Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A43253
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The legend of St. Cuthbert with the antiquities of the Church of Durham / by B.R., Esq.
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Hegge, Robert, 1599-1629.; R. B. (Richard Baddeley)
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1663
(1663)
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Wing H1370; ESTC R15307
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20,137
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102
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S. t CUTHBERT THE LEGEND OF St. CVTHBERT WITH THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE Church of DURHAM By B. R. Esq LONDON Printed for Christopher Eccleston at his shop in St. Dunstans Churchyard 1663. The PROLOGVE THough much of the ensuing Discourse be no more consistent with common Reason and probability the the Fables in the Alchoran and so cannot have any design of engaging the faith of the Reader to the veritie of the relations yet things of this nature giving some shaddow of satisfaction to the mind and being free from any real prejudice to Vertue of Religion men thriftie enough in the expence of their time are not seldome content to allow some wast hours in reading them and perhaps with some profit and observation At that time when this Legend bears date Miracles were cheap enough and the credulous ignorance of the Vulgar was easily abused with religious impostures But howsoever such juggles may appear now to the eyes of the more generally knowing and undeceived world I should have charitie enough to believe that the antique invention of them was upon the accompt of promoting the esteem of Holy Religion were not the observation too palpably notorious that they all tended over much to the end of private gain or reputation to the Miracle-mongers Not that I call in question the reasonablenesse of that antient policy how ridiculous soever it appears now for he was no unwise or unlearned * Sir W. Raleigh man which said That the wisdom of one age is the foolishnesse of another Who was the Author of this Book or when by him compiled or upon what accompt though probably for his own private divertisement I do ignore in an equal degree and am not able to give any other accompt thereof then what the Treatise it self affords Had he published it himself without any improbable conjecture it had passed censure with greater security the Author being a master of so much stile and language as the Book it self bespeaks him I am only instrumental in committing it to the Stationer and guilty of the vanity of this Prologue B. R. THE LEGEND OF St. CVTHBERT WITH The ANTIQUITIES of the Church of DURHAM HISTORY and PROPHECY set back to back make up the true Image of Janus whose two faces Time past and future honour as their Overseers In History Time lives after she is dead in Prophecy before she is born In the one she beholds what she was in the other what she will be But sith the Theorie of Time to come is the prerogative of a Deity Man must be modestly content with this blessing bestowed by History upon Mortality that through our Grandfathers eyes we may see what hath been This is all our sublunary Eternity if at the funeral of things History become the Epitaph and rescue their memories from the grave that entombs their ashes And this duty I owe to that Countrey where I had my Cradle to renew the decayed Epitaphs upon the Tombstone of her Antiquities Geographers deal with Countries even as Astronomers with their Asterisms and fancy them into shapes and resemblances so that by the liberty of phantasie Italy is compared to a mans legg Spaine to an Oxhide Britaine to an Hatchet I may liken the Bishoprick to the Letter Δ and Durham to a Crab supposing the City for the body and the Suburbs for the clawes This Countrey lyeth in the bosome of the Ocean and is embraced in the armes of two chrystal Rivers Teese and Derwen The antient Inhabitants in the time of the Romans were the Brigants in the Heptarchie of the Saxons they were called Deiri for the honour of which Province the Children thereof in the time of Aella being to be sold at Rome gave occasion of the replanting of Christianity by Angustine the English Apostle sent hither by Pope Benedictus at the entreaty of Gregory then Archdeacon of Rome who facetely alluding to the names of their Nation Province and King concluded ut Angli Angelis similes de irâ Dei eruerentur Allelujah cantare docerentur The first of the Saxon Kings who made conquest as well of Religion as Men that in this Province was dipt in the sacred Laver of Baptism was the renowned Oswald Qui Genti suae primitias sanctitatis dederit and is observed to be the first of the English Race that was illustrious by miracles This Prince sent once for a learned Monk out of Scotland Aidanus by name to convert his Subjects from Paganism and seated him in the Episcopal Chair of Lindisferne Anno Dom. 635. where while the Bishop taught in the Scotish tongue the King understanding both languages stood and interpreted his Sermons in English This great Monarch that great and pious Founder of the Church to whose womb all the Churches in the North owe their birth in a battel with a Pagan Prince lost his life and the day But with this advantage whiles Penda left him not a head to wear a Crown withall he received a more glorious Diadem of Martyrdom And as fury persecuting revenge after death tore his body in pieces so the devotion of Time dispersed the reliques to several places Nempe jacere Uno non potuit tanta ruina loco For whose sepulchre there was as great contention amongst the English Churches as in old time amongst the Graecians for the Cradle of Homer His Corps were brought to Lindisfern and from thence translated with St. Cuthbert his body to Durham Abbey His Arm was preserved in a Silver Casket at Bedburga or Bambrough not far seated from the Holy Island and at that time the great Metropolis of those parts This sacred Relique retained the blessing of Aidanus and was honored as a Monument of incorruption An History which to this effect by Beda is related That upon an Easter day as the King sate at dinner his servants told him that there was poor folk that expected alms at his gate who forthwith bid him both carry them meat and distribute the platter which was of silver among them with which fact of charity Aidanus who sate by him much delighted took him by the right arm with this hearty wish Never let this arm perish This glorious Martyrs death was the end of Aidanus life and the Pagans at one blow kill'd a Prince and a Bishop with sorrow who thought it a sin to live after so good a King was dead the Soul of which Bishop St Cuthbert happened to see in the dead of the night carried up with great melodie by a Quire of Angels into Heaven which vision so seized upon his affection that resolving upon an holier course of life he betook himself to the Monastery of Mailros built by Aidanus by the bank of Tweede and in his journey thither shewed a great specimen of his humility devotion and gratitude for being seized upon both by night and hunger he was forced to enter into an empty cottage where he found no other host for entertainment than a horse who eating and turning up
of whose Saint-ship till Edward the firsts time none presum'd to be buried in the same Church with him as though unworthy to lye under the same roof with such an incorruptible Saint The most antient Monuments therefore are to be searched out in the Chapter House where Bishop Walcherus Earl of Northumberland lyeth entombed who erected those ancient buildings called the Farmary for the Monks of Jarroe whom with license from Gregory the seventh he translated to Durham but was miserably slaine in Gates-Head Church whose death occasioned Odo Bishop of Bayoun to be sent hither to take revenge sed Excessit medicina modum For he both depopulated the Church and rob'd the Countrey of divers Ornaments In the said Charter House lyeth William of Carleif with Pryor Turgot Archdeacon of Durham and afterwards Bishop of Saint Andrewes in Scotland a polite writer of the History of the Church Lastly to omit others I shall speak a little of Saint Goodrick who because he is one of my Country Saints I will shew you what he was out of an old manuscript writ by one Nicholaws of the Priory of Finchaly Saint Goodrick in his former years was a Pedlar and carried his moveable shop upon his back from Fair to Fair afterward to make a better fortune he ventred into Flanders Denmarke and Scotland and by the way used to visit the Holy Island much delighted to hear the Monks tell stories of their Saint Cuthbert which so deeply affected him that he would needs in heat of devotion undertake a Pilgrimage to the Holy Island and again after his return to England by the advice of Saint Cuthbert he repaired to his Holy Sepulchre and also washing his feet in Jordan there left his shoos vowing to go barefot all his life after At his second return he was admonished by Saint Cuthbert in his sleep to build him an Anchoridge at Fenchallie near Durham where he lived in that heat of Devotion that he used to stand praying up to the neck in the river that run by his Cell which holy custome so angred the Divel that once he stole away his Cloaths as they lay on the Bank but Goodrick seeing him brought him back with an Ave Mary and forceing the Devil to be just against his will made him restore them which were so course as I think he that stole them would scarce have worn them for his Jerkin was of Iron of which he wore three suits in the time of his Hermitage a strange Coate whose stuffe had the Iron-monger for the Draper and a Smith for the Tailor neither was his lodging much unsuitable to his Cloathes who had the ground for his bed and a stone for his pillow His tutelary Angel oft played the Sexton and rang his bell to awake him to his Nocturnes who for want of beades used with pebble stones to number his prayers his dyet was as coarse as his coat and as his shirts were made of sackcloth so half the Meal that made him Bread was ashes The Divel used to act Proteus before him and with his shapes rather made him sport than affrighted him only as Saint Goodrick sate by the fire the Divel came behind him and gave him such a box of the eare that he had fell'd him down if he had not recovered himself with the sign of the Crosse Thus after he had acted a Legend of miracles he ended his sceane and his life Anno Domini 1170. little deserving this Honour to be bestowed by Hugh Pusar the Bishop on his Cell who had told him that he should be seven years blind before his death so that the Bishop believing the Holy Hermit and deferring his repentance which Goodrick meant of the eyes of his understanding died unprovided for death But if good deeds be satisfactory then died he not in debt for his sins who repaired many of the Episcopal mannors builded Darlington Church founded the Hospital at Allerton the famous Sherburne Hospital near Durham built Elvet Bridge with the Chappell 's upon it who bought of King Richard the first the Earldome of Sadbury for his successours and last of all built that beautifull work the Gallile or our Ladies Chappel now called the Consistory into which he translated Saint Bedes bones which lye interr'd under a stone of Marble from this place I conjecture the great Bell in Alby hath its name and perchance is the same which in an Old Manuscript I find to be drawn from London to Durham by twenty two Oxen under the Consistory Table lyeth intombed Cardinal Langley Bishop of Durham and Lord Chancellour of England who built the Musick and Grammar Schools In the Quire lyeth Bishop Beaumount under a spacious Marble inlaid with brasse besides whom Bishop Anthony Beake Patriark of Jerusalem who had the principality of the Isle of Man was inshrin'd in the Altar He built saith Leland the Mannor of Aukland and repaired Barnard and Anwick Castle and made Chester a Collegiate Church No Ancient Monuments of Women are to be seen here for till of late no female was to enter into Saint Cuthberts Churches since once on a time as he was preaching the Divel came to his Sermon in the shape of a most beautifull Woman who so drew away the attention of the auditors by gazing upon her that Saint Cuthbert throwing Holy-water at her found that she was a Divel But as for Saint Cuthbert himself I observe his nature did not much loath the company of his holy sifters for Hilda Alfreda Verca Elba and other Abbatesses were of his intimate acquaintance and if he had so distasted that sex he had not built a Nunry at Carile But to return in the Quire at the North side lieth Bishop Skirlaw who built the Steeple at Holmes Church and a great part of the Lanthorne of York-minster who bestowed moreover two hundred pound on building the distributory at Durham which is the Checker over the Abby gates The reliques of this Abbey were as many as there are Saints in the Popes Almanack for hence was Saint Giles to fetch his tooth at the Resurrection another Saint his leg another his hipbone another his skull another his knuckle bone and if you would know what price reliques were at in those dayes aske Malmesbury what Egelmothus Archbishop of Canterbury gave as he came from Rome for Saint Augustines arme which he brought from Paria and he will tell you that it cost him a hundred talents of Silver and one of gold by which bargain he hath made himself by Record a fool to posterity and those that have read that in Plinie Mala emptio semper ingrata eo quod maxime domino exprobrare stultitiam videtur But of all reliques to make merry with this is one Elfride a Monk had got one of Saint Cuthberts Hairs which laid upon the Coals would be red-hot and return again to its former colour thus not so much as a Hair of Saint Cuthberts could escape without a miracle Among other monuments of this Abbey the brasen deske is not the least which was the joynt guilt of a reverend Prebend of this Church and his Son who added the Globe and the Eagle to that sumptuous basis and columne which was the twelfth part of a great Candlestick found hid in the vault of the Church who both lye buried under two Marble stones inlaid with Brasse as you enter in at the Quire door on your left hand The subterraneous passages under this Church as in other Abbeys are many but what end these substructions should have in the makers intent whether to conceal their treasures in time of invasion or for worse purposes I cannot determine By those Cavernes the Abbey and the Castle certainly shaked hands together under ground The Castle was built by William the Conquerour for the defence of the City the Iron gate whereof was set up by Bishop Tonstal who also built the Tolbooth The Tower in which Philip Potier Bishop of Durham had License by Richard the first to set up a Minthouse and coyne Money was repaired by Richad Fox and Bishop Winton the Honourable founder of Corpus Christi Colledge in Oxford whereof at this time I am a member In the Chappel of which Colledge were two Altars the one called Ara Trinitatis the other Ara Sancti Cuthberti To conclude the whole Castle was repaired and beautifully adorned and enlightned with Windows by the Reverend Bishop now Incumbent under whom the Church of Durham seemes to renew her age and take a new lease of her Eternity which for the internal beauty of her high Altar Cathedral musick sacred laver and other ornaments may challenge her sister Churches for Priority Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or like one that at once salutes a multitude I have taken a confused survey of the Monuments of this Church with that distracted method and brevity that I have rather seemed to take an Inventory of her Antiquities than to have compiled an History As it is I offer it upon one of the Altars which the Romans used to erect with this inscription Diis Patrus FINIS