the death of King Penda, the Mercian chiefs, Immin, and Eafa, and Eadbert,
rebelled against King Oswy, setting up for their king, Wulfhere,(449) son
to the said Penda, a youth whom they had kept concealed; and expelling the
ealdormen of the foreign king, they bravely recovered at once their
liberty and their lands; and being thus free, together with their king,
they rejoiced to serve Christ the true King, for the sake of an
everlasting kingdom in heaven. This king governed the Mercians seventeen
years, and had for his first bishop Trumhere,(450) above spoken of; the
second was Jaruman;(451) the third Ceadda;(452) the fourth Wynfrid. (453)
All these, succeeding each other in order under King Wulfhere, discharged
episcopal duties to the Mercian nation.




Chap. XXV. How the question arose about the due time of keeping Easter,
with those that came out of Scotland. (454) [664 A. D. ]


In the meantime, Bishop Aidan being taken away from this life, Finan, who
was ordained and sent by the Scots, succeeded him in the bishopric, and
built a church in the Isle of Lindisfarne, fit for the episcopal see;
nevertheless, after the manner of the Scots, he made it, not of stone, but
entirely of hewn oak, and covered it with reeds; and it was afterwards
dedicated in honour of the blessed Peter the Apostle, by the most reverend
Archbishop Theodore. Eadbert,(455) also bishop of that place, took off the
thatch, and caused it to be covered entirely, both roof and walls, with
plates of lead.

At this time, a great and frequently debated question arose about the
observance of Easter;(456) those that came from Kent or Gaul affirming,
that the Scots celebrated Easter Sunday contrary to the custom of the
universal Church. Among them was a most zealous defender of the true
Easter, whose name was Ronan,(457) a Scot by nation, but instructed in the
rule of ecclesiastical truth in Gaul or Italy. Disputing with Finan, he
convinced many, or at least induced them to make a more strict inquiry
after the truth; yet he could not prevail upon Finan, but, on the
contrary, embittered him the more by reproof, and made him a professed
opponent of the truth, for he was of a violent temper. James,(458)
formerly the deacon of the venerable Archbishop Paulinus, as has been said
above, observed the true and Catholic Easter, with all those that he could
instruct in the better way. Queen Eanfled and her followers also observed
it as she had seen it practised in Kent, having with her a Kentish priest
who followed the Catholic observance, whose name was Romanus. Thus it is
said to have sometimes happened in those times that Easter was twice
celebrated in one year; and that when the king, having ended his fast, was
keeping Easter, the queen and her followers were still fasting, and
celebrating Palm Sunday. Whilst Aidan lived, this difference about the
observance of Easter was patiently tolerated by all men, for they well
knew, that though he could not keep Easter contrary to the custom of those
who had sent him, yet he industriously laboured to practise the works of
faith, piety, and love, according to the custom of all holy men; for which
reason he was deservedly beloved by all, even by those who differed in
opinion concerning Easter, and was held in veneration, not only by less
important persons, but even by the bishops, Honorius of Canterbury, and
Felix of the East Angles.

But after the death of Finan, who succeeded him, when Colman, who was also
sent from Scotland,(459) came to be bishop, a greater controversy arose
about the observance of Easter, and other rules of ecclesiastical life.
Whereupon this question began naturally to influence the thoughts and
hearts of many who feared, lest haply, having received the name of
Christians, they might run, or have run, in vain. This reached the ears of
the rulers, King Oswy and his son Alchfrid. Now Oswy, having been
instructed and baptized by the Scots, and being very perfectly skilled in
their language, thought nothing better than what they taught; but
Alchfrid, having for his teacher in Christianity the learned Wilfrid,(460)
who had formerly gone to Rome to study ecclesiastical doctrine, and spent
much time at Lyons with Dalfinus,(461) archbishop of Gaul, from whom also
he had received the crown of ecclesiastical tonsure, rightly thought that
this man’s doctrine ought to be preferred before all the traditions of the
Scots. For this reason he had also given him a monastery of forty
families, at a place called Inhrypum;(462) which place, not long before,
he had given for a monastery to those that were followers of the Scots;
but forasmuch as they afterwards, being left to their choice, preferred to
quit the place rather than alter their custom, he gave it to him, whose
life and doctrine were worthy of it.

Agilbert, bishop of the West Saxons,(463) above-mentioned, a friend of
King Alchfrid and of Abbot Wilfrid, had at that time come into the
province of the Northumbrians, and was staying some time among them; at
the request of Alchfrid, he made Wilfrid a priest in his aforesaid
monastery. He had in his company a priest, whose name was Agatho. (464) The
question being raised there concerning Easter and the tonsure and other
ecclesiastical matters, it was arranged, that a synod should be held in
the monastery of Streanaeshalch,(465) which signifies the Bay of the
Lighthouse, where the Abbess Hilda,(466) a woman devoted to the service of
God, then ruled; and that there this question should be decided. The
kings, both father and son, came thither, and the bishops, Colman with his
Scottish clerks, and Agilbert with the priests Agatho and Wilfrid. James
and Romanus were on their side; but the Abbess Hilda and her followers
were for the Scots, as was also the venerable Bishop Cedd,(467) long
before ordained by the Scots, as has been said above, and he acted in that
council as a most careful interpreter for both parties.

King Oswy first made an opening speech, in which he said that it behoved
those who served one God to observe one rule of life; and as they all
expected the same kingdom in heaven, so they ought not to differ in the
celebration of the heavenly mysteries; but rather to inquire which was the
truer tradition, that it might be followed by all in common; he then
commanded his bishop, Colman, first to declare what the custom was which
he observed, and whence it derived its origin. Then Colman said, “The
Easter which I keep, I received from my elders, who sent me hither as
bishop; all our forefathers, men beloved of God, are known to have
celebrated it after the same manner; and that it may not seem to any
contemptible and worthy to be rejected, it is the same which the blessed
John the Evangelist, the disciple specially beloved of our Lord, with all
the churches over which he presided, is recorded to have celebrated. ”(468)
When he had said thus much, and more to the like effect, the king
commanded Agilbert to make known the manner of his observance and to show
whence it was derived, and on what authority he followed it. Agilbert
answered, “I beseech you, let my disciple, the priest Wilfrid, speak in my
stead; because we both concur with the other followers of the
ecclesiastical tradition that are here present, and he can better and more
clearly explain our opinion in the English language, than I can by an
interpreter. ”

Then Wilfrid, being ordered by the king to speak, began thus:—“The Easter
which we keep, we saw celebrated by all at Rome, where the blessed
Apostles, Peter and Paul, lived, taught, suffered, and were buried; we saw
the same done by all in Italy and in Gaul, when we travelled through those
countries for the purpose of study and prayer. We found it observed in
Africa, Asia, Egypt, Greece, and all the world, wherever the Church of
Christ is spread abroad, among divers nations and tongues, at one and the
same time; save only among these and their accomplices in obstinacy, I
mean the Picts and the Britons, who foolishly, in these two remote islands
of the ocean, and only in part even of them, strive to oppose all the rest
of the world. ” When he had so said, Colman answered, “It is strange that
you choose to call our efforts foolish, wherein we follow the example of
so great an Apostle, who was thought worthy to lean on our Lord’s bosom,
when all the world knows him to have lived most wisely. ” Wilfrid replied,
“Far be it from us to charge John with folly, for he literally observed
the precepts of the Mosaic Law, whilst the Church was still Jewish in many
points, and the Apostles, lest they should give cause of offence to the
Jews who were among the Gentiles, were not able at once to cast off all
the observances of the Law which had been instituted by God, in the same
way as it is necessary that all who come to the faith should forsake the
idols which were invented by devils. For this reason it was, that Paul
circumcised Timothy,(469) that he offered sacrifice in the temple,(470)
that he shaved his head with Aquila and Priscilla at Corinth;(471) for no
other advantage than to avoid giving offence to the Jews. Hence it was,
that James said to the same Paul, ‘Thou seest, brother, how many thousands
of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the
Law. ’(472) And yet, at this time, when the light of the Gospel is
spreading throughout the world, it is needless, nay, it is not lawful, for
the faithful either to be circumcised, or to offer up to God sacrifices of
flesh. So John, according to the custom of the Law, began the celebration
of the feast of Easter, on the fourteenth day of the first month, in the
evening, not regarding whether the same happened on a Saturday, or any
other week-day. But when Peter preached at Rome, being mindful that our
Lord arose from the dead, and gave to the world the hope of resurrection,
on the first day of the week, he perceived that Easter ought to be kept
after this manner: he always awaited the rising of the moon on the
fourteenth day of the first month in the evening, according to the custom
and precepts of the Law, even as John did. And when that came, if the
Lord’s day, then called the first day of the week, was the next day, he
began that very evening to celebrate Easter, as we all do at the present
time. But if the Lord’s day did not fall the next morning after the
fourteenth moon, but on the sixteenth, or the seventeenth, or any other
moon till the twenty-first, he waited for that, and on the Saturday
before, in the evening, began to observe the holy solemnity of Easter.
Thus it came to pass, that Easter Sunday was only kept from the fifteenth
moon to the twenty-first. Nor does this evangelical and apostolic
tradition abolish the Law, but rather fulfil it; the command being to keep
the passover from the fourteenth moon of the first month in the evening to
the twenty-first moon of the same month in the evening; which observance
all the successors of the blessed John in Asia, since his death, and all
the Church throughout the world, have since followed; and that this is the
true Easter, and the only one to be celebrated by the faithful, was not
newly decreed by the council of Nicaea, but only confirmed afresh; as the
history of the Church informs us. (473)

“Thus it is plain, that you, Colman, neither follow the example of John,
as you imagine, nor that of Peter, whose tradition you oppose with full
knowledge, and that you neither agree with the Law nor the Gospel in the
keeping of your Easter. For John, keeping the Paschal time according to
the decree of the Mosaic Law, had no regard to the first day of the week,
which you do not practise, seeing that you celebrate Easter only on the
first day after the Sabbath. Peter celebrated Easter Sunday between the
fifteenth and the twenty-first moon, which you do not practise, seeing
that you observe Easter Sunday from the fourteenth to the twentieth moon;
so that you often begin Easter on the thirteenth moon in the evening,
whereof neither the Law made any mention, nor did our Lord, the Author and
Giver of the Gospel, on that day either eat the old passover in the
evening, or deliver the Sacraments of the New Testament, to be celebrated
by the Church, in memory of His Passion, but on the fourteenth. Besides,
in your celebration of Easter, you utterly exclude the twenty-first moon,
which the Law ordered to be specially observed. Thus, as I have said
before, you agree neither with John nor Peter, nor with the Law, nor the
Gospel, in the celebration of the greatest festival. ”

To this Colman rejoined: “Did the holy Anatolius,(474) much commended in
the history of the Church, judge contrary to the Law and the Gospel, when
he wrote, that Easter was to be celebrated from the fourteenth to the
twentieth moon? Is it to be believed that our most reverend Father Columba
and his successors, men beloved by God, who kept Easter after the same
manner, judged or acted contrary to the Divine writings? Whereas there
were many among them, whose sanctity was attested by heavenly signs and
miracles which they wrought; whom I, for my part, doubt not to be saints,
and whose life, customs, and discipline I never cease to follow. ”

“It is evident,” said Wilfrid, “that Anatolius was a most holy, learned,
and commendable man; but what have you to do with him, since you do not
observe his decrees? For he undoubtedly, following the rule of truth in
his Easter, appointed a cycle of nineteen years, which either you are
ignorant of, or if you know it, though it is kept by the whole Church of
Christ, yet you despise it as a thing of naught. He so computed the
fourteenth moon in our Lord’s Paschal Feast, that according to the custom
of the Egyptians, he acknowledged it to be the fifteenth moon on that same
day in the evening; so in like manner he assigned the twentieth to
Easter-Sunday, as believing that to be the twenty-first moon, when the sun
had set. That you are ignorant of the rule of this distinction is proved
by this, that you sometimes manifestly keep Easter before the full moon,
that is, on the thirteenth day. Concerning your Father Columba and his
followers, whose sanctity you say you imitate, and whose rule and precepts
confirmed by signs from Heaven you say that you follow, I might answer,
then when many, in the day of judgement, shall say to our Lord, that in
His name they have prophesied, and have cast out devils, and done many
wonderful works, our Lord will reply, that He never knew them. But far be
it from me to speak thus of your fathers, for it is much more just to
believe good than evil of those whom we know not. Wherefore I do not deny
those also to have been God’s servants, and beloved of God, who with rude
simplicity, but pious intentions, have themselves loved Him. Nor do I
think that such observance of Easter did them much harm, as long as none
came to show them a more perfect rule to follow; for assuredly I believe
that, if any teacher, reckoning after the Catholic manner, had come among
them, they would have as readily followed his admonitions, as they are
known to have kept those commandments of God, which they had learned and
knew.

“But as for you and your companions, you certainly sin, if, having heard
the decrees of the Apostolic see, nay, of the universal Church, confirmed,
as they are, by Holy Scripture, you scorn to follow them; for, though your
fathers were holy, do you think that those few men, in a corner of the
remotest island, are to be preferred before the universal Church of Christ
throughout the world? And if that Columba of yours, (and, I may say, ours
also, if he was Christ’s servant,) was a holy man and powerful in
miracles, yet could he be preferred before the most blessed chief of the
Apostles, to whom our Lord said, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,
and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven? ’ ”(475)

When Wilfrid had ended thus, the king said, “Is it true, Colman, that
these words were spoken to Peter by our Lord? ” He answered, “It is true, O
king! ” Then said he, “Can you show any such power given to your Columba? ”
Colman answered, “None. ” Then again the king asked, “Do you both agree in
this, without any controversy, that these words were said above all to
Peter, and that the keys of the kingdom of Heaven were given to him by our
Lord? ” They both answered, “Yes. ” Then the king concluded, “And I also say
unto you, that he is the door-keeper, and I will not gainsay him, but I
desire, as far as I know and am able, in all things to obey his laws, lest
haply when I come to the gates of the kingdom of Heaven, there should be
none to open them, he being my adversary who is proved to have the keys. ”
The king having said this, all who were seated there or standing by, both
great and small, gave their assent, and renouncing the less perfect
custom, hastened to conform to that which they had found to be better.




Chap. XXVI. How Colman, being worsted, returned home; and Tuda succeeded
him in the bishopric; and of the state of the church under those teachers.
[664 A. D. ]


The disputation being ended, and the assembly broken up, Agilbert returned
home. Colman, perceiving that his doctrine was rejected, and his party
despised, took with him those who wished to follow him, to wit, such as
would not accept the Catholic Easter and the tonsure in the form of a
crown,(476) (for there was no small dispute about that also,) and went
back into Scotland,(477) to consult with his people what was to be done in
this case. Cedd, forsaking the practices of the Scots, returned to his
bishopric, having submitted to the Catholic observance of Easter. This
debate took place in the year of our Lord 664, which was the twenty-second
year of the reign of King Oswy, and the thirtieth of the episcopate of the
Scots among the English; for Aidan was bishop seventeen years, Finan ten,
and Colman three.

When Colman had gone back into his own country, Tuda, the servant of
Christ, was made bishop of the Northumbrians(478) in his place, having
been instructed and ordained bishop among the Southern Scots, having also
the crown of the ecclesiastical tonsure, according to the custom of that
province, and observing the Catholic rule with regard to the time of
Easter. (479) He was a good and religious man, but he governed the church a
very short time; he had come from Scotland(480) whilst Colman was yet
bishop, and, both by word and deed, diligently taught all men those things
that appertain to the faith and truth. But Eata,(481) who was abbot of the
monastery called Mailros,(482) a man most reverend and gentle, was
appointed abbot over the brethren that chose to remain in the church of
Lindisfarne, when the Scots went away. It is said that Colman, upon his
departure, requested and obtained this of King Oswy, because Eata was one
of Aidan’s twelve boys of the English nation,(483) whom he received in the
early years of his episcopate, to be instructed in Christ; for the king
greatly loved Bishop Colman on account of his innate discretion. This is
that Eata, who, not long after, was made bishop of the same church of
Lindisfarne. Colman carried home with him part of the bones of the most
reverend Father Aidan, and left part of them in the church where he had
presided, ordering them to be interred in the sacristy.

The place which they governed shows how frugal and temperate he and his
predecessors were, for there were very few houses besides the church found
at their departure; indeed, no more than were barely sufficient to make
civilized life possible; they had also no money, but only cattle; for if
they received any money from rich persons, they immediately gave it to the
poor; there being no need to gather money, or provide houses for the
entertainment of the great men of the world; for such never resorted to
the church, except to pray and hear the Word of God. The king himself,
when occasion required, came only with five or six servants, and having
performed his devotions in the church, departed. But if they happened to
take a repast there, they were satisfied with the plain, daily food of the
brethren, and required no more. For the whole care of those teachers was
to serve God, not the world—to feed the soul, and not the belly.

For this reason the religious habit was at that time held in great
veneration; so that wheresoever any clerk or monk went, he was joyfully
received by all men, as God’s servant; and even if they chanced to meet
him upon the way, they ran to him, and with bowed head, were glad to be
signed with the cross by his hand, or blessed by his lips. Great attention
was also paid to their exhortations; and on Sundays they flocked eagerly
to the church, or the monasteries, not to feed their bodies, but to hear
the Word of God; and if any priest happened to come into a village, the
inhabitants came together and asked of him the Word of life; for the
priests and clerks went to the villages for no other reason than to
preach, baptize, visit the sick, and, in a word, to take care of souls;
and they were so purified from all taint of avarice, that none of them
received lands and possessions for building monasteries, unless they were
compelled to do so by the temporal authorities; which custom was for some
time after universally observed in the churches of the Northumbrians. But
enough has now been said on this subject.




Chap. XXVII. How Egbert, a holy man of the English nation, led a monastic
life in Ireland. [664 A. D. ]


In the same year of our Lord 664, there happened an eclipse of the sun, on
the third day of May,(484) about the tenth hour of the day. In the same
year, a sudden pestilence(485) depopulated first the southern parts of
Britain, and afterwards attacking the province of the Northumbrians,
ravaged the country far and near, and destroyed a great multitude of men.
By this plague the aforesaid priest of the Lord, Tuda,(486) was carried
off, and was honourably buried in the monastery called Paegnalaech. (487)
Moreover, this plague prevailed no less disastrously in the island of
Ireland. Many of the nobility, and of the lower ranks of the English
nation, were there at that time, who, in the days of the Bishops Finan and
Colman, forsaking their native island, retired thither, either for the
sake of sacred studies, or of a more ascetic life; and some of them
presently devoted themselves faithfully to a monastic life, others chose
rather to apply themselves to study, going about from one master’s cell to
another. The Scots willingly received them all, and took care to supply
them with daily food without cost, as also to furnish them with books for
their studies, and teaching free of charge.

Among these were Ethelhun and Egbert,(488) two youths of great capacity,
of the English nobility. The former of whom was brother to Ethelwin,(489)
a man no less beloved by God, who also at a later time went over into
Ireland to study, and having been well instructed, returned into his own
country, and being made bishop in the province of Lindsey, long and nobly
governed the Church. These two being in the monastery which in the
language of the Scots is called Rathmelsigi,(490) and having lost all
their companions, who were either cut off by the plague, or dispersed into
other places, were both seized by the same sickness, and grievously
afflicted. Of these, Egbert, (as I was informed by a priest venerable for
his age, and of great veracity, who declared he had heard the story from
his own lips,) concluding that he was at the point of death, went out of
the chamber, where the sick lay, in the morning, and sitting alone in a
fitting place, began seriously to reflect upon his past actions, and,
being full of compunction at the remembrance of his sins, bedewed his face
with tears, and prayed fervently to God that he might not die yet, before
he could forthwith more fully make amends for the careless offences which
he had committed in his boyhood and infancy, or might further exercise
himself in good works. He also made a vow that he would spend all his life
abroad and never return into the island of Britain, where he was born;
that besides singing the psalms at the canonical hours, he would, unless
prevented by bodily infirmity, repeat the whole Psalter daily to the
praise of God; and that he would every week fast one whole day and night.
Returning home, after his tears and prayers and vows, he found his
companion asleep; and going to bed himself, he began to compose himself to
rest. When he had lain quiet awhile, his comrade awaking, looked on him,
and said, “Alas! Brother Egbert, what have you done? I was in hopes that
we should have entered together into life everlasting; but know that your
prayer is granted. ” For he had learned in a vision what the other had
requested, and that he had obtained his request.

In brief, Ethelhun died the next night; but Egbert, throwing off his
sickness, recovered and lived a long time after to grace the episcopal
office, which he received, by deeds worthy of it;(491) and blessed with
many virtues, according to his desire, lately, in the year of our Lord
729, being ninety years of age, he departed to the heavenly kingdom. He
passed his life in great perfection of humility, gentleness, continence,
simplicity, and justice. Thus he was a great benefactor, both to his own
people, and to those nations of the Scots and Picts among whom he lived in
exile, by the example of his life, his earnestness in teaching, his
authority in reproving, and his piety in giving away of those things which
he received from the rich. He also added this to the vows which we have
mentioned: during Lent, he would eat but one meal a day, allowing himself
nothing but bread and thin milk, and even that by measure. The milk, new
the day before, he kept in a vessel, and skimming off the cream in the
morning, drank the rest, as has been said, with a little bread. Which sort
of abstinence he likewise always observed forty days before the Nativity
of our Lord, and as many after the solemnity of Pentecost, that is, of the
fifty days’ festival.




Chap. XXVIII. How, when Tuda was dead, Wilfrid was ordained, in Gaul, and
Ceadda, among the West Saxons, to be bishops for the province of the
Northumbrians. [664 A. D. ]


In the meantime, King Alchfrid sent the priest, Wilfrid, to the king of
Gaul,(492) in order that he should cause him to be consecrated bishop for
himself and his people. That prince sent him to be ordained by
Agilbert,(493) of whom we have before spoken, and who, having left
Britain, was made bishop of the city of Paris;(494) and by him Wilfrid was
honourably consecrated, several bishops meeting together for that purpose
in a village belonging to the king, called In Compendio. (495) He stayed
some time in the parts beyond the sea for his ordination, and King Oswy,
following the example of his son’s zeal, sent into Kent a holy man, of
modest character, well read in the Scripture, and diligently practising
those things which he had learned therein, to be ordained bishop of the
church of York. This was a priest called Ceadda,(496) brother to the most
reverend prelate Cedd, of whom mention has been often made, and abbot of
the monastery of Laestingaeu. With him the king also sent his priest
Eadhaed,(497) who was afterwards, in the reign of Egfrid,(498) made bishop
of the church of Ripon. Now when they arrived in Kent, they found that
Archbishop Deusdedit had departed this life, and no other bishop was as
yet appointed in his place; whereupon they betook themselves to the
province of the West Saxons, where Wini was bishop, and by him Ceadda was
consecrated; two bishops of the British nation, who kept Easter Sunday, as
has been often said, contrary to the canonical manner, from the fourteenth
to the twentieth moon, being called in to assist at the ordination; for at
that time there was no other bishop in all Britain canonically ordained,
except Wini. (499)

So Ceadda, being consecrated bishop, began immediately to labour for
ecclesiastical truth and purity of doctrine; to apply himself to humility,
self-denial, and study; to travel about, not on horseback, but after the
manner of the Apostles, on foot, to preach the Gospel in towns, the open
country, cottages, villages, and castles; for he was one of the disciples
of Aidan, and endeavoured to instruct his people by the same manner of
life and character, after his and his own brother Cedd’s example. Wilfrid
also having been now made a bishop, came into Britain, and in like manner
by his teaching brought into the English Church many rules of Catholic
observance. Whence it followed, that the Catholic principles daily gained
strength, and all the Scots that dwelt in England either conformed to
these, or returned into their own country.




Chap. XXIX. How the priest Wighard was sent from Britain to Rome, to be
ordained archbishop; of his death there, and of the letters of the
Apostolic Pope giving an account thereof. [667 A. D. ]


At this time the most noble kings of the English, Oswy, of the province of
the Northumbrians, and Egbert of Kent, consulted together to determine
what ought to be done about the state of the English Church, for Oswy,
though educated by the Scots, had rightly perceived that the Roman was the
Catholic and Apostolic Church. They selected, with the consent and by the
choice of the holy Church of the English nation, a priest named
Wighard,(500) one of Bishop Deusdedit’s clergy, a good man and fitted for
the episcopate, and sent him to Rome to be ordained bishop, to the end
that, having been raised to the rank of an archbishop, he might ordain
Catholic prelates for the Churches of the English nation throughout all
Britain. But Wighard, arriving at Rome, was cut off by death, before he
could be consecrated bishop, and the following letter was sent back into
Britain to King Oswy:—

“_To the most excellent lord, our son, Oswy, king of the __ Saxons,
Vitalian,_(_501_)_ bishop, servant of the servants of God. _ We have
received to our comfort your Excellency’s letters; by reading whereof we
are acquainted with your most pious devotion and fervent love of the
blessed life; and know that by the protecting hand of God you have been
converted to the true and Apostolic faith, in hope that even as you reign
in your own nation, so you may hereafter reign with Christ. Blessed be the
nation, therefore, that has been found worthy to have as its king one so
wise and a worshipper of God; forasmuch as he is not himself alone a
worshipper of God, but also studies day and night the conversion of all
his subjects to the Catholic and Apostolic faith, to the redemption of his
own soul. Who would not rejoice at hearing such glad tidings? Who would
not exult and be joyful at these good works? For your nation has believed
in Christ the Almighty God, according to the words of the Divine prophets,
as it is written in Isaiah, ‘In that day there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles
seek. ’(502) And again, ‘Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people
from far. ’(503) And a little after, ‘It is a light thing that thou
shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the
outcast of Israel. I have given thee for a light to the Gentiles, that
thou mayst be my salvation unto the end of the earth. ’(504) And again,
‘Kings shall see, princes also shall arise and worship. ’(505) And
immediately after, ‘I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, and possess the scattered heritages; that thou mayest
say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show
yourselves. ’(506) And again, ‘I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and have held thine hand, and have kept thee, and have
given thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to
open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoner from the prison, and them
that sit in darkness from the prison-house. ’(507)

“Behold, most excellent son, how it is plain as day that it was prophesied
not only of you, but also of all the nations, that they should believe in
Christ, the Creator of all things. Wherefore it behoves your Highness, as
being a member of Christ, in all things continually to follow the pious
rule of the chief of the Apostles, in celebrating Easter, and in all
things delivered by the holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, whose doctrine
daily enlightens the hearts of believers, even as the two lights of heaven
illumine the world. ”

And after some lines, wherein he speaks of celebrating the true Easter
uniformly throughout all the world,—

“Finally,” he adds, “we have not been able now, on account of the length
of the journey, to find a man, apt to teach, and qualified in all respects
to be a bishop, according to the tenor of your letters. (508) But,
assuredly, as soon as such a fit person shall be found, we will send him
well instructed to your country, that he may, by word of mouth, and
through the Divine oracles, with the blessing of God, root out all the
enemy’s tares throughout your island. We have received the presents sent
by your Highness to the blessed chief of the Apostles, for an eternal
memorial of him, and return you thanks, and always pray for your safety
with the clergy of Christ. But he that brought these presents has been
removed out of this world, and is buried at the threshold of the Apostles,
for whom we have been much grieved, because he died here. Nevertheless, we
have caused the blessed gifts of the saints, that is, the relics of the
blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and of the holy martyrs, Laurentius,
John, and Paul, and Gregory, and Pancratius,(509) to be given to your
servants, the bearers of these our letters, to be by them delivered to
your Excellency. And to your consort(510) also, our spiritual daughter, we
have by the aforesaid bearers sent a cross, with a gold key to it, made
out of the most holy chains of the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul; for,
hearing of her pious zeal, all the Apostolic see rejoices with us, even as
her pious works smell sweet and blossom before God.

“We therefore desire that your Highness should hasten, according to our
wish, to dedicate all your island to Christ our God; for assuredly you
have for your Protector, the Redeemer of mankind, our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who will prosper you in all things, that you may gather together a new
people of Christ, establishing there the Catholic and Apostolic faith. For
it is written, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you. ’(511) Truly your Highness
seeks, and shall obtain, and all your islands shall be made subject to
you, even as we desire. Saluting your Excellency with fatherly affection,
we never cease to pray to the Divine Goodness, to vouchsafe to assist you
and yours in all good works, that you may reign with Christ in the world
to come. May the Heavenly Grace preserve your Excellency in safety! ”

In the next book we shall have a more suitable occasion to show who was
selected and consecrated in Wighard’s place.




Chap. XXX. How the East Saxons, during a pestilence, returned to idolatry,
but were soon brought back from their error by the zeal of Bishop Jaruman.
[665 A. D. ]


At the same time, the Kings Sighere and Sebbi,(512) though themselves
subject to Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, governed the province of the
East Saxons after Suidhelm, of whom we have spoken above. (513) When that
province was suffering from the aforesaid disastrous plague, Sighere, with
his part of the people, forsook the mysteries of the Christian faith, and
turned apostate. For the king himself, and many of the commons and nobles,
loving this life, and not seeking after another, or even not believing in
any other, began to restore the temples that had been abandoned, and to
adore idols, as if they might by those means be protected against the
plague. But Sebbi, his companion and co-heir in the kingdom, with all his
people, very devoutly preserved the faith which he had received, and, as
we shall show hereafter, ended his faithful life in great felicity.

King Wulfhere, hearing that the faith of the province was in part
profaned, sent Bishop Jaruman,(514) who was successor to Trumhere, to
correct their error, and recall the province to the true faith. He acted
with much discretion, as I was informed by a priest who bore him company
in that journey, and had been his fellow labourer in the Word, for he was
a religious and good man, and travelling through all the country, far and
near, brought back both the people and the aforesaid king to the way of
righteousness, so that, either forsaking or destroying the temples and
altars which they had erected, they opened the churches, and gladly
confessed the Name of Christ, which they had opposed, choosing rather to
die in the faith of resurrection in Him, than to live in the abominations
of unbelief among their idols. Having thus accomplished their works, the
priests and teachers returned home with joy.





BOOK IV




Chap. I. How when Deusdedit died, Wighard was sent to Rome to receive the
episcopate; but he dying there, Theodore was ordained archbishop, and sent
into Britain with the Abbot Hadrian. [664-669 A. D. ]


In the above-mentioned year of the aforesaid eclipse(515) and of the
pestilence which followed it immediately, in which also Bishop Colman,
being overcome by the united effort of the Catholics, returned home,(516)
Deusdedit,(517) the sixth bishop of the church of Canterbury, died on the
14th of July. Earconbert,(518) also, king of Kent, departed this life the
same month and day; leaving his kingdom to his son Egbert, who held it for
nine years. The see then became vacant for no small time, until, the
priest Wighard,(519) a man of great learning in the teaching of the
Church, of the English race, was sent to Rome by King Egbert and Oswy,
king of the Northumbrians, as was briefly mentioned in the foregoing
book,(520) with a request that he might be ordained Archbishop of the
Church of England; and at the same time presents were sent to the
Apostolic pope, and many vessels of gold and silver. Arriving at Rome,
where Vitalian(521) presided at that time over the Apostolic see, and
having made known to the aforesaid Apostolic pope the occasion of his
journey, he was not long after carried off, with almost all his companions
who had come with him, by a pestilence which fell upon them.

But the Apostolic pope having consulted about that matter, made diligent
inquiry for some one to send to be archbishop of the English Churches.
There was then in the monastery of Niridanum, which is not far from Naples
in Campania, an abbot called Hadrian,(522) by nation an African, well
versed in Holy Scripture, trained in monastic and ecclesiastical teaching,
and excellently skilled both in the Greek and Latin tongues. The pope,
sending for him, commanded him to accept the bishopric and go to Britain.
He answered, that he was unworthy of so great a dignity, but said that he
could name another, whose learning and age were fitter for the episcopal
office. He proposed to the pope a certain monk named Andrew, belonging to
a neighbouring nunnery(523) and he was by all that knew him judged worthy
of a bishopric; but the weight of bodily infirmity prevented him from
becoming a bishop. Then again Hadrian was urged to accept the episcopate;
but he desired a respite, to see whether in time he could find another to
be ordained bishop.

There was at that time in Rome, a monk, called Theodore,(524) known to
Hadrian, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, a man instructed in secular and Divine
writings, as also in Greek and Latin; of high character and venerable age,
being sixty-six years old. Hadrian proposed him to the pope to be ordained
bishop, and prevailed; but upon the condition that he should himself
conduct him into Britain, because he had already travelled through Gaul
twice upon different occasions, and was, therefore, better acquainted with
the way, and was, moreover, sufficiently provided with men of his own; as
also, to the end that, being his fellow labourer in teaching, he might
take special care that Theodore should not, according to the custom of the
Greeks, introduce any thing contrary to the truth of the faith into the
Church where he presided. (525) Theodore, being ordained subdeacon, waited
four months for his hair to grow, that it might be shorn into the shape of
a crown; for he had before the tonsure of St. Paul,(526) the Apostle,
after the manner of the eastern people.
He was ordained by Pope Vitalian,
in the year of our Lord 668, on Sunday, the 26th of March, and on the 27th
of May was sent with Hadrian to Britain. (527)

They proceeded together by sea to Marseilles, and thence by land to Arles,
and having there delivered to John, archbishop of that city,(528) Pope
Vitalian’s letters of recommendation, were by him detained till
Ebroin,(529) the king’s mayor of the palace, gave them leave to go where
they pleased. Having received the same, Theodore went to Agilbert, bishop
of Paris,(530) of whom we have spoken above, and was by him kindly
received, and long entertained. But Hadrian went first to Emme, Bishop of
the Senones,(531) and then to Faro,(532) bishop of the Meldi, and lived in
comfort with them a considerable time; for the approach of winter had
obliged them to rest wherever they could. King Egbert, being informed by
sure messengers that the bishop they had asked of the Roman prelate was in
the kingdom of the Franks, sent thither his reeve,(533) Raedfrid, to
conduct him. He, having arrived there, with Ebroin’s leave took Theodore
and conveyed him to the port called Quentavic;(534) where, falling sick,
he stayed some time, and as soon as he began to recover, sailed over into
Britain. But Ebroin detained Hadrian, suspecting that he went on some
mission from the Emperor to the kings of Britain, to the prejudice of the
kingdom of which he at that time had the chief charge; however, when he
found that in truth he had never had any such commission, he discharged
him, and permitted him to follow Theodore. As soon as he came to him,
Theodore gave him the monastery of the blessed Peter the Apostle,(535)
where the archbishops of Canterbury are wont to be buried, as I have said
before; for at his departure, the Apostolic lord had enjoined upon
Theodore that he should provide for him in his province, and give him a
suitable place to live in with his followers.




Chap. II. How Theodore visited all places; how the Churches of the English
began to be instructed in the study of Holy Scripture, and in the Catholic
truth; and how Putta was made bishop of the Church of Rochester in the
room of Damianus. [669 A. D. ]


Theodore came to his Church in the second year after his consecration, on
Sunday, the 27th of May, and spent in it twenty-one years, three months,
and twenty-six days. Soon after, he visited all the island, wherever the
tribes of the English dwelt, for he was gladly received and heard by all
persons; and everywhere attended and assisted by Hadrian, he taught the
right rule of life, and the canonical custom of celebrating Easter. This
was the first archbishop whom all the English Church consented to obey.
And forasmuch as both of them were, as has been said before, fully
instructed both in sacred and in secular letters, they gathered a crowd of
disciples, and rivers of wholesome knowledge daily flowed from them to
water the hearts of their hearers; and, together with the books of Holy
Scripture, they also taught them the metrical art, astronomy, and
ecclesiastical arithmetic. A testimony whereof is, that there are still
living at this day some of their scholars, who are as well versed in the
Greek and Latin tongues as in their own, in which they were born. Nor were
there ever happier times since the English came into Britain; for having
brave Christian kings, they were a terror to all barbarous nations, and
the minds of all men were bent upon the joys of the heavenly kingdom of
which they had but lately heard; and all who desired to be instructed in
sacred studies had masters at hand to teach them.

From that time also they began in all the churches of the English to learn
Church music, which till then had been only known in Kent. And, excepting
James, of whom we have spoken above,(536) the first teacher of singing in
the churches of the Northumbrians was Eddi, surnamed Stephen,(537) invited
from Kent by the most reverend Wilfrid, who was the first of the bishops
of the English nation that learned to deliver to the churches of the
English the Catholic manner of life. (538)

Theodore, journeying through all parts, ordained bishops in fitting
places, and with their assistance corrected such things as he found
faulty. Among the rest, when he charged Bishop Ceadda with not having been
duly consecrated,(539) he, with great humility, answered, “If you know
that I have not duly received episcopal ordination, I willingly resign the
office, for I never thought myself worthy of it; but, though unworthy, for
obedience sake I submitted, when bidden to undertake it. ” Theodore,
hearing his humble answer, said that he should not resign the bishopric,
and he himself completed his ordination after the Catholic manner. Now at
the time when Deusdedit died, and a bishop for the church of Canterbury
was by request ordained and sent, Wilfrid was also sent from Britain into
Gaul to be ordained; and because he returned before Theodore, he ordained
priests and deacons in Kent till the archbishop should come to his see.
But when Theodore came to the city of Rochester, where the bishopric had
been long vacant by the death of Damian,(540) he ordained a man named
Putta,(541) trained rather in the teaching of the Church and more addicted
to simplicity of life than active in worldly affairs, but specially
skilful in Church music, after the Roman use, which he had learned from
the disciples of the blessed Pope Gregory. (542)




Chap. III. How the above-mentioned Ceadda was made Bishop of the province
of Mercians. Of his life, death, and burial. [669 A. D. ]


At that time, the province of the Mercians was governed by King Wulfhere,
who, on the death of Jaruman,(543) desired of Theodore that a bishop
should be given to him and his people; but Theodore would not ordain a new
one for them, but requested of King Oswy that Ceadda might be their
bishop. He then lived in retirement at his monastery, which is at
Laestingaeu,(544) while Wilfrid administered the bishopric of York, and of
all the Northumbrians, and likewise of the Picts, as far as King Oswy was
able to extend his dominions. And, seeing that it was the custom of that
most reverend prelate to go about the work of the Gospel everywhere on
foot rather than on horseback, Theodore commanded him to ride whenever he
had a long journey to undertake; and finding him very unwilling, in his
zeal and love for his pious labour, he himself, with his own hands, lifted
him on horseback; for he knew him to be a holy man, and therefore obliged
him to ride wherever he had need to go. Ceadda having received the
bishopric of the Mercians and of Lindsey,(545) took care to administer it
with great perfection of life, according to the example of the ancient
fathers. King Wulfhere also gave him land of the extent of fifty families,
to build a monastery, at the place called Ad Barvae,(546) or “At the
Wood,” in the province of Lindsey, wherein traces of the monastic life
instituted by him continue to this day.

He had his episcopal see in the place called Lyccidfelth,(547) in which he
also died, and was buried, and where the see of the succeeding bishops of
that province continues to this day. He had built himself a retired
habitation not far from the church, wherein he was wont to pray and read
in private, with a few, it might be seven or eight of the brethren, as
often as he had any spare time from the labour and ministry of the Word.
When he had most gloriously governed the church in that province for two
years and a half, the Divine Providence so ordaining, there came round a
season like that of which Ecclesiastes says, “That there is a time to cast
away stones, and a time to gather stones together;”(548) for a plague fell
upon them, sent from Heaven, which, by means of the death of the flesh,
translated the living stones of the Church from their earthly places to
the heavenly building. And when, after many of the Church of that most
reverend prelate had been taken away out of the flesh, his hour also drew
near wherein he was to pass out of this world to the Lord, it happened one
day that he was in the aforesaid habitation with only one brother, called
Owini,(549) his other companions having upon some due occasion returned to
the church. Now Owini was a monk of great merit, having forsaken the world
with the sole desire of the heavenly reward; worthy in all respects to
have the secrets of the Lord revealed to him in special wise, and worthy
to have credit given by his hearers to what he said. For he had come with
Queen Ethelthryth(550) from the province of the East Angles, and was the
chief of her thegns, and governor of her house. As the fervour of his
faith increased, resolving to renounce the secular life, he did not go
about it slothfully, but so entirely forsook the things of this world,
that, quitting all that he had, clad in a plain garment, and carrying an
axe and hatchet in his hand, he came to the monastery of the same most
reverend father, which is called Laestingaeu. He said that he was not
entering the monastery in order to live in idleness, as some do, but to
labour; which he also confirmed by practice; for as he was less capable of
studying the Scriptures, the more earnestly he applied himself to the
labour of his hands. So then, forasmuch as he was reverent and devout, he
was kept by the bishop in the aforesaid habitation with the brethren, and
whilst they were engaged within in reading, he was without, doing such
things as were necessary.

One day, when he was thus employed abroad, his companions having gone to
the church, as I began to tell, and the bishop was alone reading or
praying in the oratory of that place, on a sudden, as he afterwards said,
he heard a sweet sound of singing and rejoicing descend from heaven to
earth. This sound he said he first heard coming from the sky in the
south-east, above the winter sunrise, and that afterwards it drew near him
gradually, till it came to the roof of the oratory where the bishop was,
and entering therein, filled all the place and encompassed it about. He
listened attentively to what he heard, and after about half an hour,
perceived the same song of joy to ascend from the roof of the said
oratory, and to return to heaven in the same way as it came, with
unspeakable sweetness. When he had stood some time amazed, and earnestly
considering in his mind what this might be, the bishop opened the window
of the oratory, and making a sound with his hand, as he was often wont to
do, bade anyone who might be without to come in to him. He went hastily
in, and the bishop said to him, “Make haste to the church, and cause those
seven brothers to come hither, and do you come with them. ” When they were
come, he first admonished them to preserve the virtue of love and peace
among themselves, and towards all the faithful; and with unwearied
earnestness to follow the rules of monastic discipline, which they had
either been taught by him, and had seen him observe, or had found in the
words and actions of the former fathers. Then he added that the day of his
death was at hand; for, said he, “that gracious guest, who was wont to
visit our brethren, has vouchsafed also to come to me this day, and to
call me out of this world. Return, therefore, to the church, and speak to
the brethren, that in their prayers they commend my departure to the Lord,
and that they be mindful to prepare for their own, the hour whereof is
uncertain, by watching, and prayer, and good works. ”

When he had spoken thus much and more to the same end, and they, having
received his blessing, had gone away in great sorrow, he who had heard the
heavenly song returned alone, and prostrating himself on the ground, said,
“I beseech you, father, may I be permitted to ask a question? ”—“Ask what
you will,” answered the bishop. Then he said, “I beseech you to tell me
what was that song which I heard as of a joyful company coming from heaven
upon this oratory, and after some time returning to heaven? ” The bishop
answered: “If you heard the singing, and know of the coming of the
heavenly company, I command you, in the Name of the Lord, that you tell it
not to any before my death. But in truth they were angelic spirits, who
came to call me to my heavenly reward, which I have always loved and
longed after, and they promised that they would return seven days hence,
and take me away with them. ” Which was indeed fulfilled, as had been said
to him; for being presently seized with bodily infirmity, and the same
daily increasing, on the seventh day, as had been promised to him, when he
had prepared for death by receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord, his
saintly soul being delivered from the prison of the body, led, as may
justly be believed, by the attendant angels, he departed to the joys of
Heaven.

It is no wonder that he joyfully beheld the day of his death, or rather
the day of the Lord, the coming whereof he had always been mindful to
await with earnest expectation. For with all his merits of continence,
humility, teaching, prayer, voluntary poverty, and other virtues, he was
so filled with the fear of the Lord, so mindful of his latter end in all
his actions, that, as I was wont to hear from one of the brothers who
instructed me in the Scriptures, and who had been bred in his monastery,
and under his direction, whose name was Trumbert, if it happened that
there blew a sudden strong gust of wind, when he was reading or doing any
other thing, he forthwith called upon the Lord for mercy, and begged that
it might be granted to all mankind. If the wind grew stronger, he closed
his book, and fell on his face, praying still more earnestly. But, if a
violent storm of wind or rain came on, or if the earth and air were filled
with the terror of thunder and lightning, he would go to the church, and
anxiously devote himself with all his heart to prayers and psalms till the
weather became calm. Being asked by his brethren why he did so, he
answered, “Have not you read—‘The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and
the Highest gave his voice. Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered
them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. ’(551) For the Lord
moves the air, raises the winds, hurls lightning, and thunders from
heaven, to rouse the inhabitants of the earth to fear him; to put them in
mind of judgement to come; to dispel their pride, and confound their
boldness, by recalling to their thoughts that dread time, when the heavens
and the earth being on fire, He will come in the clouds, with great power
and majesty, to judge the quick and the dead. Wherefore,” said he, “it
behoves us to respond to His heavenly admonition with due fear and love;
that, as often as the air is moved and He puts forth His hand threatening
to strike, but does not yet let it fall, we may immediately implore His
mercy; and searching the recesses of our hearts, and casting out the dregs
of our sins, we may carefully so act that we may never deserve to be
struck down. ”

With this revelation and narrative of the aforesaid brother, concerning
the death of this prelate, agrees the account of the most reverend Father
Egbert, above spoken of,(552) who long and zealously led a monastic life
with the same Ceadda, when both were youths, in Ireland, in prayer and
self-denial and meditation on the Holy Scriptures. But whereas Ceadda
afterwards returned into his own country, Egbert continued to live abroad
for the Lord’s sake till the end of his life. A long time after, Hygbald,
a man of great holiness and continence, who was an abbot in the province
of Lindsey,(553) came from Britain to visit him, and whilst, as became
holy men, they were discoursing of the life of the former fathers, and
rejoicing to imitate the same, mention was made of the most reverend
prelate, Ceadda; whereupon Egbert said, “I know a man in this island,
still in the flesh, who, when Ceadda passed away from this world, saw the
soul of his brother Cedd, with a company of angels, descending from
heaven, who, having taken Ceadda’s soul along with them, returned again to
the heavenly kingdom. ” Whether he said this of himself, or some other, we
do not certainly know; but because it was said by so great a man, there
can be no doubt of the truth thereof.

Ceadda died on the 2nd of March,(554) and was first buried by St. Mary’s
Church, but afterwards, when the church of the most blessed chief of the
Apostles, Peter, was built in the same place, his bones were translated
into it. In both which places, as a testimony of his virtue, frequent
miracles of healing are wont to be wrought. And of late, a certain man
that had a frenzy, wandering about everywhere, arrived there in the
evening, unperceived or disregarded by the keepers of the place, and
having rested there the whole of the night, came forth in his right mind
the next morning, to the surprise and joy of all, and told what a cure had
been wrought on him through the goodness of God. The place of the
sepulchre is a wooden monument, made like a little house, covered, having
a hole in the wall, through which those that go thither for devotion are
wont to put in their hand and take out some of the dust. This they put
into water and give to sick cattle or men to drink, whereupon they are
presently eased of their infirmity, and restored to their desired health.

In his place, Theodore ordained Wynfrid,(555) a man of good and sober
life, to preside, like his predecessors, over the bishoprics of the
Mercians, the Midland Angles, and Lindsey, of all which, Wulfhere, who was
still living, was king. Wynfrid was one of the clergy of the prelate he
succeeded, and had for no small time filled the office of deacon under
him.




Chap. IV. How Bishop Colman, having left Britain, built two monasteries in
the country of the Scots; the one for the Scots, the other for the English
whom he had taken along with him. [667 A. D. ]


In the meantime, Colman, the Scottish bishop, departing from Britain,(556)
took along with him all the Scots whom he had gathered about him in the
isle of Lindisfarne, and also about thirty of the English nation, for both
these companies had been trained in duties of the monastic life; and
leaving some brothers in his church, he went first to the isle of
Hii,(557) whence he had been sent to preach the Word of God to the English
nation. Afterwards he retired to a small island, which is to the west of
Ireland, and at some distance from it, called in the language of the
Scots, Inisboufinde,(558) the Island of the White Heifer. Arriving there,
he built a monastery, and placed in it the monks he had brought of both
nations. But they could not agree among themselves, by reason that the
Scots, in the summer season, when the harvest was to be brought in,
leaving the monastery, wandered about through places known to them; but
returned again the next winter, and desired to use in common what the
English had provided. Colman sought to put an end to this dissension, and
travelling about far and near, he found a place in the island of Ireland
fitted to be the site of a monastery, which, in the language of the Scots,
is called Mageo. (559) He bought a small part of it of the chief to whom it
belonged, to build his monastery thereon; upon condition, that the monks
dwelling there should pray to the Lord for him who let them have the
place. Then at once building a monastery, with the assistance of the chief
and all the neighbouring people, he placed the English there, leaving the
Scots in the aforesaid island. This monastery is to this day occupied by
English inhabitants; being the same that, grown from a small beginning to
be very large, is commonly called Muigeo; and as all have long since been
brought to adopt better customs, it contains a notable society of monks,
who are gathered there from the province of the English, and live by the
labour of their own hands, after the example of the venerable fathers,
under a rule and a canonical abbot, in much continence and singleness of
life.




Chap. V. Of the death of the kings Oswy and Egbert, and of the synod held
at the place Herutford,(560) in which Archbishop Theodore presided.
[670-673 A. D. ]


In the year of our Lord 670,(561) being the second year after Theodore
arrived in England, Oswy, king of the Northumbrians, fell sick, and died,
in the fifty-eighth year of his age. (562) He at that time bore so great
affection to the Roman Apostolic usages, that he had designed, if he
recovered from his sickness, to go to Rome, and there to end his days at
the holy places, having asked Bishop Wilfrid, with a promise of no small
gift of money, to conduct him on his journey. He died on the 15th of
February, leaving his son Egfrid(563) his successor in the kingdom. In the
third year of his reign, Theodore assembled a council of bishops, along
with many other teachers of the church, who loved and were acquainted with
the canonical statutes of the fathers. When they were met together, he
began, in the spirit which became a bishop, to enjoin the observance of
such things as were in accordance with the unity and the peace of the
Church. The purport of the proceedings of this synod is as follows:—(564)

“In the name of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who reigns for ever
and governs His Church, it was thought meet that we should assemble,
according to the custom prescribed in the venerable canons, to treat about
the necessary affairs of the Church. We met on the 24th day of September,
the first indiction,(565) at the place which is called Herutford: I,
Theodore, albeit unworthy, appointed by the Apostolic see bishop of the
church of Canterbury; our fellow priest and brother, the most reverend
Bisi, bishop of the East Angles; and with us also our brother and fellow
priest, Wilfrid, bishop of the nation of the Northumbrians, represented by
his proxies. There were present also our brothers and fellow priests,
Putta, bishop of the Kentish castle, called Rochester; Leutherius, bishop
of the West Saxons, and Wynfrid, bishop of the province of the
Mercians. (566) When we were all met together, and had sat down in order, I
said, ‘I beseech you, most dear brothers, for the fear and love of our
Redeemer, that we may all treat in common on behalf of our faith; to the
end that whatsoever has been decreed and defined by holy and approved
fathers, may be inviolably observed by all of us. ’ This and much more I
spoke tending to charity and the preservation of the unity of the Church;
and when I had ended my preface, I asked every one of them in order,
whether they consented to observe the things that had been of old
canonically decreed by the fathers? To which all our fellow priests
answered, ‘Most assuredly we are all resolved to observe willingly and
heartily whatsoever is laid down in the canons of the holy fathers. ’ Then
forthwith I produced the said book of canons,(567) and in the presence of
them all showed ten articles in the same, which I had marked in several
places, because I knew them to be of the most importance to us, and
entreated that these might be most particularly received by them all.

“Article I. That we all in common keep the holy day of Easter on the
Sunday after the fourteenth moon of the first month.

“II. That no bishop intrude into the diocese of another, but be satisfied
with the government of the people committed to him.

“III. That it shall not be lawful for any bishop to disturb in any matter
monasteries dedicated to God, nor to take away forcibly any part of their
property.

“IV. That the monks themselves do not move from one place to another, that
is, from monastery to monastery, unless with the consent of their own
abbot; but that they continue in the obedience which they promised at the
time of their conversion.

“V. That no clerk, forsaking his own bishop, shall wander about, or be
anywhere received without commendatory letters from his diocesan. But if
he shall be once received, and will not return when summoned, both the
receiver, and he that is received shall be under excommunication.

“VI. That bishops and clergy, when travelling, shall be content with the
hospitality that is afforded them; and that it be not lawful for any one
of them to exercise any priestly function without leave of the bishop in
whose diocese he is known to be.

“VII. That a synod be assembled twice a year; but on account of divers
hindrances, it was approved by all, that we should meet once a year, on
the 1st of August, at the place called Clofeshoch. (568)

“VIII. That no bishop, through ambition, shall set himself above another;
but that they shall all observe the time and order of their consecration.

“IX. The ninth Article was discussed in common, to the effect that more
bishops should be made, as the number of the faithful increased; but this
matter for the present was passed over. (569)

“X. Of marriages; that nothing be allowed but lawful wedlock; that none
commit incest; no man leave his own wife, except it be, as the holy Gospel
teaches, for fornication. And if any man shall put away his own wife,
lawfully joined to him in matrimony, that he take no other, if he wishes
to be a true Christian, but continue as he is, or else be reconciled to
his own wife.

“These articles being thus discussed and defined in common, to the end,
that for the future, no stumbling-block of contention might arise from any
one of us, or that things be falsely set forth, it was thought fit that
every one of us should, by the subscription of his own hand, confirm all
the particulars so defined. Which judgement, as defined by us, I dictated
to be written by Titillus our notary. Given in the month and indiction
aforesaid. Whosoever, therefore, shall attempt in any way to oppose or
infringe this decision, confirmed by our consent, and by the subscription
of our hands, according to the decree of the canons, must know, that he is
excluded from all sacerdotal functions, and from our fellowship. May the
Grace of God keep us in safety, living in the unity of His Holy Church. ”

This synod was held in the year of our Lord 673. In which year Egbert,
king of Kent,(570) died in the month of July; his brother Hlothere(571)
succeeded him on the throne, which he held eleven years and seven months.
Bisi, the bishop of the East Angles, who is said to have been in the
aforesaid synod, a man of great saintliness and piety, was successor to
Boniface,(572) before spoken of; for when Boniface died, after having been
bishop seventeen years, he was ordained by Theodore and made bishop in his
place. Whilst he was still alive, but hindered by grievous infirmity from
administering his episcopal functions, two bishops, Aecci and Badwin, were
elected and consecrated in his place; from which time to the present, that
province has had two bishops. (573)




Chap. VI. How Wynfrid being deposed, Sexwulf received his bishopric, and
Earconwald was made bishop of the East Saxons. [675 A. D. ]


Not long after these events, Theodore, the archbishop, taking offence at
some act of disobedience of Wynfrid, bishop of the Mercians,(574) deposed
him from his bishopric when he had held it but a few years, and in his
place ordained Sexwulf bishop,(575) who was founder and abbot of the
monastery which is called Medeshamstead,(576) in the country of the
Gyrwas. (577) Wynfrid, thus deposed, returned to his monastery which is
called Ad Barvae,(578) and there ended his life in holy conversation.

Theodore then also appointed Earconwald,(579) bishop of the East Saxons,
in the city of London, over whom at that time reigned Sebbi and Sighere,
of whom mention has been made above. (580) This Earconwald’s life and
conversation, as well when he was bishop as before that time, is said to
have been most holy, as is even now testified by heavenly miracles; for to
this day, his horse-litter, in which he was wont to be carried when sick,
is kept by his disciples, and continues to cure many of fevers and other
ailments; and not only sick persons who are laid under that litter, or
close by it, are cured; but the very splinters cut from it, when carried
to the sick, are wont immediately to bring healing to them.

This man, before he was made bishop, had built two famous monasteries, the
one for himself, and the other for his sister Ethelburg,(581) and
established them both in regular discipline of the best kind. That for
himself was in the district of Sudergeona, by the river Thames, at a place
called Cerotaesei,(582) that is, the Island of Cerot; that for his sister
in the province of the East Saxons, at a place called In Berecingum,(583)
wherein she might be a mother and nurse of women devoted to God. Being put
into the government of that monastery, she showed herself in all respects
worthy of her brother the bishop, by her own holy life and by her regular
and pious care of those under her rule, as was also manifested by heavenly
miracles.




Chap. VII. How it was indicated by a light from heaven where the bodies of
the nuns should be buried in the monastery of Berecingum. [675 A. D. ? ]


In this monastery many miracles were wrought, accounts of which have been
committed to writing by those who were acquainted with them, that their
memory might be preserved, and succeeding generations edified, and these
are in the possession of many persons; some of them we also have taken
pains to include in our History of the Church. At the time of the
pestilence, already often mentioned,(584) which ravaged all the country
far and wide, it had also seized on that part of this monastery where the
men abode, and they were daily hurried away to the Lord. The careful
mother of the community began often to inquire of the sisters, when they
were gathered together; in what part of the monastery they desired to be
buried and a cemetery to be made, when the same affliction should fall
upon that part of the monastery in which the handmaids of the Lord dwelt
together apart from the men, and they should be snatched away out of this
world by the same destruction as the rest. Receiving no certain answer
from the sisters, though she often questioned them, she and all of them
received a most certain answer from the Divine Providence. For one night,
after matins had been sung, and those handmaids of Christ had gone out of
their chapel to the tombs of the brothers who had departed this life
before them, and were singing the customary songs of praise to the Lord,
on a sudden a light from heaven, like a great sheet, came down upon them
all, and struck them with such amazement, that, in consternation, they
even left off singing their hymn. But that resplendent light, in
comparison wherewith the sun at noon-day might seem dark, soon after,
rising from that place, removed to the south side of the monastery, that
is, to the westward of the chapel, and having continued there some time,
and rested upon those parts, in the sight of them all withdrew itself
again to heaven, leaving no doubt in the minds of all, but that the same
light, which was to lead or to receive the souls of those handmaids of
Christ into Heaven, also showed the place in which their bodies were to
rest and await the day of the resurrection. The radiance of this light was
so great, that one of the older brethren, who at the same time was in
their chapel with another younger than himself, related in the morning,
that the rays of light which came in at the crannies of the doors and
windows, seemed to exceed the utmost brightness of daylight.




Chap. VIII. How a little boy, dying in the same monastery, called upon a
virgin that was to follow him; and how another nun, at the point of
leaving her body, saw some small part of the future glory. [675 A. D. ? ]


There was, in the same monastery, a boy, not above three years old, called
Aesica; who, by reason of his tender age, was being brought up among the
virgins dedicated to God, there to learn his lessons. This child being
seized by the aforesaid pestilence, when his last hour was come, called
three times upon one of the virgins consecrated to Christ, speaking to her
by her own name, as if she had been present, Eadgyth! Eadgyth! Eadgyth!
and thus ending his temporal life, entered into that which is eternal. The
virgin, to whom he called, as he was dying, was immediately seized, where
she was, with the same sickness, and departing this life the same day on
which she had been summoned, followed him that called her into the
heavenly kingdom.

Likewise, one of the same handmaids of God, being smitten with the same
disease, and reduced to the last extremity, began on a sudden, about
midnight, to cry out to them that ministered to her, desiring they would
put out the lamp that was lighted there. And, when she had done this many
times, and yet no one did her will, at last she said, “I know that you
think I am raving, when I say this, but be assured that it is not so; for
I tell you truly, that I see this house filled with so great a light, that
that lamp of yours seems to me to be altogether dark. ” And when still no
one replied to what she said, or did her bidding, she added, “Burn your
lamp, then, as long as you will; but know, that it is not my light, for my
light will come to me at the dawn of day. ” Then she began to tell, that a
certain man of God, who had died that same year, had appeared to her,
telling her that at the break of day she should depart to the eternal
light. The truth of which vision was speedily proved by the maiden’s death
as soon as the day appeared.




Chap. IX. Of the signs which were shown from Heaven when the mother of
that community departed this life. [675 A. D. ? ]


Now when Ethelburg herself, the pious mother of that community devoted to
God, was about to be taken out of this world, a wonderful vision appeared
to one of the sisters, called Tortgyth; who, having lived many years in
that monastery, always endeavoured, in all humility and sincerity, to
serve God herself, and to help the mother to maintain regular discipline,
by instructing and reproving the younger ones. Now, in order that her
virtue might, according to the Apostle, be made perfect in weakness, she
was suddenly seized with a most grievous bodily disease, under which,
through the merciful providence of our Redeemer, she was sorely tried for
the space of nine years; to the end, that whatever stain of evil remained
amidst her virtues, either through ignorance or neglect, might all be
purified in the furnace of long tribulation. This woman, going out of the
chamber where she abode one night, at dusk, plainly saw as it were a human
body, which was brighter than the sun, wrapped in fine linen, and lifted
up on high, being taken out of the house in which the sisters used to
sleep. Then looking earnestly to see what it was that drew up that
appearance of the glorious body which she beheld, she perceived that it
was raised on high as it were by cords brighter than gold, until, entering
into the open heavens, it could no longer be seen by her. Reflecting on
this vision, she made no doubt that some one of the community would soon
die, and her soul be lifted up to heaven by the good works which she had
wrought, as it were by golden cords. And so in truth it befell; for a few
days after, the beloved of God, Ethelburg, mother of that community, was
delivered out of the prison of the flesh; and her life is proved to have
been such that no one who knew her ought to doubt that an entrance into
the heavenly country was open to her, when she departed from this life.

There was also, in the same monastery, a certain nun, of noble origin in
this world, and still nobler in the love of the world to come; who had,
for many years, been so disabled in all her body, that she could not move
a single limb. When she heard that the body of the venerable abbess had
been carried into the church, till it should be buried, she desired to be
carried thither, and to be placed bending towards it, after the manner of
one praying; which being done, she spoke to her as if she had been living,
and entreated her that she would obtain of the mercy of our pitiful
Creator, that she might be delivered from such great and long-continued
pains; nor was it long before her prayer was heard: for being delivered
from the flesh twelve days after, she exchanged her temporal afflictions
for an eternal reward.

For three years after the death of her Superior, the aforesaid handmaid of
Christ, Tortgyth, was detained in this life and was so far spent with the
sickness before mentioned, that her bones scarce held together. At last,
when the time of her release was at hand, she not only lost the use of her
other limbs, but also of her tongue; in which state having continued three
days and as many nights, she was, on a sudden, restored by a spiritual
vision, and opened her lips and eyes, and looking up to heaven, began thus
to speak to the vision which she saw: “Very acceptable to me is thy
coming, and thou art welcome! ” Having so said, she was silent awhile, as
it were, waiting for the answer of him whom she saw and to whom she spoke;
then, as if somewhat displeased, she said, “I can in no wise gladly suffer
this;” then pausing awhile, she said again, “If it can by no means be
to-day, I beg that the delay may not be long;” and again holding her peace
a short while, she concluded thus; “If it is certainly so determined, and
the decree cannot be altered, I beg that it may be no longer deferred than
this next night. ” Having so said, and being asked by those about her with
whom she talked, she said, “With my most dear mother, Ethelburg;” by which
they understood, that she was come to acquaint her that the time of her
departure was at hand; for, as she had desired, after one day and night,
she was delivered alike from the bonds of the flesh and of her infirmity
and entered into the joys of eternal salvation.