:

her was heard for being taken out of the flesh A.D. 676. prayer twelve days after, she exchanged her temporal afflictions for an eternal reward. Three years after the death of this lady, the above-mentioned servant of Christ, Tortgith, was so far spent with the distemper before mentioned, that her bones would scarcely hang together; and, at last, when the time of her dissolution was at hand, she not only lost the use of her other limbs, but also of her tongue; which having continued three days and as many nights, she was, on a sudden, relieved by a spiritual vision, opened her mouth and eyes, and looking up to heaven, began thus to direct her discourse to the vision which she saw: "Your coming is very acceptable to me, and you are welcome!" Having so said, she was silent awhile, as it were waiting for the answer of the person she saw and spoke to; then, as if displeased, she said, “I am not pleased with this;" then pausing awhile, she said again, "If it cannot be to-day, I beg the delay may not be long;" and again holding her peace a short while, she concluded thus: "If it is positively so decreed, and the resolution cannot be altered, I beg that it may be no longer deferred than this next night." Having so said, and being asked by those about her to whom she talked, she said, "With my most dear mother, Ethelberga;" by which they understood, that she was come to acquaint her that the time of her departure was at hand; for, as she had desired, after one day and night, she was delivered from the bonds and infirmity of the flesh, and entered the joys of eternal salvation.

CAP. X.-UT AD CEMETERIUM EJUSDEM MONASTERII

ORANS CECA LUMEN RECEPERIT.

UCCESSIT autem Ethelbergæ in officio abbatissæ devota Deo famula, nomine Hildelitha, multisque annis, id est, usque ad ultimam senectutem eidem monasterio strenuissime, et in observantia disciplinæ regularis et in earum, quæ ad communes usus pertinent, rerum providentia præfuit. Cui, cum propter angustiam loci, in quo monasterium constructum est, placuisset, ut ossa famulorum famularumque Christi, quæ ibidem fuerant tumulata, tollerentur, et transferrentur omnia in ecclesiam beatæ Dei Genitricis, unoque conderentur in loco; quoties ibi claritas luminis cœlestis, quanta sæpe fragrantia mirandi apparuerit odoris, quæ alia sint signa ostensa, in ipso libro, de quo hæc excerpsimus, quisquis legerit, inveniet.

Sane nullatenus prætereundum arbitror miraculum sanitatis, quod ad ipsum cœmeterium Deo dicatæ congregationis factum idem libellus refert. Erat quippe in proximo comes quidam, cujus uxor, ingruente oculis caligine subita, tantum per dies, eadem molestia crebrescente, gravata est, ut ne minimam quidem lucis alicujus posset particulam videre. Cui dum aliquandiu cæcitatis hujus nocte clausa maneret, repente venit in mentem quia si ad monasterium delata virginum sanctimonialium ad reliquias sanctorum peteret, perditam posset recipere lucem. Nec distulit quin continuo, quod mente conceperat, expleret. Perducta namque a puellis suis ad monasterium, quia in proximo erat, ubi fidem suæ sanationis integram se habere professa est, intro

CHAP. X.-A BLIND WOMAN, PRAYING IN THE BURIAL-
MONASTERY, WAS RESTORED TO HER

PLACE OF THAT
SIGHT.

Hildelith.

ILDELITH, a devout servant of Abbess God, succeeded Ethelberga in the A.D. 676. office of abbess, and presided over O that monastery many years, till she was of an extreme old age, with exemplary conduct, in the observance of regular discipline, and in the care of providing all things for the public use. The narrowness of the place where the monastery is built, led her to think that the bones of the male and female servants of Christ, which had been there buried, should be taken up, and translated into the church of the blessed Mother of God, and interred in one place whoever wishes to read it, may find in the book from which we have gathered these things, how often a brightness of heavenly light was seen there, and a fragrancy of wonderful odour smelled, and what other miracles were wrought.

However, I think it by no means fit to pass over the miraculous cure, which the same book informs us was wrought in the church-yard of the said religious house. There lived in that neighbourhood a certain earl, whose wife was seized with a dimness in her eyes, which at length became so bad, that she could not see the least glimpse of light; having continued some time in total darkness, on a sudden she bethought herself that she might recover her lost sight, if she were carried to the monastery of the nuns, and there pray for the same, at the relics of the saints. Nor did she lose any time in performing what she had thought of; for being conducted by her maids to the monastery, which was very near, and professing that she had perfect faith that she

E

ducta est ad cœmeterium; et cum ibidem diutius flexis genibus oraret, nihilo tardius meruit exaudiri. Nam exsurgens ab oratione, priusquam exiret de loco, petita lucis gratiam recepit, et quæ famularum manibus adducta fuerat, ipsa libero pedum incessu domum læta reversa est; quasi ad hoc solummodo lucem amitteret temporalem, ut quanta sanctos Christi lux in cœlis, quæ gratia virtutis possideret, sua sanatione demonstraret.

CAP. XI.

-UT REX EJUSDEM PROVINCIE SEBBI IN MONA-
CHICA VITAM CONVERSATIONE FINIERIT.

Eo tempore præerat regno Orientalium Saxonum, ut idem etiam libellus docet, vir multum Deo devotus, nomine Sebbi, cujus supra meminimus. Erat enim, religiosis actibus, crebris precibus, piis eleemosynarum fructibus plurimum intentus; vitam privatam et monachicam cunctis regni divitiis et honoribus præferens, quam et olim jam, si non obstinatus conjugis animus divortium negaret, relicto regno, subiisset. Unde et multis visum et sæpe dictum est, quia talis animi virum episcopum magis quam regem ordinari deceret. Cumque annos triginta in regno miles regni cœlestis exegisset, correptus est corporis infirmitate permaxima, qua et mortuus est; admonuitque conjugem, ut vel tunc divino se servitio pariter manciparent, cum amplius pariter mundum amplecti, vel potius mundo servire, non possent. Quod dum ægre impetraret ab ea, venit ad antistitem Londoniæ civitatis, vocabulo Waldhere, qui Earconwaldo successerat; et per ejus benedictionem habitum religionis, quem diu desiderabat, accepit. Attulit autem

should be there healed, she was led into the burial-place; A.D. 676. and having long prayed there on her knees, she did not fail to be heard, for as she rose from prayer, before she went out of the place, she received the gift of sight which she had desired; and whereas she had been led thither by her servants, she now returned home joyfully without help; as if she had lost her sight to no other end than that she might make it appear how great light the saints enjoyed in heaven, and how great was the power of their virtue.

CHAP. XI.-SEBBI, KING OF THE SAME PROVINCE, ENDS

HIS LIFE IN A MONASTERY.

turns monk.

T that time, as the same little book King Sebbi
informs us, Sebbi, a devout man, of A.D. 694.
whom mention has been made above,
governed the kingdom of the East
Saxons. He was much addicted to
religious actions, almsgivings, and
frequent prayer; preferring a pri-

vate and monastic life to all the wealth and honours of his kingdom, which sort of life he would also long before have undertaken, had not his wife positively refused to be divorced from him; for which reason many were of opinion, and often said so, that a person of such a disposition ought rather to have been a bishop than a king. When he had been thirty years a king, and a soldier of the heavenly kingdom, he fell into a violent sickness, of which he died, and admonished his wife, that they should then at least jointly devote themselves to the service of God, since they could no longer enjoy, or rather serve, the world. Having with much difficulty obtained this of her, he repaired to Waldhere, bishop of London, who had succeeded Earconwald, and with his blessing received the religious habit, which he had long desired. He also