his feete humbly desiring his prayers for the remission of his sinnes The Sainct lifting him vp encouraged him with a familiar exhortation to the conteÌ„pt He connetteth a King to good life of the world the diuine loue of heaueÌ„ with such a liuely moouing discourse that the king receaued wonderfull great cofort thereat and returning againe to his pallace reformed his bad life euer after Manie other miracles are reported to haue been wrought by the meritts of this blessed sainct which exceede our breuitie to relate our discourse hasteneth now towards his death which as it could not come vnto soe holie man in an ill season soe it could not befall him in a better time then it did For the night before his departure hauing had a reuelation of that happie hower he made it knowne vnto the rest of his brethren who with bitter teares witnessed the sorrow they conceaued for the losse of soe good a father and entreated him to appoint one to succeed him in the gouernmeÌ„t of the Monasterie whereunto he willingly consented And on the morrow hauing celebrated The mannâ—r of his death the holy Sacrifice of Masse and receaued the sacred bodie bloud of our lord standing yet at the aultar he sweetly rendred vp his blessed soule into the hands of his deare redeemer without anie apparance of sensuall paine at all After which quiet separation his bodie by the hands of his brethren was reuerently committed to a poore house of clay in the earth and his vnspotted soule freed from her terrene habitation was coÌ„ueyed into the heauenly court of allmightie God by a Sacred Conuoy of celestiall spiritts He florished about the yeare of our lord 459. and died the third day of March in the first weeke of Lent His holy reliques were translated afterwards to S. PETERS Abbey of Benedictin Monks in the cittie of Gaunt in Flanders The memorie of which translation is celebrated the first day of August His life is found written by Joannes Anglicus JOHN Capgraue and other auncient manuscripts sort downe by SVRIVS on t of which me haue gathered it VSVARD MOLANVS doe make mention of him The life of Sainct OWEN Confessor and Monk of the holy Order of S. Benedict MAR. 4. Out of venerable Bede de gest Ang. SAINCT OWEN being chief steward of the royall familie of S. ETHELDRED wife to Egfrid King of the Northumbers encreased so excellently in the feruour of vertue that forsaking that princely seruice and all the pleasures and riches he enioyed in the world he putt on poore apparell and went to the monasterie of Lesting where the holy Bishop S. CHAD then liued He brought nothing with him but an axe in his hand to shew that he came not to the monasterie He forsaketh the world to liue idlely as manie doe but to gett his liuing by the labour of his hands which afterwards by his great industrie he prooued for hauing receaued the habitt of a Benedictin monk in the same place by how much his want of learning did disfurnish him of abilitie to meditate on the misteries of the holy scriptures by soe much the more he employed and applied his whole endeauours to serue the monasterie with the labour of his hands But when the holy Bishop S. CHAD remooued his seate to Lichfield he tooke this holy monk along with him and iudged him worthie to be one of those eight whom as we haue sayd in his life he made his more familiar companion in that little retiring place of his deuotions which he built neere adioyning vnto the Church for his more priuate exercise of pietie There S. OWEN being for reuerence and respect of his deuotion numbred a mongst the other brethren when the rest were earnestly busied at their prayers and meditations he laboured abrode in making prouision of such things as were necessarie He was a man of verie great meritts and one who had left the world with a pure intention sincere desire of the eternall reward promised to such as follow the footstepps of CHRIST and his Apostles And therefore he His guift of reuelation was esteemed of allmightie God to be in all things most worthie to whom he might more peculiarly reueale his heauenly secrets being for his sinceritie most worthie to be beleeued in his relations For this cause the glorious vision of the Angelicall troupes which came from heauen with their melodious tunes to bring newes of the neere-approching death of S. CHAD was shewed vnto this holy Monke as he laboured without when the holy Bishop was at his prayers within This you may reade in the life of S. CHAD the second of March And this only testimonie of alimightie Gods particular fauour vnto this holy sainct may serue for a sufficient proofe of his great vertue and sainctitie who after the death of the holy Bishop hauing long exercised him self in the execution of his His happie death pious vocation left the world the second time to receaue an euerlasting reward in heauen for hauing renounced it at first and yielded vp his pure soule into the hands of his most deare redeemer Thus much of him we haue gathered chiefly out of S. BEDES-historie of England Trithemius in his third booke and 118. Chapter of the illustrious men of S. BENEDICTS order and Arnold Wion in his Appendix to his Martirologe doe both make worthy mention of him What day he died it is not knowne The life of Sainct PIRAN Bishop and Confessor MAR. 5. Written by Joannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue SAINCT PIRAN borne in Jreland of a noble race for the loue of God contemned the riches of the world and became an Hermite in the same countrey leading the space of manie yeares a very strict and rigid manner of life by which and his concontinuall preaching and working of manie miracles he drew diuers out of the blindnes of Idolatrie to the true fayth of CHRIST He was His vertuous life wonderfull sparing in his diet continuall in watching and prayer and from his very childhood to the hower of his death allwaies employed in reading teaching practising the workes of charitie humilitie coÌ„tinencie all other vertues Being made Priest he omitted noe dutie belonging to that dignitie feeding the hungry cloathing the naked instructing the ignorant restrayning froÌ„ vice moouing to vertue At length he departed out of Jreland came into that part of England called Cornwall where with some others in a poore little habitation he prepared himself for death the hower whereof being The manner of his death partly by a grieuious sicknes of which neuer in his life he had tasted before and partly by a diuine inspiration made knowne vnto him he caused his graue to be opened and entring him self into it yielded vp his blessed soule out of that house of clay to be carried vpp to the neuer dying ioyes of heauen in the glorie of a great light and splendour that appeared at the same
learned men that zealed the Truth and good of the Benedictine Order to make a most exquisite and strict search into the monuments and bowells of antiquitie and finding that the opinion of Baronius was but a child that could by no meanes pretend anie title or right of descent from Authours of former ages they soe learnedly solidly and manifestly made the contrarie assertion appeare to the world to witt that sainct GREGORY was indeed a monk of sainct BENEDICT that that which before lay as it were buried in antiquitie and not thought on receaued for a truth but not talked on knowne of all but commended but off a few became more conspicuous to the world more glorious to the Benedictine Order and more famously treated off throughout the whole Church soe that the new opinion of Baronius serued but as a foyle more cleerly to sett forth the veritie of sainct GREGORIES being a Benedictine Monke and to make the world take better and more particular notice that soe great an Ornament of the vniuersall Church had been brought vp in the schoole of sainct BENEDICT But that we may take away all further difficultie in this matter let great sainct GREGORIE him self tell vs what Order he professed for surely no man can say but he is a iudge without exception and one whose authoritie is able to weigh downe more then I will name of such as write against vs. In his commentarie on the bocke of Kings writing to his Monkes and Nouices he vseth in manie places the expresse words of sainct BENEDICTS Rule and applies them to expound the holy text or rather makes vse of the text it self to coÌ„firme the precepts of the Benedictine Rule and there in citing the words of the same Rule he stileth our holy Father Lâ—b 4. comm in 1. Pâ—g c. 4 sainct BENEDICT with the title of Arctissimae vitae Magister optimus summae veritatis discipulus eruditus The best Master of the most strict life and a learned Disciple of the highest veritie Whereby it is manifest that sainct GREGORIE in proposing here the Rule and masthership of sainct BENEDICT vnto his Monkes for a patterne of their life and gouernment doeth acknowledge him self and them to be children of the same sainct BENEDICT whom he calleth his and their Best Master of strict regular life For yf he and his monkes were Basilians or Equitians or of anie other Order why doeth he not rather propose vnto them their Rules and call S. BASILL and Equitius their Best Master Were it not a thing strainge and against all rule for a Superiour of Franciscans or Dominicans to propose in a speech to his subiects the obseruance of the Rule of saint IGNATIVS and call him the Best Master of their Religion and profession omitting to make anie mention of his owne Patrones sainct FRANCIS or sainct DOMINICK Surely yf sainct GREGORY had been a disciple vnto Equitius as Baronius faynes he could not haue beene soe vnmindfull of the Father of his monasticall religion as to preferre sainct BENEDICT before him with the title of the Best Master of regular discipline and to propose his Rule to be obserued by his Monkes and not once in all his workes to make the lest mention of the Rule of sainct Equitius But how could he when neuer anie such rule hath euer yet appeared vnto the world But of his Best Master sainct BENEDICT he maketh such honourable and large mention that hauing dispatched the life of saint Equitius in one short chapter of his Dialogues he filleth a whole booke with the life vertues and miracles of our glorious Father sainct BENEDICT whose Rule he confirmed preferred before all others to shew the abundance of loue which he bore vnto him whom he stileth the Best Master of his monasticall life It would be too long to sett downe here all the places of our holy Father's saint BENEDICTS Rule which this great Doctour of the Church S. GREGORIE expoundeth to his Monkes in the aboue cited CoÌ„mentarie on the booke of Kings It sufficeth for our purpose that he acknowledgeth S. BENEDICT for his Best Master and proposeth his Rule to be obserued by the Monkes of his Monasterie For what more manifest proofe can there be to shew that both he and the Monkes his subiects were all children of the Benedictine Order and that sainct AVGVTINE our Apostle and his fellow-monkes preachers were professouâ—s of the same Rule and Religion Thus much good Reader I haue thought good to insorme thee in this poynt not because the truth of the cause I defend did want anie such proofes but because there are some soe willfully blind in the opinion of Baronius that they doe yet striue against the whole streame of antiquitie and ancient Authours and seeke to maintaine his noueltie Against whom If thou chaÌ„ce to encounter anie such thou art here sufficiently instructed to be able to speake some thing for the truth in this matter And doe not thinke that in disputing this poynt against a man soe worthyly deseruing of the Church as the most illustrious Cardinall Baronius we doe it with intent to lay an aspersion of disgrace on his glorie God forbid for the defence of the truth can disgrace noe man and especially him who in sayling through soe huge an Ocean as his Annalls are could not chose but erre in some things lest the world should haue taken him for some thing aboue the common sort of mortall men To conclude we see that the greatest part of our English SAINCTS are knowne allsoe to haue been of the holy Order of S. BENEDICT as it appeares in the ensuing treatise of their liues For the Catholick religion being first planted in England by the labours of S. AVGVSTINE his fellow-Monkes who were all Benedictines that holy Order was allsoe soe happyly rooted in the whole countrey and soe manie learned and holy men were bred and brought vp in the same that the whole English Church was gouerned by the Professours thereof and replenished with great store of SAINCTS of both sexes of the Benedictine familie there being noe other Rule of regular life but S. BENEDICTS on foote in England for the space of aboue seauen hundred yeares after the coÌ„uersion of it to the Christian fayth Noe wonder then that the Benedictine Religion in England was the mother of soe manie and soe great SAINCTS Their liues and of all others I haue endeauoured to sett forth briefly with as great care as I could desiring thee for whose comfort I haue taken this paynes to weigh the faults yf anie thou chaunce to find in the ballance of good will and soe thou shalt not only encourage me to goe forward in this and a greater worke then this but allsoe oblige me to remayne thy friend desiring no other reward for my labours but thy prayers vnto these glorious SAINCTS that I may in the end be made participant of their heauenly companie In the meane time wishing thee the like happines I
out like soe manie madd things terribly amazed at such an vnusuall accident And the captaine blasphemer of all the Host blinded not only in corporall sight but in mind too began to curse both God and man This miracle published by the clamours of that blind companie drew all the neighbours and a great part of the cittie thither to be spectatours of that miraculous tragedie At length some friends of the Host tooke vp poore Sweder out of the durt and brought him before that blinded crew When it was a rare spectacle to behold seauen blind men for soe manie they were fall downe vppon their knees and with blind teares craue pardon of him whom them selues had made soe dumb that by word of mouth he could not answer their petition but by signes and by signes he did withall perswading them by writting to forsake their Idolatrie and vse meanes to goe along with him to Werdt where at S. SWIBERTS Are restored to sight at S. Swiberts ToÌ„b tombe they should vndoubtedly recouer theyr former sight On the morrow they tooke their iourney towards Werdt in a waggon accompained with the Hosts wife and some of his kinsfolks who brought with them the loaues turned into stones Being all come to the holy tombe Sweder made a mentall prayer to the holy sainct recommending him self and those wretched soules to his pietie Vnto whom as he prayed S. SWIBERT visibly appeared and annointing his mouth with a strainge oyntment he perfectly recouered him to his speech most deuoutly breaking out into the lowd prayses of allmightie God and his Sainct When the blind men heard the yong man speak and prayse SWIBERT for the recouerie of his language they began to conceaue greater confidence to haue their cause heard and therefore earnestly imploring the help of CHRIST and his blessed Sainct presently they had their fight miraculously restored to the great ioy and admiration of their friends that were present The loaues of bread or rather the stones of bread they left at the sepulcher in memorie of the miracle as trophies of SWIBERTS glorie And they them selues staying there three daies were conuerted to the fayth and baptised and by that meanes cured of a double blindnes But returning to their owne towne againe their clâ—ere seeing was cause that manie Pagans were made to see their owne blindnes and forâ—ake their Idolatrie God graunt that this example may soe withold our dayly contemners of Gods Saincts from their wicked practise of blasphemie that seeing their owne errours they may giâ—e due honour to God and his Saincts in whom he is allwaies glorious and wonderfull Amen In the yeare of our lord 803. S. SWIBERT was canonized by Pope Leo the third then present in person at Werdt and eye-witnesse of some miracles done togeather with the Emperour Charles the Great who gaue manie rich guifts vnto the monasterie And the feast of his Canonization and exaltation of his holy bodie is celebrated in Germanie on the fourth day of September Besides the foresayd S. MARCELINE S. LVDGER Bishop of Mounster in an epistle written to RIXFRID Bishop of Vtreieght maketh worthy mention of S. SWIBERT and reciteth manie miracles done at his tombe Allâ—oe S. BEDE lib. 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 TRITHEMIVS of the famous men of S. BENEDICTS order 3. book chap. 165. BARONIVS tom 8. 9. HARPSFIELD saec 8. cap. 4. the ROMAN Martirologe and others dâ—e largely speake his prayses The life of Sainct DAVID Bishop and Confessor MAR. 1. Written by Kentigerne Bishop S. DAVID borne of the noble race of auncient Brittanes and vncle to famous Prince Arthur was reuealed vnto S. PATRICK Apostle of Ireland thirtie yeares before his birth Being brought vp from his infancie in pietie and learning he was a child of soe great towardnes that he farre excelled all his fellowes in both His masters were S. ILTVTE and one Pauline both famous men in vertue and learning whose footstepps like a good scholler were soe faythfully imitated by this worthy youth that he not only paraleld them but in his time went far beyond them both in the discipline of diuine religion and secular learning He kepp close in the studie of holie His studie of holy scripture scripture for the space of tenne yearâ—s before he would presume to make him self publick to the world in the instructioÌ„ of others When at length like a fayre ship laden with the balast of a well grounded vertue and fraught with the treasure of admirable knowledge and learning he floted with full sayles ouer the world with the fauourable wind of great fame and renowne dayly manuring the sacred vineyard of our lord and sounding the hearts of his people with the feruent and florishing eloquence of his exhortations and sermons By which and his vâ—matchable pietie he vtterly ruined dissolued He vanquisheth the Pelagian horesie and extinguished the rebellion of the Pelagian heresie which in those dayes began to take head cleerly purged all the stinking dregs and corruption thereof out of the hearts of that people That we may boldly say he was sent into this world by the particular prouidence of allmightie God whoe allwaies hath care of his faythfull flock to be such a Pastour thereof who with his admirable and allmost incredible workes and miracles should preserue and deliuer his Church from the diabolicall infection of this pestiferous heresie II. Amongst other worthy schollers and followers of his learning and vertue the most famous were these Saincts Aidan Paternus and Thâ—lian whoe endeauoured as farre as they were able to perfect them selues by his holy manner of life vertues With these he trauelled ouer the countrey allwaies preaching and teaching the poeple as he went He built manie monasteries for the habitation of such as desired to liue a more retired life At the place now called Glastenburie he built a Church new from the ground And coming He built Glasteuburie Church thence to Bath he cured the infection of the waters thereabouts and with his holy prayers and benediction gaue them a perpetuall heate and made them verie healthfull aâ—d souueraigne for manie diseases euer after as to this present day is experienced to the wonderfull comfort and commoditie of all England Coming at length with his coÌ„panie which was no small one to Meâ—eâ—ia in Pembrookshire he began to build a monasterie in that place farre froÌ„ all worldly tumults meaning to make it his principall abode whilst he remayned in this mortall life But the deuill who from the beginning was an enuious hinderer of monks and monasteries stirred vp a wicked member of his a Tiran of that countrey called Baia with A Tiran plotteth his death his complices to putt the holy man and his companie to death And by the way as they went to the execution of this mischief he and his fellowes were suddenly shaken with such cruell feauers that they were not able to performe theyr wicked intentions When in the meane time the wife of this ring leader
encreased dayly with his age carrying him self with great humilitie and submission towards all And whatsoeuer honour dutie or curtesie was shewed vnto him He taketh the minor orders he wholly ascribed to the grace of the doers and not to anie merits or deserts of his being most readie to serue others and most vnwilling to accept others seruice towards him self In the meane time he is persuaded by his friends to range him self into the seruice of the Church and take vppon him the Lesser Orders Which willingly he did thereby to be able more freely to frequent the Church to light the candles to serue the Priest at Masse to reade and sing in the office and doe other inferior duties belonging to the diuine seruice All which with great deuotion he performed allwaies despising the vaine pleasures of the world He escheweth worldly vanities auoyding the toying sports of yong men delighting in the discourses of his elders carefully nourishing the poore and most diligently busying him self in the workes of pietie and vertue And when at anie time he was inuited by his fellowes in yeares to recreate with them in worldly vanities he was wont to excuse him self with his employment about such and such Church-affaires and that he must necessaryly looke before hand ouer these and these Anthimes and Lessons that were to be sung or sayd in the diuine seruice Thus this yong seruant of God did both keepe him self pure from the contagion of the world and by propounding a reasonable excuse gaue scandall to none nor suggested anie cause His pious exercises wherein they might offend God His only chiefe studie and labour was in prayer meditation in reading holy bookes to adhere allwaies to Allmightie God to carrie him euer in his mind reloycing to find out anie thing that was pleasing to his diuine goodnes Whence it came to passe that he obtayned the grace both to search out diuine things and trusting in the dayly consideration of God auoyded all spott of sinne Soe that being become neere and familiar with God he became allsoe most deare and acceptable to all that liued deuoutly in God IV IN the meane time hearing the fame of the venerable Athelme He goeth to the Archbishop of Canturbury Archbishop of Canturbury who was vncle and seeing the manie allurements of the world to be dangerous blocks in a yongmans way that was desirous to walke in the hard pathes of vertue hauing obtayned the good leaue of his parents he went to Canturbury and setled him self vnder the conduct of that vertuous Prelate Athelme percauing the rich mine of vertues that lay hid in the mind of his godly Nephew recommended him to King He liâ—eth piously in the kings court Ethelstane to be by his royall authoritie and fauour protected froÌ„ the aduersities of the world and aduanced in the pious way of vertue The king receiued him very curteously and held him in greater esteeme then manie of his courtiers desired for Enuie is the ordinarie fruit that growes at Court. Then DVNSTAN allbeit he were conuersant in the pallace of a terrene King yet did he nothing swerue from his exercise and resolution of true religion and vertue but by how much he preceaued him self to walke more dangerously amongst the occasions of vice by soe much he endeauoured more strongly and carefully to keepe him self vp from falling And knowing idlenes to be sworne enemie to the soule he applied him His practicall exercises self to diuers honest practicall labours the exercise where of might keepe him doing and the diuersitie auoyde teadious loathing For in the art of writing painting engrauing in wood or bone and working in gould siluer or iron he soe excelled that he was an admiration to manie Moreouer by his skill on musicall instruments he wonne not only him self but the minds of manie others from the turbulent affayres of the world to the meditaâ—ion of the heauenly harmony And for these faculties he was frequented of manie vnto whom his charitie was such that he would denie nothing that was demaunded But labouring once in these mechanicque arts for a deuout Matrone that had sett him on worke Note a strange thing his violl that hung by him on the wall of its owne accord without anie mans helpe distinctly sounded this Anthime GandeÌ„t in Câ—lis anime sanctorum qui Christi vestigia sunt secuti quia pro eius amore sanguinem sâ—â—m fuderant ideo cum Christo gandent in eternum Whereat all the companie being much astonished turned their eyes from behoulding him working to looke on that strange accident Amongst whom only DVNSTAN vnderstood the sound of those words and what they intended which was that yf he desired to liue for euer with CHRIST he ought not feare when necessitie vrged to shed his bloud for his sake and that his soule should not attaine to the ioies of heauen vnlesse he followed the footstepps of CHRIST our Sauiour Therefore he tooke this as a sensible lesson sent from God to teach him what he was to doe hereafter V. NOT long after manie of the Court that hitherunto had borne a kind of fayned frieÌ„dship towards him began now greatly He suffers in the enuie of detractors to enuie at his progresse and rising in goodnes vsing manie crooked back biting meanes to diffame his vertues with the black markes of Hipocrisie And the better to authorise their calumnie they brought in this that happened in the violl affirming it to haue been done by art magick What more this wicked rumour encreased dayly till the King and others of the Nobilitie taking hould thereof DVNSTAN grew odious in their sight Therefore he resolued to leaue the Court and goe to Elphegus surnamed the Bald then Bishop of Winchester who was his cozen Which his enemies vnderstanding they layd wayte for him in the way and hauing throwne him off his horse beate him and draged him in the durt The dogges defend him in most miserable manner meaning to haue slaine him had not a companie of mastiue-dogges that came vnlookt for vppon them defended and redeemed him from their crueltie When with sorow he was ashamed to see dogges more humane then they And giuing thankes to allmightie God he sensibly againe perceaued that the tunes of his violl had giuen him a warning of future accidents The neighbours running to the noyse tooke him out of the mire and brought him to a conuenient lodging VI. HENCE he went to the foresayd Bishop of Winchester who discoursing with him of the perfection of a Monasticall life easily perswaded DVNSTAN allreadie greatly inclined to a course He taketh the habit of S. Benedict of vertue and pietie to forsake the state of mariage which he intended and wholly to dedicate him self to an Ecclesiasticall course Therefore without delay he went to the famous Benedictiâ— Abbey of Glastenbury where he bid adiew to the world and putt on the holy habit of sainct BENEDICT And
the assistance of the Holy Ghost He neuer went to his studies but from his prayers and seldom to his prayers but from his studies For whatsoeuer time he had that was free from his dayly exercise of monasticall discipline and from the continuall care of watching singing and praying night and day in the Church he was wont wholly and most diligently to spend in the studie of good learning Whence it came to passe that with this diligence of a greedie witt he searched and pierced into the secrets of allmost all sciences For beginning His skiâ— in the liberall sciences from the first rudiments of learning he was most readie in the Greek and Latine tongues most elegant in Poetrie and Rhetorick most subtile in Logick and Metaphisick admirable in Astronomie and the Mathematicks most exact in Arithmetick and Church-accompts most conuersant in history and most excellent in all the liberall sciences Philosophie and Deuinitie In a word he exactly learned soundly vnderstood firmely retayned and cleerly taught all good arts and knowleges that I may boldly say that not only England but the whole Christian world in that age could find but few to him comparable and not one that went beyond him in learning This manie learned Historiographers doe testifie this his owne deeds and the bookes which he writt soe full of all good learning doe manifestly auouch III. To the age of thirtie yeares he liued vnder the tutorship and obedience of his masters the two forenamed Lights of Canturbury S. THEODORE and saint ADRIAN and S. IOHN surnamed of Beuerley bishop of Yorke all three bright ornaments of the Benedictine Order therefore the fitter vnder whom S. BEDE a Benedictine might suck the sweet milke of Religion and learning Afterwards being by the commaund of his Superiours made Priest he applied him self to teach and write And first at the intreatie of Acca Bishop and the desire of the Brethren of his Monastery he began to make commentaries vppon all the holy Scripture But let vs heare his owne most modest testimonie of him self and how sweetly the holy Ghost speakes in him let vs experience how finely his words come from him In the end of his Historie of England before the catalogue which he made of his owne workes he hath this ensuing epilogue which because it containes an abridgement of his whole life we doe more willingly sett downe Thus much sayth he I Bede the seruant of God and Priest of the S. Pedes testimony of â—â—mselâ— Monasterie of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul which is at Weremouth and Iarrow haue by the helpe of our Lord gathered of the Ecclesiasticall historic of the Britans and chiefely of the English nation according as I could learne it ether out of the writings of the Auncients or by the tradition of our Auncestors or out of mine owne knowledge Who being borne in the territorie of the same Monastery when J was seauen yeares old by the care of my friends and Kinsfolkes J was giuen to be brought vp to the most reuerend Abbot Bennet and afterwards to Ceolfrid and from that time spenaing my whole age in the same Monastery I applied all my endeauours to the studie of Scripture and betweene the obseruance of regular discipline and the dayly care of singing in the Church I was allwaies delighted ether in learning or teaching or writing But in the nineteenth yeare of my age I tooke deacons hip and the degree of Priesthood at the thirtith both by the ministerie of the most reuerend Bishop Iohn and the commaund of Ceolfrid Deacon at 〈…〉 teen Priest at thirue Abbot From which time of Priesthood receaued to the nine and fiftith yeare of my age I haue been carefull to make these brief annotations vppon the holy Scripture for the necessitie of me and my brethren out of the workes of the Venerable Fathers or to adde somewhat ouer and aboue to the forme of their sense and interpretation And hauing here sett downe the number of thirtie six volumes which he had written in seauentie eight bookes he addes these words And I beseech thee O good Iesus that on whoÌ„ thou hast mercifully bestowed to conceiue the words of thy wisedom and knowledge to him thou wouldest out of thy bountie allsoe graunt to come at length to the fountaine of all wisedom and for euer to appeare before thy face who liuest and raignest God world without end Amen Hereunto he addes an Epilogue to the Reader which worthyly setts forth his rare vertue of humilitie in these words I humbly entreate all of our nation to See his great humilitie whom the reading or hearing of this historie may arriue that they would often remember to make intercession to the supreme clemencie for my infirmities both of boâ—ie and soule c. Here our witt fayles vs and words are wanting not knowing whether to prayse first the great number of his bookes or the sweet modestie of his speeches that doubâ—lesse allmightie God had infused him with a large draught of his diuine wisedom to make him able to enrich the world with soe manie volumes in soe short a time a midst the continuall exercise of the monasticall rule and discipline of the monasterie IV. BVT now the fame of his learning was soe renowned and memorable that manie flocked vnto him as vnto an Oracle to learne Manie flock to his schoole the liberall sciences and to be instructed in the more difficult places of holy Scripture in soe much that the monasterie of Weremouth became an vniuersitie of learned Benedictine Monkes where all arts and sciences diuine and humane were taught And all by the meanes of saint BEDE in whom lay hid soe great a treasure of learning witt and wisedom that each one might take as much as he was able to comprehend and he remayne nothing poorer Others that could not in person consulted him by letters desiring the exposition of such hard questions of the Scripture as their owne vnderstanding could not reach to Nay soe famous and renowned was the The fame of his learning name of this holy Doctour that the Ocean was to weake a bound to contayne it it was blowne to the head of the world Rome whose loftie magnificence wanted the Counsell of our BEDE for the discussion of the more difficult points of religion But that he went euer to Rome I dare not auouch it is more probable that he did not but sure we are that he was sent for by Pope Sergius as this Epistle doeth testifie Sergius Bishop seruant of the seruants of God to the religious Abbot Pope Sergius his Epistle Ceolfrid health and Apostolicall benediction With what words or meanes can we prayse the clemencie and vnspeakable prouidencie of our God and giue him worthy thankes for his immense benefitts bestowed who bringeth vs that were seated in the darknes and shades of death to the diuine light of knowledge And a litle after Therefore because of some questions of
Ecclesiasticall causes risen which can no longer be left without examination we haue need of learned men to conserre with we exhort the godly and He is sent for to Rome beloued goodnes of thy pietie that as it becomes a deuout maintayner of our holy mother the vniuersall Church thou fayle not to leud obedient deuotion to this our desire but without anie delay send the religious seruant of God Bede the Venerable Priest of thy monastery to the shrines of the Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul thy louers and protectours and to the sight of my meaunes and by the grace of God and thy holy prayers thou needest not mistrust but that he will returne safely againe vnto thee after the celebration of the foresayd articles by the helpe of God are finished For we hope it will be profitable to all vnder thy charge whatsoeuer by his worth shall be made famous and imparted to the whole Church V. BVT doeth not this greatly redound to the prayse and honour of our saint BEDE that the Roman greatnes should desire his counsell in matter of learning who lay hid in a poore cowle and cloister in the farthest corner of the world Surely William De gest Reg. Ang. l. 1. c. 3. Malmesbury iudged aright when he calls him A man whom one may with more ease admire then worthyly prayse who borne in the furthest corner of the world dazeled all countreies with the lightning of his learning Nay more his writings were of soe reuerend esteeme and authoritie in the Christian world that during his life time first by the ordonance of an English Synod and afterwards the whole Catholick and Apostolick Church approouing it they were read and sung publickly in the Ecclesiasticall office a thing which after the Apostles and their immediate disciples was neuer graunted to anie of the auncient Fathers or Doctours of Gods Church And hence it was to omitt other fabulous Why he is called Venerable stories hereof that both in his life time and after his death he was qualified with the title of VENERABLE BEDE For his homelies being to be read in the Church he yet liuing and a title of the Author to be prefixed before the lessons as the manner is because they could not stile him Sainct Ante obitum nemo Supremaque funera faelix They worthyly adorned him with the name of VENERABLE eyther by reason of the singular grauitie and modestie of his cariage or else because that Pope Sergius in the aboue cited epistle qualified him with that Epithete And the same title grew soe vniuersally then in vse that to this present day he is commonly called thereby and it remaynes still prefixed to all his Homelies which are read or sung in the Church VI. SVCH then was the incomparable learning of this our famous Doctour of England Sainct BEDE who liuing in a Benedictine Six hundred Benedictine Monks in his Monastery Abbey in which were at that time aboue six hundred monkes he not only excelled them all and became a Master to them all but an amazement to the whole Christian world besides But what was BEDE soe eagerly bent to the studies of learning during the time of his life that he neglected the studie of vertue and pietie It can not be sayd For as an auncient authour doeth testifie aâ— his very first entrance into the lists of the sciences togeather with his yeares the grace of spirituall guifts encreased in his soule that with the spirit of wisedom vnderstanding he might receaue allsoe the spirit of the feare of our Lord where with chastising his bodie and bringing it into obedience to his mind he learned to Malmesb de reg lib. 1. cap. 3. possesse the vessell of the flesh in sanctification and honour Furthermore all doubt of the holines of his life is banished from humane thoughts by this irrefragable sentence which the Maiestie of diuine wisedom left to the world In animam maleuolam non introibit sapientia nec habitabit in corpore subdito peccatis Wisedom will not enter into a malitious soule nor dwell in a bodie subiect to sinne Which is not spoken of worldly wisedom that entreth indifferently into the harts of all men and in which oftentimes wicked persons and those that to the last gaspe set noe limits to their wickednes are found to excell according to that of our Sauiour The children of this world are wiser then the children of light But that the Wiseman calls wisedom which auoydes the faynednes of good discipline and which separateth it self from thoughts that are without the true vnderstanding of well-liuing and well-saying Whence it is that Quintilian rightly defined a true Oratour when he sayd Orator est vir bonus dicendi peritus An Oratour is a good man skillfull in speaking Therefore this our Ecclesiasticall Oratour saint BEDE did first purifie his owne conscience that soe he might worthyly attayne to a diuine knowlege to discouer the vnderstanding of the misteries of holy scripture For how could that man be subiect to vice who tasted the most inward marrow of those diuine writings and employed all the thoughts powers of his soule in the continuall explication thereof This his owne words doe proue when he sayth that his expositions Lib. 3. sup Sam yf they brought noe other profitt to the readers at lest they were anayleable to him in this that whilst he applied his whole studie thereunto he sett aside and auoyded the lightnes of the world and all vaine cogitations Therefore this holy man being free from all vice displayed the vayle of the hidden misteries and with a modest and deuout eloquence layd open to the world those diuine secrets which he had learned VII HIS custom was to be by his reading greatly enkindled to Trithem de vir illust l. 3. c. 155. deuotion and compunction which he oftentimes witnessed with bitter teares that flowed from him at his booke And after his reading and studie our pious Doctour betooke him self to his prayers hauing learnt that the way to attayne the knowledge of holy Scripture lay more in the grace of God then his owne forces O man worthy to be honoured of all ages who enriched the treasure of his mind with vertue and prayer and adorned the Christian world with learning Noe man euer saw him idle soe vehemently he burned with the loue of sacred studie and deuotion He had manie famous schollers whom he not only taught by his owne studie and example the secrets of all humane and diuine learning but which is the chiefest made them excellently perfect in religion and holy life He was a man in all things most worthy of prayse and according to his title VENERABIE in learning and good manners In charitie towards God and his neighbour most excellent admirable in deuotion and glorious in chastitie of life Of a decent and comly stature graue in his gate of a high voyce an eloquent tongue and a goodly aspect or