HISTORIA ECCLESIASTICA

GENTIS ANGLORUM.

LIBER QUINTUS.

CAP. I.-UT ETHELWALDUS SUCCESSOR CUTHBERTI IN ANACHORETICA VITA, LABORANTIBUS IN MARI FRATRIBUS, TEMPESTATEM ORANDO SEDAVERIT.

UCCESSIT autem viro Domini Cuthberto in exercenda vita solitaria, quam in insula Farne ante episcopatus sui tempora gerebat, vir venerabilis Ethelwaldus, qui multis annis in monasterio, quod dicitur "Inrhypum," acceptum presbyteratus officium condignis gradu ipse consecrabat actibus. Cujus ut meritum vel vita qualis fuerit certius clarescat, unum ejus narro miraculum, quod mihi unus e fratribus, propter quos et in quibus patratum est, ipse narravit, videlicet Guthfridus, venerabilis Christi famulus et presbyter, qui etiam postea fratribus ejusdem ecclesiæ Lindisfarnensis, in qua educatus est, abbatis jure præfuit.

"Veni," inquit, "cum duobus fratribus aliis ad insulam Farne, loqui desiderans cum reverendissimo patre Ethelwaldo; cumque allocutione ejus refecti et benedictione petita domum rediremus, ecce subito, positis

LEADING AN EREMITICAL LIFE, CALMED A TEMPEST WHEN
THE BRETHREN WERE IN DANGER AT SEA.

HE venerable Ethelwald, who
received the priesthood in

had Ethelwald

succeeds

Farne.

the Cuthbert at had, A.D. 687.

monastery of Inhrypum, and
by actions worthy of the same,
sanctified his holy office, succeeded
the man of God, Cuthbert, in the
exercise of a solitary life, having

practised the same before he was bishop, in the isle of Farne. For the more certain demonstration of the life which he led, and his merit, I will relate one miracle of his, which was told me by one of these brothers for and on whom the same was wrought; viz. Guthfrid, the venerable servant and priest of Christ, who, afterwards, as abbot, presided over the brethren of the same church of Lindisfarne, in which he had been educated.

"I came," says he, "to the island of Farne, with two others of the brethren, to speak with the most reverend father, Ethelwald. Having been refreshed with his discourse, and taken his blessing, as we were returning home, on a sudden, when we were in the

nobis in medio mari, interrupta est serenitas, qua vehebamur, et tanta ingruit tamque fera tempestatis hiems, ut neque velo neque remigio quicquam proficere, neque aliud quam mortem sperare, valeremus. Cumque diu multum cum vento pelagoque frustra certantes tandem post terga respiceremus, si forte vel ipsam, de qua egressi eramus, insulam aliquo conamine repetere possemus, invenimus nos undiqueversum pari tempestate præclusos, nullamque spem nobis in nobis restare salutis. Ubi autem longius visum levavimus, vidimus in ipsa insula Farne, egressum de latibulis suis amatissimum Deo patrem Ethelwaldum iter nostrum inspicere. Audito etenim fragore procellarum ac ferventis oceani, exierat videre quid nobis accideret; cumque nos in labore ac desperatione positos cerneret, flectebat genua sua ad patrem Domini nostri Jesu Christi pro nostra vita et salute precaturus. Et cum orationem compleret, simul tumida æquora placavit; adeo ut, cessante per omnia sævitia tempestatis, secundi nos venti ad terram usque per plana maris terga comitarentur. Cumque evadentes ad terram naviculam quoque nostram ab undis exportaremus, mox eadem, quæ nostri gratia modicum siluerat, tempestas rediit, et toto illo die multum furere non cessavit; ut palam daretur intelligi, quia modica illa, quæ provenerat, intercapedo quietis ad viri Dei preces nostræ evasionis gratia cœlitus donata esset.

Mansit autem idem vir Dei in insula Farne duodecim annis, ibidemque defunctus; sed in insula Lindisfarnensi juxta præfatorum corpora episcoporum in ecclesia beati apostoli Petri sepultus est. Gesta vero sunt hæc temporibus Alfridi regis, qui post fratrem suum Egfridum genti Northanhumbrorum decem et novem annis præfuit.

midst of the sea, the fair weather which was wafting us A.D. 687. over was checked, and there ensued so great and dismal a tempest, that neither the sails nor oars were of any use to us, nor had we any thing to expect but death. After long struggling with the wind and waves to no effect, we looked behind us to see whether it were practicable at least to recover the island from whence we came, but we found ourselves on all sides so enveloped in the storm, that there was no hope of escaping. But looking out as far as we could see, we observed, on the island of Farne, Father Ethelwald, beloved of God, come out of his cavern to watch our course, for, hearing the noise of the storm and raging sea, he was come out to see what would become of us. When he beheld us in distress and despair, he bowed his knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in prayer for our life and safety; upon which, the swelling sea was calmed, so that the storm ceased on all sides, and a fair wind attended us to the very shore. When we had landed, and had dragged upon the shore the small vessel that brought us, the storm, which had ceased a short time for our sake, immediately returned, and raged continually during the whole day; so that it plainly appeared that the brief cessation of the storm had been granted from Heaven, at the request of the man of God, in order that we might escape."

Lindisfarne.

The man of God remained in the isle of Farne twelve Buried at years, and died there; but was buried in the church of A.D. 699. St. Peter and Paul, in the isle of Lindisfarne, beside the bodies of the aforesaid bishops. These things happened in the days of King Alfred, who ruled the nation of the Northumbrians eighteen years after his brother Egfrid.

M

CAP. II.-UT EPISCOPUS

mus.

JOANNES MUTUM ET SCABIOSUM

BENEDICENDO CURAVERIT.

UJUS regni principio, defuncto Eata episcopo, Joannes, vir sanctus, Hagulstadensis ecclesiæ præsulatum suscepit; de quo plura virtutum miracula, qui eum familiariter noverunt, dicere solent, et maxime vir reverendissimus ac veracissimus Berthunus, diaconus quondam ejus, nunc autem abbas monasterii, quod vocatur "Inderawuda," id est, "In silva Deirorum;" e quibus aliqua memoriæ tradere commodum duxiEst mansio quædam secretior, nemore raro et vallo circumdata, non longe ab Hagulstadensi ecclesia, id est, unius ferme milliarii et dimidii spatio, interfluente Tino amne, separata, habens cœmeterium sancti Michaëlis archangeli, in qua vir Dei sæpius, ubi opportunitas arridebat temporis, et maxime in Quadragesima, manere cum paucis atque orationibus ac lectioni quietus. operam dare consueverat. Cumque tempore quodam, incipiente Quadragesima, ibidem mansurus adveniret, jussit suis quærere pauperem aliquem majore infirmitate. vel inopia gravatum, quem secum habere illis diebus ad faciendam eleemosynam posset; sic enim semper facere solebat.

Erat autem in villa non longe posita quidam adolescens mutus, episcopo notus, nam sæpius ante illum percipiendæ eleemosynæ gratia venire consueverat, qui ne unum quidem sermonem unquam profari poterat; sed et scabiem tantam ac furfures habebat in capite, ut nil unquam capillorum ei in superiori parte capitis nasci valeret, tantum in circuitu horridi crines stare videbantur. Hunc ergo adduci præcipit episcopus, et ei in conseptis ejusdem mansionis parvum tugurium fieri,