ditch euer after Then S. PATRICK went to Milcho vnder whom he had liued before in seruitude and Milcho burneth him self his goods now he hoped to deliuer him from the seruitude of the Deuill to the sweet freedom of CHRISTS ghospel But he hearing of his coming those rather to giue him self a perpetuall slaue to hell then to seeme to become subiect to him that before had been his seruant For hauing gathered all his wealth and goods togeather into a heape putt him self into the midst he sett all on fier hauing soe burnt his bodie in sacrifice to the deuill he made as it were a torch of his riches to light his soule the direct way to hell This being seene and vnderstood by Sainct PATRICK he sighed and wept grieuously for the space of two howers and at leÌ„gth opening his prophetick mouth he foretould that in punishment of this wickednes none of his children or generation should euer enioy the gouernment of their fathers estate but should liue as slaues all their life time as after wards it fell out And S. PATRICK returning back to his beloued friend Dichu stayed somes daies with hâ—m continually preaching teaching and strengthening the Christian faith with his wonderfull learning He ouerthroweth the Magitians zeale miracles soe that the Idols of Paganisme began euery where to be destroyed and the number of Christians dayly encreased And allbeit his good endeauours were most cruelly resisted by the Magitians whereof that Countrey was full yea by the maine vpholder of magicians the chiefest King of all the Countrey yet strengthened with the armour of Gods heauenly grace and a secure conscience he passed through all those difficulties For like vnto an other PETER he called downe a magitian that in defence of his Idolatrie was flying towards heauen to receaue deaths rude salutation on the earth And as an other Moyses who putt downe the Magitians of Egipt he ouercame manie doctours of that black art in shewing of strainge signes and miracles which discouered and dissipated all the fantasticall illusions and deceipts of their hellish practises V. BVT King Leogaires heart like a second Pharao was hardened The kingâ— malice against S. Patrick soe farre that the more vertues shined in S. PATRICK the more he endeauoured to exercise his renengfull wrath against him for seeing his magitians whom soe highly he fauoured by his meanes confounded and especially to reuenge the death of his greatest diabolicall fauourite he assembled a troupe of men togeather to murder him which the holy man perceauing with an vndaunted courage went towards them vsing that verse of the Psalme Let God rise and his enemies be dissipated and let those that hate him Psal 6â— v. 1. flie from before his face When on a suddaine there arose such a terrible His wicked troupes are dispersed earth-quake such horrible thunder-clapps threatning to shiueâ— the vautes of heaueÌ„n into peeces appeared in the glittering skies that some of that euill-minded companie were slaine out right others totally disheartned and the whole crew putt to flight And such a spiritt of giddines seazed their distempered braines that they fell furiously one vppon an other friend and brother against brother till the greatest part of them were slaine only some few escaped away sorely wounded The King him self being shrewdly affrighted herewith fled secretly away and hid him self out of the reach of that madding multitude The queene came humbly and reuerently vnto the holy Bishop to entreat peace promising to induce her husband to receaue the Christian fayth And he according to the Leodegaires sayned friendship discouered agreement came to the holy man and falling on his knees fayned in wordes to adore Christ whom his heart neuer thought on and promising to obey all his admonitions he falsely inuited PATRICK to voutchsafe the nextday to honour his house with hispreseÌ„ce Who all beit he knew by reuelation the deceiptfull heart of that Host yet putting his whole confidence in allmightie God he yielded to his request and on the morrow through all the death-threatning watches and ambushes layd for him by the way he passed vnknowne vnseene till he came to Taragh where then the king was entred the Pallace hall as they were at dinner to the great admiration of the whole companie Then by the instigation of the king manie damnable plotts were practised against his life by those magick professours of deuilishnes all which through the power of our Lords holy protection the vertue of the holy crosse he not only miraculously escaped but vtterly ruined and destroyed by his contrarie signes and miracles But all this heate of vertue did nothing mollifie the iron-iron-heart of Leogaire but rather incensed him more and more against the And all his followers swallowed vp in the earth holy maÌ„ seeing his workes preuayle soe much ouer the power of his hellish doctours Therefore againe he mustered a troupe of damned ministers to murder him But before they could bring their wicked purposes to effect the earth not able to beare such wickednes anie longer opened vnder theÌ„ swallowed vp their bodies aliue to send their soules to the mercilesse gulph of hell Which being seene vnderstood by the inhabitans of that countrey they were struckeÌ„ with exceeding terrour and amazemeÌ„t lest they should come to the like mishap they all beleeued in IESVS-CHRIST and throÌ„ged togeather to receaue the holy SacrameÌ„t of Baptisme And the king huÌ„bly demauÌ„ded pardoÌ„ for his temeritie which the sainct easyly gaue him but could not perswade him to embrace the ChristiaÌ„ fayth therefore he left him to followe his owne waies prophesying that for his hardnes of heart none of his generatioÌ„ should afterwards enioy his kingdom But his queene beleeued was Baptised and ended her daies happyly VI. AND S. PATRICK hauing confirmed those new Christians in The queene becometh a Christian their fayth tooke shipping and sayled to the Prouince of Meth where he came on land at the mouth of the riuer Boin But leauing those barbarous poeple in the Blindnes of their Idolatrie he went to one Conallus a great man in those parts and brother to the foresayd Leogaire and him he conuerted to the Christian fayth And thence he departed to the Prouince of Conaght where being at his entrie much resisted by two magitians his ordinarie enemies at leÌ„gth ouercome with miracles they beleeued in IESVS-CHRIST and were Baptised Therefore the holy man holding on his course of preaching destroyed as he went all Idols and in a publick assemblie of a verie great multitude of people where were allsoe present the seauen sohnes of Amblaich all famous for nobilitie of birth dignitie power and riches the man of God that he might in such a multitude gaine manie soules to CHRIST gott into the verie thickest of See the courage confidence of S. Patrick the throng and lifting vp his spirituall weapons of the ghospell to cutt downe the brambles of
called Ioues-Tree which was superstitiously worshipped by the Pagans This as a chiefe monument of their Heathenish superstition saint BONIFACE endeauoured to cutt downe and ouerthrow Which his labours greatly vexing the minds of those Infidels made them take armes against him when to the great astonishment of them all that tree which by litle and litle he had begunne to cutt was by a certaine diuine power suddenly broken and shiuered into fower peeces This spectacle soe terrified the fierce hearts of the Pagans that togeather with their malice conceaued against the holy man they deposed they errours and embraced the Christian fayth which from this time wonderfully encreased euery day To which happines by the labour of saint BONIFACE the Christian cause in Thuringia aswered with the like good successe where allbeit the false Christians Dorth winus Bertherus Erimbertus False Christians excommunicated and Humedus men wholly addicted to withcraft adultery and all other vices cruelly afflicted and hindered for a time his holy endeauours yet being at length vtterly conuinced with the force of his diuine arguments they were ouerthrowne and by the censure of excommunication cutt off from the Communion of the Catholick Church Whilst he laboured in preaching teaching and baptising in this Prouince happened to pitch his tents neere vnto the riuer Oraham an heauenly splendour glittered all one night ouer the place where the holy bishop lay and in that light S. MICHAEL S. Michael appeareth to S. â—oniface the Archangell appeared vnto him with words of wonderfull consolation and encouragement On the morrow hauing rendred thanks vnto allmightie God for soe peculiar a remonstrance of his fauour he celebrated the sacred misteries of Masse in the same place where in great extremitie want of victualls a strainge byrd vnexpectedly brought him a fish of sufficient quantitie to serue him and his fellowes for a meale And here hauing afterwards obtayned a parcell of land of one Hugo surnamed the Elder saint BONIFACE built the Church and monastery of Ordosse to the honour and name of saint MICHAEL and in memory of this diuine fauour there receaued VIII THEREFORE the Christian fayth greatly encreasing euery He seâ—deth 〈◊〉 more preachers out of England day by the preaching of saint BONIFACE and finding the labourers to be too few for soe large and ample an haruest he sent for more religious men and woemen out of England and diuided the burden of his labour amongst them The chiefest of the men were Bâ—rehard Lullus Willibald and Wincbald his brother Witâ—â— and Gregory and of the religious woemen Tecla Lioba and Walburg all Monkes and Nunnes of the holy order of saint BENEDICT by whose pious labours and endeauours His obedience to the Roman sea the Monasteries built by saint BONIFACE were gouerned in the profession of monasticall discipline the Benedictine Order much aduanced in that Countrey and manie thousands reduced to the Christian fayth In the meane time Pope Gregory the second being dead an other Gregory succeeded vnto whom saint BONIFACE sent messengers out of hand to testifie his dutie and obseruance towards him and the Roman sea to signifie withall how and in what manner he had laboured in Germanie and to desire his counsell in manie difficulties that did arise To all which the Pope not only gaue particular answere by letters but allsoe an honour which he desired not made saint BONIFACE Archbishop of Germanie and sent him the Palle due vnto that dignitie IX Then this blessed man hauing built two Monasteries one in the honour of the Prince of Apostles saint PETER an other to saint MICHAEL the Archangell and filled them with Monkes to sing the prayses of Allmightie God he trauelled into Bauaria then gouerned by a Duke called Hubert where with his sacred preachings and the excommunication of a willfull sck Ermwolfe whose poysonous doctrine infected manie he greatly promoted the Christian fayth And not long after saint BONIFACE went His third iourney to Rome againe to Rome where he was honourably entertayned by the whole court and chiefly by the Pope who sent him back into Germanie loaden with manie sacred guifts and with commendatorie letters to men of all orders and conditions as well Ecclesiasticall as secular throughout the Countrey Being returned Vtilo Duke of He reformeth the Churches of Bauaria Bauaria sent for him to sett in order the Churches of that Prouince where there were manie that impudently assumed vnto them selues the sacred functions of Priests and Bishops without anie authoritie but their owne and corrupted the poeple with diuers errours These the holy man banished out of that countrey and with great care and prudencie prouided against the like deceipts in future The Prouince it self he deuided into â—ower Diocesses which before was gouerned by the sole Bishop of Pataâ—â—a vnto which saint BONIFACE added the Episcopall seas of Saltzburg Frisengen and R 〈…〉 bone and this his proceeding was ratified by the letters of Pope Gregorie who with his hands lifted vp towards heauen fignified the infinite thankes he gaue to allmightie God for the Euangelicall seed soe happily sowne by Boniface in Germanie where he had gayned a hundred thousand soules to Christ out of the slauerie and bondage of the Deuill X. Bvt death hauing depriued the pious Prince Carolus Martellâ—â— Carolomannus King of France of the vse and cares of the world Carolomannus togeather with his brother Pipin ioinctly succeeded their father in the crowne of France To Carolomannus therefore who was the elder S. Boniface went whom when he had carefully exhorted to imitate his fathers pietie towards the Churches of God for the aduancement of the Christian sayth he found nothing degenerate from his father in that matter Therefore saint BONIFACEâ— beseethed his authoritie and consent for the assembling of a Synod whereby the Ecclesiasticall A Synod held in Germanie discipline greatly impayred both in the Clergie and poeple might be reduced to the exact obseruance of the Canons de 〈…〉 s of the Church For noâ— Synod had 〈◊〉 held there for the space of foweâ—score yeares before The dec 〈…〉 of the Canons were neglected the ordinations of Bishops were dispatched by those that had no authoritiâ— men of wicked liues were without distrinction raysed to priestoâ—d and other Ecclesiasticall functions Therefore in this Synod in which by the authoritie of Zacharie Bishop of R 〈…〉 saint BONIFACE presided manie things very profitable to the Church were decreed and amongst others that noe bishops or Priests contrarie to the state of their dignitie and office should follow â—eats of armes those only excepted who serâ—â—ed the 〈◊〉 with the sacrifice of Masse and the sacramenes Manie allsoe that were feared with the markes of wicked life and teaching of 〈◊〉 sâ— doctrine were depriued of their degrees and amongst others two notable masters of damâ—able opinions Clement and Aâ—elbeâ—◠〈◊〉 â—ast out of the Church as allsoe Gâ—â—uilio Bishop He is made Archbis hop of
thy bodie to Satan that thy soule may be A terrible punishment of one that would not forgiue his enemies saued in the day of iudgement He had scarse ended these words when the miserable wretch by the gâ—ashing and grinding of his teeth the gastly staring of his eyes his foaming at the mouth and antick turning and rouling of his bodie into strange postures gaue euident restimonie by what diabolicall spiritt he was gouerned At length being freed againe by S. WOLSTAN he was the second and third time possessed in like manner vntill from the bottom of his heart he promised to forgiue his enemies XVII THE vertuous life of this holy man was ennobled with manie other miracles and wanted not the guift of prophesie By S. Wolstanâ— guift of prophesie which he disswaded one Ailwine who a long time had liued a solitarie life at Malâ—erne hills from his desire of goeing to Hierusalem foretelling him that God allmightie would worke wonderfull things by his meanes Ailwine yeelding vnto his perswasioÌ„s founded afterwards a famous monasterie of S. BENEDICTS order at Malâ—erne where he gathered togeather the number of three hundred Benedictine Monkes XVIII ONE Sewulf whom he had often exhorted to embrace a monasticall life to doe worthie penance for his sinnes excusing him self and alleadging that the rigour of it did exceed his weaknes of bodie the Bishop sayd Well goe this waie thou shalt be a Monk whether thou wilt or noe At length waxing old he tooke the habitt of S. Benedicts order at Malmesburie where the very remembrance of S. Wolstans words euer after thundered a milder and humbler behauiour into him XIX As on a time he stroaked the head of a little boy called Nicholas whom he brought vp from a child and now euen in his A WoÌ„der youth beganne to loose his hayre I think my sonne sayd he thou wilt shortly be bald and why Father replied the boy doe not you keepe my hayre on my head Beleeue me sonne answered the holy Bishop as long as I liue soe much as remaynes shall not fall away And soe it came to passe But within the verie weeke that the holy man died all that yong mans hayre went soe cleane away that there remayned nothing but the bare scull XX. Newes being brought him that his sister was dead Now then answered he the plough is come into my land and verie He foreseeth his owne death shortly the brother will follow his sister Neyther was he a false Prophet for within a short time after being taken with an extreme seauer his old age soone perceaued that death was at hand Then nothing was to be seene among his monks and other friendâ— about him but teares sighs and lamentations woefully bewailing the losse of soe pious a Father When he on the other side with a deuout exhortation proceeding from a ioyfull countenance stroue to appease their griefs saying that his death would be noe losse of life but a change for a better promising not soe to forsake them but that with his prayers to allmightie God he would for euer assist them His great confideÌ„ce in almightie God and that being free out of his prison of clay by how much neerer he was ioyned vnto God by soe much readier he would be to comfort and defend them Thrise happie tongue that out of the store-house of a secure conscience durst power out words of soe great confidence Some with sighs and sobbs desire to haue him prayd for and he largely promiseth to pray for them all O strange wonder See how his holy simplicitie was ignorant of hauing anie diffidence in the mercie of allmightie God Therefore in the yeare of our Lord 1095. this glorious confessor of CHRIST this bright starre of the Benedictine order in England hauing with a wonderfull rare example of holy life gouuerned the Sea of Worcester the space of thirtie fower yeares deliuered vp his vertuous soule into the hands His death of his creatour to receaue the rewards of his worthie labours the ninteenth day of January in the eightie seauenth yeare of his age His bodie was brought into the Church and detained there three dayes vnburied The very forme and complexion thereof seeming rather to sett forth the gracefull beautie of a liuing Bishop then the horrour of a dead corps The Episcopall ring which he had receaued at his consecration manie yeares before his death would not hang on his finger for his flesh was soe consumed by his extreme penance and austerity of life that his bodie was nothing but skinne and bone But although his ring often times fell from his finger thus A notable miracle consumed yet was it neuer lost and he did often say that he would carrie with him to his graue that ring which without ambition he had receaued Being dead diuers essayed to take off his ring but in vaine for that which before fell off manie times of it self by noe violent meanes could now be drawne off The fourth day he was buried with great reuerence by Robert Bishop of Hereford who long before had entred into a strict and holy league of friendship togeather with S. WOLSTAN XXI SOME yeares after his death a mercilesse fier taking hould of the topp of the Church burnt and consumed it in miserable sort An other as strange the lead came powring downe like rayne the great beames their supporters being consumed as whole trees tumbled to the ground soe that in such a confused wrack of ruine it seemed nothing that was within the compasse of the Church could escape the rage of the fier Yet the sepulcher of the blessed Sainct remayned free from these outrageous flames and was not as much as touched or smutched with anie of the coales ashes or anie thing else that fell from aboue And to giue greater euidence to the miracle the verie strawmatte on which those did kneele that prayed before his tombe was found whole and vntoucht XXII ABOVT a hundred yeares after his death his holy body was taken vp and enclosed in a very pretious shrine being found in all His body vncorrupted after an hundred yeares his Pontificall robes as entier and vncorrupted as when he was layd in the ground The feast of his translation is celebrated the seauenth of Iune Manie other miracles were wrought by the supreme worker of miracles through the intercession and meritts of this blessed Sainct which I willingly omitt my purpose being not to write Saincts liues that the world may only wonder at their miraculous deeds but chiefly to draw men to imitate their vertuous liues Yet in this historie we haue had great store both of vertues and miracles God of his infinite goodnes giue vs grace to admire and prayse his diuine power in the one and to follow the vertuous examples of his blessed Sainct in the other Amen His life we haue taken chiefly out of the author of it SENATVS BRAVON a Monk of Worcester Besides whom WILLIAM MALMESBVRY de
where she had first receaued her mortall breath In this authoritie she caried her self with soe great sainctitie and prudeÌ„ce that she worthily obtained a wonderfull prayse and name in the world of pietie wisedom and discretion For in such wise she exercised the authoritie of a mistresse that she seemed allsoe to beare the condition of a seruant instructing her subiects in the way of vertue more by her owne example then by imperious commaunding IV. AS ON a time she made some stay at her monasterie of Wedune neere Southampton newes was brought that an infinite companie of wild-geese yearly accustomed to make a verie great spoile in the corne and other pastures belonging to the monasterie Wherevpon she commaunded the messenger to returne and bring them all before him into the pound He allthough he imagined the holy Note a wonderfull miracle virgin flowted him went into the fields and seeking to driue those wild foules off the corne he found that not one of that allmost infinite multitude once offered to lift vpp his wings to flie away therefore perceauing now a possibilitie in what he iudged before impossible he began to driue them forward when they went before him like soe manie sheepe on a foote pace hanging downe their heads as it were out of the confusion of their owne guiltines till he had them in the place appoynted where he shutt them vpp as close prisoners all that night Neuer were soe manie wild The Wild fowle obeyeth her commaund creatures at once vnder lock and key before The next morning betimes with their cackling notes they began to crie out like poore prisoners for pardon for their offence or at lest for sustenance to maintaine nature aliue The holy virgin who was euer of a mild disposition towards all creatures commaunded them to be sett at libertie with a straight charge threatned against them neuer to returne againe into those parts She had noe sooner spoke then obedience followed for the whole troupe of those geese fled away soe farre that neuer after anie of the same kind once appeared within the confines of that monasterie V. A HEARDSMAN belonging vnto her monasterie called Alâ—…thus a man of verie good life was oftentimes much iniured and at length in presence of the holy Virgin sorely beaten and wounded by the Baylyf of the same place all which the good man quietly bore of with the buckler of patieÌ„ce whilst S. WERBVRG on her knees with prayers mingled with threatnings cried out on him to spare the One straingely punished for notobeying S. Werburg poore innocent but his furie and pride swelling in her humilitie disdayned to listeÌ„ to her pious entreaties but pursued his rude crueltie when by the iust iudgment of god he receaued his punishement for presently his stubborn eneck and frowning visage was after a horrid manner writhen and turned backwards to looke behind him since he refused a good looke to the seruant of god which kneeled for pittie before him This made his stout heart to relent and throwing him self prostrate at her feete with repentant teares he demaunded pardon of his offence soe that she from a defendant became a iudge by whose holie mediation and suffrage vnto the eternall iudge he had his face restored vnto the auncient seate againe And the same Heardsman Alnothus led a solitarie and anachoreticall life in a wood neere adioyning vntill he was martyred by the theeues that haunted the same VI. AT LENGTH the B. Virgin WEREBVRG hauing for manies yeares prudently done the office of a louing mother ouer her three monasteries foreseeing the time of her death to be at hand she commaunded her Nunnes that wheresoeuer she died they should burie her bodie at the monasterie of Handbury And within a short Her happie death time after being then at Trentham she went out of this world to goe to the heauently vnion and mariage of her deare and long desired spouse in Paradise She died the third day of February about the yeare of our Lord 676. and her bodie was honorably buried at Her bodie found vncorrupted the monastery of Handbury where her tombe was famous for manie miracles Nine yeares after her bodie being taken vpp it was found vncorrupted with her cloathes on her face lillie white only her cheekes a little sprinkled with red all in the same manner as when she was aliue and thus she remayned without corruption vntill by the iust iudgement of god the sinnes of our wretched countrey were punished by the Danish sword when left soe pure a relique should be profaned by the hands of those Barbarous and incredulous people her body resolued into dust and her bones were remoued to Westchester into the Benedictin monasterie where afterwards a goodly Church was built by Hugh Earle of Chester and dedicated to her name which to this day is called S. WEREBVRGS Church and is the Cathedrall of that cittie Manie miracles were wrought in those dayes at her holie reliques and the like without question would allsoe be done in these our times were not the present fayth of our countrey such and soe great as it is noe fayth at all Her life we haue gathered chiefly out of IOANNES ANGLICIVS or IOHN CAPGRAVE NICHOLAS HARPSFIELD hist Eccle. saee 7. cap. 23. and WILLIAM MALMESBVRY de gest reg Ang. lib. 2. cap. 13. and de gest Pontif. lib. 4. FLORBNTIVS WIGOâ—NIENSIS an 676. POLIDORE VIRGILL lib. 4. de regno Merciorum CONTINVATOR Bâ—DAE lib. 2. cap. 33. IOHN SPEED in his historie of England and others doe make honorable mention of her The life of S. GILBERT of Sempringham Confessor Author of the Gilbertin monks FEB 4. Out of Nicholas Harpsfield and others SAINCT GILBIRT was sonne to Ioceline a worthie Norman Souldier his mother was an English woeman who before his birth had a famous vision foreshewing his greatnes when in her sleepe the moone seemed to fall into her lappe He was borne at Sempringham in Lincolnshire In his fathers house he was of soe poore esteeme that the verie seruants would scarse daigne to eate their meate with him For in feature of bodie he was something rude and vnhandsom Being sett to schoole and profitting but poorely he went into France where by his good endeauours he attayned vnto the degree of master in the liberall sciences Afterwards returning into England His care in bringing vp yong children he bent his whole labours piously and freely to bring vpp children of both sexes whom he not only instructed in the rudiments of learning but allsoe gaue them exact and as it were monastical rules of good manners prescribing vnto them certaine times and places when to reade their lessons when to talke and when to be silent allwaies endeauouring from his verie youth to winne soules vnto CHRIST and to profitt whomsoeuer he could by word work and good example In the meane time his father who was Lord of the two Churches Sempringham and Tyrington being much delighted with the vertuous life
chastitie and giue twelue Vâ—wes of chastity pleasing vnto God farmes with the land therevnto belonging to the erection and foundation of monasteries yf by his diuine assistance and to his greater honour he should ouerthrow the insolent pride of his Barbarous enemie This sayd with a heart full of coÌ„fidence he prepared him self and his small armie for the battle The number of his aduersaries are reported to haue redoubled thirtie times his all well repoynted and old tried souldiers against whom bouldly marched King Oswy with his sonne Alâ—frid The battle was fought were the riuer Junet which at that time ouerflowed his banks soe that the Victorie falling with Oswy more by flight were drowned in the water then King Oswy victorious ouer Penda slaine with the sword And herein proud Penda payd death his due with the ouerthrow of all his Mercian power This noble victorie being by gods holy assistance soe nobly or rather miraculously wonne King Oswy gaue infinite thankes vnto allmightie God and for performance of his vow made he deliuered his daughter ELFLED as yet scarse a yeare old to be brought vpp in a monasterie of Benedictine nunnes called Heretheu vnder the pious conduct of S. HILDA And withall he gaue the lands of one hundred and twentie families for the building and maintayning of monasteries But two yeares afterwards S. HILDA purchased the possession of tenne Elfled taketh the habit of S. Benedict families and built the monasterie of Streanshall where ELFLED being come to age first receaued the habit of S. BENEDICTS order and hauing bin long trained vp in this holy schoole of vertue in the continuall exercise of monastical discipline she afterwards succeeded S. HILDA being for her holy life chosen Abbesse of that place and became a mistresse of vertue vnto the whole coÌ„uent gouerning her virgin subiects in the ioyes of virginitie with the care of a motherly pietie and inuiting them to the true obseruance of religion by the vertuous and pious example of her owne life II. WHILST thus she ennobled the nobilitie of her stock with the greater nobilitie of vertue she fell into a grieuous sicknes that made her allmost tast the bitternes of deaths pangs and when the skill of phisick could nothing auayle her suddely by the grace of the She falleth sick diuine phisition she was taken out of the gates of death and freed from all her inward paines yet still remained in soe great weaknes of her limmes that she could nether stand nor goe but was forc't to creepe on all fower in soe much that with sorrow she began to feare a perpetuall lamenes hauing long since despayred of the phisitians helpe Till one day sitting pensiuely in the anguish of her sorrowfull thoughts the great sainctity of S. CVTHBERT whoÌ„ she loued dearly came into her mind and presently she wished to haue somthing from him firmely beleeuing and trusting thereby to receaue perfect health Not long after there comes one which She recouereth by miracle brought her a linnen gyrdle sent from S. CVTBERT She greatly reioyced with that present and vnderstanding that her desire was made knowne by diuine reuelation vnto the holy man gyrt her self with the same gyrdle and one the morrow after she became able to stand on her feet and the third day she was restored to perfect health to the great admiration of all Within a short time after being desirous to coÌ„municate to others the great blessing bestowed vppon her self she applied the same gyrdle vnto one of her Nunnes that was allmost dead with an insufferable payne which dayly increased more more in her head but noe sooner had this holy Virgin of CHRIST bound her about the temples with that gyrdle but the payne ceased perfect health succeeded Afterwards B. S. CVTHBERT Bishop of Linsdisfarne came him self in person to visitt this holy Virgin and to consecrate a Church Where as the holy man sate at table he saw in a vision the soule of a seruant that died at her monasterie at that verie time The holy virgin being desirous to know who it was to morrow replied S. CVTHBERT before I goe to masse thou wilt tell me his name She sent to know and on the morrow as the bishop was dedicating the Church she came running Masse for the dead to him in a womanish amazement as yf she had brought some great newes I desire you my Lord sayd she to be mindfull in your Masse of Hadwald thas was his name who died falling from a tree as he was cutting wood III. WHEN this most noble and holy virgin of CHRIST ELLFED had for manie yeares ruled her monasterie in great Sainctitie and preserued the sacred treasure of her virginitie from her tendrest infancie to the age of threescore yeares she deliuered vpp her pure soule to the most happie and long desired mariage of her heauenly spouse about the yeare of our Lord 714. She was buried in the Church of the same monasterie dedicated to S. PETER togeather with her father King Oswy and Queene Enfleda her mother But by the Danish furie that as manie other monasteries was vtterly destroyed till afterwards it was againe reedified for monkes of S. BENEDICTS order and called by the name of Whiteby And lastly is was translated to the walles of the cittie of Yorke and dedicated to our Lady But after the raigne of William conquerour the sacred reliques of S. ELFLED with others being found amongst those ruines were honourably placed in a more eminent degree worthy the meritts of soe great a sainct Thus much of S. ELFLED we haue gathered chiefly out of S BEDE de gest lib. 3. c. 24. William malmesbury de gest PoÌ„t Ang. lib. 3 Mathew Westmin an 655. NICHOLAS HARPSFIELD hist. Eccl. saec 7. cap. 27. other English writers The life of S. THELIAN Bishop and confessor FEB 9. Out of an auncient Authour SAINCT THELIAN an auncient Britan borne of noble parents ' much more ennobled his stock by the splendor of his vertues He was Scholler vnto Dubricius bishop of Landaff vnder whose holy care he attayned vnto that height of wisedome learning that as yet He was called 〈◊〉 and way but a youth he obtained the name of Helios which in Greeke signifieth the Sunne for his sacred doctrine shined like the sunne and dispersing the darknes of sinne and infidelity lightened the hearts of the faythfull poeple of his countrey with the sacred beames of true religion and vertue But hearing the fame of a prudent and holy man called Paulin he went vnto him and conferred with him concerning the more secret and abstruse places of the holy scripture where he entred into acquintaince with great S. DAVID Bishop of His loue to S. Dauid Meneuia betweene whom the grace of the holy ghost tied soe strict a knott of true loue and friendship that they were esteemed in those dayes as a noble payre of friends of one mind and soule But while they liued togeather in
out of the rudenes of ignorance and mere simplicitie in matter of learning by the speciall grace of God became soe notable and soe religious a poet in his mother tongue that whatsoeuer he could learne out of the holy scriptures by the help of interpreters he would presently turne into verse with such a sweet and mouing straine that by the force thereof manie were oftentimes incited to contemne the world being thereby enflamed with a pious desire of a heauenly and euerlasting life Manie others there were amongst the English which essayed to imitate his holy poetrie but noe man was comparable vnto him For he learned not this art by anie mans helpe but receaued it gratis by the speciall guift and grace of the diuine goodnes Whence it was that he could not make anie friuolous or vanie poeme but such things only which belonged vnto pietie and religion could become his religious and godly tongue He receaued this diuine guiâ—t vppon this occasion II. WHILEST he liued a secular man in the world which was till he was well struck in yeares and was seruant to the monasterie of Benedictine Nunnes of S. HILDA hauing neuer before learned anie thing touching eyther verses or finging he chaunced to be in a banquet where for their greater merriment and recreation it was agreed vppon by the whole companie that euery one should sing a song in his course but CEDMON when FEB 12. he saw the harpe come neere him being guiltie of his owne ignorance in that qualitie arose from the table and went home to his owne house The like he had practised diuers times till once it fell out that going out of the companie vppon the same occasion he went into the stable to take care of the cattle which that night were coÌ„mitted to his chardge where when the time of the night compelled him to giue his bodie to sleepe he beheld as it were in a dreame a man standing by him that saluted him and called him by his name saying CEDMON I pray thee sing me a song I cannot sing answeared be He enioyeth a strange vision for that cause I forsoke my companie came hither because I could not sing But yet replied the other thou hast somwhat to sing vnto mee What sayd he must I sing The beginning of all creatures answeared the other At which word presently in prayse of God the creatour of the word he began to sing verses which he neuer had heard before whereof this is the sense Now must we prayse the authour of the heauenly Kingdom the power of our Creatour his counsel and wisedom and the workes of the father of glorie How he bring God 〈◊〉 was the authour of all miracles who first created heauen to the children of men for the top of their dwelling and next the allmightie guardian of He hath the art of singing verâ—isying by reuelation mankind made the earth for the floore thereof At his rising he perfectly remembred whatsoeuer he had soug in his sleepe whereunto he added afterwards manie excellent verses more of the same matter and coming in the morning to the baylife of the monastery who was his master he reuealed vnto him the great guift he had receaued and being brought to the presence of the Blessed Abbesse S. HILDA he was commaunded to relate his dreame vnto manie learned men that were present and to repeate his verses that by the generall iudgment of them all it might be tried and examined what it was and whence that which he reported did proceed Which done it seemed vnto them all to be most certaine that the diuine goodnes had bestowed some heauenly grace and guift vppon him And for better triall thereof they expounded vnto him the processe of a historie out of the sacred scripture commaunding him yf he could to turne that likewise into the shape of true meeter and verse He vndertoke the task brought it admirably well performed against the next morning WherevppoÌ„ the Abbesse admiring soe great a guift in a secular man dealt earnestly with him to forsake the world and to embrace the monasticall habitt and profession of a monk III. WHO fearing to be vngratfull for those diuine benefitts which God soe largely and beyond all hope had bestowed vppon him and that he might the more increase his diuine talent by a quiet and He taketh the habit of S. Benedict contemplatiue manner of life he betoke him self to the same monasterie of S. HILDA called Sthreanshall where amongst the other brethren he receaued the habitt of S. BENEDICTS order and straight by the commaundment of the holy Abbesse he was taught the sacred storie of the diuine scripture which he made to runne in such sweete lines of meeter that his masters were glad in that art to become his schollers He made poems in English of the creation of the world of the origine of mankind and of all the other histories and sacred misteries of both Testaments and lastly of the terrour of the vniuersal iudgment of the horrour of hells dreadfull torments and of the sweetnes of the neuer-dieing ioyes of heauen By which and manie other his noe lesse elegant then deuout poesies he reduced manie from the downfall of 〈◊〉 and wickednes to the amendment of their liues and the diuine loue of heauen IV. FOR he was a man verie religious most free from all counterfait His religious obseruance colour of vanitie and with a sincere plainnes and humble simplicitie the chief armes of the Benedictin order wholely subiect vnto the rules of regular monasticall discipline but enflamed with a pious zeale of great feruour against those that did anie way seeme to disobey the good order of the monasterie When it came passe that the allmightie ruler of life and death gaue him the grace to finish the course of his godly life with an end worthie soe great sainctitie For the hower of his death being at hand fourteen dayes before he was visited with a corporal disease by which allthough it were verie moderate and gentle he foretold his neere-ensuing end And therefore the night before he departed he desired to haue a bed prouided him in the Infirmarie which was a place for such only as were in a mortall disease The brother that attended him wondring why he that seemed to haue noe more signes of death in him should desire such a remooue obeyed his will allthough he iudged it to little or no purpose Being placed in the Infirmarie when togeather with those that were there before the time was spent in merrie discourse till after midnight CEDMON on the sudden demaunded yf the holie sacramet The blessed acramen reserued for the sick of the EVCHARIST were within You that are soe merrie answeared they need not soe to hasten to the sacrament for death cannot lay hold on a heart soe ioyfull and lustie as yours yet seemes to bee Againe he instantly desired to haue the holy sacrament Which being brought before
he would receaue it he humbly desired pardon of all his brethren yf in anie thing he had offended them and imparted the like courtesie vnto them earnestly crauing it of him and then with great reuerence fortifieing him self with that heauenly Viaticum he prepared his pious soule to enter into the happie voyage of euerlasting life V. THIS done he asked the assistants how long it was to the hower that the Monkes should rise to Mattins They answered that the time was not farre of Well then sayd he let vs quietly expect that Blessing with the signe of the Crosse good hower And within a while when the standers by nothing suspected his death arming him self with the signe of the holy crosse the only signe of our redemption and softly inclining his head vppon the pillow he tooke a sweet slumber and therwithall in great His death correspondent to his life silence and tranquillitie both of mind and bodie he deliuered vp his still soule into the hands of his redeemer Soe that by the diuine prouidence it came to passe that euen as he serued our Lord in his life time with a pure and quiet deuotion of mind soe leauing this world he went to enioy the cleere vision of him he had serued by a peaceable and vntroubled death And that elegant tongue which had sung so manie sweet lines poems in prayse of his creatour did close vpp the breath of his last words to gods honour glorie when blessing him self with the signe of life recōmending his soule into the hands of his deare redeemer he changed this temorall life for an eternall He died about the yeare of our Lord 670. After the time of King William conquerour his bodie was found among the ruines of the monasterie of Streanshall and honourably shrined sett vpp in a Inuention of his bodie place worthie soe great a relique where the manie miracles wrought through his meritts are euident witnesses of what high esteeme he was in the fauour of allmightie God who is euer gloriousi n his saincts Amen His life we haue gathered out of Venerable Bede de gest Ang. lib. 4. cap. 24. Nicholas Harpsfield saec 7. cap. 36. William Malmesbury de gest pont Aug. lib. 3. Arnould Wion l. 2. cap. 62. and other grau◠authours make honourable mention of him And be is highly commended of all for his great vertue and holy life and conuersation The life of S. ERMENILD Queene and Abbesse of the holy order of S. BENEDICT FEB 13. Gathered out of diuers Authours SAINCT ERMENILD was daughter to Erconbert King of Kent and S. SEXBVRG his queene naturally and from the womb she inherited her good mothers propension to workes of pietie compassion and relieuing of euerie ones necessitie Both mother and daughter vsed the same bountie and charitie towards all and being both queenes on earth they had both the same pious desires and affectiōs to the King and kingdom of heauen ERMENILD was giuen in mapiage vnto Wulfere King of the Mercians and by that meanes the kingdom of Kent was happily vnited to that of the Mercians At that time her husband Wulfere being but newly baptised his poeple were but rude and scarse well setled in the Catholick fayth but S. ERMENILD who had bin trayned vp from her infancie in true vertue pietie and religion with her care and singular example of holy life her wise and prudent exhortations and manie benefits liberally bestowed vppon them tamed the obstinate heartes of that rude and vnlearned poeple and brought them vnder the sweet yoake of IESVS CHRIST by a mild force and a forceble mildnes subduing those peruerse rebellious mindes to the obediēce of the Catholick Church II. SVCH and soe great was the feruour zeale of this holy woemā to the seruice honour of allmightie God propagation of Christiā religiō that she was wholely carelesse of all other affayres in respect thereof neuer ceasing vntill she had quite destroyed Idolls rooted out all the diuelish rites of Idolatrie and furnished her Kingdō with churches Priests for the cōfort saluatiō of her poeple whom in the end she accustomed diligently to frequent the diuine seruices and sacraments and all other duties of Christian pietie and deuotion And this her godly zeale was much promoted by the royall power and authoritie of the king her husband who inuited by her pious example much aduanced her good endeauours and did manie good workes him self admiring to see the whole intentions mind of his wife amōgst the turbulent broiles of the world to be allwaies soe truely fixed on the contemplation of heauen and heauenly things Besides she did abound in charitie and compassion towards the poore all such as were in necessitie and affliction in soe much that neuer anie came to her that departed without consolation and her liberall almes to relieue their want III. AT length after the death of her husband with whom she had She taketh the habit of S. Benedicts order liued seauenteen yeares and been mother of S. WEREBVRG whose life you may read the third of this moneth hauing hither vnto ouercome all others she now ouercame her self for goeing to the monasterie of Benedictin Nunnes at Ely she renounced all mortall pompe and glorie for the pure loue of the immortall and putt on the habit of S. BEMEDICTS order vnder the gouernment of her holy mother S. SEXBVRG then Abbesse of the same place Where by humilitie and obedience she became queene of her owne passions and spent the remnant of her life in continuall fasting and prayer and all other austerities of a vertuous and religious life And after the death of the Abbesse S. SEXBVRG S. ERMENILD was chosen in her place in which office whilest she dischardged the dutie of a verie religious vertuous Matrone inciting her subiects by her owne good examples to embrace the rules of true religion she was deliuered out of this mortall prison and called to receaue the euerlasting reward of her labours in heauen the thirteenth day of February about the yeare of our Lord 685. and was buried in the same monasterie Where after her death it pleased allmightie God for the honour and glorie of this sainct to worke manie miracles at her tombe Whereof one was that a Saxon condemned for some offence to be bound with iron chaines or rings being on a time present at Masse in the monasterie of Elie and as he prayed before the bodie of S. ERMENILD about the time the ghospell was reading his irons forced by some secret and diuine power fell suddenly from his armes to the great admiration of manie that were present at the sayd masse Her life we haue gathered out of Ioannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue William Malmesbury de gest reg Angl. lib. 2. cap. 13. de gest pontif lib. 4. Mathew Wistminster anno 676. and Wigorniensis an 675. mention is made of her by Molanus in his additions to Vsuard Peter in
his catalogue of saincts Arnold Wion in his Martirologe and manie others Of the translation of S. EDWARD King and Martir FEB 18. Out of the Author of his life recited by Surius THE bodie of glorious King EDWARD the martir when he had suffered a most vniust death by the malicious and wicked tirannie of his stepmother Alfrith was by her commaundment most ignobly buried hidden in a watrie marsh or fenne neere Warrhā hoping thereby to blott out all memorie both of him and her owne impietie But within the compasse of a yeare the high allseer and ouerseer of men actions determining to make his Martir famous to the world and to make knowne of how great meritt he was in his sight voutchased to reueale vnto some faythfull Christians that deuoutly sought it the place where that worthie relique was vnworthyly A Pillar of light ap peareth ouer his bodie concealed For a pillar of light sent from heauen appeared ouer that part of the marsh were the bodie lay filled a great piece of the ground neere adioyning with the glittering beames of a glorious and heauenly lustre This being perceaued by manie deuout mē of the next village for it appeared oftentimes they mett togeather hauing by diligent searching found that sacred treasure they carried it into the village of Warrham Great was the concurse of poeple pittifully bewayling the death of their most pious King and faythfull protectour and in the noyse of these lamentations the venerable bodie was transported into the Church of our Blessed Ladie in the same towne and buried on the East side thereof with great reuerence the thirteenth day of February and ouer his sepulcher some deuout persons built a little cabbin which remayned there a S Edwards Well cureth diseases long time after But out of the place where he had layne before there sprung vpp a fountaine of most sweet and pure water which was called S. Edwards well by vertue whereof manie sick persons to the greater glorie of CHRIST and his martir receaued afterwards the wished benefitt of their health II. But now by the trumpett of flieing fame the impious deceipt of Queene Alsrith was diuulged all ouer England the innocēcie of the murdered King and his vertues and high deserts were by the generall acclamation of all extolled to the skies The newes arriued at length to the eares of Duke Alferus who allthough heretofore he stood for the Queene against his King and togeather with her had much wrōged and grieued the monkes in destroyeing manie of their monasteries yet now being willing to doe some satisfaction for his Duke Alfere prepareth for his translation faults past and to shew at left his faithfull seruice vnto the dead bodie of his master whom aliue he had nor honoured as his dutie required he determined to translate his holie reliques into a more honourable place and to that end he exhorted the Bishops Abbotts and other peeres of the realme as manie as he could draw to his side to lay their helping hands to his pious endeuours He sent likewise a messenger vnto the Benedictin Nunnes at VVilton in Wiltshire where holy EDITH Kings EDWARDS sister at that time led a religious life earnestly entreating Wilfred the Abbesse thereof with her deuout Conuent of Virgins not to be wanting at the exequies of soe holy a King Herevppon the bishops abbotts and manie others meeting togeather with great care and reuerence Duke Alferns hauing gathered a huge multitude of men and woemen out of Dorsetshire came with great deuotion to Warrham where that royall bodie His bodie is found vncorrupted was but poorely buried And in presence of the companie his sepulcher being opened the bodie which had laine there for the space of three yeares was found to be as entier and whole from all corruption as yf it had been buried but the same day Which being perceaued by the bishops and the whole multitude with one voyce they sung himnes and prayses vnto allmigthie God who by soe manifest a token had declared and brought to light the innocencie and worth of his holy martyr But sainct EDITH his sister being noe longer S. Edith his sister able to contayne the pious loue of her brother within the limitts of her virgin-breast ranne to his dead bodie and falling downe on her knees clipped it with her louing embracements honoured it with her religious kisses washing his seeming-liuely race with the streames of her ioyfull teares as one not able to be satiated with that soe great glorie of her glorious brother But then by the hands of some venerable and reuerend men these sacred spoiles were lifted vpp and carried with great reuerence and the wonderfull gratulation of the Clergie poeple to the famous monasterie of Benedictin Nunnes at Shaftesburie in Dorsetshire which King Elfred father to S. EDWARDS great grandfather for loue of his daughter Ailene who became a nunne there had erected and enriched with very ample guifts and possessions III. In the meane time being yet in their iourney with that sacred treasure manie persons of both sexes flocked thither and among the rest two poore creatures whose sinewes were soe shrunk and contracted that with great difficultie they were able to creepe along the ground vppon their hands and thighs came to pray vnto Two Cripples cured at his bodie allmightie God and S. EDWARD for the recouerie of their limmes and drawing neere vnto the holie biere the bearers thereof stayed to giue them licence to touch it and doe reuerence vnto it when on a sudden to the great admiration of that infinitie of beholders they were both restored to perfect health and receaued a full cure and recouerie of their long vnseruiceable limmes Great was then the ioyfull acclamations of the poeple that highly extolled the meritts and prayses of S. EDWARD till the newes and noyse of these miracles came to the eares of the Queene his murdresse who thereby touched to the heart with a sudden compunction and sorrow for her wickednes committed presently mounted on horseback and beganne her iourney towards the sacred bodie with intētion to begge pardon for her offence But her suddaine hast receaued as suddaine a stopp by the way for her horse that at other times was Behould à strainge miracle wōt to runne away with his loade as swiftly as the wind by the beck of the diuine prouidēce stood stock still whilst her seruants earnestprouoked the vnwilling beast with sharpe whippes threatning cries but all in vaine for he seemed most vnsensible of both She blaming her horse as being tired caused a fresh one to be prouided which in like manner refused to carrie the authour of soe foule a murder Till at length her brutish heart vnderstood what this vnusuall accident might portend and therefore by the meanes of a third person she performed this intended visitation which her owne vn worthines could not personally effect IV. The holy bodie being brought to Shaftsburie which
recōmended that holy societie to the protection of the diuine goodnes and the B. Virgin MARIE earnestly desiring them to make choise of such a gouernesse after her death whom they iudged for true pietie and religion to be the fittest among them to vndergoe that charge FEB 25. and withall exhorting thē chiefly to preserue true peace purenes of heart she often repeated the words of CHRIST her spouse vnto thē Blessed sayd she are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God Blessed are the cleane of heart for they shall see God Hauing giuen thē Matt. 5. v. 8. 9. these and such like pious admonitions and religiously armed her self and her death with the holy sacramēts she happyly yeelded vpp her vnstayned soule to enioy an euerlasting kingdom with her sacred spouse in heauen aboue for whose sake she had contemned the kingdom and pompe of this lower world she died the three twentith day of February and was buried in her monasterie of Wenlock Who as she is by a pious certaintie thought gloriously to raigne with her deare spouse IESVS soe lest perchance anie small cloud of Her happie death mistrust might darken that pious beleef all mightie God him self hath shewed manie cleere testimonies of his loue to his holie spouse able to conuince the most incredulous When manie ages after the death of this holy Virgin in the yeare of our lord 1101. and the raigne of Henry the first her holy bodie was discouered and brought out of the ruines of obliuion to the open view and veneration of the world It happened in this manner VI. THE monasterie of Wenlock being destroyed afterwards by the violence of Englands sauage and barbarous enemies the holy virgins bodie lay for a long time hidden amongst those ruines till by the mnnificence of Roger Earle of Mountgomerie it was reedified and turned to a Priorie of Benedictine Monks of the Congregation of Cluny about the yeare aforesayd when by the speciall prouidence of allmightie God S. MILBVRGS bodie came to light vppon this occasion VII A workeman called Raymund being at work in the monasterie The miraculous inuention of her bodie of the holie Trinitie he happened to find an old chest or Box in which was contayned a writing written by one Alstan a Priest which testified that the bodie of the holy Virgin lay buried there neere vnto the aultar But noe remnant of the aultar appearing was cause that yet there was noe certaintie of anie thing Till he that gouerns all things with certaintie soone after tooke away all this vncertaintie for as two children plaied togeather vppon the pauement of that Church suddenly the earth opened and they both sunk in vpp to the knees This accident being a cause of great admiration amongst the Monkes gaue them occasion to haue the earth digged vpp deeper in that place by which meanes they found some bones which sent forth a wonderfull sweet sauour ouer all the Church and the next day after they lighted on the foundation of the aultar spoken off before To the greater creditt Miracles wrought by her reliques euidence hereof and more cleere manifesting of the glorie of God and his holy spouse S. MILBVRG manie other verie worthie and notable testimonies concurred For by the only touch of those sacred reliques but then new raked out of earth and dust two woemen were cured of most horrid leaprosies an other was restored to her sight lost and a boy that neuer saw light before receaued perfect power to distinguish of colours In summe such and soe famous where the miracles which God allwaies wonderfull in his saincts whrought there by the merits of this glorious Virgin that whole inundations of poeple flocked thither in such troupes as the open fields thereabouts were scarse sufficient to receaue them where rich and poore were in equall contention to obey the guide and conduct of their pious fayth Nether was the labour of their pietie spent in vaine for none returned without comfort sick persons receauing a perfect recouerie of health and a cure of manie such mortall diseases which had giuen the foyle to phisitians and their skill had left in desperation Of which one and not the lest was that a woeman dwelling in the village hard by called Patton hauing for the space of fiue yeares been cruelly tormented with a verie desperate disease incureable by phisick dranke only of the water wherein the holy virgins reliques had been washed and presently she shaked of her teadious sicknes and withall disburdened her stomack of a filthie worme vgly and horrible to behould hauing six feete two hornes on his head and two on his tayle The woeman being freed of this monstruous guest had the happines of her perfect health restored and in testimonie Note a strainge miracle and memorie of the fact that worme was shutt vp in a hollow peece of wood and reserued afterwards in the Monasterie as a trophie and monument of S. MILBVRG vntill by the lasciuious furie of him that destroyed all goodnes in England that with other religious houses and monasteries went to ruine that whereas before our fruitfull Ile for true religion pietie continencie and other vertues was the miracle of the world soe now for atheisme heresie and manie other vices it yeelds to no other realme in Christendom The life of this holy Virgin S. MILBVRG is written by Ioannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue and Nicholas Harpsfield out of whom we haue gathered it But of the inmention of her bodie and miracles thereat we haue taken chiefely out of Ato Bishop and Cardinal of Ostia who writt the miracles that happened after her inmention and William Malmesburie de Pont. Angl. lib. 4. de gest reg Angl. l◠2. cap. 15. The Roman Martyrologe Camden in descriptione com Salopiae Polidore Virgil lib. 4. de regno Merciorum Vincentius Lirinensis in speculo lib. 25. cap. 33. Mathew Westminster anno 676. Florentius Wigorniensis anno 675. and manie others make ample mention of her The life of S. ETHELBERT King and Confessor FEB 24 Out of Venerable Bede de gest Angl. THE diuine wisedom whose allmightie power only is able to produce light out of the middest of darkenes and good out of euill during the raigne of ETHELBERT fift king of Kent voutchafed to sett Ethelbert the first Christian King of England a period to the diabolicall rites of Idolatrie in England and called ETHELBERT out of a race of Pagan Ancestors to be the first English king that sound the true Christian way to the kingdom of heauen And whatsoeuer gaine of soules our holy Apostle S. AVGVSTIN the Benedictine monke and his Euangelicall brethren reaped in the spirituall haruest and vineyard of our lord excepting allwaies the premotion and preuention of Gods grace is wholly due vnto holy King ETHELBERT For in as much as it lay in humane power vnlesse his royall graunt and assistance had stood with those diuine labourers nether the
not to suffer them selues to be deceiued with those vaine illusions But the giddie multitude terrified with the apprehensioÌ„ of that fantastick daÌ„ger ranne allmost all out of the Church to quench those false flames which they could not doe allbeit they powred on true water vntill by the prayer of S. CVTHBERT the authour of those fallacies being putt to Is putt to flight flight his vaine flashes vanished togeather with him into the ayre Whereat the poeple much astonished and ashamed humbly on their knees acknowledged their follie demaunded pardon for that soe great lightnes and inconstancie Nether did he only commaund these fantastick fiers but allsoe true flames too which wheÌ„ a whole Village could not queÌ„ch with great store of cold water were by the seruent streames of his teares and prayers vtterly extinguished and manie houses deliuered that at once were in danger to be deuoured by that mercilesse Element Whereby in these two miracles he worthyly imitated the vertues of two worthie auncient Saincts in chasing away the fayned fier that of our most holy father S. BENEDICT of whom S. GREGORY the Great reporteth the like and in the other the act of Mâ—ircellinus the most venerable Bishop of Anchona who when the same cittie was all in fier by his prayers miraculously deliuered it Most fitly therefore vnto these holy men that of the prophet Esay may be applied When thou shalt passe Esay 43. through the fier thou shalt not be burnt and the flame shall not burne against thee VIII BVT LET vs now see of what power this holy man was against the open furie and warre of this hellish fiend Hildmer Prefect vnto A woeman possessed with the deuill King Egsrid had a verie deuout wife verie much giuen to religious and Catholick workes who one day being bufied in exercises of pietie giuing of almes to the poore at the same instant she was suddenly possessed with the deuill which made her roare out with such horrid cries and howlings that they gaue sufficient testimonie of the great danger she was in Her husband that was well beloued of S. CVTHBERT posted vnto him in great hast and tould him into what a perillous disastre his wife was fallen entreating him againe and againe by all the force of his affection to be mindfull of her in his prayers and to send a Priest to minister the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist vnto her who was now come to the periode of her life Thus he sayd meaning to hide her disease being ashamed to let him vnderstand that she was possessed by the deuill as supposing it to be a punishment for some secret enormious crime The holy man foreseeing the perplexitie of his soule and the torments of his wife Wherefore replied he hast thou conceaued soe bad an opinion of thy wife Not only the wicked and such as haue quite forsaken the seruice of allmightie God are in this life subiect to the tortures and racks of the deuill but the innocent allsoe and such manie times as are endowed with great sainctitie of life by the secret iudgment of God are tried and exercised in this world with such like torments But be of good courage I will goe my self along with thee and before we be there we shall find thy wife deliuered Is deliuered by to 〈◊〉 ching his bridle out of this distresse And as they drew neere to the house where that poore captife lay languishing sudainly the wicked spiritt being not able to abide the approach of the holy spiritt which inhabited his vertuous soule fled away and left the woeman released out of those deuilish bands who rising as it were out of a deepe lethargie ranne ioyfully to salute the holy man and taking hould only of his bridle she was presently as sound and perfect as euer which caused her to breake into infinite ioy and thanksgiuing testifieing withall that then first she was prefectly cured when she touched his horses bridle IX IN THESE and such like workes of vertue the holy man hauing spent manie yeares in the monasterie of Mailros his good Abbot Eata sent him to the monasterie of Lindisfarne to plant there allsoe the Rule of monasticall perfection and made him superiour thereof For Lindisfarne allbeit it were a bishoprick yet the Bishop and all his cleargie were monks from S. AYDAN their first Bishop who was a Monk but S. CVTHBERT was the first that reduced them to the rule and order of S. BENEDICT For coming sayth S. BEDE in his life to the Church or Monasterie of Lindisfarne he presently Here formeth the Monks of Lindisfarne to S. Benedicts rule deliuered monasticall institutions to the monks there both by word and work But there were some brethren in the monasterie who chose rather to follow their auncient custom then obey a Regular obseruance Whom he notwithstanding ouercame with the modest vertue of his patience and by dayly exercise conuerted them by litle and litle to a state of better purpose But disputing oftentimes in the coÌ„uent of the Rule Which was that of S. BENEDICT since at that time there was noe other rule extant in the latine Church when he His great patience was toyled with most sharpe iniuries of those that contradicted him he would rise from his seate and without anie shew of discontent ether in mind or countenance depart and dismisse the Conuent for that time But on the morrow as yf he had endured noe resistance the day before he would repeate the same admonitions to the same auditours vntill by little and little as we haue sayd he had brought them to his owne desires For he was a man verie excellent in the vertue of patience and most inuincible in enduring couragiously all aduersities which opposed them selues against him ether in soule or bodie and noe lesse bearing a merrie countenance in all disastrous and sad mischances soe that he gaue the world to vnderstand that being armed with the internall consolation of the holy ghost he contemned all externe misfortunes Moreouer he His wonderfull was ching was soe wonderfully giuen to watching and prayer that sometimes for three or fower nights togeather he tooke no sleepe at all And yf perchaunce as mans nature is sleepe forcebly seised vppon him he was wont to shake off both it and teadiousnes in his prolixe prayers eyther with manuall labour or goeing about the Iland diligently searching how all things were caried and managed And when some others of his brethren did complaine and take it verie grieuously yf anie one chaunced to awake the out of their mightly or noonly sleepes he contrariwise was wont to say that such an one calling vppon him was farre more gratefull then troblesom For he is cause sayth he that shaking of sluggishnes I settle my self to some Rare exaÌ„ples of goodnes good worke or meditation He was soe exceedingly giuen to coÌ„punction of heart soe ardently inflamed with heaueÌ„ly desires that he neuer celebrated the holy solemnities of
doe worthyly speake his prayses The life of S. ERKENWALD Bishop and Confessor of the holy Order of S. BENEDICT APR. 30. Written by Gotzelinus Morimnensis ABOVT the yeare of CHRIST 676. sayth Baronius the English Church florished as a Paradise of our Lord abounding with the lillies Tom. 8 an 676. of sacred virgins and the violets of whole troupes of holy Benedictin monks lying hidd in the humble valleies of the cloisters It was allsoe fraught with an abundance of most worthie Prelats taken from vnder the vaile of monasticall humilitie to be iâ—â—ested with the Pontificall robes of dignitie among whom sainct ERCONWALD of whom we now treate shined as a bright sunne of the Benedictin familie in all vertue and sainctitie And that nothing might be in him wanting for the making vp of a man in al things most perfect he was ennobled with the splendour of an illustrious parentage being sonne to Offa King of the East-Angles Who allthough he defiled all his princely nobilitie with his owne perfidiousnes and impious worshiping of Idols yet ERKENWALD as the holy branch growne out of a rotten stock amplified and ennobled the greatnes of his race with the true profession of Christian fayth and the aduantage of manie noble vertues For being first grounded in Catholick religion in the time that S. AVGVSTIN our Apostle the Benedictin preached in England he adhered euer after to the doctrine of S. MELLITVS Bishop of London following his precepts and manner of life in all things Till at length desiring to draw him self out of the vanities of this world and wholly to enter into a contemplatiue life in religion out of his owne royall patrimonie he built two monasteries one at Chertsey in Surrey for him self and other monks and the second at Berking in Essex for his sister S. Ethelburg with a conuent of Nunnes both of the holy order of S. BENEDICT And soe he made a happie change of his terrene dignitie and wealth to become the holy inheritance of CHRIST and his Church At Chertsey he putt on the habitt of a Benedictin monke where his vertues soe answered that monasticall profession that Theodore Archbishop of CaÌ„turbury moued with the fame thereof called â—rconwald made bishop of London him to preside in the bishoprick of London This Benedictin Abbey of Chertsey greatly florished in religion till the furie of the Danes who spared no religious houses committed the Church with the Abbot and monks thereof to the mercilesse power of the fier But the incomparable prince King Edgar whom the peculiar prouidence of allmightie God ordayned the great aduancer of the Benedictin order not content with the new monasteries which by him self and others he caused to be built in diuerse parts of England vnlesse he repayred the ould restored the Abbey of Chertsey to its former splendour and dignitie searching out the auncient writings and Charters by the testimonie and power whereof he recalled the goods and possessions that thereunto belonged out of the hands of manie noblemen which eyther by force or the power of antiquitie had holden them as their owne rights II. BVT let vs returne to sainct ERKENWALD who now seated in the Episcopall sea of London soe worthyly discharged himself of that function that he omitted nothing belonging to the dutie and prayse of an absolute good pastour being a man of soe great vertue that his working of manie miracles the vnresistable witnesses of holines deposed him and his seruice to be most acceptable and pleasing to allmigtie God Being fallen soe Note a strange miracle sick and weake towards the end of his daies that he could not visitt his diocesse to preach and teach to the poeple but carried in a litle waggon one of the wheeles and it had but two it is vncertaine by what chance happened to fall off the beame when to the wonderfull great admiration of all the assistants the waggon went on vppon one wheele the other side being sustayned by the diuine power of him that wheeles about the frame of this world for the declaration of the great vertue and holines of the holy bishop that was carried And herein the ayre seemed to attend this holy man supplying the want of that wheele and by the touching of the same waggon manie sick persons after the holy mans death were cured of feauers and other diseases which human skill had giuen vp for incurable The water allsoe obeyed A great riuer giues way to his passage him when in the same waggon being to passe through a most swift riuer too deepe for his humble coach to wade in the curresie of those streames was soe great that they stopped the violence of their owne furious hast and expected till the sainct like an other Josue passed through on the drie bottom and then the riuer which all this while had made as it were a collection or vniting of its owne forces more lowdly to proclaime and roare out the prayses of the vertue and holines of the glorious Bishop Sainct ERKENWALD ranne in his accustomed and wonted manner The hower of his death reâ—ealed III. AT LENGTH when he had gouerned his bishoprick for the space of manie yeares in the continuall exercise of vertue and holy life the blessed man goeing for his deuotion to the monasterie of Berking and staying there some time in the continuall exercise of diuine contemplation it pleased allmightie God to reueale vnto him the hower of his departure which he truely foretould and to the last gaspe comforted all that were about him with the words of life that flowed from his dying voyce And at the very instant that his blessed sould left her house of clay and miserie to flie to the glorious dwellings of the happie soe sweet an odour filled the whole house where the body lay that the hearts of all the assistants were wonderfully stirred vp in the prayse of allmightie God and deuotion towards this holy sainct The newes of his death being spread abroad the Clergie and His bodie is translated to LoÌ„don poeple of London came to Barking to fetch theÌ„ce the sacred reliques of their bishop to burie them solemnly in sainct PAVLS Church But coming with their holy loading to a riuer called Hesord they found the waters encreased and swelled to such greatnes that they were faine to lay downe their sacred treasure and fall to their prayers to obtaine passage by the meritts of the glorious sainct which otherwise was vnpossible without a boate When behould to their great admiration and comfort the water which in his life time had giuen A strange miracle him free passage now allsoe diuided it self into two parts that like vnto the Israelites loaden with the Arke of our Lord they passed drie foote through the midst of the riuer And that noe sooner done but an other miracle followed for the candles by his bodie which had been extinguished were suddenly lighted without mans help by a light from heauen Soe that two elements
belonging to a good bishop yet in his mind there remayned allwaies a pious desire to goe in pilgrimage which his intention allbeit hidden from mans knowledge yet to God it was most knowne whose diuine goodnes shewed him the fauour at length to attayne the end of his wished desires III. FOR finding a fitt opportunitie he left his bishoprick and He forsaketh his bishoprick togeather with his auncient companions Plechelme and Otgerus he trauelled into France choosing rather to lead a poore and humble life amoÌ„gst straingers then to liue in pompe and glorie in his owne countrey But the more he sought to flie the glorie and honours of the world the more they followed him for in France King Pepin hearing of his great sainctitie receaued him and his fellowes with He is honorably entert ayned by King Pepin wonderfull ioy and honour And hauing vnderstood of their desire to a priuate manner of life he gaue them a place proper for that purpose called Peter-mount in the Diocesse of Liege neere Ruremond where was built a chappell dedicated to the B. Virgin MARY and a famous monasterie of sainct BENEDICTS order in honour of the Prince of the Apostles sainct PETER In this place sainct WYRE finding him self seated according to his owne desire beganne againe to enter into the course of a monasticall life vnder the holy rule of S. BENEDICT which long since he had professed in England amongst His holy exercises the English monks setting forth him self and his fellowes as liuely patternes of religion and vertue to be imitated CHRIST only was the end of all his actions his tongue spake nothing but CHRIST his heart was acquainted with no other thought but of CHRIST for whose loue he dayly sacrificed him selfe to his seruice in watchings prayers fasting and all other mortifications and vertues belonging to a true religious and monasticall life Shining to the countrey both in learming holy coÌ„uersation And being adorned with manie vertues in bodie he liued on earth but in mind he was wholely conuersant in the diuine contemplation of heauen In fine it were too long worthyly to rehearse all the vertues of this holy man IV IN THE meane time King Pepin held him in soe great veneration that to him only as the spirituall guyde of his soule and the King Pepins humilitie in coÌ„fession patrone of his life he was wont to confesse and reueale the sinnes and deformities of his soule Nether was this good Prince ashamed to goe barefooted to confession vnto him and humbly to submitt him self to the arbitrement of his will soe highly he esteemed his sanctitie Moreouer he often made vse of the mature counsell of this holy man in the managing of the chiefest and weightiest affayres of his Kingdom At length Sainct WYRE began to perceaue the neere approach of death by the feeling of his two harbengers old age and sicknes that came vppoÌ„ him When decreasing dayly in strength he still encreased in vertue couragiously expecting that blessed minute which should sett free his soule to flie to the eternall reward of his meritts till by the violence of an ague he chainged the fall of his mortall bodie with the rising of an mmortall life and gaue vp his holy spiritt into the hands of his deare redeemer the eight day of May about the yeare of our Lord 763. His bodie was honourably buried in the foresayd chappell of the B. Virgin were manie miracles are wrought through the meritts of this glorious Sainct His bodie or the greatest part thereof was afterwards translated to Maâ—stricht in Germanie into the Cathedrall Church of that cittie where it is kept with great veneration of the inhabitants and his feast celebrated with an office of a double His life we haue gathered out of the author thereof recited by Surius tom 5. and Molanus in indic Sainct Belgii The Roman Martyrologe this day Baronius tom 8. anno 631. Trithemius of the famous men of S. Benedicts order lib. 3. cap. 63. Arnold Wion lib. 2. cap. 53. Vsuard and mâ—nie others doe make aâ—ple mention of S. WIRE The life of Sainct FREMVND King and Martyr MAY 11. Written by Burchard a Monk of the same time FREMVND descending from a royall stock inherited the gouernement of the Kingdom when his father Offa was soe ouerthrowne wich old age that he was vnfit to manage those affayres anie longer But FREMVND when he had raygned a yeare and an half ruling his state by the balance of true iustistice He forsaketh his kingdom he soe litle esteemed the vaine pompe of the world in respect of the loue of heauen that vnawares of his parents and subiects of his Kingdom with two only in his companie whereof one was Burchard that writt his life and liued with him while he liued he departed to a secret and vnknowne Ermitage in the Iland called Ilefage which at that time was inhabited only by deuils and wicked spirits In this place hauing built a litle cottage and an oratorie in honour of the B. Virgin MARY he spent the space of seaueÌ„ yeares in continuall watching fasting and prayer dayly sacrifycing himself to God by the rude mortification of his bodie and ouercoming the rebellious passions of the mind When the deuill enuying soe great sainctitie in sainct FREMVND with manie grieuous batteries of temptations sought to ouerthrow his godly resolution bringing into his memory the pompe and glory of the world ly dignitie which he had forsaken and filling his mind with manie thoughts of the great good which his youtfull dayes might haue brought to his countrey But he found this souldier of CHRIST soe firme a rock that all his vaine assaults could nether shake nor stirre him from the seate and ground of vertue for hauing his heart alltogeather erected towards heauen and heauenly things he loathed to returne againe to the vanities of the world once despised for the loue of CHRIST therefore well might he be wearied with the temptations of the deuill but ouercome he could not be He is sent for to defend the Countrey II. IN the meane time the Danes breaking into England wasted and spoyled all with fier and sword as they went and hauing martired King EDMOND Offa much fearing their power sent for his sonne Fremund home Whom when the messengers had most straingely found out in his poore cell at his prayers falling downe at his feet they bewayled and declared the necessitie of his friends and parents the arriuall of their enemies the threatned ruine of the Christians and the vtter ouerthrow of their fayth vnlesse by his prudence and courage the countrey were defended against the furie of their barbarous enemies The champion of CHRIST much amazed at this newes staggered in his resolution not knowing what course to take Till recommending the matter to allmightie God by prayer he vnderstood it to be his will that he should goe Therefore armed with the shield of fayth he returned Fremund returneth to his couÌ„trey
vtterly against it as others affirme or whether at length he did winke at her wicked course and seeme to be ignorant of her mischieuous practise as manie asseuer howsoeuer I say it came to passe certaine it is that betweene them was shewne an example of as detestable perfidiousnes as anie that is recorded in historie For breaking the sacred lawes not only of hospitalitie but allsoe of all goodnes and pietie they caused holy king ETHELBERT to be cruelly murdered in king Offas owne house by the bloudie hands of one winebert who had been brought vp a seruant Ethelbert cruelly murdered vnder Sainct ETHELBERTS father and now to recompence his former fauours receaued became the cruell Minister of his death being drawne thereunto with the couetous desire of reward To what wickednes doeth not the vnsatiable hunger of gould compell mortall hearts This false winebert brought holy ETHELBERT from his faythfull companie into a priuate roome who like an innocent lambe suspecting noe harme at all went securely with him Then hauing bound him fast with a most cruell blow he strake off his head who with his hands and eyes lifted vp towards heauen yeelded vp his soule soe pure in innocencie and soe glorious with martirdom into the hands of his deare creatour and redeemer the twentith day of May. Which being perceaued by his intended spouse Alfrid with a mind quite ouerthrowne with sorrow to see her royall hope soe suddenly dasht she went forth to his companie that without doores expected the coming of their beloued Master and with a lamentable noyse related the crueltie of this tragicall scene Who bearing this sorrowfull newes and being not able to reuenge his death returned in dolefull manner into their downe countrey being compelled insteed of a wedding-song to sing an Epitaphe for the losse of their holy King Then Alfrid renewing her complaints Alfrid becometh a Nunne Jngulphus in hist Croyland foretould manie miseries to her Mother which afterwards fell out accordingly And she her self refusing to admitt anie other mortall woers consecrated her virginitie to her immortall spouse CHRIST-IESVS and in the fennes of Crowland she tooke the habit of a Nunne and lead a solitarie liâ—e vnder the holy rule of saint BENEDICT for the space of fortie yeares after But King Offa her father which much encreased the suspition that he had been allsoe consenting to saint ETHELBERTS death presently lead his armie into the prouince of the East-Angles soe suddenly depriued of their King and by force of armes subdued it to his owne dominion IV. THE bodie of this holy King thus traiterously slaine was by the commaund of Offa committed to an ignoble buriall in the bankes of the riuer Lugge at a place now called Marden Whither as those cruell ministers carried it in great scorne it was found to be soe light as if it had been allreadie ennobled with the dotes of heauenly glory But the allmightie Goodnes euer zealous of his seruants suffered not the holy reliques of this Sainct to be buried in obliuion in that base place but miraculously testified his vertue and pietie to the world For the night following was made glorious with a heauenly A light appeareth ouer his graâ—e light that appeared ouer the graue of this holy martir to the great astonishment and terrour of the countrey adioyning And the third night after his sacred Martirdom saint ETHELBERT appeared in a vision to a simple man thereabouts and commaunded him to transport his bodie to the monasterie built on the bankes of the riuer Wye Which was faythfully performed and by the way a blind man was restored to sight by the merits of the holy Sainct It was then buried in a place aunciently called Ferne-wood where now stands the towne of Hereford And ouer his holy sepulcher for the space of manie yeares glittered euery night a heauenly splendour to shew of how great merit his blessed soule was in the sight of Allmightie God V. BVT King Offâ— greatly terrified with these miracles and the A Church dedicated to S-Ethel bert guilt of his owne conscience became wonderfull penitent for his former life and making his sonne Egfrid a King with him self in great deuotion went to Rome the better to expiate his foule and bloudie deeds past At Rome following the zeale and example of INAS King of the West-Saxons he made his Kingdome subiect to a Tribute then called Peter-pence afterwards Rom-scot After his retune into England for the greater satisfaction of his sinnes at a place in Hartfordshire then called Holmehurst now saint ALBANS he built a magnificent Monastery in honour of the worthy Protomartir of great Britaine saint ALBANE whose sacred reliques See more in the life of S Albane Iune 22. after long lying hid came miraculously to light about the same time which was in the yeare of our Lord 795. He allsoe endowed the same Monastery with manie lands and rich reuenewes for the maintenance of a goodly Conuent of aboue an hundred Monkes of the holy Order of saint BENEDICT Allsoe for a further testimonie of his penance he gaue the tenth of all his goods vnto the Church and the poore He founded allso the Benedictine Abbey of Bathe and in Warwickshire he built a Church where the adioyning towne from it and him beareth the name of Off-Church But after the death of King Offâ— which was in the yeare of our Lord 797. Milfrid a pettie King of the Mericans moued with the continuall and dayly miracles wrought at saint ETHELBERTS Tombe gaue infinite treasure thereunto and built a famous Church of stone to his honour which remayneth to this day in Hereford by the name of saint ETHELBERTS Church and is the Cathedrall of that cittie S. Ethelberts well And then that place was first made a Bishops-sea But out of the place where the holy bodie of saint ETHELBERT had layne before issued forth a fountaine of most cleere water called saint ETHELBERTS well ouer which now stands a Church which without doubt was built in honour of this holy martirs buriall there For it must needes be some strange motiue that made men build a Church in that place which is within tenne yards of the riuer Lugge which at euerie floud ouerflowes it soe that it cannot be come at but by boate The well I haue seene my self it is of a most pure water and much esteemed of all good Christians thereabouts In which one thing to this day is most strange and miraculous that when the riuer Lugge adioyning ouerflowes his bankes and that within Note a strange thing the forsayd Church it is knee-deepe and more of that muddie-red water this Well of saint ETHELBERT allbeit it be quite â—uerâ—lowne yet it remaynes most pure and cleere amidst those â—roubled waters vnworthy to be mingled with the puritie thereof And this I haue heard constantly and faythfully affirmed by manie of the Inhabitants thereabouts who are not ashamed to acknowledge a miracle done by the meritts of
more stately manner retaynes the name of CHRISTS-Church and is the mother and Metropolitan of all England IX BVT our new Apostolicall Archbishop vehemently desiring to reioyce holy Pope GREGORY with the newes of his happie successe S. Augustine consulteth Pope Gregorie presently after his returne from Arelas sent his holy fellow-Monkes and Preachers LAVRENCE and PETER to Rome to make relation to saint GREGORIE that the English nation had admitted the fayth of CHRIST and that he was made Bishop thereof desiring allsoe to haue his prudent counsell in manie difficulties that did arise in the plantation of that new Church The ioy that the holy Pope receaued with the breath of this newes I leaue to our hearts to imagine for doubtlesse it was such that noe tongue nor penne can expresse it Then he sent back with these holy legats more preachers and labourers into the new vineyard of our Lord of whom the chiefest were these holy Benedictine Monkes Mellitus Justus Paulinus and Ruffinianus and by them all things necessarie for the diuine seruice holy vessells chalices aultar-cloathes ornaments for the Church Priestly robes and vestements manie holy reliques of the Apostles and martirs and great store of bookes He allsoe dispatched letters to saint AVGVSTINE in which he signifieth the sending of the Palle vnto him insinuating withall after what manner he ought to ordaine Bishops in England Heare his Epistle X. GREGORIE Seruant of the Seruants of God to his most reuerend Pope Gregoâ—â—e â—eâ—terâ— to S. August and most holy Brother Augustine Bishop Allthough it is certaine that the vnspeakable rewards of the eternall Kingdom are rescrued for those that labour â—or allmightie God it behooues vs neuerthelesse to bestow on such the benefitts of honour that out of this recompence they may be encouraged to endeauour more abundantly in the exercise of their spirituall labour And because the new Church of the English by the peculiar bountie of our Lord and thy industrie is brought to the grace of allmightie God we graunt to thee there the vse of the Palle in the performance of the solemnities of Masse only soe that thou maiest ordaine twelue Bishops in diuers places all to be subiect The auncient vse of the Palle to thy iurisaiction because the Bishop of the Cittie of London ought allwaies hereafter to be consecrated by his proper Sinod and receaue the Palle from this holy and Apostolique Sca to which by the authoritie of God J serue But to the Cittie of Yorke we will thee to send a Bishop whom thou shalt thinke fitt to ordaine only soe that if that cittie with the countrey adioyning â—hall receaue the word of God he may allsoe ordaine twelue Bishops and enioy the dignitie of a Metropolitan because to him allsoe by the helpe of God yf our life last we resolue to giue the Palle whom notwithstanding we will haue to be subiect to the disposition of thy Fraternitie But after thy death August hath iurisdiction ouer all England let him soe preside ouer the Bishops he hath odayned that by noe meanes he be subiect to the Bishop of London But let this distinction be between the bishop of London and Yorke that he be accompted the first who was first ordered And with common counsell and peaceable dealing let them vnanimously dispose those things which are to be handled for the zeale of Christ let them iudge rightly and not performe their iudgements with disagreeing minds But let thy Brotherhood haue iurisdiction not only ouer the bishops by thee ordayned those ordayned by the bihop of Yorke but allsoe ouer all the bishops and Priests of Britaine by the authoritie of God and our Lord Iesus-Christ To the end that from the tongue and life of thy Sainctitie they may learne the forme both of rightly beleeuing and well liuing that executing their office with true fayth and good manners they may when our Lord will attaine to the heauenly Kingdom God keepe thee in health most reuerend brother Giuen the tenth of the Calends of July in the ninteenth yeare of the raigne of our most pious Emperour Mauritius Tiberius XI BY this Epistle it appeases how our holy Apostle AVGVSTINE What the Archbishops Palle is and meaneth receaued the dignitie of metropolitan Archbishop and Primate of of all England and the Palle the chiefe armes of that dignitie vsed in auncient times to be sent from the Roman Sea to all Archbishops But this Palle to satisfie the ignorant is a little poore cloath in breadth not exceeding three fingers which Archbishops going to the aultar putt about their necks after all other Pontificall ornaments it hath two labels hanging downe before and behind adorned with little black crosses all rude and vnpolisht made of the verie wooll as it comes from the sheepes back without anie other artificiall colour and this being first cast into the tombe of saint PETER the Pope sends to those that are designed to be Archbishops This auncient ceremonie fignified chiefely two things The first that the Bishop shining and glittering at masse in glorious robes adorned with gould gemmes looking vppon the pouertie of this cloath should learne not to grow insolent with the greatnes of his dignitie but cast off all high-aspiring spiritts The other that he should diligently and exactly obserue the sâ—me fayth which S. PETER taught at Rome in whose tombe this cloath was throwne and that which the other Bishops of the same sea haue followed This much by the way be sayd of the Palle XII BVT our foresayd holy legats being departed from Rome the blessed Pope GREGORIE sent letters after them worthie of memorie by which he manifestly she weth with what an industrious affectionate zeale he was carried towards the saluation of our couÌ„trey Oâ—her letters of S. Gregory writing in this manner GREGORIE seruant of the seruants of God to Mellitus Abbot After the departure of our Congregation which is with thee we were held greatly in suspense because we chaunced to heare nothing of the prosperitie of your iourney Therefore when allmightie God shall haue brought yee safe to the moct reuerend man Augustine our brother tell him that I haue long discussed with my self concerning the cause of the English and am now resolued that the Temples of the Idols ought not The vse of holy water in oâ—â— first Apostles time to be destroyed in that countrey but let the Idols them selues only be demolisht Let holy water be made and sprinkled in those Temples let altars be built and reliques placed therein because if those Temples be fittly built it is necessarie that they be chainged from the worship of deuils to the seruice of the true God that whilst the poeple them selues seeing their self same Temples vndestroyed may depose out of their hearts all errour and acknowledging and adoring the true God may more familliarly frequent their accustomed places And because their custom is to kill manie oxen in sacrifice to their God in this
with populous townes and forreigne marchandise most famous for fayre poeple wealth and riches This huge and goodly Iland was long since destined for thee his elect Agent by the diuine prouidence of the mightie creatour of all things who from the beginning hauing made the world perfect in beautie gaue it into the possession of man his creature This nation soe fayre in face but black in soule with the filth of Idolatrie being by thee washed in the waters of Jordan ascendeth wholly pure and white as the Blackmoore woman by Moyses Now to the greater glory of God and thy owne crowne that new pillar of light which led the Israelites out of Egipt being erected in the fayth and Crosse of CHRIST thou leadest vs Heathens out of the Egiptian darknes of infidelitie and out of the shades of death into the true land of promise flowing with milke and honie For to thee as our Apostolicque Captaine the diuine grace of the Ghospell gaue that which was denied to Moyses the lawmaker of the Iewes and that which he could not obtaine in the law thou art found worthy to accomplish in IESVS-CHRIST the End of the law Now out of the spoiles of the fettered Tirant and out of the Kingdom of the captiue spoiler of our soules thou shalt make our God a Kingdom and a poeple of purchase now next to the heauenly Kingdom and those vnspeakable rewards of thy labours this countrey shall be thy perpetuall possession which by thee was purchased and gayned to CHRIST and whose temporall commodities thou hast forsaken thou shalt now possesse the hereditary gaines And being seated in the high towers of Paradise thou 〈…〉 iest as an holy sentinell perpetually watch and defend the whole countrey dedicated to thy honour and glory XXIV AT LENGTH this most victorious Champion of our Lord hauing runne the race of this mortall life in all sainctitie and perfâ—ction His last 〈◊〉 of coÌ„uersation hauing laboured in the conuersioÌ„ of our wretched countrey with continuall and vn wearies diligence care and industrie came to the goale and long desired rewards of the heauenly Kingdom Now our Lord knocking at the gates of his soule with sicknes he willingly opened with great and vnspeakable thanksgiuing Then with a couragious affection of a fatherly loue he exhorted as well the King Queene and princes as the Clergie and poeple allsoe inuiolably to remayne in the feare and seruice of allmightie God to obey the diuine precepts and obseruances proposed and preached vnto them by his Seruants Which done the end of his worldly tempests approched and the bright morning of his eternall ioies appeared and hauing giuen his benediction to the King and confirmed the infancie of his new-borne Church in CHRIST leauing vnto all manie holy pledges of his perpetuall loue and documents of his pious fellowes and disciples in presence of S. LAVRENCE his successour and a populous multitude of poeple he gaue vp his blessed soule into the hands of him that had created 〈◊〉 happy deaâ—â— it for his honour and in the triumphe glorie of the heauenly citizens he was receaued into the euer lasting blisse of all blessednes the 26 day of May about the yeare of our Lord 614. His sacred bodie was first buried without the Church of saint PETER and saint PAVL which me spoke off before and which was not yet finished nor dedicated But soone after it was consecrated by saint LAVRENCE and his bodie was honourably buried in the north Porch thereof where the bodies of the Archbishops his successors were allsoe buryed vntill the place would hould noe more Ouer Sainct AVGVSTINES tombe was written this Epitaphe in proâ—e Here resteth Lord Augustine the first Archbishop of Canturbury who His Epitaphe being in times past sent hither from blessed Gregory bishop of the Roman Cittie sustayned by God with the working of miracles brought King Ethelbert and his coâ—â—trey from the worshipping of Idols to the â—â—yth of Christ and the daies of his office being finished in peace he died the seamâ—â—th of the Calends of Iune the same King raygning XXV THE miracles wrought at is tombe are such soe manie and Miracles at his tombe soe great that they would require a whole volume farre beyond the limits of our purpose Gotzeline the Authour of his life whom we follow maketh mention of verie manie it shall suffice vs to relate one or two briefely When the Danes were outrageous in England the Benedictine Monasterie of saint PETER and S. PAVL without the walles of Canturbury which was afterwards called Sainct Augustines became allsoe a part of their prey But one of them as he endeauoured to steale the cloath that couered S. AVGVSTINES Tombe it stuck soe close to his hands as yf it had been his owne skinne till hauing asked pardon of the Sainct he restored it againe to the place Which miracle cloathed him and manie of his fellowes with the white robes of Christianitie and made them deuoted to sainct AVGVSTINE euer after Canutus King of the Danes and English being Canutus freed from shiprack at sea in imminent danger of shipracke calling vppon saint AVGVSTINE for helpe whose patronage he had oftentimes proued most comfortable the fearfull tempest ceased and he arriued quietly to a secure hauen and coming afterwards to the tombe of his holy Patrone with the royaltie of manie gratefull rewards and prayses of thankes he witnessed the great fauour he had receaued The Speech restored to the Dumbe same benefitt was bestowed vppon manie others in the like case that called to this holy Sainct for ayde A yong gyrle that by I know not what mischance was strucken dumbe when all art of phisicke had been foyled in curing her offering a candle at saint AVGVSTINES tombe and in heart recommending her self to his merits perfectly recouered her speech And the same fauour was shewed to an other of her sexe praying in the same place In a word all manner of diseases were cured at his holy reliques to those that humbly and religiously craued helpe And as to such he was allwaies mercifully indulgent soe those that endeauoured to wrong him his tombe or his Church escaped not the diuine punishment XXVI BVT O England England how farre art thou swerued An Apostrophe to England Thren 4 v. 1. from the religion of this thy first Apostle How is the gould made darke and the best colour chainged of thy first Fayth and charitie in IESVS-CHRIST In times past thou didest learne that Fayth only which is the beginning head and foundation of eternall saluation of those that were Catholick Roman Priests and Monkes whom now thou doest persecute they celebrated the dreadfull solemnities of Masse which now thou abhorrest they honoured and called vppon the Saincts in heauen whom thou despisest they acknowledged the supreme authoritie of the Bishop of the Roman and Apostolicque Sea whence they were sent to deliuer thee out of the blind night of Idolatrie to the bright day of
and the yeare he died in our writers are verie different He was first buried in his owne Monastery of Weremouth but afterwards his holy reliques were translated to Durham where togeather with the head of King Oswald and the bones of King Coolwulphe a Benedictine Monke of Lindisfarne they were found in a linnen bagge within the tombe of our great saint CVTHBERT during the raigne of William the second when Ranulphus the seauenth bishop of Durham translated the bodie of the same sainct CVTHBERT into the new Church which he had built where the sacred bones of saint BEDE remayne to this day with this Epitaphe too vnelegant for the shrine of soe learned a man Beda Dei famulus monachorum nobile sidus The Epitaphe of his Tombe Finibus e terrae profuit Ecclesiae Solers iste Patrum scrutando per omnia sensum Eloquio viguit plurima composuit Annos in vitater duxit * Quinque vitae triginta Praesbiter officio Maximus ingenio Iunij septenis viduatur carne Calendis Angligena Angelicam commeruit patriam They are in no sorte to be borne with or beleeued who haue A false opinion of his translation written or rather dreamed that his body was transported to Genua in Jtaly For hitherunto I doe not find this affirmed by anie approoued Authour And not a few asseuer that in his life time he neuer went out of the bounds of England and to say that he was transported after death into forreigne lands seemeth to be a monstrous and strainge opinion worthy to be banished into farre countreyes His life we haue collected out of diuers graue Authours William Malmesbury de gest reg Ang lib. 1. cap. 3. Ioannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue in his legend of English Saincts and Trithemius in his worke of the illustrious men of saint Benedicts Order lib. 3. cap. 155. lib. 2. cap. 21. But his life hath been written by Cuthbert his disciple a Benedictine in the same Monasterie and one much auncienter then all those being an ey-witnes of what he writes out of whom and an other auncient manuscript written by one that suppressed his name we haue taken a great part of his life Mention is made of him in the Roman Martirologe and all our Historiographers as well English as others doe highly sound forth his prayses The end of May. S. BONIFACIVS MARTIR GERMANORVM APLVS APOSTOLVS Benedictinus Angluâ— Junij 5. M. baâ—â— f. The life of S. BONIFACE Archbishop Apostle of Germanie of the holy order of saint BENEDICT IVNE 5 Writen by S. Willibald Bishop of Eiâ—â—â—â—tadt in Germanie WHEN the Englishmen that came out of Germanie had coÌ„quered the Iland of great Britaine and giuen it the name of England the Catholick religion brought in by King Lucius was forced to giue place to Paganisâ—â—e till after an hundred and fortie yeares by the preaching of S. AVGVSTINE the Benedistine Monke it was againe restored to Christianitie Then manie holy men of the same order profession allthough they thought them selues most happy in the purchase of soe great good something notwithstanding they iudged to be wanting for the making vp of their felicitie because their owne auncient countrey of Germanie which they had left was yet detayned in the black night The place of his birth and desire of a religious life of Idolatrie The care and cogitation hereof much troubled and exercised the hearts of manie and chiefly of this holy Benedictine Monke WINFRID afterwards called BONIFACE Who being borne of very worthy parents at Kyrtâ—n in Deuonshire was from his very childhood possessed with a wonderfull loue of the heauenly wisedome and a perfect monasticall manner of life in soe much that he opened the secret of this desire vnto his father VVho greatly displeased thereat endeauoured partly with flattering enticements large promises and partly with threatnings to deterre him from that pious course But by how much the more earnestly the father stroue to reclaime his sonne to the loue of the world by soe much the more coÌ„staÌ„tly the holy child full of the diuine grace remayned firme in his good purpose and studied to attayne to the knowledge of heauenly learning VVhence by the wonderfull prouidence of allmightie God it came to passe that his father who was his only hindrance being taken with a sudden sicknes deposed all his former stubbornesse and sent his sonne to the Benedictine Abbey at Excester six miles He taketh the Habit of S. Bene dict distant from the place where he was borne commending him to the care of VVolphard the venerable Abbot of the same Monastery by whom he was courteously receaued where he beganne to performe all the duties of a monasticall life that were agreable to his tender age growing dayly as in age more perfect in the exercise of vertue II. BEING gone out of the yeares of his childhood he soe entierly subiected him self to the institutions of his ancients and the exercise of sacred reading that euery day his soule was enriched more and more with the diuine guifts of manie vertues In summe when vnder the obedience of the forenamed Abbot he had professed and obserued all the discipline of a regular life according to the Rule of the great Patriarch of Monkes saint BENEDICT for the space of manie yeares and being not able there for of want teachers to satiate his thirst of diuine learning according to the greatnes of his desire with the consent of his Abbot and brethren he went to the Monastery of Nutscelle where vnder the discipline of Winbert the Abbot he made soe wonderfull a progresse in all manner of His great progresse in learning learning and vertue that his fame being diuulged ouer the countrey manie flocked thither to become his schollers When he the more he was exalted to the height of science and excellencie of other vertues the more close he kept him self within the ward of humilitie euer honouring his iuferiours as his equalls and embracing them with the armes of true loue and charitie according to the counsell of the wiseman By how much thou art Eccl. 3. greater humble thy self in all things At the thirtith yeare of his age he was adorned with the sacred dignitie of Priestood when by reason of his great learning and vertue he was held in soe great He is made Priest veneration in that countrey that a Synod being assembled at the same time to difcusse some ecclesiasticall controuersies wherein some certaine decrees were ordayned which notwithstanding were submitted to the honourable suffrage of the Archbishop of Canturbury by the consent of the King and Councell BONIFACE was chosen to be most fitt to treate of soe weightie a matter with the Archbishop which busines he soe brauely and solidly dispatched that he purchased to him self grace and fauour with all men III. BVT retayning allwaies in his mind a pious desire to labour His ardent desire to conuert Insidels in the conuersion of Infidells
depriued both 〈◊〉 his Kingdom and youthfull age All so Charles a Prince of the â—rench being a destroyer of maâ—â— Monasteries and one that turned Church-goods to his owne vles was coâ—â—med with the long torment of a fearfull death Wherefore most deare sonne with f 〈…〉 and earnest prayers we beseeâ—h sheâ— not to despise the counsell of thy Fathers who for the loue of God endeauour to call vppon thy Highnes to remember thy dutie for nothing is more wholesom for a good King then yf such faults be willingly amended when they are reprehended because Salomon sayth Who â—oneth 〈…〉 â—oueth wisedome Therefore most â—eare sonne making 〈◊〉 our counsell we Prou. 12. v. 1. be 〈…〉 h and conâ—â—re thee by the â—uing God and by his deare sonne 〈◊〉 and by the holy Ghost to remember how fleeâ—ing this present life is and how short and momentarlâ— are the delights of the 〈…〉 thy flesh and how igâ—omiâ—â—â—ous a thing it is that a man but of a short life should leaue a pâ—â—perâ—â—â— remembrance of bad examples to his posteâ—â—e Beginne then to or 〈◊〉 thy life with 〈◊〉 manners and to correct the former 〈◊〉 of thy youth that here thou â—â—iest purchase prayâ—â— before men and ioies of eternall glory in future Who wish thy Highnes to enjoy health and profit dayly in good 〈◊〉 XIII The â—hould saint 〈…〉 CAL 〈◊〉 King E the 〈…〉 wherein 〈◊〉 did 〈◊〉 wholly loose his labour 〈◊〉 the King being Etherbald reformed by â—aint Boniface terrified with this sha 〈…〉 and pioâ—s remem 〈…〉 in maâ—le things reformed his 〈◊〉 and restored di 〈…〉 so the 〈…〉 riâ—s of soâ— great 〈◊〉 was the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 of the holy manâ—◠〈…〉 kes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meane time saint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 btayned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prince K 〈…〉 man a peâ—ce of land in the desert of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the â—iuer Fâ—ldâ— beganne to lay the foundation of the famous Benedictine Monasterie which 〈…〉 heth to this day and is called the Aâ—bey The building of the Benedictine Abbey of Fulda of Fulda famous for religion and 〈◊〉 The first Abbot thereof was called 〈◊〉 a man of Vâ—â—â—rible conâ—â—sation to whom and 〈◊〉 holy 〈◊〉 of Morikes the land where the 〈…〉 nasterie now stands was by the royall charter 〈◊〉 〈…〉 confirmed and graunted for euer Which done this ver 〈…〉 Prince growing dayly more and more perfect in the loue of God and finding that in the world he could not see purely and perfectly 〈…〉 ine to the height thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Magdalen of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Caroloman beco meth a Benedictine Monke â—hall neuer be taken from him For leaâ—ning the ample Kingdom of his terrene dominions to the gouernment of his brother Pâ—piâ— he departed to Mount-Ca 〈…〉 in It 〈…〉 the place 〈…〉 holy Father saint BENEDICT layd the foundation of his ver 〈…〉 Order and in which was yet obserued a most strict discipline of 〈…〉 sticall life And now in that place this noble Prince chaâ—nged his â—oyall robes of maiestie to the simple weedes of a self-punishing humilitie and made profession of a Monke vnder the MASTER 〈…〉 OF DISCRETION the holy Rule of the great Patrianke of Monkes saint BENEDICT Then King 〈◊〉 hauing â—â—raynâ—â— the whole iâ—heritance to him self imitating the pl 〈…〉 of his brother 〈◊〉 all waies to loue honour and promote all the pi 〈…〉 〈…〉 rs of saint BONIFACE vnto whom by his owne letters he confirmed his Brâ—thers donation of the monastery of Fulda XIV BVT now saint BONIFACES time drâ—◠〈◊〉 wherein he should receaue from CHRIST the reward of his great hours and tast the most ample fruit of the soed of his Enangelicall preaching which he had 〈◊〉 worthily 〈◊〉 in the hearts of the G 〈…〉 poeple Therefore foreseeing the diss 〈…〉 of his owne body S â—onitace retor neth into Frisia to be neere at h 〈…〉 by the suggestion of the holy Ghost he returned into F 〈…〉 there to finish his humane 〈◊〉 where he tooke his beginning there he might all sâ—e make an end of his e 〈…〉 licall preaching and his mortall life together Thi 〈…〉 then he went not without a presage of what should befall vnto him For being 〈◊〉 take his iourney be appoynted his saythfull disciple and companion L 〈…〉 us to succeed him in the Metropolitan Sea of M 〈…〉 z diligently recommending vnto him carefully to sert forward the building of the Monasterie of Fulda and togeather with some bookes to send him a shrowd to mind his body in after death and cause it to be translated to Fulda These words 〈◊〉 blessed 〈◊〉 to performe with teares the holy mans commaunds XV. BEING arriued into Friseland by his preaching he conuerted a The sacra ment of Confirma tion great multitude to CHRIST and washed them in the sacred Font of baptisme vnto whom departing away he appoynted a day to returne in which by the imposition of hands and anneyling with sacred chris 〈…〉 they â—igh 〈…〉 the sacrament of Confirmation When in the meane time those Neophites had by a wicked persidiousnes suffered a relapse from the Fayth into their old errours and now being chainged from lambes to wolues they came not in peace to 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost by the imposition of hands but armed with fearfull weapons and countenances more terrible then their weapons and broke into the tents of the Saincts to lay violent hands on the spirituall father of their soules and to take away his life for whose â—afetie they ought to haue spent their owne Then some of Sainct Bonifaces companie prepared to defend them selues S. Bonifaces desire of Martirdom by resistance meaning to venter their owne bloud to saue the shedding of his but they were strictly by him forbidden that enterprise 〈◊〉 that desire of reuenge did not become true Christians and that they ought not to loose soe fayre an occasion of 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 them selues the purchase of soe great glory He sealeth the patent of his Apostles hip with his bloud as now one minutes patience would bring Therefore that surious multitude of P 〈…〉 sett vppon the holy Bishop and with their 〈◊〉 weapons madâ— soe manie wounds in his sacred body that through those bleeding sluses his blessed soule tooke a most happy flight to the immortall crowne of martirdom in heauen And thus this Apostolicall man hauing to his death performed true Apostolicall labours at length after the manner of the Apostles left his Apostle ship signed with his owne bloud that Germanie noe lesse then otâ—â—r Churches erected by Apostolicall men might glorie with the euerlasting memorie and high glory of soe great an Apostle and Martir from whom it receaued the Ghospell testified with his bloud sealed with his death confirmed with manie miracles and lastly that nothing might be wanting â—ortified with store of writings XVI THIS glorious bishop suffered martirdom the fiâ—t day of June The companions of his martirdom the sixtith yeare of his age and fortith after his
His wonderfull abstinence of a abstinence that he neuer rose from the table with a full stomake and in Lent for the most part his greatest dainties were bread and water Whence it came to passe that at an Easter time his appetite and gust of meate was soe vtterly mortified ouerthrowne that he could not eate the meate which was set before him And when the monke that wayted vppon him demaunded why he did not eate Yf I had some oaten bread replied he moistened with butter I thinke I should be able to eate it Therefore the Monke Soe holy Dauid refused to drinke the water which he had desiâ—red his seruant brought some such bread when the holy man reflecting with him self that he had giuen a litle fauourable scope to his appetite conceaued soe great feare thereat that becoming a rigid and seuere reuenge to himself he refused to tast it at all but remayned fasting And that meate soe prouided he commaunded to be giuen to the poore that wayted at the Monastery gate where they found a fayre yong man of a very beautifull countenance who tooke the meate with the dish and vanished Which as they related to the holy Abbot behould the same dish fell vppon the table before him Whereby they vnderstood that an Angell sent from heauen had receaued that almes from the holy man III. OVER and aboue the accustomed taske of his diuine office and His prayers and the effects thereof prayers he dayly recited the whole Psalter of Dauid contayning an hundred and fiftie Psalmes But as once more earnestly he made his prayers vnto allmightie God and with the teares of his deuotion abundantly trickling downe his cheekes he powred forth his soule before the court of heauen desiring that as well his owne as the seruice of his brethren might be acceptable to the diuine maiestie and that they might be found worthy to haue their names written in the booke of life he heard these comfortable words come from aboue Take courage my Sonne for thy prayers are written in heauen Only two of them whose hearts haue been allwaies fixed to the loue of terrene things are inscribed in the dust of the world And not long after two Conuerses commonly called Lay-brothers casting off their habits made a miserable end of their liues in the world whereby the diuine reuelation of the holy man was verified IV. PASSING on a time by New-Castle he happened into a great He hindeâ—â—â—â— the wicked endeauours of the deuill multitude of yong men where he saw one with a wonderfull curiositie runne vp and downe amongst them fawning vppon them with an insolent countenance and as it were exhort and stirre them vp to the execution of some great matter When perceauing that he played not the part of a Man but rather the deceiptfull games of some wicked deuill by the powerfull force of his diuine words he commaunded him to depart Ho thou gallant sayd he these men doe not want thy worke quickly therefore be gone and follow me Presently â—e as yf he had been tied to their horse tayles went afâ—â—t holy Abbot through the durtie streets to the great astonishment of those that were present When they were gone out of the towne and come into the turnings of the highway Who art thou sayd the holy man and what was thy busines there Thou art not ignorant who I am replied he and thou knowest well my endeauours There is a pompous celebration of a rich mans wedding Note the maâ—ice of the deuâ—â—l in that towne and I was earnestly labouring to haue the groome slayne in the buanquet by his riualls that the guests being incensed with anger thereat might endeauour to reuenge his death and soe blinded with wrath and dronkennes their mutuall wounds might cause a sedition in the cittie that by the cutting downe of manie bodies I might reape an haruest of soules into my possession And now I was perswaded by the purchase of this victorie to haue returned in ioyfull triumphe to my Prince when my whole plott and counsell being ouerthrowne by thee I am constrayned to go home without anie gaine at all At these wordes the holy Abbot detesting the wickednes of that insernall monster commaunded him to depart to the determined place of his torments and neuer more hereafter to attempt to deceaue minkind Whereat the wicked spirit vanished taking his farewell with soe great horrour that their horses growing furious with neighing snoring and tearing the ground with their feet could hardly be held vnder the possession of their riders V. AN OTHER time the monkes being at mattins the holy man saw the Deuill standing in the habit of a countrey fellow at the quire He seeth the deuill inquiring into the faults of his Monkes doore and oftentimes endeauouring but in vaine to enter into it Then falling heartily to his prayers and stirring vp the hearts of his brethren to deuotion that infernall spie perceauing after a long expectance that he profitted nothing vanished away with anger and confusion The same holy Abbot celebrating once the dreadfull sacrifice of Masse saw in a vision a mightie storme at sea wherein a ship was sorely tost vp and downe in those swelling waues till the sterne being broken she ranne violently on her owne ruine and beating her self against a cruell rock dissolued her ioynts and ribbes into peeces left all the men her rulers to shift for them selues in the mercilesse billowes of the Ocean The holy man being greatly moued to compassion with this vision hauing finished his masse sent his Monkes to the sea side to take vp the bodies of those drowned persons They went and the fourth day after in the very place designed by saint ROBERT the sea cast vp the dead bodies which by their hands were honoured with Christian buriall VI. A HOLY matrone who by the pious persuasions of S. ROBERT S. Robert freed from a faâ—se Suspition by S. Bernard had contemned the gorgeous pride and vanitie of the world and betaken her self to a retired and deuout life was oftentimes visited by the same holy man to be by his godly instructions dayly aduanced in the way of vertue Which thing was a cause of manie bad suspitions in the iealous minds of some of his brethren who iudged that current of familiaritie to proceed from an impure spring And now they had infected the eares of manie with their misdeeming opinion till their complaints arriued to the knowledge of the great Patrone of his Order saint BERNARD Abbot of Clareuall in France To whom saint ROBERT went in person and he hauing had a reuelation of his great same and merits tooke him secretly aside and sayd Brother ROBERT those things are most false which the sinister suspition of manie hath bruted abroade against thy innocencie And in testimonie of his loue he gaue him a gyrdle which afterwards by the merits of them both gaue the benefitt of health to manie sick persons VII THIS holy Confessor was
of him And in an anncient Breâ—iary of S. Benedicts Order which belonged to the Monastery of Burton vppon Trent I find his death celebrated with an office of three Lessons S. ALBANVS PROTOMARTIR IN ANGLIA Iunij 22 〈…〉 The life of Sainct ALBAN the first Martir of Great Britaine IVNE 22 Out of Venerable Bede and an auncient manuscript of S. Albans WHEN the bloudie persecution which the two cruell Emperours Diocletian and Maximian raysed against the Catholick Church raged ouer the world the furie thereof was soe cruelly outrageous that it could not be contayned within the bounds of the Ocean but powred it self out in crueltie euen into the remotest Ilands of the Christian world and amongst others into our famous Iland of Great Britaine Where saint ALBAN was the captaine and leader of that sacred warrefare who being a citizen of the auncient Cittie of Verulam which The place of his birth at that time was a Colonie vnder the Roman Emperours and borne of a famous stock receaued first the Christian fayth by the precepts and instructions of the most holy martir Amphibaluss of whom allsoe we must in this history make often and honourable mention For after that by preaching he had purchased other countreies to CHRIST being enkindled with an ardent zeale of gayning more and more soules to Gods Church he came to Verulam where first with courteous hospitalitie he was entertained by our ALBAN as yet a Heathen But vnderstanding that his new guest Amphibalus was He defireth to know the points of fayth not only a professour but a teacher all soe of the Christian name he was desirous to heare him discourse of the assertion of his fayth and Amphibalus was as eager to giue his Host an accompt thereof hoping to winne him to the same profession Therefore he shewed him how allmightie God consisting of one essence three persons soe dearly loued the world that he sent the second person in Trinitie his only Sonne froÌ„ heauen as a witnes and messenger of his loue for the reconciliation and redemption of mankind Who when he was true God of God yet soe farre he humbled him self for our healths sake that he voutchsafed to take humane flesh vppon him and be borne of a Virgin allbeit he were the maker and creatour of the same flesh and of his mother the Virgin And these sayd he are the principles of our Fayth these by the instruction of the holy Ghost were manie ages agoe knowne and foretould by manie of the Iewes and since confirmed by the wonderfull workes of CHRIST him self and receaued by the common consent of allmost all nations and in embracing of these points consisteth the height of all felicitie and perpetuall miserie followeth all that denie them II. BVT at first ALBAN seemed to laugh at these things and contemne them and to hould the teacher of them him self not only to He laugheth at the misteries of Fayth be vaine in his doctrine but allsoe scarse sound in his witts in auoching such paradoxes soe abhorring as he thought from all sense and reason For who can be brought to beleeue sayd he that sayd he that God had a Sonne and the same soone to be made man and borne of a Virgin without a father and she to remaine both a Virgin and a Mother In summe that daies discourse was broken off and ALBAN being displeased with Amphibalus and his doctrine went to please his troubled mind in his bed whilest his holy teacher Amphibalus sorrowfull that his words had taken noe deeper roote in the mind of his kind Host and still remayning carefull for his soules health betooke him self to his prayers in steed of sleepe nether was his petitioÌ„ to allmightie God in vaine For ALBAN being oppressed vnder the heauie wings of sleepe seemed to behould His vision being asleepe the whole tragedie of our Lords sacred passion soe perfectly acted before him that to his imagination it appeared not soe much to be in a dreame as in very deed represented to his corporall sight Terrified therefore out of his sleepe with the strangenes of this vision he went forthwith to Amphibalus and desired him yf those things which he preached of CHRIST were true to expound allsoe the meaning and interpretation of his dreame Who hauing first giuen thankes vnto allmightie God for soe wonderfull a vocation of his beloued Host drew out a Crucifix Amphibalus expoundeth his dreame which he allwaies carried about him and shewed in that signe how he might plainly vnderstand what his nightly vision did portend And following on with a declaration of CHRISTS Ghospell and passion conformeable to what he had seene in his sleepe he soe solidly discouered the mistery of CHRIST crucified that there was noe place for anie doubt left in the mind of ALBAN soe powerfully the holy Ghost had planted the truth of fayth in his soule By whose sacred vnction ALBAN Note the strange suddaine eonuersioÌ„ of S. Alban being wholly replenished with vnusuall sweetnes and contentment of mind desired now nether teacher nor arguments to instruct him but of his owne accord detesteth his false Gods abiureth his Idols professeth to acknowledge no other God to beleeue no other in his heart to confesse no other with his mouth but God the father and his sonne CHRIST-IESVS and him crucified He admireth the greatnes of the diuine pietie and goodnes in the redemption of mankind and beginnes wholly to be inflamed with his loue who voutchsafed first soe to loue humane frailtie that he vndertooke not only our nature but allsoe all the miseries adherent thereunto as allso a most shamefull death it self to redeeme man from the tirannie of eternall death to the glorie of Gods elect poeple Nay falling He worshippeth the Crucifix prostrate before the Crosse as yf he had seene CHRIST him self really hanging thereon he embraceth and kisseth his wounds giues him infinite thankes for calling him to the knowledge of his fayth being wholly carried beyond him self to thinke how to appeare worthily gratefull for the benefitt of soe vndeserued a vocation Therefore he bad adiew to all worldly pleasures and embraced teares and sighs for his greatest delights all other things he contemned that he might gaine CHRIST alone for all in him he placed all his hope and loue to him he soe perfectly vowed him self and all he had that he would rather a thousand times endure to be robbed of this life then to be separated from the fayth and charitie of his deare redeemer III. IN the confession of these and such like things Amphibalus admitted ALBAN to the purifying grace of Baptisme and at his He is baptised earnest entreatie remayned there some daies more amply to instruct him in all things that belonged to the profession of his receaued religion But in the meane time the renowned name of ALBAN and the fame of this fact allbeit secretly performed made that it came to the eares and knowledge of the
enemies of the Christian cause who enuying the aduancement thereof made complaint vnto the iudge of the cittie And he forth with commaunded both the master and the disciple to be cited to appeare before him which cruell-minded decree was soone made knowne to saint ALBAN Who desiring by all meanes to preuent the deceipts of the prince exhorted Amphibalus to Amphibalus flieth into Wales depart secretly out of towne giuing him a rich garment of his owne which at that time was of great dignitie and reuerence with all men thereby to passe with more security through his enemies But he him self retayned his Masters poore habit for his owne vse knowing for certaine that the very sight thereof would more vehemently incense the fury of his and CHRISTS cruell enemies against him Therefore the sunne had scarse cleered the day following but Amphibalus tooke leaue of his deare scholler when the teares shed on each side witnessed the greatnes of their mutuall loue Amphibalus hastened into Wales there to preach the fayth of CHRIST and find out a place of Martirdom and ALBAN cloathed in his masters weeds expected the same glory at Verâ—daâ— which afterwards he most gloriously obtayned IV. FOR the same day the furious officers brake violently into his S. Alban is apâ—rehended lodging searched narrowly in euery corner thereof and filled the whole house with noyse and tumult Till coming to the litle cottage where he and his Master had piously spent their time the daies before they found S. ALBAN in a strange habit barefcot humbly praying before the signe of CHRISTS holy Crosse Then rushing furiously in troupes vppon him they apprehended him bound him and violently haled him some by the garments some by the hayre to the presence of the Iudge who at that time in a great assembly of poeple was bysily employed in offring sacrifice to his diabolicall Idolls But seeing ALBAN led in that manner his heart boyled with rage and furie against him because of his owne accord he perceaued him bent to hazard his life for Amphibalus whom he had entertayned Therefore he commaunded him to be drawne before the Idolls threatning to make him suffer all the torments due vnto his sacrilegious guest so his wicked tongue termed holy Amphibalus because as a contemner of the Gods he had presumed to conceale him from the officers and now seemed him self to be departed from the profession of his auncient religion But S. ALBAN He contemneth the threats of the Iudge who had willingly betrayed him self to the persecutours of the Christian fayth without anie signe of feare let passe the storme of the Princes threats and furie and armed with the shield of the spirituall warrefare bouldly and plainly affirmed that he would not obey his commaund Then the Iudge demaunded of what familie and race he was It appertaines not to thee answered ALBAN to know my linage but yf thou desirest to vnderstand the truth of my religion know that I am a Christian and one that embraceth all Christian duties My Parents called me ALBAN and I adore and worship the true liuing God the maker and creatour of all things Then the Iudge swelling with wrath and furie Yf thou desire sayd he to enioy the happines of life offer forthwith sacrifice to our great Gods These sacrifices replied sainct ALBAN which by you are offered to deuills can nether helpe the supplicant sacrificers nor accomplish the end of their desires but reward them in the end with the euerlasting torments of Hell V. AT THESE words the Iudge could no longer containe his furie but commaunded the holy Confessor of CHRIST to be cruelly beaten He is cruelly beaten and tormented hoping with stripes to ouerthrow the resolution of his constancie which with words he could not mooue Therefore the Lictours executed their office of crueltie vppon his holy bodie in most rude manner when amidst the noyse of their pittilesse whippes he ioyfully called vppon the name of our Lord IESVS-CHRIST making a willing oblation and sacrifice of him self to his diuine goodnes Till the tormentours being wearied with their vaine punishing and he nothing wearied with constant suffering the poeple obtayned to haue him imprisoned for the space of six He is committed to prison moneths hoping that time would weare out the purpose of his resolution In the meane while the heauens witnessed the iniury done to the holy Martir for from the first day of his apprehension to the day of his martirdom such an intollerable drought by the extremitie of the sunnes heate raged in that Prouince that the fruicts of the earth were quite burnt vp and destroyed Which the Heathens whose hearts neuerthelesse were frozen vp against the holy flames of true charitie iudged to be done by the art magick of the imprisoned Christian Therefore the wisest of the countrey being assembled togeather to discusse this point saint ALBAN was called out of the horrour of the prison to answer for him self at the barre He is released of their examination And being found Not guiltie they all griened at the iniurie and suffered in his sufferings in soe much that a sedition being risen amongst the citizens and his friends all stood vp in his defence and freed him out of his beloued chaines by which they thought him iniured hauing all waies had the name and fame of a man of good life that he might render an accompt of his deeds before the Iudge But saint ALBAN taking this kind of mercie as an act of the greatest crueltie greatly feared lest his martirdom should be deferred He exclay meth a gainst Idolls VI. THEREFORE standing in the midst of the whole assembly he made a new inuectiue declamation against the weaknes of their profane Gods and their blind follie in worshipping those blind Idolls whereby they were all incensed afresh against him and with one voyce pronounced him guiltie of death Then arose a great contention amongst them in defining with what kind of death to punish him some as a disciple of the Crucifix iudged him to be crucified others would haue him buried aliue as enemie to their Gods the rest thought fitt to haue his eyes digged out and sent soe to seeke out his Master Amphibalus In fine the â—udge and all the poeple agreed He is condemned to death and condemned him to loose his head Therefore being againe bound in chaines he was rudely dragged to the designed place of his MartirdoÌ„ called Holmhurst on the toppe of a fayre plaine hill whose pleasantnes seemed worthie to be consecrated with the bloud of our glorious Martir But the thronging multitudes of poeple that hastened to see this strange spectacle were soe great that coming to a large riuer ouer which they must passe to the hill the bridge being not able to receaue them manie that for hast endeauoured to wade or swimme ouer were by the furie of those wild streames carried downe to an vntimely death Meane while S. ALBAN much grieued in mind
the Roman which being prouoked to battle he had taken from his conquered enemie wherevppon he afterwards was surnamed Torquatus from Torques which in Latine signifies a chaine But let vs returne to Sainct ETHELDRED XI THEREFORE whilst this holy Virgin lying amidst the tormeÌ„ts of a most cruell sicknes gaue thankes vnto her Creatour for soe pious a visitation boyling with a desire to be dissolued to liue with CHRIST some of the assistants in whom yet remayned a small hope of her recouery caused a skillfull chirurgean to launce the swelled place and make way for that corrupted matter to issue forth as being stuffe to base and loathsome to be imprisonned in soe pure a bodie Which done the holy Virgin seemed for two daies space to be greatly eased of her payne and to wax better in health soe She seemeth to recouer that manie conceaued a new hope that she might escape this danger which was cause of great ioy vnto her friends and Sisters But all this was but as a glimpse of lightuing before death for the third day when all wounds and incisions are most panifull she her self perceauing that the happie minute of her wished departure was at hand caused the whole Conuent of Nunnes to be gathered togeather about her vnto whom hauing first signified that her hower of death was come she imparted as well as the violence of her payne would suffer her the dying words of her last farewell soe full of the sweetnes of diuine documents and deuotion that she wonderfully moued the minds and hearts of them all to the loue of heauen and heauenly things Then hauing strengthened her iourney with the Viaticum of our Lords holy bodie she rendred vp her pure soule into the pure hands of her Creatour and ending this mortall Her happy deâ—th life entered into that which neuer ends leauing the whole Conuent of her deuout Sisters soe ouercharged with sorrow that not being able to containe so hard a burden within doores their coÌ„passionate eies let forth liuely signes thereof to ease the heauines of their pious hearts This glorious Virgin died the 23. day of Iune in the yeare of our Lord six hundred seauentie nine when she had been Abbesse seauen yeares Aldulph her Brother then raygning ouer the East-Angles XII BVT when her sacred bodie had layne buried in the earth the space of sixteen yeares her holy sister SEXBVRG who had succeeded in the gonernment of the same Monasterie moued with the manie miracles dayly wrought at her tombe was desirous to take vp those sacred spoiles and honour them with a more eminent place in the Church Therefore a day being appoynted for the more solemne execution of this translation a great multitude of deuout poeple flocked thither to be present at that act amongst whom allso was S. WILFRID Archbishop of Yorke and Kinefrid the Chirurgean that two daies before her departure had made the incision in her neck which we spoke of before But before they opened her sepulcher the holy Abbesse SEXBVRG sent some of the Monkes to prouide A tombâ—stone miraculously found for her bodie a stone to be the tombe of those sacred reliques Who because the I le of Ely it self being a place encompassed round with waters Marshes was voyde of all manner of stones of such greatnes went to a litle towne not farre from thence called Grandacester where neere vnto the walles of the same towne they streight found a fayre tombe curiously cutt in white marble with a couer of the same matter most iustly fitted thereunto All much amazed at this good fortune especially because the neighbouring poeple affirmed that they had neuer before seene anie such stone in that place they vnderstood that our Lord the wonder-working spouse of the glorious Virgin ETHELDRED had miraculously prospered their iourney and prouided a shrine for her holy bodie Therefore singing himnes of prayse thankes vnto his diuine goodnes they brought the new-found tombe-stone to the Monastery which was a great comfort and encouragement to the vertuous Abbesse to hearten her to proceed in the execution of her intended purpose Her body found vncorrupted after sixteen yeares XIII THEREFORE all things being worthyly ordered and prepared the whole Conuent came in procession and stood singing about the sepulcher which was couered and hidden vnder a pauillion Then the Abbesse with some others entered into it to take vp the holy body which being discouered they fouÌ„d to be as whole fayre fresh and vncorrupted as the same day it was layd in the earth and appeared vnto the amazed beholders more like vnto one asleepe then dead Nay which is most wonderfull the incision in her neck which at her buriall was a wide and open wound was now soe perfectly cured that there remayned only to be seene a small and slender skarre as a token of what it had been before Soe that the earth which is wont to corrupt and consume the dead bodies of other mortall men serued here as a soueraigne baulme not only to preserue her virginall flesh vncorrupted but euen to cure and heale the wounds made therein Then the bodie being eleuated to the publick view of the whole multitude of assistants with astonished eyes they all beheld the wonder of allmightie God who worketh his owne will and pleasure both in heauen and earth and here to shew the integritie of this holy Virgins chastitie during her life had preserued her bodie allsoe from all spott of corruption for the space of sixteen yeares after her death And of this were witnesses besides manie others great S. WILFRID and Kinfrid the Chirurgean who being a faythfull recorder of this accident was De gest lib. 4. c. 9. wont to relate the same as it is here writteÌ„ vnto Venerable BEDE and others as BEDE him self doeth testifie affirming allso that not only the bodie but the linnen cloathes in which it was wrapped were found allso to be as entier and new as the first day they were employed to enclose that chast bodie XIV THEN hauing washed the sacred bodie and shrowded it in fresh cloathes fitt to containe soe worthie a treasure they placed it with great reuerence in the new and miraculous tombe of white marble which they found to be soe fitt in length and bignes to containe that sacred relique that the cunningest workman by line and measure could not haue made one fitter and brought it with Miracles at her tombe great ioy and solemnitie into the Church of the B. Virgin MARY which she had founded in her life time This translation or eleuation of her holy bodie was performed on the seauenteenth day of October and sixteeÌ„ yeares after her death Manie great miracles were afterwards wrought there at her toÌ„be the only touching of the cloathes that her bodie had been wrapped in droue deuills out of the bodies of possessed persons and cured manie diseases by the power of Him that is all waies wonderfull in his Saincts And the woddeÌ„
I allwaies referred to thy discussion to be corrected Sainct CVTHBERT much mooued here with fell earnestly to his prayers and hauing vnderstood by a diuine inspiratioÌ„ that his prayer was heard Rise brother sayth he and doe not weepe but reioyce for the heauenly clemencie hath graunted our request The truth of which promise and prophesie was brought to light by the ensueing euent For departing at that time they mett noe more till in one and the same twentith day of March their soules departing out of this world were by the hands of Angels translated to a perpetuall vnion in heauen But Sainct HEREBERT by a particular priuiledge and dispensation from God passed through the surnace of a long teadious sicknes that yf in meritt he were inferiour to S. CVTHBERT the punishment and paine of his disease borne with a vertuous patience might supplie that defect whereby made equall in grace with his intercessour as he deserued to depart at one and the same time with him soe he might be worthie to be receaued into one and the like throne of happines This holy man as it may be throught was a Monk of S. BENEDICTS order aswell for that he was wholly instructed in all his spirituall life by Great S. CVTHBERT a Benedictin who would not teach but as he had learnt him self as allsoe bicause in those daies the true custome of proceeding to an eremiticall and solitarie conuersation was to beginn first with noe other life then a monasticall as saint BEDE doth witnes Out of whom we haue taken his life who both in his historie of England and in the life of S. CVTHBERT relateh the foresayd storie to a word Nicholas Jnvit S. Cuth cap 46. Harpsfield hath the same The life of Saint EDILWALD Priest and Anachoritie of the holy order of S. BENEDICT MAR. 23. SAINCT EDILWALD was first a monke of S. BENEDICTS order in the monasterie of Rippon where hauing receaued the dignitie of priesthood he adorned the same with a pious conuersation of life well becomming his degree and calling But afterwards beeng taken with the desire of a more solitarie and retired life he went to the hermitage of the Iland of Farne which saint CVTHBERT had first built and inhabited and there became saint CVTHBERTS immediate successour as well in habitation as holines of life of whose vertuous life that it may the better appeare to the world of how great meritt it was I will only rehearse one miracle out of Sainct BEDE Gudfrid a venerble Priest and afterwards Abbott of the Benedictin monasterie of Lindisfarne desiring to haue some conuersation with saint EDILWALD went By his prayers he asswageth a tempett ouer into the Iland whence much refreshed and comforted with his godly discourse he returned with his companions homewards But being at the Sea their fayre calme was suddenly changed into such a blustering storme what with the force of the winds and the rage of the waters struggling togeather that indeed their incuitable ruine as they thought seemed to be the wager of the others contention Till being come to the poynt of despayring to haue anie longer time of life in this world behould B. EDILWALD hearing the tempestuous noyse of this storme sollicitous of their safetie came running in all hast out of his Cell to see what was befallen them and finding in what imminent danger and despaire they were he fell presently to his prayers for their liues and safegard which done the swelling seas were appeased and the crueltie of that tempest gaue way to their shipp to passe quietly till they were all safe on the drie shore And then the winds and seas as yf they had gathered new courage beganne to rayse the same stormes againe which furiously dured all that day to the end we might more plainly vnderstand that the small intermission wherein they escaped was graunted from heauen for their sakes by the prayers of the holie man And this storie was related to me sayth sainct BEDE who writes it by one of those monks that was in the same ship and danger Other miracles were wrought by the meritts of this Sainct who when he had liued in great holines for the space of twelue yeares in this solitarie kind of life he was called to the ioyes of heauen to receaue the desired rewards of his meritts and labours He was buried in saint PETERS Church of Lindisfarne by saint CVTHBERT Thus much out of saint Bede hist Aâ— l. 5. c. 1. and Nicholas Harpsfied hist. Eccl. saec 7. c. 35. He florished in the raigne of Alfrid who succeeded to Egfrid in the kingdom of Northumberland The life of S. ALFWOLD Bishop and Confessor of the holy order of S. BENEDICT MAR. 25. Out of VVilliam Malmesbury SAINCT ALFWOLD from a Benedictin monk in the monasterie of winchester was raysed to the Episcopall dignitie of Sherburne He placed a goodly picture of the most holy bishop and monk S. SWITHIN of Winchester in the Church of Sherburne It is certaine that he was a man of most reuerend godly life one that amongst the most prodigall shewes of exquisite banquets which from the time of the Danes were vsed in England followed the rules of auncient pietie seueritie in his diet His spare diet vsing only a woddeÌ„ dish without anie luscious ordaintie meates a little cuppe of beere soe drowned and mortified with water that the danitiest pallat could not find anie tast of beere My authour in this affirmeth that he heard a Priest of good creditt then loaden with grey haires report with teares of ioie much good of this holy man One thing was that noe man euer after his death presumed to sleepe in his bed vnpunished For presently he was forced to leape out of it being amazed with strange vglie visions which not only terrified him from his rest but allsoe sorely rebuked him for vnworthyly vsurping the holy bishops place This was a strainge spectacle vnto manie Earle Godwin hauing it is vncertaine vppon Godwin punished for iniuring S. Alfwlod what occasion grieuously exasperated this holy man fell presently into such a tormenting sicknes that he lay languishing without anie hope of life soe that he was compelled to send a messenger in poast hast to the Bishop humbly to desire pardon for his temeritie who out of his owne pious lenitie gaue him his benediction and pardon and there with all he recouered perfect health II. THIS HOLY Bishop and monk was wonderfully much addicted in his deuotion to the excellent bishop and glorie of the Benedictin â—rder S. CVTHBERT at whose only name he would burst into deuout teares And allwaies he had this Antheme of him in his mouth The Holy Bishop Cuthbert a man perfect in all things appeared amongst the throngs of the world a monke worthyly to be reuerenced His great deuotion to S. Cuthbert of all men And as his dayly loue to this Sainct tooke deeper roote in his heart to giue a greater demonstration
thereof he went in pilgrimage to Durcham where in his sacred tomb he deposed a worthie guift as a holy testimonie of his deuout loue At length after some yeares in his bishoprick coming to the last poynt of this mortall life as long as his voyce would serue him he sung his accustomed Anthem of S. CVTHBERT but his speech fayling with his hand he made a signe to the monks to goe on and soe he happily breathed forth the testimonie of his loue to that Sainct togeather with his blessed soule which at the same instant tooke her flight to receaue His happie departure her prepared seate and reward amongst the quires of Benedictin Monks in heauen Thus much out of Malmesburie depont lib. 2. Harpsfield saec 11. cap. 9. and others He florished about the yeares 1050. THE END OF MARCH The life of Sainct RICHARD Bishop of Chicester and Confessor APR. 3. VVritten by Radulphus Cicestrius about the yeare 1270 SAINCT RICHARD of blessed and neuer dying memorie was an Englishman borne of honest parents in Worcester-shire at a Village which from the salt-pitts thereabouts was called the Wiche S Richards parents c countrey His fathers name was Richard too and his mothers Alice It was not without some presage of his future excellencie that he was borne in a towne of salt for indeed he seasoned the whole countrey with the salt of his wisedom learning and holy life From his tendrest yeares contrarie to the custō of that age he so farre abandoned dancing His happie witt plaies and other such vanities that his other fellowes and equalls in yeares could by noe allurements nor perswasions draw him thereunto on the other side within a short time he farre excelled all his riualls both in learning integritie of life good manners His elder brother during the time of his nonage was kept in ward and by that meanes he came to his lands in great pouertie and want Whose case RICHARD much pittied and hauing not anie thing wherewith to comfort and succour him in that necessitie he He serues his brother gaue him self wholly into his seruice in which he spent noe small time in great pouertie and abiection and with noe lesse patience humilitie and modestie toyling and sweating now at the plough now at the cart and other such hard imployments and labours of husbandrie Whereby he wonne to him self soe great good will and affection from his brother that by a sealed writing he assured all his lands vppon him Then his friends and kinsfolks began to treate of a marriage to be solemnized between him and a yong gentlewoman of that Countrey VVhich when his brother perceaued he beganne to repent that he had resigned ouer his meanes because he knew that with that gentlewoman he should come in possession of a verie large and ample dowry RICHARD hauing intelligēce hereof He forsaketh all for loue of leaning You haue noe reasō deare brother sayd he to be afflicted at this for the same liberalitie and curtesie which you haue shewed towards me will I returne to you againe Therefore behould I not only surrender vp your writings and bonds but allsoe all the interest I haue in this my future wife yf soe it may stand with the good will and liking of her frends and for mine owne part I neuer once kissed her lippes Hēceforth hauing abandoned all he had his lands his spouse his friends he betooke him self to his studies first at Oxford thē at Paris in France where he learnt his Logick And he was soe violently carried away with ā extreme loue desire to apparell his mind with learning that he scarse euer thought ether offoode or apparell for his bodie For as him self afterwards was wōt to say whē he was one of the three schollers that liued in one chamber they had but one capp or hatt betwixt them each of them but one gowne Soe that like some of our courtiers now a dayes whē one of them went forth to lesson with the hatt the other two remayned barcheaded at home And soe the same capp serued them all by turnes to goe heare their lectures Their ordinary food was bread and a little herbe-pottage or some such poore dish For their pouertie would not allow them to eate eyther flesh or fish vnlesse it were vppon sundaies and high dayes and when their friends and comrades did inuite them And yet the holy man was wont to say that in all his life times he neuer enuoyed merrier and sweeter dayes then those II. IN THE meane time our hopefull yong man prositted soe excellently Hefs made master of art in his studies that by the publick applause and acclamations of all men he was iudged worthie to be honoured with the title of master But refusing to take anie degrees at Paris he returned againe to his Countrey and to the Vniuersitie of Oxford where within a short time he was promoted to be Master of the liberall arts He studies Canon law when liberally he imparted that learning to others which before with much labour he had purchased to him self And goeing afterwards into Italic for seauē years space he gaue his mind to studie the Canon law in the vniuersitie of Bolognia that with soe great encrease of learning that his master falling sick made choise of him amongst all his other schollers to supplie his place and continue the lecture begunne Which for more then half a yeare he performed with soe great modestie readines of witt and iudgement that he purchased to him self great affectiō praise throughout all the vniuersitie gott soe high a place of fauour and good will with his master that he desired and aspired to nothing more willingly then to giue him his only daughter in marriage But RICH. who moued by a diuine inspiration was farre otherwise bent gaue him verie humble thanks for his noble loue courteously pretending some reasōs for his excuse adding withall that for the present he had a lōg iourney to make promising that at his returne yf soe it pleased God his dutie should be yielding to the leuell of his desires And taking leaue of his master his daughter in this sort he returned into England to the vniuersitie of Oxford where he led a verie rigid austere life in He is made Chancelour of oxford cōtinuall labours watching other bodily afflictiōs Whē his fame renowne encreased to such a height in the eares of the world that by the cōsent of all he was made Chauncelour of the Vniuersitie III. ABOVT the same time S. EDMOND sate at the helme in the gouernmēt of the metropolitā sea of Canturbury who long before had had certaine intelligence of his great prudence and integritie and Robert surnamed grosse teste a mā famous for holines was thē bishop of Lincolne who both being wholly ignorant of one others meaning herein And to the Archbishop of Cauturbury at one the same time earnestly