MOLANVS and GALESINVS in their Martyrologes make worthie mention of S. BRITHWALD S. BENEDICTVS BISCOP ABBAS PATRONVS Congregationis â—enedictinorum Angliae Jan. 12º The life of S. BENNET surnamed Biscop Abbot and Confessor of the holy order of S. BENEDICT IAN. 12. Written by venerable Bede his disciple THE GLORIOVS seruant of God S. BENNET by byrth descended from the auncient race of the nobilitie of England but the nobilitie of his mind was such as farre more deserued the fellowship and companie of the noblest and worthiest sort of the English nation He was borne in Yorkshire and in his youth followed the discipline of warre in the Royall seruice of Oswy king of the Northumbers from whose princely liberalitie he receaued as the reward of his faithfull seruice no small possession of lands His life during his youth meanes suteable to his degree and calling These for a time he enioyed till he attayned to the florishing age of twentie fiue yeares and then a diuine inspiration mouing him therevnto he forsoke left the world and fading worldly goods for loue of the eternall he despised the warre fare of these lower regions the vaine rewards thereof that seruing vnder the enseigne of our true King CHRIST IESVS he might receaue an euerlasting kingdom aboue He left his countrey house and kinred for the loue of CHRIST and his Ghospell that he might gaine the hundredfould reward he promiseth and possesse life euerlasting he refused to enter into worldly mariage that in the court of heauen he might be worthie to follow the holy lambe soe candid with the glorie of virginitie he loathed to be a carnall father of children being ordayned by CHRIST to His first iourney to Rome traine vp his children in the spirituall doctrine of heauen Hauing left therefore his countrey because the Christian faith and Ecclesiasticall discipline was yet but rawly established in England he went to Rome there as in the source and fountaine of all true religion to learne a perfect forme oflife where CHRISTS chief Apostles had planted the first and principall foundation and head of the whole Catholicke Church He visitted the sacred tombes of the Apostles with great deuotion vnto whom his loue was allwaies such as the teares now shed ouer their shrines were sufficient witnesses to prooue it excellent But he made no long stay at Rome but returned back into England where he was verie diligent and carefull to honour and as farre as he was able to practise him self and teach others those rules of Ecclesiasticall discipline at home which he had learnt and seene abroade II. ABOVT that time Alchifridus sonne to Oswy hauing a great His secoÌ„d iourney to Rome desire to goe to Rome to visitt the holy shrines of the Apostles would needes take that iourney with S. BENNET notwithstanding the earnest persuasions and entreaties of his father to stay at home Their iourney succeeded well and shortly after they returned in safetie againe during the time of Pope Vitalian When S. BENNET came not emptie but loaden with the sweetnes of good and wholesom doctrine as before which the better to digest after some He taketh the habitt of S. Benedict moneths he departed out of England and went to the Benedictin monasterie of Lirin in France where he tooke leaue of the world and putt on the monasticall habitt of the great Patriark of Monks S. BENEDICT and receaued the Ecclesiasticall tonsure In this pious schoole of regular discipline he liued for the space of two yeares very carefully learning and obseruing the rules of a true monasticall and religious life But noe sooner was he a litle hardened in the surnace of religion and made perfectly strong and able to resist the temptations and aduersities of the world but his loue to the Prince of the Apostles which it seemes lay buried at Rome serued as a loadstone to draw him thither againe And finding a fitt opportunitie of shipping he committed him self to that much desired iourney which most prosperously he performed It was at the time when Egbert King of Kent as we haue sayd in the life of S. ADRIAN had sent Wighart to Rome to be consecrated Archbishop of Canturbury But Wighart dieing and Theodore being made Archbishop in his steede S. BENNET found to be a man very wise religious and industrious allthough at that time otherwise determined was by commaund of the Pope compelled to cease from the deuotion of his pilgrimage to attend vnto imployments of a higher calling which was to returne into England with Theodore now Elect of Canturbury and S. ADRIAN Abbot to serue them both for a guide and an interpreter by the way and in England BENNET whose chiefest lesson was obedience most willingly yeelded to the Popes desire and brought the Archbishop into Kent where they were both gratefully wellcome Theodore a scended the seate of the Archbishoprick and S. BENNET vndertooke the gouernment of the monasterie of S. PETER and PAVL in Canturbury of which afterwards S. ADRIAN was made Abbot For S. BENNET hauing ruled there two His third iourney to Rome yeares entred into his third iourney towards Rome which he performed with his wonted prosperitie And at his returne he brought with him not a few bookes fraught with diuine learning all which he had eyther bought at an easie rate or receaued gratis from his friends Coming thus loaden into England he betooke him self to haue some conference with the King of the West-Saxons called Kenewalk whose courteous friendship he had made vse of before bin much assisted by his benefitts to him-wards But this good King being about the same time taken away by an immature death the holy man was frustrated of his desire and therefore he turned his iourney directly into his owne countrey where he was borne and went to Egfrid then King of the Northumbers To whom he made relatioÌ„ of all whatsoeuer he had done since he departed a yonge man out of his countrey neyther did he keepe secret from him how he was enflamed with a feruent desire of religion then he tould him whatsoeuer he had learned both in Rome other places touching Ecclesiasticall and monasticall order and discipline and what store of diuine bookes he had purchased and with what great reliques of the Apostles and Martyrs he had enriched his countrey At length the King liked him soe well and preuayled soe farre with him and gott soe great loue and familiaritie that he gaue him out of his reuenews the lands of three score and tenne families to build a monasterie in honour of the Prince of the Apostles S. PETER which S. BENNET with great ioy and speed performed in the yeare of our Lord 674. the fourth yeare of King Egfrid III. IN THE meane time before the foundation of the Church was layd S. BENNET went ouer into France and brought thence masons other skillfull workemen to build it of stone according to the Roman fashion which he euer loued And
certaine poore pilgrim his Chamberlaine being absent importunately asked him an almes in the name of God and S. IOHN He hauing nothing else in a readines gaue him a ring of great value of his finger Not long after two Englishmen going in pilgrimage to visitt the holy sepulcher at Hierusalem lost their way and wandered a long time throught strainge and vncouth places till the sunne goeing to sett the darksom night approached and encreased their ignorance soe that not knowing what to doe nor which way to turne there appeared a venerable graue old man that brought them to a towne hard by where they were receaued kindly and entertayned very sufficiently with diet and lodging The next morning as they were departing the same old man putt them in their right way and in takeing leaue of them Brethren sayd he be of good cheere and doubt not but you shall returne to your countrey in safetie for allmightie God will make your iourney prosperous and I my self for your good kings sake will haue care to direct you in all your waies For I am IOHN the Apostle who affect your King with all loue for his pure vertue of chastetie S. Iohn loueth him for his chastetie j which highly deserues it Take therefore this ring which he gaue me for an almes appearing in the habit of a pilgrim and deliuer it vnto him againe telling him withall that the time of his death drawes neere for six moneths hence I will visitt him and bring him where togeather with me he shall follow the lambe which way soeuer he goeth At these words he vanished away and Apoc. 14. v. 4. they hauing visitted the holy land returned safely into their countrey and related orderly to the King what they had seene and heard And in testimonie of all gaue him the ring which was afterwards kept with great reuerence as a holy relique in the great Church of Westminster and by vertue of it manie were cured of the falling sicknes and of the contractions of their limmes XXIII NOT LONG after the blessed man fell into a grieuous sicknes during which he was in such an extasie that for the S. Edw. in an extasie space of allmost two daies he lay without anie signe of life At length waking as it were out of a deepe sleepe he opened his eyes and sitting vpp in his bed spake to the attendants in this manner When in my youth I liued a banished man in Normandie I euer held the friendship and companie of good and vertuous persons as most deare and gratefull vnto me and chiefly those Monks and Religious men that excelled others in vertue and religion I obserued and with them I conuersed most familiarly among whom two Monks Benedictines had obliged me in the bands of charitie verle particularly vnto them by their honest His loue to Benedictine Monks conuersation their holy life their sweet behauiour and their affable and courteous discourse These I more frequently visitted their discourses being to my soule as sweet meates to my pallate And these being some yeares since translated out of this world to the ioyes of heauen I beheld in this my sleepe standing before my face rehearsing according to the will of God what shall befall this countrey after my decease They say that the wickednes of the English nation is growne soe full and to such a height that it prouoketh Gods wrath and hasteneth his His prophesie of England reuenge The Priests haue broken their couenant with God they handle the sacred misteries with polluted soules and defiled hands They are not true pastours but mercenaties that doe noe protect their flock but expose it to the deuouring iawes of wolues seeking only their owne priuate commoditie of the milke and the wooll neglecting the good of their sheepe that at last eternall death may iustly deuoure and swallow both sheepe and sheapheard in the bottomlesse pitt of hell The Princes allsoe and gouernours of the land are vnfaythfull companions of theeues and wasters of the countrey they neyther seare God nor honour the lawes men to whom truth is grieuous and burdensom righteousnes contemptible and crueltie delightfull soe that neyther the Prelates heare anie respect to iustice nor the subiects haue anie regard of good order and discipline And therefore our Lord And the comeing in of the Normans hath drawne his dreadfull sword he hath bent and prepared his bow to shoote-forth the arrow of his iust wrath and reuenge against this nation into which he will send a mission of wicked spiritts to whose power they shall be deliuered in one yeare and one day to be punished with fier and sword With that sighing and grieuing at the newes of this calamitie threatned against my wretched countrey ô yee witnesses of the heauenly secrets sayd I what if this people beiog conuerted from their wickedenes shall doe worthie works of penance will not God graunt thē pardon leaue his blessing among them Penance is of such force that it suspended the dreadfull sentence of death pronounced by Gods owne mouth against the Niniuites and allso differed Joan. 2. 3. Reg. 21. the imminent reuenge due to wicked Achab. Therefore I will perswade my people to doe penance for their offences past and carefully beware those to come and perhaps our Lord will be mercifull and not powre out these great calamities vppon them but with his wonted pietie will receiue them then returned vnto his seruice whom peruerted from him by their wicked life he was prepared to punish and destroy with this heauie iudgement No no replied they it will not fall out soe happily for the hearts of this miserable people are soe hardned their eyes soe blinded and their eares soe fast dammed vp against all goodnes that they will neyther hearken to anie correction nor vnderstand anie good counsell they are neyther with threats terrified from euill nor with benefits prouoked vnto good At these their words my grief and care encreasing What sayd I will our Lord shew his anger for euer will he not at last beginne to be more pacified When then shall ioyes succeed these soe manie miseries what comfort or consolation shall moderate Psal 76. these great aduersities What remedie is to be expected in these An obscure promise of Gods mercie towards England euills that as on the one side we are terrified and contristated at our future rebukes soe we may be a little comforted with the promise of the diuine mercie that followes them Herevnto the Saincts proposed vnto me this Parable When a greene tree cutt downe from the stock remooued three furlongs distant from his owne roote shall without the helpe of anie mās hand or by anie externall ayde returne againe to his owne roote and placing it self thereon shall resume iuice againe to florish and bring forth fruit then and not before some comfort may be hoped for in this tribulation and a remedie against the foretould aduersitie may be expected Hauing
blasphemous mouthes of Hereticks doe reiect as vaine superstitious and impious actions But farre otherwise did CHRIST his Apostles and SAINCTS teach both by words and deeds And what they thought and did can by noe other meanes be mamanifested but by the hystories of their liues Soe that both to conuince Heretiques and interpret the doubtfull Saincts liues the interpretation of Scripture and hard passages of holy scripture the Liues and examples of the SAINCTS doe greatly helpe Which made S. HIEROME call the Liues of SAINCTS the interpretation of holy scripture and S. AVGVSTINE say that the holy scripture treateth not only of the commaundements of God but alsoe of the liues and manners of the SAINCTS to the end that yf we chance at anie time to doubt of the true sense and vnderstanding thereof we way receaue light and instruction from that which they haue done For composing our liues and manners according to the imitation of the SAINCTS we need not feare falling into errour when we see how the supreme gouernour of all hath adorned them with manifest miracles and with euident signes declared that their Liues were gratefull vnto him Their liues therefore must allwaies serue vs as a mirrour besore our eyes therein to behould our owne vices Saincts liues a paterne for our actâ—â—s to learne to correct them and to looke vppon their heroicall vertues to endeauour to imitate them There the proud shall find how to become humble the hard-hearted how they may be mollified the cold how they may be warmed the tepid how they may be heated the pious and feruent of spirit how they may be more and more inflamed with the loue of heauen and in a word all of whatsoeuer age sex condition profession or calling may theÌ„ce reape sweet flowers of all kind of vertues documents of wholsom peanance and liuely examples of true pietie farre more efficacious to moue their minds to the practise of goodnes then the force of weake words only This S. AVSTEN affirmeth of him self This in times past manie noble Lords and Matrones of Rome did testifie who being all ether staggering in their faith or growing cold in charitie by only Hier. ad Marcell hearing of the most holy life of great S. ANTHONIE the Hermite were enflamed with soe great feruour of spirit and fier of deuotion that abhorring their former life and desiring euer after to slie all sinne and occa sions of sinne they bad adiew to the vaine world and the pompes pleasures thereof separated them selues from the conuersation and companie of men and applying their minds wholly to the diuine seruice followed the banner of CHRIST and his SAINCTS crucified their owne bodies togeather with all the vices coÌ„cupiscences thereof But not to these only but to manie others allsoe the same is read to haue happened in the like case Considering therefore and pondering oftentimes these things with my self I was much grieued that in Causes mouing the Authour to write these lines these lamentable times wherein our miserable countrey is afflicted spoyled and oppressed by heresie the Catholicks amidst these tribulations were depriued of the great profitt and consolation which they might receaue by the reading of the Liues of their SAINCTS because that eyther their workes were not written or yf they were written it was in such Authours that now are scarse to be found that in Latine which is not for the capacitie of the vnlearned I was noe lesse grieued allso that the SAINCTS them selues that heretofore were the ornaments and Lights of our countrey were now being vnknowne depriued of their part of that due honour which otherwise should haue beene done vnto them being made knowne For these reasons then and partly for myne owne priuate exercise but principally gentle Reader for thy consolation I haue here aduentured seeing noe better writer would take soe worthie a work in hand to trie my penne in behalf of our glorious SAINCTS and to sett forth though not as worthily as I should yet as truely and sincerely as I could the Liues of all the most renowned SAINCTS of our â—land of great Britaine and of the Iles thereunto belongingâ— and thereby I haue restored againe to all good Catholicks my Countreymen that which the cruell iniurie of the times had violently robbed them off and sought to haue buried in the darknes of perpetuall obliuion But because all workes that are exposed to the publick view of the world are exposed allso to the censure of diuers sortes of poeple diuersly affected I thought conuenient to set downe here some few aduertisemeÌ„ts aswell to preuent all occasions of misconstructions or cauills that might be taken in the reading of this treatise as allso to informe the well-inclined Reader against some doubtes or difficulties that may occurre in the perusing of the same First then because the most illustrious Cardinall Baronius a man that hath otherwise well deserued of the Baronius his mystake Church of God for his Ecclesiasticall historie doeth contrarie to the auncient and common opinion of the world robbe the Benedictine order of one of its greatest ornaments S. GREGORY the great and denie that euer he liued a Monke vnder the holy RVLE of the Great Patriarch of Monkes sainct BENEDICT and consequently affirmes that sainct AVGVSTINE and his fellow-Monkes whom he sent to conuert our countrey who were professed of the same Monasterie in Rome vnder sainct GREGORY were not of the same Order lest my Reader should chaunce to stumble vppon this new opinion which since hath been by manie famous and learned writers hissed out of the schoole of true Historie I will here for his better instruction briefly sett downe some few authorities of manie auncienter and later Authours then Baronius who doe all constantly asseuer the contrarie that is that both S. GREGORY him self and the Monkes he sent and made Apostles of England were indeed of the holy Order of sainct BENEDICT and not of I know not what Equitiam familie as Baronius pretends And omitting here to draw arguments from the auncient charters writings graunted to Monasteries euen in the time of sainct AVGVSTINE him self which all euidently conuince the same for a truth as of some you may reade in his life May the 26. I will first draw into the lists of this Combat that ornament of our Countrey sainct ALDELME Bishop of Sherburne who died aboue nine S. Aldelme against Baronius huÌ„dred yeares before Baronius was borne In his worke then which he writt in verse of the prayse of Virgins Virginitie hauing spoken much in commendation of out holy Father sainct BENEDICT whom he affirmeth to haue been the first that ordered the exercises of Monasteries and a monasticall life he maketh this epilogue to the paragraphe of sainct BENEDICTS prayses * Benedicti Huius alumnorum numero glomerantur ouantes Quos tenet in gremio facunda Britannia ciues A * Benedicto quo iam nobis Baptismi gratia
inuincible valour strength of bodie others iudged it a safer way to preferre ALFRED thereby to gaine the power of the Normans in that Richard then Duke of Normandie was hâ— vncle But the high and mightie ruler of all things p 〈…〉 t and fâ—ture foreseeing the short life of the one and the immature death of the other turned all their voices and consents to the châ—ldâ—nborne and mooued them to elect for their king an insant â—â—â—vard 〈…〉 as yet â—onâ—ayâ—eâ— in the weake cloisters of his mothers wombe sâ—e thâ—t the whom the land did not yet enioy was ordayned Lord Gorernor of the land and the nobles and Peeres with great ioy did sweare alleageance vnto him of whose birth they were ignorant and vncertaine But this vncertaintie was shortly after taken away by the happie and wished birth of king EDWARD soone after which the fuâ—â—rie of the Danes cruelly inuaded the realme of England spoyling and destroying a great part thereof with fier and sword which mooued king Ethelred to send the queene with her children into Normandie out of the reach of the Danish crueltie where our princely EDWARD S. Edward his vertues being a boy liued in his vncles house a child among others his equalls but allwaies free from such vices as that age is wont to bee inclined vnto He was chast of bodie sparing of his speach plaine in his actions pure in his affections He tooke great delight often to frequent Churches more often to be busied in his prayers to be present at the holy sacrifice of Masse to visit Monasteries religious houses and to enter into a strict league of friendship particularly with such monkes whom true vertue and Religion made worthie to be loued aboue others II. IN THE meane time the enemies sword committed such outrage The Barbarians waste England within the realme of England that all places were filled with slaughter and destruction nothing appeared that was not masked with the grimme vizard of sorrow lamentations clamours and desolation Churches were burnt Monasteries pulled downe and Priests chased out of their seates compelled to lie in secret and desert places to bewaile the coÌ„mon miseries of their countrey When among others the venerable man BRITHWOLD Bishop of Winchester as full of agonie as pittie greif and sorrow could make a pious heart retired to the Monastery of Glassenburie putting his whole confidence in prayers and psalmes to allmightie God Where as in great abundance he powred out his deuotions washt in teares for the deliuerie of the kingdom and people out of these calamities at length he burst out into such like words saying And thou 〈◊〉 Lord how long â—s 12. 43. 87. 〈◊〉 3. how long doest thou turne away thy face doest thou forgett our miseries afflictions They haue slaine thy Saincts destroyed thy aâ—ltars and there is none that can redeeme vs nor bring health vnto vs. I know ô Lord I know that whatsoeuer thou hast done vnto vs is by thy iust iudgement done But what wilt thou for euer cast vs off and wilt thou not beginne to be Psal 76. more pacified as yet When when ô my Lord God shall there be an end of these calamities Or will the sword of thy wrath for euer exercise his crueltie and make a generall slaughter among vs A vision shewed to Bish. Brith wold At length amidst these prayers and teares a sweet slumber seased on his sorrowfull senâ—es wherein as it were in a dreame he beheld the B. Apostle S. PETER seated in an eminent place and king Edward clad in Royall ornaments standing before him with an amiable countenance in most comly and decent manner vnto whom the holy Apostle hauing first with his owne hands consecrated and anneiled him King piously imparted some admonitions and precepts tending to the health and saluation of his soule aboue all things recommending vnto him a single life he reuealed how manie yeares he should raigne and gouerne the Kingdom The Bishop much amazed at this strange vision humbly craued of the Apostle to make knowne the misterie thereof vnto him desiring withall to vnderstand of the present state of the realme and to know his sentence touching the end of their instant miseries To whoÌ„ the Apostle with a pleasing countenance This kingdom said he is our lords who will raigne ouer the sonnes of men he it is that transferreth Dan. 2. kingdoms and chaingeth Empires and to punish the sinnes of the people giueth the gouernement to an hipocrite By sinne the people haue offended our Lord who hath deliuered them captiue into the hands of the Gentils and their hatefull enemies and strangers haue obtained soueraignâ—ie ouer them But God will not forgett to be mercifull neither in his ire will he containe his mercie from you And it shall Psalm 76. come to passe after thy death that our Lord will visitt his people and worke their redemption For he hath selected a man according to his owne heart who in all points shall fulfill his will pleasure and who hauing by my assistance obtained the kingdom of England shall sett a periode to the Danish furie He will be acceptable vnto God gratefull to men dreadfull to his enemies louing to his countrey profitable to the whole Church and at length shall conclude his worthy life with a most blessed and happie end But as the Bishop A Worthie commendation of king Edw. enquired further of Saint EDWARDS posteritie The kingdom of England answeared the holy Apostle belongeth vnto God himself who after this will prouide a king according to the diuine ordinance of his owne will and pleasure III. BVT as yet the furie of this Danish tempest continued and the waues thereof were exalted to the height of an insulting and imperious pride in so much that the common miseries of the land were much encreased by a ciuill discord inward iarring of mens minds amoÌ„gst them selues noe man knowing whom to trust with the secrets of his heart The whole Iland was full of traytours noe true faith to be found noe friendship but was scarred with suspition no coÌ„mon conference but was cloaked with deceitfull dissimulation Till at Canutus king of the Danes a ChristiaÌ„ of great piety chosen king of EnglaÌ„d ann 1016. the lawfull heires being reiected for the vniust murder of S. Edw. the martir halfbrother to Ethelred length the treason of the countrey the craft of the enemie preuayâ—â—ed soe farre that king Ethelred being dead most part of the realme â—or saking the lawfull heyres of their late king gaue vp obedieÌ„ce vnto Canutus that wroÌ„gfully had inuaded cruelly spoyled the kingdom and the mightie Edmond Jronside when he had valiantly ouerthrowne the Danes in three seuerall battles being at length by the treacherie of Eadrick Duke of the Mercians cruelly murdred his little children were taken out of their cradles deliuered to the pittilesse furie of the Barbarians to be slaine And ALFRED S. EDWARDS elder
speake a word He foretould vnto one of his brethren the hower of his death two dayes before which being at hand he caused them all to come togeather and exhorting them to the loue of patience humilitie and other vertues full of good workes and meritts he yeelded vp his blessed soule to receaue a crowne of iustice at the hands of the iust iudge the twelfth day of Ianuary in the yeare of our redemption 1166. during the raigne of Henry the second And in successe of time he was registred into the number of canonized Saincts This life is gathered chiefly out of IOHN CAPGRAVE or IOANNES ANGLICVS most of our English Historiographers doe largely speake his prayses The life of S. KENTIGERNE Bishop and Confessor IAN. 13. Written by Joscelinus LOTHVS the Heathen King of the Picts had a fayre daughter called Thamet who by the often hearing and attending to the preachings of Gods seruants the power of the diuine grace concurring therevnto was conuerted to the Christian faith This Thamet hauing been rauished by the lasciuious violence of a noble man of the court was in punishment of that faultlesse fault by His parents the lawes of the countrey and her owne fathers decree adiudged to be cast downe headlong from the toppe of a steepe hill soe to perish In the execution of which crueltie recommending her self to allmightie God and lifting vp her hands and eyes towards heauen for ayde she was throwne downe backwards but by the hand of him that saueth those who truly call vppon him she was deliuered from receauing anie hurt at all Which miracle her Pagan father ascribing to the power of art magick caused her presently to be putt into a leather boate and without eyther sayle or oare to be committed to the vncertaine conduct of the winds and waues But the allmightie protectour and ruler of the sâ—as brought her safe to an other port where she went on land and came at length to the towne of Elâ—e or Assaph in Flintshire His byrth and there she was deliuered of a boy who being baptised by Seruanus a holy man of that countrey was named KENTIGERNE Such was the byrth and parentage of this Sainct who allthough he may seeme to haue contracted some stayne of honour therein yet his worthy manner of life soe cleerly washt away all spott of anie such imputation that for true vertue life and learning he became an example to be sett in ballance with anie holy man of those times His youth was first trained vp in the vertuous schoole of Seruanus vnder whom he profitted in a short time beyond all his other schoole fellowes both in learning and vertue purchasing by his owne towardnes such a singular loue with his good master that he was wont to call him Munghu that is most deare friend and by that name he was euer after honoured and called vppon by the people of that countrey in their deuotions vnto him But the malice of enuious persons who because they could not attaine began to hate soe great goodnes foreing him to depart from his master Sernanus he went into Scotland to a place called Glasghu where he led a His anstere life and pennance very austere and holy life In his poore cloathing and diet he bore the true patterne of an other IOHN BAPTISTE His cloathes were made of goate-skinnes he would fast oft times without tasting anie meate the space of three dayes neyther would he then seeke after dainties but was content to eate such things as first came to hand He abstained from flesh and wine perpetually His sleepe was verie litle which when nature compelled him vnto he tooke lieing along in a hollow stone with a great stone vnder his head in steed of a pillow To this austerie he added the rudenes of a shirt of hayre-cloathe which he allwaies wore next his skinne And in this pouertie did he trauell ouer that countrey preaching teaching and conuerting great multitudes of people of the faith till at length by He is made Bishop the common consent of the King and Clergie but much against his owne will he was exalted to the sacred dignitie of Bishop in the sea of Glasghu Which honour nothing altered him in his rigid and strict kind of life but rather serued as a spurre to encrease his wonted austeritie II. HE WOVLD walke abroade allwaies in his albe and stole with his crosier-staffe in his hand which allthough it were but of plaine wood yet he was if I may so call him a golden Bishop shining His manner of prayer mortification to the world with great examples of charitie and good workes Euerie night after a short refreshing of sleepe he would goe naked into the cold water and in that manner recite ouer the whole Psalter and this custom he allwaies obserued in despight of winters frost and snow vnlesse his sicknes or some other necessarie iourney did hinder him and then he would make amends with some other spirituall exercise Soe entierly had he mortified and deadened in him self all the lafciuious instigations and motions of the flesh that as he would often tell his disciples he was noe more prouoked to lust at the sight or touching of the fayrest woeman in the world then in the cold embracing of a hard stone Often times whilest he preached there appeared a white doue ouer his head with a beake as it were of gould Euerie lent he would segregate His obseruance of Lent him self from all companie and liue in some desert place eating noe other food but herbes and rootes On Maundie thursday he was wont for the exercise of his humilitie hauing gathered a companie of poore people and leapers togeather to wash their feete with water his owne teares in the meane time concurring therevnto and hauing wiped and dried them first with a towell and then with his owne kisses he would attend on them at table with all submission and diligence On good Friday in memorie of our Lords Passion he spent allmost the whole day and some part of the night in scouâ—ging chastising his bodie with sharpe whipps and stripes vntill his owne nakednes did blush at this his piously cruell pietie On holy Saturday or Easter Eue excepting the time of the diuine office he allwaies lay hid in a certaine graue or sepulcher within the ground in contemplation of our Lords passion and punishing him self with stripes till the hower of our Sauiours resurrection the next morning By his preaching he reduced the infidels oâ— his diocese vnto the Catholick faith and with the force of his sacred doctrine he reduced all Apostates and hereticks to the safe bosome of our holie mother the Church he demolished all diabolicall Idolls built some Churches allotted certaine limitts and bounds vnto Parishes and where soeuer he trauelled in this spirituall trafick to gaine soules he would not make his iourneies on horse back but allwaies on foote as did the Apostles And lest he might seeme to eate his
side of the riuer and came ouer to the banke where he sate into which he entred with his companion and without anie sayle or oare they were both wafted ouer in a moment Hauing performed this pilgrimage he returned to the place of his beloued solitude where by the instigation of the deuill the fierbrand of all mischief he endured most vehement tentations of the flesh that grew soe strongly vppon him as often times he wished rather to suffer death it self then soe painfully to struggle and fight against those importune allurements To encrease these vexations the Monke that was gardian or ouerseer of the Iland did often treate him with very sharpe language casting to his teeth manie contumelious and disdainfull speeches till at length admiring the wonderfull humilitie ioyned to the continuall pietie and deuotion of the man he threw him self prostrate at his feete and with weeping entreaties humbly craued pardon for his temeritie The holy man with great ioy taking him from the ground quickely pardoned whatsoeuer he had committed against him and from thence forth their minds were euer after vnited in the band of true loue and charitie III. IN THE meane time messengers are sent from his parents His frieÌ„ds endeuour to recall him but in vaine who earnestly desire him to voutchafe to come ouer and visitt his natiue countrey friends and kinsfolkes which he vtterly refused to doe stoutly affirming that for the loue of CHRIST and hope of eternall life he had quite forsaken his countrey and whatsoeuer else was deare vnto him therein and therefore to returne to it againe were to incurre that hard censure of CHRIST Whoesoeuer layeth his hand to the plough and looketh back is not worthy of the Kingdom of heauen They replied that Luc. 9. v. 62. in his owne countrey there were manie desert and solitarie places much fitter for his purpose then this which did expect him and should be at his free disposition Hereat being mooued with a naturall loue to his owne countrey he gaue some eare to their peaswasions but differred to giue them his absolute resolution till the next morrow promising in the meane time to doe whatsoeuer should be pleasing and acceptable vnto God The night following musing and pondering manie things in his mind and being wholely ignorant and vncertaine what course to take he had recourse vnto allmightie God beseeching him with prayers washt iâ— the streames of his owne teares to inspire what would be most acceptable vnto his diuine goodnes for him to doe WheÌ„ as he prayed he heard a voice seeming to come from the Crucifix before him that forbad him to depart froÌ„ this solitude but couragiously to hold on in the course he had begunne promising a crowne of glorie for the reward of his labours and perseuerance Then falling prostrate See the force of his pious resolutioÌ„ on the ground giuing thankes vnto allmightie God he desired that he would giue him such an impediment as should hinder and retaine him there allthough he were desirous and willing to depart He had his desire for as he gaue him self to sleepe being wearied with the instancie of his watching and prayer he was suddenly strucken as it were with a sword that made him breake of his sleepe scarse well begunne and putting downe his hand he felt him sâ—lâ— wounded with a most grieuous payne on his knee which growing daily worse and worse grew at length to a mightie vlcer out of which euery day ranne great store of corrupted matter with such a stench as it was insufferable to those that came neere him insoemuch that the messengers that came to fetch him thence returned well inough satisfied supposing that his friends allbeit he were willing would not desire the companie of a creature soe loathsome as now he was IV. NOTWITHSTANDING all this the holy man liued by the labour of his owne hands and continued his daily worke in tilling his little peece of ground which as he digged he was glad to sustaine his owne vnablenes by the help of a staffe When he waxed wearie of working he wouldsitt him downe on a stone to rest and expose his A strainge example sore to the face of the sunne with the heate whereof the corrupted breed of the hidden filth therein which was great store of creeping wormes would sallie or issue forth but see the wonderfull patience oâ— this holy man as they sell to the earth he would gather them vpp againe and restore them to their former possession saying Returne returne and consume the impure origine of your owne nature whose inheritance you are Allmightie God graunted to his tilling of a barren peece of ground an incredible encrease of fruict from the little earth he had and an encrease of patience vnto him self for by how much the more sharply and miserably the force of his grief did pearce into the strength of his bodie with soe much the more alacritie of heart in the anguish of his tribulation did he allwaies giue thankes vnto his Maker and referre him self to the disposition of his diuine will and prouidence V. THIS Blessed Hermite was soe illuminated by God that he was wont to see and foretell not only things present and at hand His guift of farresoeing foreseeing but alsoe such as passed a farre off and were but in future For as once the Monke Guardian of the Iland came into his oratorie he found him prostrate before the altar powering out a floud of bitter teares which seemed to betray some great anguish of mind of whom the Monke demaunded the cause of his sorrow he looking vppon him with a blubberd face made this answere My owne brother sayd he by the crueltie of malignant people is murdered within my Fathers owne land and our Lord hath priuiledged and licenced Prayers and penance for the dead me to doe worthy penance for his soule Therefore my beloued master be you a publisher of this my woe vnto the Religious and others of your knowledge that by the helpe of your prayers suffrages and almes-deeds he may be found worthy to receaue absolution from the paines that his sinnes deserue VI. ONE THAT some dayes before had bestowed a towell vpon him came againe to visitt him to whom the Sainct Hast thou as yet sayd he pacified the wrath of thy angrie wife whose discontent was soe violent against thee for the small guift bestowed vppon me Here take it againe and giue it her if that will make her patient with thee hereafter Thus would he obiect and reueale vnto manie that came vnto him those things which they thought to be most hidden and secret as directly as if he had seene all with his corporall eyes and of their secret faults he would sharply reprehend them to the great wonder and admiration of the doers VII AT LENGTH when like an other Job in the continuall suffering of his lothsome grief being alone in his poore cottage without the assistance of anie man
shutt yet his sweete speeches yeelded the sound of a kind of heauenly harmonie to the eares of his hearers The fame of his sanctiâ—ie is discouered III. WHILEST thus the holie man exercised him self in the discipline of a rigid-deuout life knowne only to the allseeing deitie he brake forth at length to the knowledge of the world like a fayre morning of good health and happines vnto his countrey For his coate of maile hanging downe somwhat below his knees with the rudenes thereof hindered him to kneele at such times and soe often as he desired whereof hauing admonished the knight his old master who was only priuie to this secret he demaunded his counsell therein The knight would haue persuaded him to send it to London to be cutt according to his desire But he being impatient of such delay and fearing thereby to lay open a gate to vaine gloire gaue him a payre of sheares and bad him in the name of God dispatch that worke with his owne hands The knight staggering in his obedience and iudging it to be dotage in the holy man that sett him on a taske as he thought quite impossible knew not what to say Be constant replied VLFRICK and feare nothing behold I goe to recommend this busines vnto God in the meane time endeauour confidently to finish this worke The one falls to his prayers the other endeauours with iron and steele to cutt iron and steele when both their labours tooke prosperous effect to the admiration of the one great ioy of the other For the knight Note a strainge miracle in his cutting worke seemed rather to diuide a peece of cloath then a peece of iroÌ„ with soe great facilitie the sheares ranne through that steelie garment But the holy man rising from his prayers before the worke was finished the knight was forced to hould his hands when VLFRICK coming to the window where he laboured asking how he had succeeded in his busines Well and prosperously sayd he hitheruÌ„to but now at thy coÌ„ming the sheeres turne edge are at a stay Be not mooued thereat replied the sainct but with the same sheeres finish thy work soe happily begun Then resuming his former coÌ„fidence with the like facilitie he went through the rest And from that time the holy maÌ„ in the strength of his owne fayth without anie sheeres pulled asunder the little rings of that part of his coate cutt off distributed theÌ„ charitably to all that desired by vertue whereof manie The parcels of his coate cure manie diseases diseases were cured according as it is recorded of the chaines of the holie Apostles PETER and PAVL and manie other Martirs But the Knight much amazed at soe great vertue sell prostrate at the holy mans feet whereat greatly coÌ„founded he lifted him vp coniuring him not to reueale that miracle as loÌ„g as he liued But the fame thereof grew soe famous that it could not be hidden when manie religious deuout persons were glad to enioy a ring of his iron coate whereby the glorie and sweet odour of his sainctitie was blowne ouer all parts of the Kingdom IV. WHILST our worthie champion of CHRIST thus noblie The deuils rayse warre against him fortified his mind with the armour of a generous vertue shewed soe great confidence in allmightie God and such incomparable rigour in chastising and afflicting his owne bodie and beating downe the dishonest rebellions thereof the common plotter and worker of all mischief to mankind greatly enuieing such rare goodnes assayled him on all sides with wonderfull troubles rude vexations and allmost mortall torments not inferiour to those raysed against S. HILLARION S. ATHONIE and other auncient Hermites to batter and beate downe the constancie of his vertuous mind and resolution Once those infernall spiritts appearing visibly in most horrid shapes with violence dragged him into the Church and round about the pauement thereof in great furie till by the vnexpected comming of a most reuerend Virgin he was relieued out of the hands of those hell-hounds whom she chased suddenly away He vnderstood afterwards that this was a holy Virgin of whom heâ— had made a commemoration in his Masse the same day An other time the holy man being sick his ordinarie enemie entred into the roome where he lay and casting a terrible looke vppon him with a staffe he had in his hand gaue him three great blowes on the head and departed And further it pleased allmightie God to giue the Deuil soe great power ouer his bodie that like an other Iob he infected his flesh with such horrid vlcers that his armes quite vpp to the shoulders became a loathesom spectacle rotten and full of vgly His wonderfull patience wormes and corruption All which as visitations sent from God he endured with infinite great pacience and ioy euer yielding humble thankes vnto his diuine goodnes that gaue him soe fayre an occasion of meritt in this world He was noe sooner recouered of this strainge maladie but the same engine of mischief cast his bodie into such an intolerable but inuisible heate of fier in soe much that he called for a Priest and beganne to recommend his soule vnto his creatour till after a while that hellish tormenter chainged that intollerable heate into a contrarie cold soe insufferable that euerie minute he expected with patience the disuniting of his soule from He ouercometh the vexations of the deuil his bodie But he triumphed ouer all these hellish afflictions and diabollicall temptations in the approoued armour of an vndaunted patience of minde and made all these occasions but stepps to clime the height of vertue and perfection by V. ONE Easter eue at night the hellish spiritt of vncleanes hauing cast the holy man into a deepe sleepe by a filthie dreame and illusion allbeit in a bodie drie and half dead triumphed ouer the frailtie of his flesh and caused him to suffer some such vncleannes as the weakenes of mans nature is subiect vnto in those occasions where vppon he became soe ouerthrowne with grief and sorrow of See a wonderfull example of humilitie mind that he pined away at his disastrous chaunce And on the morrow morning being Easter day he went into the Church where publickly before all the poeple present at that holy solemnitie he made open confession of what had befalne him and burst out into a miserable complaint of his mischaunce And woe be vnto me wretched VLFRICK sayd he whom mine enemies in reuenge of my sinnes haue this sacred night soe filthyly disgraced soe vnhappily deluded and soe vilely euerthrowne I confesse my offence vnto God and to you all desiring and hoping to obtaine pardon from his diuine goodnes by your good prayers and intercession Hauing in these and such like words proclaymed his misfortune he returned sorrowfull to his cell Which his wonderfull deiection and humilitie of mind wherein he nether spared his owne shamefastnes nor the diminishing of that renowned opinion
of mischief comes crying after them with newes of greater miserie that an infectious disease was suddenly fallen among their cattle which killed them soe fast that she feared yf some ayd were not gotten they should quickly haue more emptie hides then beasts Wherevppon they resolued to returne to the seruant of God and humbly to Who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stly punished implore his assistance both for them selues and their cattle Which done they obtained their desire and in recompence and acknowledgment of that benefitt the Tiran gaue vnto S. DAVID all thâ—t Valley where the Cathedrall Church of Menenia now standes for the vse of him and his fellowes and successors for euer III. BVT THIS Tirans wife could not soe soone depose her malice for meaning with a deuilish practise to ruine the chastitie of those poore monkes she sent a lasciuious companie of naked wenches to exercise all manner of vnciuill embracings and wanton actions in their sight which made some of their minds beginne to stagger with soe euident a temptation others to be a little troubled and indeed all being impatient of such an immodest iniurie cried out vnto sainct DAVID to be gone out of the fight and reach of soe foule a sight You know replied the holy man that the world hates vs. And you must know allsoe A good lesson that the poeple of ISRAEL trauelling to the land of Promise with the holy Arke of couenant were resisted with continuall dangers and battles and yet not ouercome but through all their iourney remayned victorious ouer that incircumcised poeple which doeth manifestly betoken the triumph we must haue in these our conflicts For he that seeketh to enioy the promise of the heauenly Paradise the true land of Promise must necessarily be assayled but not vanquished with the battrie of temptations and aduersities vntill by the assistance of CHRIST his chief Captaine he shall vtterly haue ruined and ouerthrowne all the vncleane bullwarkes of vice and inquitie Therefore we must not be ouercome with euill but ouercome euill with goodnes for yf CHRIST he with vs who dare stand against vs Be valiant then my deare brethren in this conflict and let not our enemies take ioy in your flight IV. HAVING thus encouraged their mindes he built vp the monasterie He buildeth a Monasterie and ordered it with good lawes and rules of monasticall discipline Where euerie one liued by the labour of his owne hands rightly following that Aposticall rule He that will not labour let him 2. Thes c. 3 v. 10. The manner of life of the auncient Monkes not eate And after their labour at sett howers they fell to their prayers meditations and reading of holy Scripture which done againe they fetled to their labours neuer tasting anie foode till the starres appeared in the skie when their ordinarie diet was soe farre from all delights that only bread herbes and pure water were the chiefest dainties which quenched their hunger and thirst After a sleight refreshing herewith they returned againe to their prayers then to their rest whence they were raysed at the first crowing of the Cock and prolonged their prayers vntill the morning when with the rising of the sunne all betooke them selues to their day-labour By this meanes they gaue the world not only a worthie proofe and example of all manner of vertue and continencie but allsoe of liberalitie For allthough they would not take anie thing giuen them but with much difficultie yet were they soe farre from want of necessaries that by their owne labour and toile they succoured the necessities of verie manie poore orphans pupills widdowes and pilgrims In summe in their manner of liuing they were liuely paternes of the Apostolical life of those auncient fathers which liued at Alexandria vnder the institution of S. MARK the Euangelist V. S. DAVID was the gouernour and President of this holy companie not only in authority and dignitie but by his owne due deserts For he would impose nothing vppon others which him self refused to vndergoe Nay by how much he was aboue them in dignitie by soe much he excelled them all in the greatnes and continuance of diligence continence fasting and prayers and the most exact obseruance of all religious offices and duties S. Dauid chosen Archbis hop of the Britaines After mattins wheÌ„ the rest of his Monks returned to their beds hiscustoÌ„ was to enter into the cold water to extinguish the vnlawfull heate of his body At length the excellence of his vertues being carried ouer the world with the wings of fame by the commoÌ„ suffrages of the countrey he was chosen Archbishop of all Wales and soe great honour bestowed vppon him that the Metropolitan sea which till then had been at Chester was for his sake translated to Menenia now called Sainct Dauids In this dignitie he behaued him self soe worthyly that he became a rule and forme of good life to all He was the foode of the poore the life of orphanes cloath to the naked the Schoole of the ignorant a Father to his countrey and an Example to his monkes VI. THE miracles which he wrought in his life were such and soe admirabler that the incredulitie of these our times doeth not deserue to heare or reade them and therefore we will only relate one which is that as he preached vppon a time against the Pelagians abrod vnder noe other canopie but heaueÌ„ such an infinite of poeple were gathered to heare his sacred eloquence that the holy preacher could not bee seene but of a few on a sudden the earth whereon he stood swelled vpp in forme of a little hill and raysed him to such a height that to the wonderfull great comfort and admiration of his auditors he was both seene and heard of then all And in memorie hereof a little chappell was built vppon the same hill which is sayd to remayne vnto these our daies VI. AT LENGTH this blessed Bishop the great patrone and Protectour His glorious death of the Britans hauing gouerned his Church manie yeares in great sainctitie and vertue of life till he came to the age of one hundred fortie seauen yeares theÌ„ vnderstanding by reuelation the day hower of his departure out of this world from that time he euer liued in the Church in continuall prayer and preaching vntill that long desired happie minute was come in which he yielded vp his blessed soule into the hands of his redeemer who togeather with whole quires of angels came in person happyly to receaue him and gloriously to leade him into the neuer dying ioyes of his heauenly Kingdome He was buried at Meneuia in his owne Church which allthough at first it was dedicated to the Apostle saint ANDREW yet afterwards by reason of the great fame this sainct had in those places and soe manie wonderfull miracles and signes of holines it tooke the name of S. DAVIDS as it is called at this verie day He died about the yeere 550. the first day of March which
morning to the great admiration and ioy of all he made knowne by the soundnes of his witt and vnderstanding that he had there receaued the cure of his madding phrensie The place of his buriall is inclosed with a wodden chest which hath a hole on the one side through which those that came thither for deuotion were wont to reach forth some of the dust and hauing dissolued it in water it cured both man and beast that drank it of what disease soeuer they were infected The life of this B. Sainct we haue gathered chiefly out of S. Bedes History of England Iohn Capgrane hath the same in his lines of English Saincts Trithemius in his treatise of the famous men of S. Benedicts order lib. 3. cap. 117. Arnould Wion Baronius Camden and others make worthie mention of him In the Prouinciall CoÌ„stitutions of England his feast is ordayned to be celebrated with nine lessons and soe it was obserued in the Sarum Breuiarie But since Breuiaries were made treason in England all goodnes was banished the Psal 150. v. 1. publick view of that vnhappie Countrey and God whom the Psalmist bids vs to praise in his Saincts is depriued of his due honour and glorie and his Saincts are quite robbed of their part therein The life of Sainct WILLEICK Priest and Confessor monck of the holy order of S. Benedict MAR. 2. Out of Marceline in the life of S. Swibert S. WILLEICK borne in England went ouer into lower Germanie S. Willeick a Monk-Canon of Vtteicht in low Germanie where togeather wich S. SWIBERT and other English Benedictine Monks he preached CHRISTS ghospell to the Pagans and conuerted manie to the true fayth He was one of the first Monk-Canons of the new Cathedrall Church of Vtreiâ—ght where he who had left the world with a pure intention soe sincerely endeauoured to perfect him self in the seruice of CHRIST IESVS that he appeared as a sweet vessell of vertues to the rest of his brethren For from his youth he had liued allwaies with the great S. SWIBERT in the continuall exercise of prayer continencie and meditation of the holy scriptures euer striuing to make him self as pure wax to receiue the impression and seale of that worthie Saincts vertues He was skillfull in holy scriptures and well practised in the Latin and Dutch tongue verie cloquent in his discourse but meeke and humble in his behauiour a conquerour of wrath and couetousnes a despiser of pride and vaine glorie and a comfortable father to the poore and sickly For whom carefully to prouide he was inclined not only out of an innate pietie of mind but made that appeare by his great labour and paines taken in prouiding and succouring their necessities him self He conuerted allsoe manie Heathens through the Prouinces as he trauelled from the venom of Idolatrie to the sweetnes of CHRIST fayth II. AFTERWARDS being made Priour of S. SWIBERTS Benedictine monasterie at Werdt he became a true mirrour and paterne of all He is made Priour of the Monasterie of Werdt true vertues to his brethren whereby manie by his example and authoritie were curbed within the rules of a regular life Neyther was he profitable with his vertues and good example to the monasterie only but by his deuout exhortations and pious sermons he conuerted the neighbouring poeple from the sottish customs of their Idolatrous life to the loue of CHRIST heauenly things And the greatnes of his vertue and meritt was testified by miracle For being on a time at Cullen with the most deuout Dutchesse Plectrude of whom mention is made in the life of S. SWIBERT one Gothebald a chief man of the towne lay languishing vnder the pittilesse burden of such a cruell disease that depriued of all vse of his limmes he seemed indeed to be quite dead when his funerall rites were allreadie prepared and his graue gaped to receiue him In the meane time Marie that was his wiues name obtained of the Dutchesse to haue Willeick the disciple and priest of great S. SWIBERT to come visitt He cureth a sickman that diyng man Who coming into the chamber and hauing made his prayers to allmightie God he gaue him his benediction when presently the sick man arose in perfect health out of his bed gaue thanks to the supreme giuer of all goodnes and sate at table with the rest in great ioy and alacritie and S. Willeick whose companie he much desired could hardly be drawne from his deuotions of thanks giuing to take his repast with the rest Herevppon the deuout Dutchesse Plectrude held this holy man in farre greater honour and esteeme theÌ„ before yeelding infinite prayses to the omnipotent worker of wonders But S. WILLEICK hauing gouerned his monasterie His death the space of thirteene yeares in all tenne after the death of his master S. SWIBERT in great holines of life and conuersation gaue vp his blessed soule to the neuer-dieing rewards of his labours to beare a part in the quire of Benedictin Monks in heauen He died the second day of March in the yeare of Our Lord 727. At whose tombe in testimonie of his vertues and holy life were wrought maine miraculous cures of diseases Of him make mention besides the foresayd Marcelline Trithemius in his 3. booke and 167. chap. of the famous men of S. Benedicts Order Molanus in his additions to Vsuard Wion in his Benedictine Martirologe and others The life of Sainct WINWALOKE Abbott and Confessor MAR. 3. Gathered by Surius out of auÌ„cient manuscripts SAINCT WINWALOKE sonne to Fracanus cosen germane of Cotton king of the Brittaines began from his tender age to giue greate signes of his ensuing vertue and good life despising the pleasures of the world and wholly bequeathing him self to the diuine seruice of allmigthy God His desire of a deuout life And the better to put his good purposes and pious inspirations in execution he desired leaue of his father to goe to a holy man of that countrey to perfect him self in that diuine schoole in the studie of vertue and learning But his father who desired rather to see him aduanced to worldy preferment and honour flatly denied his godly request Wherevppon this blessed yong man appealed to his allmightie father in heauen earnestly crauing his assistance in this case And his prayers were not in vaine for not long after his father being abrode in the plaine fields in a sayre sunny day on the suddaine there happened such a horrible tempest of rayne hayle and snow seconded with the roaring of such dreadfull thunder and flashes of lightning falling thick about him that strucken with the exceeding terrour thereof he fell flatt on the ground where musing with him self what might be the reason of such an vnexpected storme it came into his mind that perhaps it was a punishment sent him from God aboue for detayning his sonne in the tempestuous world out of the sweet hauen of his diuine His father giueth him to God seruice HerevppoÌ„ he
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
thy bosome All which and all other thy monuments of antiquitie diuers haue soe largely elegantly learnedly and exactly searched into that there is scarse a stone a marble or a sepulcher extant within thy walles which hath not been particularly noted marked and examined But I would not haue the stick here to long I would not haue thine eyes throughts fixed on these trophies of vanitie I inuite thee to behold more noble and more excellent glories of thine and omiting all other thy only and chiefest ornament thy GREGORY who alone next to the two lights of the world the Apostles excelleth all the rest of thy wonders Nether yet is he thine soe much as Ours too Ours he is indeed not only because he shined vnto as with the bright lustre of his authoritie and vertues as to the rest of the world but allsoe principally because by his disciple S. AVGVSTIN he brought vs out of the blindnes of Idolatrie to see the light of the truth and made vs that were the sonnes of wrath become the children of CHRIST in the vnitie and peace of his Church Thine too he is because in thee he was begotten borne and bred and in thee ennobled with the sacred dignitie of Supreme Pastour of the Christian world Acknowledge therefore this thy great happines thy natiue and domesticque glorie Honour this most generous branch bred out of a noble holy roote And thou wretched England acknowledge likewise the inestimable benefitts receaued from this thy spirituall father and Apostle Looke vpoÌ„ this bright sunne that first sent thee the light of truth haue regard to this thy pious fosterer who first fedd thee with the sweet milke of the ghospel Search exactly into his life workes and actions and euen therein thou shalt see how farre thou hast swerued from that fayth and religion which through his meanes was first planted within thy dominions and which as at that time thou didest embrance for truth soe yet I hope thou art not soe impudent as to denie for such Yf thou find then by the manner of this thy first Apostles life which was euer conformable to his doctrine that the present state of thy life and religion is contrary or other wise mainly differing from that which first he deliuered vnto thee be then most assured that thou hast erred and gone astray from thy first foundation and principles of the true religion which is not can be but one only This life was written in Latin by Pâ—ulâ—s Diaâ—â—nâ—â— a Benedictin Monke aboue 850. yeares agoe and for the antiquitle we haue made choice of it rather then anie other I. GREGORY borne in Rome sonne to Gordian and Siluia descended His byrth and Parents from a noble race of Roman Senatours in whom nobilitie was adorned with religion and religion ennobled with vertue For Felix chief Pastour of the same sea Apostolicque was father vnto his great grandfather and a man of great vertue and integritie and in his time the glorie of CHRISTS Church But yet GREGORY in his pious conuersation manners was an ornament to the great nobilitie of his birth In fine as cleerly afterwards it appeared it was not without some great presage that this name was allotted him for Gregorins in Greeke signifies as much as Vigilant or Watchfull in English His name expounded and in very deed he was Watchfull ouer him self whilst exactely adhering to the commandments of God he led a vertuous laudable life here on earth He was Vigilant ouer the faythfull people of Gods Church when by the force of his fluent doctrine he made plaine vnto them the straight way to heaueÌ„ From a child he was soe well instructed in the liberall sciences that albeit at that time the studie of learning florished much in Rome yet he was iudged second to none in the whole cittie In his age which as yet was but little and vnripe there was a mind full of mature studies and manlike endeauours to witt to stick to the sayings of his ancients and when he heard anle thing worthie of notice he would not by neglect committ it to obliuion but rather commend it to the strongest hould of his memorie Soe that then with a thirsty breast he sucked vpp strea mes of learning which afterwards with a mellifluous voyce he might vtter in due season II. IN the very time of his youth when that age is wont to enter The conuersation of his youth into the dangerous pathes of the world he began to settle him self in deuotion towards God and with all the desires of his heart to aspire to the countrey of euerlasting life But while he defferred the grace of his conuersion somewhat long and thought best after he was inspired with that heauenly desire to hide it vnder his secular apparell and to serue the world as it were in outward shew soe manie difficulties out of that little care of the world arose against him that now he was not detayned therein only in outward shew but allmost in mind too as he him self affirmeth Till as length the death He buildeth manie monasteries of his parents giuing him free scope to dispose of him self and his affaires he made that openly knowne which before lay hid vnder the secrecie of his mind that which before was only in the sight of him that sees all things he manifested now to the publick view of the world For distributing all his teÌ„porall goods in pious workes to the end that in the state of pouertic he might follow CHRIST who for our sakes became poore he built six monasteries in Sicilie furnished theÌ„ with vertuous Monkes to sing the prayses of allmightie God The seauenth he erected within the walles of Rome in which afterwards hauing gathered togeather a great Conuent of Monks forsakesn the Pompe of the world he him self liued in regular discipline vnder the commaund and obedience of an Abbot Vnto these monasteries he allotted soe much yearly rent out of his owne meanes as might suffice each one for necessarie maintenance All the rest of his temporall goods howses and lands he should and dealed the money to the Poore turning hereby by a diuine inspiration all that glory and nobilitie which he seemed to haue in the world to purchase the happines of the euer-florishing cittie of heauen And he that before was wont to walde through the cittie of Rome cloathed in silkes and loaden with glittering gemmes afterwards couered with a poore simple weede became a poore seruant to the poore III. FOR hauing changed his secular apparell he went to the He taketh the habit of a Benedictin Monke monasterie and made a naked escape out of the shipwrack of the world There he began to liue in soe great grace of perfection that euen then in his very beginning he might be reckoned in the number of the perfect Soe that within a while being chosen by the common consent of the Conuent he refused not to vndertake the charge
to preach thirtie fiue yeares he laboured in the conuersion of that and other Ilands and the other thirtie three yeares the remaynder of his whole life he passed ouer attending chiefly to the sweetnes of a contemplatiue life in a monasterie sometimes at Armagh and sometimes in others places Nether was he easyly drawne out of those sacred sainctuaries but vppon the vrgent occasion of some vneuitable and weightie affayre Neuerthelesse once in a yeare he was wont to summon a Prouinciall CouÌ„cell to reduce those that swerued from the truth to the rules of the Catholick Church Being shrowded in the Linnen of S. BRIGITS prouiding he was buried with wonderfull great reuerence honour and glorie within the cittie of Down in the verie place foreshewed by the light from heauen on the east side of the Church Ouer his tombe is writt a latin distick which in English goeth thus At DOWN these three lie in owne Tombe Patrick Brigett and holy Columbe Whereby it is manifest that S. BRIGITT whose life you haue the first Psal 8. of February and S. COLVMâ—A Abbott of whom God willing we will treate the ninth of Iune were both buried in the same Tombe with The conclusion S. PATRICK XIV AND here I inuite all that haue read this historie to crie out with the royall psalmist O Lord our how admirable is thy name through all the world who hast crowned thy Sainct with glorie and honour and seated him aboue the workes of thy hands For these indeed are the works of thy hands which soe much we admire and wonder the conuersion of a whole Countrey by the vntired labours and endeauours of this thy chosen and beloued seruant for him thou didest appoynt thy deputie and lieuetenant in this holy and wholesome affaire wherein when diuers before had employed their greatest zeale and industry yet because he was specially elected and selected by thee for this holy purpose thou didest voutchase to adorne him with the working of manie strange and miracles more then allmost anie other of thy Saincts that on the rudiments and foundations of those his predecessours he might plant the consummation and perfection of the whole worke These works and miracles are thine o Christ only worker of worders who euer truly wonderfull in thy Saincts daignest to glorifie them with soe great authoritie and power as they are able to glorie in the triumph purchased ouer the infernall enemies of mankind God of his infinite goodnes make vs partakers of the meritts and prayers of the glorious Sainct Amen An Annotation Manie wonders are related of a place in Ireland called S 〈…〉 ICKS Purgatorie which he is reported to haue obtayned of allmightie God for the conuersion of those incredulous poeple who refused to beleeue what he preached touching the painâ—â— of hell and â—â—ies of heauen vnlesse by some meanes they might see taste of 〈◊〉 â—â—th in this life Into that place those that entred with a strong constancie of sayth a true desire to doe peanaÌ„ce for their sinnes felt vnspeakable torments after which they enioyed most glorious visions of the ioyes of heauen and returned the third day againe Manie make meÌ„tion of this strange Purgatorie as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bishop of Ossor vice primat of all Ireland Henricus Salter an English Monk of the Gistercian Congregation who writt a booke expressely of the Purgatory of S. PATRICK dedicated to the Abbot of Sartâ—s he liued fiue hundred yeares agoe MATHEW Paris an English monk of S. BENEDICTS order Dionisius Carthustaâ—â—â— verie learned and holy â—an in his treatise dequatuor Nouissimis and others But because Joâ—elâ—â—â— the Authour of S. PATRICKS life whom we haue followed maketh noe mention of this his Purgatorie we haue likewise past it ouer in silence yet iudging for certaine that such a place is really â—â—â—â—nt in Ireland as experience hath taughâ—â—â— in manâ—e that 〈…〉 into it and namely in one Owen a souldier who in the raigne of King Stephen passed through those torments for peanance of his wicked life and at his returne related manie wonders he had seene and felt as the foresayd Authours doe testifie Sâ—…â—DWARDVS REX ANGLIAE ET MARTI … 〈…〉 The life of Sainct EDWARD King and martir MAR 18. Written in an auÌ„cient manuscript recited by Surius THE NOBLE King EDWARD lineally descended from the royall and auncient bloud of our English Kings and which is farre more famous being baptised by the most holy Archbishop of Canbury S. DVNSTAN he began from his tender yeares to excell in vertue and pietie of life The incomparable King Edgar was his father a man renowned as well in feats of armes as in peace his mother was called Eifled daughter of a most powerfull duke of the East-Angles But noble Edgar hauing subdued not a few places of that land and brought them vnder his subiection soe that he obtayned the Monarchie ouer all England deuided before between manie and diuers Kings by exhortation of those two columnes of the English Church and Benedistin religion S. DVNSTAN Archbishop The pietiâ— of Edgar his father of Canturbury and S. ETHELWOLD of Winchester caused manie Benedictin monasteries in those vanquished Prouinces to be repayred and reedified at his owne cost chardges and some to be built new from the ground and in some of them he placed Monks of S. BENEDICTS order in others nunnes of the same all which he furnished and founded with ample rents and reuenewes to maintaine therein the seruice and seruants of allmightie God from the iniuries of necessitie He had allsoe by a second wife an other sonne called Ethelred But EDWARD that was the elder being a child of wonderfull great towardlines carefully auoyded all the lasciuious ensnaring pleasures of this world and endeauoured soe to behaue him self towards God and man that before all things he rendred him self most pleasing vnto God by his worthy integritie of mind and bodie and to men he became most gratefull by his modest and courteous carriage in all things shining withall to the world with all industrie wisedome and prudence These things soe highly pleased his renowned father Edgar that he ordayned him for his heyre and successour in the gouernment of the Kingdom and within King Edgar dieth a while all the affayres of the Realme being rightly setled and composed the most pious and glorious King Edgar changed this life for a better in the yeare of our Lord 977. and of his raigne the sixteenth the eight day of Iuly II. EDWARD according to his fathers will was by DVNSTAN and other Peeres of the Realme installed in the royall chayre and inuested with the robes and signes of royaltie But on his verie Coronation day manie of the nobles and Lords made great opposition against him in fauour of his yonger brother Ethelred whom they desired to aduance to the crowne Neuerthelesse the good resolution of saint DVNSTAN was Edward iâ— crowned King nothing daunted herewith nor mooued from his sentence but placing in
to shift for them selues abroade retayning only the aged men in the monasterie and a few children supposing belike that their weaknes would moue Crowland destroyed by the Danes the Barbarians to compassion But it fell out farre otherwise for when the same venerable Abbot had solemnly sung high Masse and made the remainder of his deuout Conuent participant of the most sacred body and bloud of our Lord suddenly a barbarous route of the Danes broke into the Church and hauing martired the Abbot before the high aultar with the like crueltie they murdered all the rest of the monks some in the refectorie some in the Chapter some in the Cloister soe that noe roome of that sacred Monastery remayned that was not full of bloud and horrour Only one yong Monk called Turgar whose beautifull forme of face and bodie allbeit he desired earnestly to beare his seniors companie in that expedition of death conquered the cruell mind of one of those blouddie Princes was saued and reserued for the companie and sake of a yong Count of the Danes called Sidrock Then those ministers of crueltie breaking vp the tombes of the saincts there buried committed all their bodies togeather with the Church and the whole Monasterie to the mercilesse power of the deuouring flames But Count Sidrok pulling yong Turgars cowle ouer his head gaue him a Danish iacket made him waite at his heeles wheresoeuer he went till the holy youth finding an opportunitie afterwards fled from that Barbarous master and returned againe to Crowland where he found his fellow monkes that had returned the day before labouring and sweating to quench the vnsatiable flames that yet raged among those dolefull ruines where he and fower other monks hauing according as they were able repayred a little habitation of defence only against the violeÌ„ce of the weather made choise of one Godrick for their Abbot and liued in a religious pouertie and a pious expectance to be restored to their auncient state for the space of an hundred yeares and more Till an aged man called Turketill Chancelour to worthy King Edred passing by Crowland as he went on busines for the King to Yorke was mett by those blessed old monkes and with a pious curtesie compelled to lodge in their ruined Monasterie And hearing The monasterie of Crowland reedisied the woefull storie of their miserable desolation he was soe moued to compassion that hauing with much difficultie obtayned leaue of the King he became a Benedictine Monke in the same place and began in his old age to beare the yoake of our Lord in the profession of a monasticall life When by his meanes King Edred helping therevnto that Monasterie was gloriously reedified and the lands liuings and Lorships anciently belonging vnto it restored and confirmed vnto it by the royall charters of the two Noble Kings Edred and Edgar to the great consolation of those good aged Monks who now gaue thanks vnto allmightie God that he had giuen them the grace and patience to see the destruction and restauration of that worthy Monasterie whereof the venerable man Turketill was afterwards made Abbot And herein may be seene a rare example of the wonderfull prouidence of allmightie God who from soe small beginnings bringeth to passe workes of such greatnes and excellencie as from the dwelling of one poore man saint GVTHLAKE in that abiect and horrid place first to lay the foundation of soe mightie an Abbey of worthie monkes as this was and then to conserue the succession thereof soe strangely in those â—â—ueâ— old men of whom one called Clarenbald liued to see the age of an hundred threescore and eight yeares an other named Swarling to the age of an hundred fortie two the third Turgar to an hundred and fifteene all venerable in gray hayre and the profession of a monasticall life The life of S. GVTHLAKE was saythfully written by one Felix a monk of the same monasterie as he receaued it from the forenamed BERTELIN his companion and CISSA his successour in the Ermitage and dedicated to king Elwald of the East-Angles Out of which we haue gathered the foresayd historie All other English Historiographers doe worthâ—y speake his prayses This Felix florished about the yeare of our Lord 730. and S. GVTHLAKI about 706. of whose glorious meritts God of his infinite merciâ— make vs all partakers Amen The life of S. PATERNVS Bishop and Confessor APR. 15. Out of Ioannes Anglicus PATERNVS borne in little Brittanie of noble parents when he came to ripenes of yeares iudging all true nobilitie to be seated in the lappe of vertue he contemned all those things which the world soe much admireth and in the nakednes of religious pouertie followed CHRIST naked And lest his friends and kinred should hinder his pious resolutions he willingly banished him self from his countrey into Jreland where he led a most holy monasticall life in watching fasting and prayer Afterwards he came into South-wales where he built manie Churches and monasteries in the Countrey now called Cardigan-shire and ordered them according to the monasticall rules and disciplines of those times in soe much that in that countrey he gayned his greatest opinion of sainctitie and authoritie But some iarres arising betweene the kings of Southwalles and North-wales which were readie to be decided but by the sword by the mediation of S. PETERNVS they were easily pacified and the He maketh peace betweene Princes princes entred againe into a strict league of friendship Great was the familiaritie and friendship which grew betweene these three Saincts DAVID TTELIAN and PATERNVS And they three deuided all Wales into three bishopricks one whereof fell to the share of S. PATERNVS in a place then called Mauritania where as he exercised the office of a good Pastour teaching and preaching to his poeple he was called back into little Britanie and there through his strictnes of life and doctrine which manie would not endure he Sampson Bishop suffered much affliction of false brethren with patience But Sampson Bishop who aboue all other was magnified in that prouince for vertue and holines of life vsed him with great honour and reuerence as well becomed soe great a sainct And allbeit by the instigation of some of his brethren he once yeelded to make triall of S. PATERNVS his obedience and sainctitie which was then testified vnto him by a wonderfull miracle yet afterwards he humbly craued pardon and became his verie great friend and defender against the other bishops that impugned him commaunding that the Episcopall sea of S. PATERNVS which was in the towne called Guenet should be free from all externe authoritie At length when peace was concluded on all sides S. PATERNVS hauing gouerned his Church manie yeares in a miraculous sainctitie of life in this world he departed hence to receaue an immortall recompence of his labours the fifteenth of Aprill The Inhabitans of little Britanie obserue three festiuall daies in honour of this sainct the day of the peacemaking with
seemed to be in him by nature since he had consecrated his infancie through the ignorance of vice and emulatiō of vertue Being sett to schoole he profitted beyond all his other fellowes He had scarse seene fifteen yeares of age but straight he began with a graue prudence to cōsider with him self of the dangers miseries of the world plottīg how he might better settle him self in the true seruice of God when he resolued that noe manner of life was comparable to that of monks religious men Therefore being desirous to leaue the world become a monk he asked the S. Auselme asking the habitt of a monke is denied habitt of an Abbot of that countrey who fearing his fathers displeasure that was ignorant of ANSELMS intētion herein refused to graunt his request But ANSELME cōstant in his holy purpose made his prayer to allmightie God to send him some corporall sicknes that soe at lest he might become a monk and a Patient in Religion to cure the diseases or rather conserue the innocencie of his soule His prayers were heard and his request graunted when languishing in his desired sicknes he sent to the Abbot with manie earnest entreaties to be admitted into his order for that now he feared death was at hand But he vpō the same humane respects as before againe denied his petitiō II. AFTERWARDS his health returning againe worldly pleasures and prosperities soe sweerly smiled vppon him now in the flower of his youth that the feruour of his former purposes and desires began by little a little to grow cold especially after the death of his good mother whom he highly loued and respected he tooke againe to him self free scope to follow the inclination and desires of his sensuall appetits not only forgetting the spiritt of his first Vocatiō but allsoe omitting his studie in sciences which before he had soe carefully His fathers anger against him followed But while thus he hunted in the traine of his owne passions it pleased allmightie God to looke vpon him with the ey of a mercifull clemencie and permitted his father to enter into such an extreme dislike of him that he could not affoord him as much as a good looke hating and disdayning in his sonne as well the good as the euill when on the other side nether his filiall humilitie or dutie was of power to appease or anie way satisfie his angrie father Wherevppon he chose rather to renounce all his worldly inheritance then to endure the stormes of such furie fearing to runne the hazard of further inconuenience Therefore iudging his friends and domesticques to be his greatest enemies he forsoke his fathers house to seeke his content and repose else-where He departed with one only companion partly in France partly in Burgundy he spent the space of three yeares But the worthie fame of Lanfranks pietie and learning coming to his eares he ranged him self into the list of manie other yong men of his vertuous schoole in the Benedictin Abbey of He becometh schol ler to Lanfrank Bec in Normandy When it was rare to see how ANSELME was not soe ioyfull to be a scholler of soe excellēt a master as Lanfrank was glad to be a master to soe worthy a scholler The masters care and labour in teaching was rewarded in the scholler with an extraordinarie diligence of learning what he taught in soe much that in a short time he not only made a great progresse into the knowledge of holy scriptures and other good doctrine but allsoe exercising him self in watching and prayer and other actes of deuotion he became verie desirous to attaine to the height of vertuous perfection For the familiar conuersation he vsed with his good and vertuous master S. LANFRANK caused the light of his auncient resolution towards a monasticall life againe like a fayre morning of pietie to breake out through the clouds of worldly vanities wholly to dedicate him self to Gods seruice True it is that he was much perplext with difficulties to attayne the end he aymed at On the one side he found him self greatly inclined to lead a solitarie life in the desert thereby to applie and employ his thoughts more securely in diuine cōtēplation on the other side he thought it a more secure way to liue vnder the rod of obedience in a monasterie againe his father hauing left him heyre of great lands and goods he was in doubt whether he might not doe God greater seruice liuing in the world and yearly distributing the best part of his meanes to the poore pious vses In these perplexities this prudent yong man would not of him self resolue anie thing in a matter of soe great moment but consulted his master LANFRANK sincerely laying open the secret thoughts of his heart fully He consulteth Lanfrank of choosing a course of life resigning his will into his hands with intention to follow the dictamen of his good counsell The master was vnwilling to resolue his scholler in a matter of such importance but referred it to the iudgment of the venerable Prelat Maurill Archbishop of Roane vnto whom they went both and proposed their difficultie who hauing heard the cause counselled ANSELME to embrace a religious and monasticall life as the most perfect and assured way to heauen and following this aduise he resolued to humble his neck vnder the sweet yoake of CHRIST in the holy order of Sainct BENEDICT III. BVT THERE remayned yet an other difficultie of choosing the place whether he should take the habitt at Cluny or Bec at the first he thought his labour and learning might be to manie profitable at the other he feared it would like a little starre before the sunne be darkened with the bright splendour of LANFRANK and soe become of little or noe seruice at all While his thoughts were tossed with these wauering opinions he began to discourse with him self in this sort Why ANSELME what dost thou meane what doest thou think on Doest thou intēd to make a monasticall life the first stepp to obtaine fame glorie renowne and superioritie God forbid For the true scope of a monke must be to humble him self to others and He taketh the habitt of S Benedict vtterly to despise all titles of honour dignitie And this thou wilt attaine to at the Abbey of Bec or noe where Therefore without all delay he went thither putt on the habitt of S. BENEDICTS order in the sayd monastery where the venerable man Hurluin was Abbot who out of his owne meanes and patrimonie had first built founded that Abbey ANSELME was then at the age of 27. yeares when he became soe carefull attentiue to imitate the vertues of his other brethren that at the terme of three yeares he became him self to be a bright mirrour of religious perfection and monasticall discipline to the whole conuent Soe that B. LANERANK being taken from the Priorship to be made Abbot of the monastery of Cane ANSELME much against
carried thither where the fier came on with greatest violence Which done this weake man began with his prayers to driue that away against which the force of manie strong labouring hands could not preuayle And suddenly as yf he had been the moderatour and ruler of the winds the wind that blew out of the south and was as the bellowes of those flames chainged into the North and soe constrayned that outragious element to forsake the food which soe eagerly it hunted after and turned it back to feed on its owne ruines whereby the cittie was freed from the imminent perill of ruine and the citizens ascribed the preseruation of them selues and their fortunes to their holy Archbishop MELLITVS who because he vehemently boyled with the fier of diuine loue and was wont by his often prayers and exhortations to driue away the stormes of the ayrie powers from hurting him and his he was found worthie to whom God gaue power to preuayle against the forces of the fiers and winds of this world At length when this Blessed Archbishop whom Trithemius a graue authour in his worke of the famous men of saint BENEDICTS order calls a man of most holy life a lib. 3. cap. 56. lib. 4. cap. 50. contemner of the world a louer of God the rule of all religion and a mirrour of vertue had gouerned the Sea of Canturbury the space of fiue yeares he left this mortall life to â—â—ke his long desired iourney to the immortall the foure and twentith day of Aprill in the yeare of our Lord 624. He was buried in the Benedictin Monasterie of saint PETER and saint PAVL in Canturbury by his predecessours And in his Epitaph is made mention of the foresayd miracle of the fier in these two verses speaking to him Laudibus aeternis te predicat vrbs Dorouernis Cui simul ardenti rest as virtute potenti His life we haue gathered chiefly out of saint Bede de gest Ang. lib. 1. cap. 29. lib. 2. cap. 3. 4. sequ Ealred abbot of Rhienall Baronius tom 8. Malmesbury de pont l. 2. the Roman Martirologe Nicholas Harpsfield see 7. cap. 7. Vsuard Ado Arnold wion and others make honourable mention of hiâ—â— The life of S. EGBERT Priest and monke of the holy order of saint BENEDICT APR. 24. Out of Venerable Bede THE admirable master of humilitie and most zealous aduancer of Christs Ghospell saint EGBERT borne of a noble race of English parents in the south parts of England spent the flower of his youth in the monastery of Lindisfarne or Holy-Iland In which schoole of vertue he receaued the first grounds of true religion vnder the holy Rule of saint BENEDICT which afterwards he communicated to other places to the great honour and encrease of the Benedictin order It was the manner in those dayes of manie of our English to goe ouer into Ireland there to apply them selues in a more strict course of holy meditation watching fasting and prayer and other exercises of a monasticall life Amongst the rest holy EGBERT forsaking friends and countrey went thither with a feruent desire to pietie accompanied He goeth into Ireland with an other noble Englishman called Ethelune And huing togeather in Jreland in a monasterie called in Irish Rathmelfigi they were both infected with the plague which at that time mustered whole troupes of poeple vnder the black banner of death When holy EGBERT expecting nothing but to be enrolled in the same number of deaths seruants went one morning out of that mournfull lodging where the sick monks lay expecting their end into a secret and solitarie place where sitting downe to entertayne him self with his owne throughts he beganne to cast vp a strict accompt of his former life wherein he found manie Items whose remembrance begott such contrition in his heart that the teares trickling downe his cheekes were worthy witnesses to prooue it excellent Then in the heate of true deuotion he humbly besought allmightie His petitioÌ„ to Allmigh tie God God to graunt him a litle longer respite in this world as well to bewaile the sinnes of his youth as allsoe more abundantly to exercise him self in the workes of religious perfection vowing withall neuer more to returne into his natiue conntrey of England but to liue a pilgrim all the dayes of his life Moreouer besides his canonicall office he was wont yf sicknes did not hinder him He dayly recited Dauids Psalter to recite euery day the whole psaker of Dauid in honour of allmightie God and to fast one whole day and a night euery weeke without anie food at all But when his prayers had set a periode to his teares and his vowes to his prayers he returned back to his lodging where he found his fellow Edelhune that laboured with the same disease fast asleepe and he him self layd downe his feeble limmes to recreate them a while with rest But long he had not reposed when his companion awaked and looking pittifully vppon him O brother Egbert sayd he what hast thou done I had hoped we should haue gone ioyfully togeather to the Kingdom of heauen but now by thy desire we must be seperated for know that thy request is graunted It had been reuealed vnto him in a vision what EGBERTS request was and that he had had a graunt there of from God II. THE night following Edelhune died happily and EGBERT by a He is miraculously cured of the plague speciall fauour of diuine grace recouering his health afterwards adorned his monasticall vocatioÌ„ with the dignitie of priesthood and â—nnobled that dignitie with worthie actions of vertue and good life Allwaies gouerning him self with the rules of perfect humilitie sweet meeknes pure continencie plaine simplicitte candid innocencie His example of life his labour in teaching his authoritie iâ— reprehending and his liberalitie in bestowing what the charitie of the rich gaue him was of wonderfull great profitt and edification to all the countrey where he liued in voluntarie banishment And His rigid fasting to encrease the austeritie of his owne life he added to the vowes aforesayd to make but one small meale a day throughout all the Lent which was a little bread and a poore quantitie of thinâ—e milke which he did eate cold after it had stoode a whole night and when the creame or fatter substance thereof was skimmed off This manner of fasting he obserued like wise fortie dayes before Christmas and as manie more after Whitsuntide Vppon these well setled foundations and grounds of holines in a short time saint EGBERT raysed a spirituall building of vertues to the very height of monasticall perfection soe that the same of his sainctitie was blowne into the royall eares of Kings of whom some much admired and honoured the man others that contemned his pious admonitions felt the heauie punishment of him that allwaies defends the cause of his true seruants as appeares by that which venerable BEDE recounts of Egfrid King of the Northumbers Who in the
yeare of CHRIST 684. hauing sent an De gest Angl. 4 cap. 26. armie into Jreland which lamentably destroyed that innocent countrey was disswaded from that bloudie enterprise by the meanes and entreaties of saint EGBERT but contemning to yield to his pious admotions he receaued his punishment being miserably slaine the yeare following among his fatall enemies the Picts III. BVT this holy man hauing spent manie yeares in a He resolueth to preach in Germanie rigorous monasticall life being desirous to labour not only for him self but for the good of manie other soules resolued to preach the fayth of CHRIST to those that liued in the blindnes of Idolatrie vnder the bondage and slauerie of the deuill Of this kind he vnderstood manie to be in Germanie whence the English or Saxons had their beginning and therefore to them he prepared him self to announce the glad tidings of the Ghospell Or yf he could reape noe profitt thereby he determined to goe in Pilgrimage to Rome to visitt the sacred shrines of the Apostles But in all these pious intentions he was hindered by the speciall prouidence of allmightie God who had otherwise disposed of him For hauing made choice of men sufficient both in vertue and learning to accompanie him in that holy enterprise and all things being prepared for their sea-voyage sainct BOISILL in times past Abbot of the Benedictin monasterie of Mailros in England appeared to an other monk and commaunded him to bid EGBEGT to desist from that designe He is miraculously hindred from his enterprise for that it was not the will of allmightie God that he should proceed therein because he was ordayned to instruct and reforme the monasterie founded by Sainct COLVMBE in the Isle of Hay EGBERT aduertised of this vision commaunded it to be kept close fearing lest it was but an illusion of the deuill that endeauoured to hinder his good resolution But considering more exactly of the matter he felt in him self a secret feare that tould him it might be true Notwithstanding he ceased not to further his intended voyage towards Germanie But within a few daies sainct BOYSILL againe appeared to the same monk after mattins and sharply reprehended him for his flacknes in fullfilling his commaund And therefore now sayd he goe tell EGBERT againe that will he nill he he must goe to the Monasterie of sainct COLVMBE because their plough goes not straight and he must reduce them to the right way EGBERT hearing this second replie againe commaunded the monk to keepe it secret And howbeit he were allmost certaine of the truth of the vision yet such was his conceipt of his foretaken resolution and soe great was his zeale to gaine soules to God that togeather with his fellowes prepared he aduentured to begin his iourney When hauing expected some daies at sea to haue a â—ind blow with their desires there arose one night a cruell tempest which rudely tost them on that floting element till with the losse of some part of their lading they were forced to returne and desist from that aduenture But whatsoeuer belonged to sainct EGBERT and his fellowes was saued And he as it were alluding to that saying of the holy Prophete Jonas because for my sake this tempest happeneth withdrew him self from that voyage and resolued to stay at home But one of his fellowes Wigbert by name of whom we will speake the twelfth of August went into Frisia where hauing preached two yeares without reaping anie profitt he returned back into Jreland IV But Sainct EGBERT perceauing that himself was detayned froÌ„ preaching the fayth of CHRIST amongst the Paynims to profitt the Church other waies and that Wigbert had spent his labour in vaine amongst them he attempted againe to send a mission of vertuous and industrious men to preach the ghospell in the same countrey And to this end he chose out of diuers monasteries twelue learned and deuout English Benediâ—tin monks the chiefest whereof was the Egbert seÌ„deth 12. Benedictctines into Germani worthy S. WILLIBRORD of whom see the seauenth of Nouember and these he sent into lower Germanie by whose pious endeauours as more largely shall be shewed in their liues most part of those countreies were reduced out of the blindnes of Idolatrie to the grace of CHRISTS Ghospell And some of these apostolicall men which greatlie redounds to the prayse of Sainct EGBERT were his schollers bred and brought vp to that eminent calling with the sweet milk of his learning vertue and discipline Afterward in the yeare of our Lord 716. sainct EGBERT following the diuine oracle sent from heauen went to S. COLVâ—BS monasterie in the Isle of Hay on the west side of Scotland where the monks receaued him with honour and reuerence well becoming the worth of soe holy a man These monks erred in the obseruation of Easter and the Ecclesiasticall He reformeth the Monks of the Iland Hay tonsure then vsed in the Catholick Church But sainct EGBERT being a most sweet master of all truth in vertue and religion and one whose actions were the execution of his owne coÌ„maunds and lessons was most willingly heard of them all till by his pious adonitions exemplar life he drew them from the inueterate traditioÌ„ of their forefathers to obserue the Catholick Easter and to weare their hayre shauen in forme of a crowne And at the very same time by the meanes of S. EGBERT those monks receaued the holy rule of S. BENEDICT which they obserued euer after He remayned the space of thirteene yeares in the same monasterie which with the beames of a new grace of the Ecclesiasticall discipline and the societie and peace of CHRIST he had consecrated to his honour At length vpon Easter day it self wheÌ„ he had celebrated the solemnities of masse in memorie of our Lords glorious resurrection he departed out of the sepulcher of the flesh to rise to the neuer dying glorie of Paradise and to see him face to face in heauen whom in the morning he had receaued vnder the formes of bread and wine in the sacrament He died the 24. of Aprill in the yeare of our Lord 729. and the nineteenth yeare of his age And surely it was not without the peculiar prouidence of allmightie God that this venerable maÌ„ not only passed out of this world on the feast of Easter but allsoe on that feast of Easter which neuer before was celebrated on that day in those parts Wherevppon the monks reioyced that they were come to the knowledge of the certaine and Catholicke obseruance of Easter and that they had gayned the patronage of their father in heauen by whose industrie they were first instructed therein This life we haue gathered wholly out of S. Bede de gest l. 3. 5. Iohn Capgraue hath the same besides whom Trithemius in his work of the famous men of S Benedicts order Baronius Nicolas Harpsfield sec 8. cap. 4. Molanus Marcellinus in the life of S. SWIBERT the Roman Martyrologe and others
thy Church with ample guifts and reuenewes Then causing a banner of that Church to be carried before him he marched couragiously against the Scotts who hearing of his coming fled ouer into Scotland and there expected him Ethelstane hauing fixed his tents on the other side of the riuer Ethelstane victorious by the merits of S. Iohn S. IOHN appeared to him and bad him goe ouer couragiously and assault his enemies Which the next morning he performed and in that conflict manie of the Scotts were slaine and their whole armie discomfited Then King Ethelstane hauing humbly desired of saint IOHN to haue some signe which might serue as a perpetuall testimonie of the King of Englands prerogatiue ouer the Scotts he struck his sword into a hard rock neere Dunbar castle where for manie ages after remayned a marke the length of a yeard made hollow in the same stone with the blow And for proofe hereof wee haue that king Edward the first when there was question before Pope Boniface of his right and prerogatiue ouer Scotland brought this historie for the maintenance and strength of his cause VI. KING ETHELSTANE hauing obtayned the foresayd Beuerley a Sainctuarie victorie honoured saint IOHN euer after as his peculiar Patrone and Guardian and ennobled the Church of Beuerley with manie great freedoms graunting vnto it the right of Sainctuary to be a safe refuge for all criminall and suspected persons of what offence soeuer Manie other famous miracles here omitted haue been done by the meritts of this glorious Bishop all which moued Alfrick the seauenteenth Bishop of York after him Translation of S. Iohn to take vp his holy reliques three hundred and sixteen yeares after his death and place them in a precious and rich shrine the fiue and twentie day of October which is the feast of his translation on which verie day in the yeare of our Lord one thousand foure hundred and fifteen the most inuincible King of England Henry the fift of that name wonne the memorable battle of Agiâ—court against the French Which the King ascribing to the meritts of the most blessed Bishop saint IOHN at his triumphant returne into England caused the feasts both of his deposition and translation to be solemnly celebrated throughout the Prouince of Canturbury as it was allreadie in that Yorke And in the Prouinciall Tit. de script Constitutions of England made in a Prouinciall Synod vnder Henry Chicheley Archbishop of Canturbury is found a decree hereof made at the instance of the same most Christian King Henry the fift Whereby it appeares that this most holy Bishop saint IOHN of Beuerley hath been an ayde to the Kings of England in the necessitie of their warres not only in auncient but allsoe in these later ages God of his infinite Mercie make vs partakers of his glorious merits His life we haue gathered out of Venerable Bede de gest Aug. lib. 5. cap. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. William Malmesbury de gest Pontif. Aug. lib. 3. Mathew Westminster anno 680. 686. 721. Nicholas Harpsfield saec 8. cap. 22. Thrithemius of the famous men of saint BENEDICTS order lib. 3. cap. 129. lib. 4. cap. 68. and 170. and Iohn Capgrà ue or Ioannes Anglicus The Româ—â— Martirologe Polidore Virgil Vsuard Arnold Wion Camden and all our English writers doe worthyly celebrate his prayses The life of Sainct WYRE Bishop and Confessor of the holy order of Sainct BENEDICT MAY. 8. Out of an auncient manuscript recited by Su rins SAINCT WYRE borne of worthy parents in Scotland hauing passed his infancie was sett to schoole when being preuented by the inspiration of an heauenly grace he began in his tender His vertues and exercises age to beare the yeares of a man both in mind and manners proposing to him self the examples of his elders to be the rule and guide of his youthly actions In the meane time he encreased in yeares but more in mind neuer yeelding to anie vaine allurements nor drawing back his foote once sett forward in the stepps of vertue contemning all transitorie and wordly things aspiring with all the forces of his soule to the loue of the eternall soe that his holines of life increasing dayly with his yeares he became gratefull and beloued both to God and man He was nether broken with aduersities nor exalted with prosperitie neuer tired with watchings Herefuseth a bishoprick prayers were his foode and fasting his delights in summe nothing could mooue him from the desire and pursuite of vertue Not long after whilst thus he shined to the world in all kind of true religion and holines of life the Church of that countrey was voyd of a pastour when all with one voyce desired WIRE for their bishop him the clergie him the people him all the world proclaymed to be a man sent from heauen to gouerne his natiue countrey with episcopall dignitie But the holy man being quite of an other mind farre from desiring to clime the slipperie degrees of fading honours lay close vnder the wings of humilitie and vtterly refused to accept anie such charge affirming that he had more need him self of a Master then to become a teacher and ruler of others II. AT length ouercome with much opportunitie of the poeple he yeelded to goe to Rome to be consecrated reioycing for soe good an occasion to performe that soe desired pilgrimage And thither he went not out of an ambition of worldly dignitie but of a desire he long had had to vndertake that iourney of deuotioÌ„ Being come to Rome togeather with sainct PLECHELME a venerable priest and monk and Otgerus a deacon they all three visited with great deuotion the sacred shrines of the Apostles watring the pauements with the holy baulme of their deuout teares The Pope vnderstanding of them sent presently for sainct WYRE who togeather with The Pope compells him to be bishop his fellowes came before him where he was receaued with wonderfull great ioy and familiaritie When sainct WYRE hauing first plainly tould the cause of his coming fell prostrate at the Popes feet humbly crauing to be freed from the charge of the Bishoprick But the Pope nothing mooued with his prayers chose rather to prouide Gods poeple with a holy prelate then to hearken to sainct WYRES priuate deuotions and therefore he ordered him Bishop much against his will and sent him back into the countrey with a strict commaund to cease from vndertaking anie pilgrimage before he returned to his poeple Whose precept the holy man obeyed and returned straight ouer the frozen Alâ—es and swelling waues of the sea to come againe into his countâ—ey where he was receaued His returne from Rome with great ioy honour and solemnitie Then it was wonderfull to see how he shined in all vertue religion and pietie amongst his subiects making allwaies his owne lifâ— correspondent to the doctrine he preached vnto others And allthough then he none could better discharge the office of that high calling with all parts
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
on this history extreme follie and blindnes as to seeke to marrie his owne daughter and that a father should bath him self in the bloud of his daughter that resisted against such a gulph of filthines O what Cimerean darknes compasseth the Gentills in respect of the light that lightens the Christians the impetuous furie of passions is easily ouerthrowne by the force courage and grace the God bestoweth on his seruants He adorned this virgin with chastitie with an inspiration to dedicate it to his seruice he fortified her to ouercom that which of all terrible things is the most terrible death in summe he honoured her with an angelicall tombe and with the triumphant trophie which she gayneth ouer the wicked spirits by soe manie diuers miracles Let vs for euer prayse the authour of soe great wonders Amen Peter a chanon of S. Auberts of Cambray writt her life recited by Laurence Surius tome 5. which we haue followed The Roman Martirologe makes mention of her and Cardinall Baronius in his Annotations Iohn Molanus in his vppon Vsuard and in his catalogue of the Saincts of Belgia and manie others The life of saint BRITHVNE Abbot and Confessor of the holy order of saint BENEDICT May 15. Recited by John Capgraue THE venerable Confessor of Christ BRITHVNE whom S. BEDE calleth a most reuerend man borne of English parents was a long time deacon to the B. Bishop saint IOHN of Beuerley vnto De gest l. 5. cap. 2. whom for his great Sainctitie of life and holy conuersation of manners he was allwais deare and familiar and at length by meanes of the same holy man he was made Abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Deirwood now called Beuerley which S. IOHN had built S. IOHN being dead holy BRITHVNE following the stepps of his good Master perseuered as long as he liued in all puritie of life in watchings fasting prayer and other monasticall exercises For he was a louer of vertues a conquerour of vices a contemner of this world a desirer of the world to come a faythfull teacher of the flock committed A summarie of his vertues to his charge an vntired executour of pietie and iustice a great giuer of almes and hospitallitie whatsoeuer he knew to be pleasing to allmightie God in that he was continually busied Till decrepite old age hauing ouertaken him in the seruice of our Lord ending his holy life with an happie end the fifteenth day of May he went out of this world to enter into that which neuer ends His bodie was buried with great honour in the same monasterie till in processe of time the manie signes and miracles wrought at his tomb moued the monks and poeple to translate it out of the earth and place it in a shrine neere vnto that of his Master S. IOHN of Beuerley where it was kept with great veneration Thus much of him out of Ioannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue Venerable Bede de gest Angl. lib. 5. cap. 2. and Harpsfield hist. Eccl. saec 8. cap. 22. make mention of him S. DVNSTANVS ARCHIEPISCOPVS CANTVARIENSIS Monachus Benedictinus May. 19. Mart. baâ— f. The life of S. DVNSTAN Bishop and Confessor of the holy order of saint BENEDICT MAY 19. Written by Osberne a monk of Canturbury an 1020. THE allmightie wisedom to make the worth and greatnes of this renowned Prelat bright ornament of the English Church and excellent Pillar of the Benedictine familie His parents S. DVNSVAN more famous and manifest to the world voutchsafed miraculously to foreshew his future glorie before he was borne and to engraffe in the minds of all men a wonderfull expectation of him which afterwards abundantly he repayed His parents were â—â—rstan and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the estimation of the world but much more ennobled with the splendour of 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 His mother whilst she 〈◊〉 DVNSTAN in her â—omb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at that solemne The ceremonie of offring candles feast of the Purification of the blessed Virgin 〈◊〉 when in remembrance of the true and eternall â—â—ght bâ—â—aking forth to the darkesom world by CHRIST and of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â— of aged Sâ—â—â—n w◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at Glâ—seenbury amongst the rest â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a sudâ—â—ine the 〈◊〉 mayning calme and 〈◊〉 all their lights 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With which accident the minds of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being strucken with a fearefull amazement presently with a new and woderfull miracle they were againe encouraged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admiration when they beheld 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with light from A strange accident heauen from whence all the companie lighted 〈◊〉 which made euerie owne deuine that the child she 〈◊〉 her womâ— would be a light to lighten the world with the 〈◊〉 of his holy life and learning and therefore his mother was more 〈◊〉 and esteemed of all men euer after II. TIME at length brought to light that great light of the countrey signified by the former and in baptisme he was called DVNSTAN that is a Moâ—â—taine-stone As soone as he had passed the The vision of his parents yeares of his infancie his parents brought him to the Church of the Benedictine Abbey of Glastenbury and there for his good successe in vertue and good life they offered manie prayers and guifts where as they watched by night in their deuotions they vnderstood by reuelation from an Angel that that monasterie should afterwards be worthyly instructed reformed and adorned by the learning labour and vertuous life of their sonne DVNSTAN Being sett to He falleth sick schoole he applied him self soe eagerly to his studies that he fell into a grieuous sicknes which brought him euen to the last gaspe Neuerthelesse about midnight when all despayred of his life he was miraculously and suddenly restored to perfect health and to the great admiration of all he leapt out of his bed and went into He is miraculously cured the Church to giue God thankes for his recouery But the deuill enuying soe great pietie in the yong man endeauoured to hindâ—◠〈◊〉 iourney by appearing before him in the formes of a terrible â—â—â—panie of black enraged dogges When DVNSTAN calling on the He vanquiâ—heth the deuils name of IESVS-CHRIST armed him self with the signe of the â—â—ly Crosse and with a little rod in his hand putt that engine of 〈◊〉 chief to flight and held on his way to the Church doore which he found shutt but climing vp a ladder that by chance stood reared â—â— the wall he gott to the very top of the Church whence by the hands of Angelicall spirits he was miraculously transported into it and placed before the high Aultar On the morow all the doores being lockt he was found in a sweete slumber before the aultar to the great astonishment of those that the night before had followed him and seene him fayle to enter at the church doore which was shutt His greate humilitie III. NOW DVNSTAN had entred into the flower of his youth when his goodnes pietie and wisedom
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
Apostolicall absolution and ministred the dreadfull sacrament of the aultar vnto him And when our Authour came thither the same morning to say Masse and demaunded in honour of what Sainct he should celebrate that diuine misterie Of the Blessed Virgin MARIE answeared Godrick for before thy coming sainct PETER the Apostle hath here offered the same sacrifice in honour of the most blessed 〈◊〉 But we should neuer come to an end if we eudeauour to loâ—â—â— this paper with all the vertues graces and wonderfull workes of this Blessed man XIV THEREFORE when he had liued in this admirable manner His last sicknes in one and the other desert for the space of threescore and six yeares and was as an Oracle that astonished all England with his holy life soe great a swelling tooke possession of his face and all the other limmes of his bodie that he appeared not to be like vnto the former shape of a man In his entrailes he endured a cruell griping paine as it were of liuing wormes which ranne vpp and downe his bellie and consumed him For which punishment as heretofore for others more grieuous he gaue humble thankes vnto allmightie God that soe gently he voutchafed to purge him from his sinnes in this world And to good purpose sayd he doe these wormes consume my bodie in this life that the neuer-dying worme should not gnaâ— and teare my soule in hell For the space of allmost eight yeares he lay languishing in bed being not able to rise but by the helpe of friendly hands At length his sicknes dayly encreasing and hauing now allmost conquered his old age he sent for his brethren who being come tooke him out of his bed and according to the manner of those deuout times layd him vppon the ground on a haire-cloth strewed with ashes putt on his stamin and coule for long since he had been a Benedictine monke of Durham and soe that blessed soule departed happily out of the thraldom of this His happie departure vale of miseries to receaue the perfect consummation of that heauenly life with CHRIST which he had begunne in this world And at the same instant was heard a most heauenly melodie ascending from his cell towards heauen He died the one and twentith day of May in the yeare of our Lord 1170. the same yeare that the worthy Archbishop of Canturbury saint THOMAS suffered martirdom for the defence of the Church His bodie was buried in the chappell of S. IOHN BAPTIST whom he euer worshipped with peculiar deuotion and in whose honour by the commaundment of God he Miracles after his death had caused that place to be built Within the space of a few yeares after his death two hundred twentie eight miracles were wrought at his tombe which are faythfully reported by the Authour of his life but for breuities sake I omitt them XV. AND here now I will end the life of this admirable man with these words of William Camden in the description of the bishoprick of Durham At Finckley sayd he by the riuer Were in the raigne of Henry the second Godrick a man of auncient and true Christian simplicitie fixed wholly to God liued and consummated a solitarie life Who gayned soe great admiration with this holy simplicitie adde and with the sainctitie and austeritie of his life and manie miracles before and A Church built to his honour after his death c. that Richard brother to the wealthie bishop of Durham Hugh of Puteack honoured his memorie with a litle Church built to his name Thus Camden who allbeit he were an Heretick yet could not but speake honourably of this glorious Sainct His life was written as we haue sayd by one Nicholas a Monke of Durham and spirituall father vnto Blessed GODRICK out of which being a large historie Nicholas Harpsfield brings an abridgement saec 12. cap. 45. whom we haue followed Iohn Capgraue hath written the same and William of Newbery lib. 2. cap. 20. Mathew Paris an 1170. Mathew Westminster an 1171. Molanus in his aditions to Vsuard and all our English writers doe make ample mention of him The life of saint ALDELME Bishop of Sherburne and Confessor of the holy order of Sainct BENEDICT MAY 25. Writren by WilliaÌ„ malmesbu ry and others THE worthie ornament of the English Church and the Benedictine familie Sainct ALDELME borne of the royall stock of Saxon Kings his father Kentenius was neere of kinred to Jnas King of the His noble parentage West-Saxons with the generositie of mind and greatnes of learning and vertues farre excelled and outwent the nobilitie of his birth Some affirmed him to haue been sonne to Kentenius brother of King Jnas but it pleaseth not vs sayth Malmesbury to auouch that for truth which seemes rather to flatter a flying opinion then agree De gest reg Aâ—g l 1 c 2. with the soundnes of true historie especially since it is not found written in antiquitie the Chronicles plainly asseuer that Jnas had but one brother called Imgild who died a few yeares before him But S. ALDELME needeth not to be maintayned with vntruthes in whom abound soe manie famous things that are out of all question Hauing past ouer his Childhood his father deliuered him to be brought vp in the studie of all good learning vnder the discipline His youth and learning of the most famous Benedictine Abbot of saint AVGVSTINS at Canturbury saint ADRIAN who at that time happily adorned the whole countrey with all manner of vertue and learning In his renowned schoole our hopefull ALDELME made in a short time soe great progresse in science that he became a scholler worthie of soe learned a master Then returning back into his owne countrey loden with the balast of true vertue and learning he couragiously forsaked all the flattring allurements and vaine splendoâ—r of the world and resolued to vndertake such a course of life wherein he should meet with the lest impedimeÌ„ts to hinder him in the continuall seruice of allmightie God and the studie of holy learning Therefore in the Benedictine abbey of Malmesbury in which place He becometh a Benedictine Monke from his verie infancie he had been brought vp and instructed in the first rudiments of learning he bid adiew to the world and made profession of a monk vnder the holy rule of saint BENEDICT This monasterie was first founded by one Medulphus an Irish-Scott and a monk well learned in philosophie and from him it was called Meidulphesbury afterwards Malmesbury Which being but a small slender thing was by the meanes of saint ALDELME raysed afterwards to great splendour and magnificence II. BVT within a short time ALDELME returned to his old master into Kent to better his vnderstanding with more ornaments of true leaning and science and there he remayned vntill the weaknes and discomoditie of his health forced him to returne into his owne countrey How great worthie progresse he made in learning the His workes
because he exactly made his prayers vnto allmightie God for them for whose amendment he writt and his holy prayers tooke a fruitfull and happie effect V. BVT amongst the rest this Blessed man built a Church to saint Note a miracle MICHAELL the Archangel and an other farre more magnificent to the Blessed Virgin MARIE in which worke he is reported miraculously by his prayers to haue restored a beame that was too short to a iust length for the purpose to the great astonishement of all that were present And that which encreased the miracle was that all the rest of that Church being twise consumed with fier that beame only remayned without iniurie amidst those deuouring flames But now the renowned fame of saint ALDELME could not be contayned within the bounds of the Ocean it was past ouer the seas tranâ—eeâ—ded the Alpes and entred into the Seauen-hill'd Cittie of Rome Whither being sent for by Pope Sergius he went and was verie honourably receaued where two memorable things happened One was that hauing sayd masse one day in the Lateran Church he putt off his vestment which the seruant neglecting to take was miraculously sustayned from falling in the sunne-beames that shined through the window on which it hung a while to the wonderfull admiration of the beholders And the same Vestment being brought to Malmesbury Abbey was preserued there vntill our Authours time as allsoe a white marble altar-stone which being broken was made sound againe by his prayers And the other that Pope Sergius being falsely accused of incest by some euill-minded persons of He freeth the Pope from â—nfamâ—e by miracle Rome saint ALDELME caused the child to be brought into the presence and commaunded it in the name of our Lord IESVS-CHRIST to confesse whether Sergius were guiltie of the incest or not When to the great amazement of all and the vtter confusion of the detractors the child that was scarse nine daies old spake in the hearing of all the standers by and plainly declared the Popes innocencie Whereby saint ALDELME freed his friend from the imputation of infamie and purchased an increase of loue fauour and admiration to him self And these things are not only rehersed for truths by our Authour and others whom it were a temeritie to reiect but allsoe which moues me more these amongst other the like were curiously engraued in the outside of the old chest in which his sacred reliques were kept long before our Authours time VI. THE Pope greatly honoured saint ALDELME for the foresayd He is made Bishop of Sherburne benefitt and hauing liberally graunted him verie ample priueleges and prerogatiues for his monasteries dismissed him to returne into his Countrey Where his fame dayly encreasing he was at length found to be the worthiest to succeede Hedda bishop of Winchester to whose gouernment then all that Prouince was subiect which now is deuided into fower bishopricks Cicester VVinchaster Sherburne afterwards translated to Salsebury and Oxford But Hedda being dead it had two bishops Daniel of VVinchester and S. ALDELME of Sherburne To which dignitie the more constantly and obstinatly he resisted the more eargerly and earnestly he was desired At Canturbury therefore by the hands of BRITHWAID the Archbishop he was consecrated and ordayned bishop of Sherburne When going to Douer he bought of some French marchants the new and old Testaments a thing of venerable antiquitie which remayned at Malmesbury vntill our Authours time But walking then on the sea shore the mariners that petulantly derided and scoffed at the humilitie and pouertie of the holy man were suddenly as they sett out of the hauen taken with such a horrible tempest that they were sooner in danger then they were aware of change Soe that necessitie and feare of death compelled them to acknowledge their fault and call to saint ALDELME for helpe Who entring He calmeth a tempest into a boate to succour those distressed creatures he had noe sooner committed his holy bodie to the supportment of the waters but the winds ceased the sea was calmed and those wretched marriners were deliuered out of all danger Afterwards saint ALDELME being returned to his episcopall Sea of Sherburne he gouerned his subiects with all holines of life and learning omitting nothing that belonged to the office and dutie of a most holy and learned Prelate And when he desired to haue an other to succeede him in the regencie of his monasterie his monkes were soe bent in affection to him that during his life they could not be drawne to admitt anie other to be their Abbot To whose will he yeelded because he knew not how to resist it and graunted that he being dead they and their successours in after ages might freely chose their Abbot according to the tenour and practise of sainct BENEDICTS Rule Which decree of his was afterwards ratified by the authoritie of a Synod and of holy King INAS VII AT LENGTH this blessed Sainct when he had worthily gouerned his bishoprick for the space of fiue yeares in the yeare of His happie death our Lord seauen hundred and nine gaue vp his pure soule into the pure hands of him who had created him for his glorie He died at a place called Doulting in Sommersetshire in a poore wodden Church into which he had caused him self to be carried being aliue Which being afterwards built of stone when it was consecrated according to the Catholick custom a blind woman running to the aultar recouered her sight Yea and at the stone on which he fate there at his death manie were cured of mortall diseases That place was fiftie miles distant from Malmesbury But EGVINE the holy bishop of Worcester being admonished by a heauenly vision of the death of S. ALDELME hastened â—o the place where his bodie was and caused it to be brought with great pompe and solemnitie to the Abbey of Malmesbury and at euerie seauen miles end by the way where they rested Note the auneâ—â—nt Practâ—â—e of setting vp Crosses with those sacred spoiles he erected a crosse of stone as soe manie monuments and memories of saint ALDELME Which were afterwards made more famous because manie that flocked to them for deuotion were wonderfully cured of diuers diseases and these trophies and benefitts lasted to our Authours dayes These and suâ—â— like memorable wonders moued the King in the yeare of grace nine hundred fortie nine to cause his sacred reliques to be inclosed in a verie rich shrine on the top of which stood a cristall with his name inscribed in goulden letters Till saint DVNSTAN miraculously foreseeing the insuing destruction of all humane ad diuine things His bodie obscured for feare of the Danes which the barbarous Danes should bring to our wretched couÌ„trey translated those sacred reliques out of the rich shrine into a plaine one of stone lest perchance the splendour and price of the other might giue occasion to haue the reliques taken away or iniured Nether was his diuine prophesie false for
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
astouishment of his amazed brethren And other whiles when the holy man began to recite his canonicall howers and pronounced those words Deus in aduitoriuÌ„ meuÌ„ intende the same celestiall spirits distinctly answered Domine ad adiuuandum me festina ioyning their heauenly harmonie to the sacred deuotion of S. GVDVVALL But now this glorious Confessor hauing wholly abandoned and forsaken the world crucified him self with CHRIST in soe much that for his sake he hated his owne soule according to the words of the Ghospell yet was he not satisfied herewith but endeauoured dayly to better him self in perfection He departeth to an other part of the countrey wherevpon after a consultation had with his brethren he resolued to leaue this habitation seeke a conuenient place to build a monastery elsewhere Therefore they sayled into an other Prouince where hauing obtayned of a great man a peece of land fitt for his purpose he layd the fouÌ„datioÌ„ of a monasterie in which togeather with his brethren he led a most heauenly and angelicall life on earth totally applying him self to the contemplation of heauen and heauenly things amidst the continuall exercises and mortification of a most deuout monasticall life IV. IN THE meane time manie miracles were wrought by the diuine He cureth a dumbe child power of allmightie God at the intercession of this holy man amoÌ„g which one was that he gaue speech to a child tenne yeares old that was borne dumbe others which for breuities sake are here omitted And manie heauenly fauours he receaued at the hands of the diuine goodnes whereof one and not the lest was that tenne daies before his death performing the sacred misteries of our redemption at the aultar the holy Archangell S. MICHAEL togeather with the two He hath an apparition and a reuelation of his death princes of the Apostolick companie PETER and PAVL appeared visibly vnto him and amongst other diuine consolations reuealed the happie minute of his death exhorting him withall to prepare him self thereunto with watching fasting and prayer to gaine a greater crowne of glory in heauen Therefore the next day hauing assembled his brethren togeather he made knowne the manner of this reuelation exhorting them to the contempt of the world and a constant perseuerance in the seruice of allmightie God Then a welcome His laâ—â— sicknes sicknes taking hould of his holy bodie made him more feelingly vnderstand that his time drew neere when being armed with the sacraments of the Church amidst the deuout prayers and recommendations of his weeping Brethren he ioyfully yeelded vp his blessed soule into the hands of his deere redeemer which in the forme of a white doue was seene to take her flight towards the heauenly dwellings He died the sixth day of Iune and ouer his sacred reliques shined a glorious splendour all the night following V. AMONGST others that were present at his death were his mother A controuersie miraculously decided and Sisters who very earnestly desired to haue his bodie transported into his owne natiue countrey to be honourably buried in the Church where he had been bishop But his Brethren aâ— first absolutly resisted their petitions till the controuersie was decided by miracle For putting the sacred bodie in a waggon the beasts that drew it were permitted to take their owne waies when contrary to the desire of both parties they went directly to be Iland called Plet which was the place yf I be not deceaued where the holy man led a solitarie life in a rock of the Sea as is aboue sayd And there his sacred body lay buried for the space of manie yeares famous for miracles all the couÌ„trey ouer Till that Prouince of the Britans being inuaded by barbarous enemies the Monkes of S. GVDVVALLS transported his bodie into France Arnulphus marquis of Flanders caused The tranâ— lation of his body it to be very honourably translated to the famous Benedictine Abbey of saint PETER and PAVL aâ— Gaunt togeather with the holy reliques of saint BERTVLPHE This translation happened in the raigne of Clotarins ouer the Kingdom of France and it is yearly celebrated in the sayd Monastery of Gaunt the third day of December His life is written by an auncient Authour recited by Laurence Surius tom 6. and by Ioannes Anglicus recited by Iohn Capgraue both whom we haue followed Very honourable mention is made of his great vertue Sainctitie and Miracles in the life of Saint Bertulphe in the second tome of Surius February the fifth and by Vsuard Molanus and others The life of saint ROBERT Confessor and Abbot vnder the holy Rule of saint BENEDICT IVNE 7. Written by an auncient Authour recited by Surius THE Venerable Abbot ROBERT borne in Yorkeshire shunning from his very infancie the vaine sports and pastimes of other Children his equalls soe worthyly profitted in the studie of good learning that he was afterwards promoted to the gouernment of a Church in that countrey But discharging him self within a while of that office and all care and cure of soules he went to the Benedictine Abbey of Whiteby where he putt on the habit and profession of a monke of saint BENEDICTS Order At that time one Richard Priour of our Ladies of Yorke had receaued a peece of land at a place called Fountaines where by the meanes of Thrustine Archbishop of Yorke he had built a Monasterie in which togeather with twelue other monkes ouer whom he was Abbott he led a Monasticall life according to the constitutions of the Congregation of Cisterce vnder the holy Rule of saint BENEDICT Noe man there did eate his bread in idlenes nor gaue his bodie to rest but when it was ouerwearied with labour They all went hungry to the table and weary to bed Their diet only supplied necessitie not their appetite and yet without ether sadnes or murmuring they gaue God thankes with alacritie Therefore our saint ROBERT hauing He becometh a Cisterciaâ— Monke first obtayned leaue of his Abbot ioyned him self to this holy companie and chainged his black habit for a white that is from a Benedictine became a Cistercian still obseruing the Rule of our holy father saint BENEDICT And now it was rare to behould how strongly this holy man performed the accustomed labours of the monasterie how feruent he was in holy reading and contemplation and how deuoutly he followed his prayers and other monasticall exercises being venerable in his behauiour prouident in giuing of counsell and elegant in his speech II. IN THE meane time hauing spent fiue yeares in this place in He is made Abbot the yeare of grace a thousand one hundred thirtie seauen a noble man of Northumberland gaue an ample possession of land to the Church on which saint ROBERT built a new Monasterie and being chosen Abbot thereof he tooke with him eleuen other deuout monkes wherewith he furnished the same These he gouerned in the rigour of a monasticall life making him self soe perfect a patterne
the great loue he The first vse of glasing in England bore to the Apostle S. PETER in whose honour he laboured made him vse such diligence that within the compasse of a yeare after the foundation was layd the solemnities of Masse were honorably celebrated therein But when the worke drew neere vnto perfection he likewise sent messengers into France to fetch ouer glasiers to adorne the windowes with glasse a worke neuer before vsed in England They came and did not only perfect this worke but allsoe taught their trade vnto manie of our Englishmen Allsoe such sacred vessels vestments and other necessaries for the seruice of Church and Altar as could not be found in England like a religious marchant he prouided and bought from beyond the seas But finding the pouertie and want of France not to be able to furnish him with such ornaments as he desired and especially to obtaine from the Pope new priuiledges for his new-built monasterie he made a fourth iourney to Rome and this as soone as he had assembled a Conuent of Monkes into it and His fourth iourney to Rome ordered them according to the rule and institution of great S. BENEDICT Shortly after he returned making a more happie returne of spirituall Gods then euer he had done before For besides allmost an innumerable multitude of bookes and great store of reliques of the Apostles and Martirs of CHRISTS Church he had obtayned of Pope Agatho to haue Iohn chief Cantor of S. PETERS and Abbot of S. MARTINS in Rome along with him into England to instruct and teach as well his monasterie as other Churches allsoe in the forme and manner of singing and doeing all other Ecclesiasticall rites and ceremonies according to the institution of the Roman Church All which Iohn at his coming he performed not only by word of mouth but allsoe by publishing manie rules and precepts to that purpose in writing which for memorie sake were afterwards carefully layd vpp and reserued in the librarie of the sayd monasterie Allsoe by the licence of King Egfrid and at his earnest entreatie he obtained of the same Pope letters of priuiledges graunted vnto the sayd monasterie to warrant defend and free it from all externe iurisdiction or forcible inuasions for euer Likewise he brought from Rome many pictures of holy images to beautifie and adorne his Church and namely a picture of the B. VIRGIN MARIE and the Pictures vsed in Catholick Churches twelue Apostles which he placed in the middle arche or vault of the Church from wall to wall and with pictures contayning all the Euangelicall history he adorned the north side and with others of the visions of the Apocalypse he made the south part correspondent vnto it To the end that all that came into the Church euen the vnlearned which way soeuer they cast their eyes might behold and contemplate though in an image eyther the louing countenance of CHRIST or his Saincts or with a more watchfull mind consider the wonderfull grace of his incarnation or hauing before their eyes the danger of the last rigid examin they might remember more districtly to examine the guilt of their owne conscience IV. NOW when King Egfrid saw with what great vertue industrie See the deuotion of this good king and religion this venerable man did doe the part of a wise and holy steward in all these proceedings he was wonderfull much delighted thereat and bicause he perceaued the land he had giuen him to haue bin well and fruictfully giuen he encreased his former guift with the donation of fortie families more On which land by counsell and perswasion of the King the holy man built an He buildeth an other monastery to S. Paul other monasterie on the other side of the riuer dedicated to the honour of S. PAVL not farre from the former and thither he sent Ceolfrid to be Abbot with seauenteen other Benedictine Monks strictly chardging and commaunding them that one and the self same peace familiaritie concord should be conserued in both places And as the bodie cannot liue without the head by which it breathes nor the head without the bodie by which it liues Soe let noe man anie way attempt to disturbe or disquiet these two monasteries of the chief Apostles that togeather are knitt in a fraternall societie of peace Whence it comes that afterwards both these monasteries were commonly called by one name Weremouth Abbey V. ABOVT this time the blessed Sainct hauing much encreased the number of Monks in both these places and ordered them according to the rule of his great Master S. BENEDICT he made one Eosterwin a Priest and Monk Abbot of the monastery of S PETER to Eosterwin Abbot the end that by the sociable assistance of soe vertuous a Colleague he might with more ease vndergoe the labour of gouernement which he was scarse able to performe alone by reason of his much trauelling vp and downe for the good of his monasterie and his frequent iourneys beyond seas vncertaine when to returne Eosterwin therefore vndertooke the care of the monasterie the ninth yeare after the foundation and remained in the same while he liued and he liued but fower yeares after He was a man by byrth noble but he did not make vse of the worth of his nobilitie as manie doe to breed matter of outward glorie and contempt of others but made it the first stepp to ennoble and enrich his mind with vertue For being cozen german vnto S. BENNET they were both soe truely allied in a vertuous nobilitie os minds both alike such sincere contemners of all worldly respects and honours that neyther the one coming into the monastery did expect to be preferred eyther by reason of his honourable nobilitie or kinred or the other iudge it a thing fitt to be offered him vppon those respects But being a manfull of good and holy intentions only reioyced that he did obserue regular discipline in all things in an equall measure with the rest of his brethren But S. BENNET soone after he had ordayned Eosterwin Abbot of S. PETERS and Ceolfrid of S. PAVLS made his fift iourney out of England to Rome and happily returned home enriched as before with very memorable guifts of ecclesiasticall wealth His fift iourney to Rōme as bookes reliques of Saincts and pictures contayning the histories of the ould and new testament compared togeather and such like And amongst other things he brought two cloakes all of silk of an incomparable worke for which he purchased of King Aldfrid and his Councell for Egfrid was slaine in his absence the land of three families on the south side of the riuer Were But the ioyes he brought from abroade where mingled with sadnes at home for he found Eosterwin whom at his departure he had left Abbot of S. PETERS Monasterie and not a few of his monasticall flock to haue changed this world for a better being taken away by the pestilent furie of a sicknes which raged all
ouer the countrey Yet to this there was comfort at hand that by the election of the brethren and his fellow-Abbot Ceolfrid he found one Sigfrid a deacon of the same monasterie a very reuerend and meeke man substituted in Eosterwins place This Sigfrid was a man very sufficiently instructed in the knowledge of holy scriptures adorned with most godly manners endowed with a wonderfull vertue of abstinence and for the better conseruing of the vertues of his mind he was kept vnder with noe small infirmitie of bodie and to maintaine the innocencie of his heart he allwaies laboured with a hurtfulland irremediable disease of the lungs VI. AND not long after S. BENNET allsoe began to be wearied S. Bennet falleth sick with a sicknes comeing forcibly vppon him For the diuine goodnes that the vertue of patience might allsoe giue testimonie of the great sinceritie of these holy Abbots in religion layd them both prostrate for a time on the hard bed of a temporall sicknes that hauing triumphed ouer the same by death he might afterwards refresh them with the perpetuall rest of a gladsom peace and euer-during life For Sigfrid as we haue said hauing bin long tormented with the teadious grief of the inwards parts of his bodie euidently perceaued that now he was come to his last and S. BENNET whose disease still encreased by degrees for the space of three yeares was now weakened with such an extreame palsie that death seazing on the lower partes of his bodie tooke from thence all sense of feeling soe that life withdrew it self only into the higher lodgings of that weake building remayning there only the better to exercise the office of a religious and vertuous patience His whole studie during the time of his sicknes was allwaies to spend the little allowance of breath he enioyed in rendring hartie thankes and prayses vnto the authour of all goodnes for his benefitts and to exhorte his brethren with the fraternall words of pietie to remayne constant in the seruice of God and in the obseruance of the rules and institutions which he had planted among them VII FOR you ought not to imagine sayd he that the lawes His speech to his brethren on his death bed and constitutions which I haue giuen you haue proceeded out of my owneignorant and vnlearned vnderstanding for out of seuenteen diuers monasteries which among all the wearisom labours of my often trauells I found to be best haue I learnt and gathered all these precepts deliuered them to your pietie to be obserued But chiefly this precept he did often times reiterate vnto them that in the election of their Abbot they should haue noe regard to the nobilitie of byrth without the worthines of vertue nor respect the greatnes of dignitie in the world but the aboundance of charitie and humilitie in religion For in very deed I tell you sayd he that in comparison of two euills I had rather see the place in which with soe great labours I haue built this monasterie reduced into a perpetuall desert if soe it please God then that my owne brother who is knowne not to follow the stepps of vertue should succeede me in title of Abbot to rule and gouerne the same Therefore deare Brethren be allwaies very carefull neuer to choose your Abbot An Abbot to be chosen not for nobilitie but vertue according to byrth nor out of anie other Bodie then your owne but following that which our great Abbot S. BENEDICT hath prescribed in his rule and the decrees contayned in our priuiledges you ought in the conuent of your Congregation with cōmon counsell of the brethren to search out one who according to the deserts of life and doctrine of wisedom shall be found and approoued to be most worthy and fitt to performe soe great an office and such an one being found you shall present him to the Bishop who with his wonted benediction ought to confirme him in the Abbatiall dignitie In these and such like speeches did he spend a great part of his weake sickly dayes whilst to mitigate the wearisom teadiousnes of the long night which the heauy burden of his disease did render restlesse from sleepe he would some times call one of his brethren to reade vnto him eyther the example of holy Iobs vnmatcheable patience or some other part of the scripture whereby he might receaue some comfort in his grief and be able more liuely to lift vpp him self from the lowest degree of worldly torment to the confideration of the highest reward of his suffering And because he could not by anie meanes rise to pray nor easily make vse eyther of tongue or voice to recite his accustomed taske of psalmes he learnt by his owne prudence and the His truly religious spiritt dictamen of a true religious spirit and affection to call certaine of the brethren vnto him at all the howers eyther of day or night office with whom being diuided into two quiers he would sing and say as well as he was able all the accustomed psalmes of the office and what his weaknes would not let him performe was by their assistance supplied VIII BVT when this worthy payre of Abbots BENNET and Sigfrid hauing bin long wearied with these teadious infirmities did both plainly perceaue that they drew neere the entrance of the dreadfull gates of death and saw them selues to be both vnfitt for See a true patterne of affectiō the gouernment of the monasterie for soe farre their infirmities had wrought in them the perfection of the vertue of CHRIST that when as vppon a day both piously desiring to see and salute one and other before they departed out of the world Sigfrid was carried vppon a beere like a true picture of death to the chamber where S. BENNET lay vppon his poore couch and being both by the seruing hands of their dolefull brethren in such sort composed togeather vppon the same pallett and their heads vppon the same bolster behold a lamentable sight they were not masters of soe much strength as to ioyne their holy lippes togeather to giue a kisse to their last farewell but were fayne hauing made shew of their desire herein to finish it by the assistance of fraternall hands IX THEN S. BENNET entring into consultation with Sigfrid◠and the rest of hir brethren sent for Ceolfrid that was Abbot of S. PAVLES monastery a man not only neere vnto him in the bands of kinred but allsoe which is the chiefell in the sweete societie of vertues and him by the common consent and fauour of all he placed at the helme to be the only pilot and gouernor of both his monasteries iudging it the only best course the better to conserue the peace vnitie and concord of both places to beepe them perpetually vnder the regiment of one only superiour And for this purpose he wished them to call to mind that Euangelicall sentence Euery kingdom diuided within it self shall become desolate But two moneths after this