CHAP. II. HOW HE WAS CRIPPLED, THROUGH A PAINFUL SWELLING IN HIS KNEE, WHICH WAS CURED BY AN ANGEL.

§ 5. AND as it is written that " to him that hath, more shall be given, and he shall abound," that is, to him that hath a firm purpose and love for virtue, abundance thereof by heavenly bounty shall be given; so from the time that Cudberct, the servant of the Lord, retained in an earnest heart the lesson he had heard from the exhortation of a fellow-creature, so in like manner he obtained comfort from the vision and voice of an angel. He was on one occasion struck with a sudden pain in his knee, which began to swell with an acrid tumour, so that the nerves of his knee being contracted, he was obliged to keep it suspended from touching the ground, and so to limp from place to place, till the disease increased so much that he was no longer able to walk. One day, as he had been carried out of doors by his attendants and was reclining in the open air, he suddenly saw coming in the distance an horseman of honourable mien, and clothed in white garments; and moreover the horse on which he rode was of incomparable beauty. On approaching, the rider courteously saluted Cudberct, and asked him, as it were pleasantly, if he would do a service for such a guest as he was. Whereupon Cudberct replied, "I would most readily stand up to do you every service, were I not, for the punishment of my faults, rendered incapable of so doing, and bound as a prisoner by this disease. For I now of a long time have been oppressed with this swollen knee, nor can the skill of any physician heal me." Whereupon the stranger leaping from his horse, and carefully examining his diseased knee; Seethe," says he, "some wheaten flour in milk, and anoint the tumour with this poultice, while it is warm, and you shall be healed," and saying this he mounted his horse and departed. Cudberct obeying this command, was healed in a few days, and he acknowledged that it was an angel who had given him this advice, sent namely by Him who formerly vouchsafed to send the archangel Raphael to restore sight to Tobias. [Tob. v. and vi.] And if it should seem incredible to any one, that an angel should appear on horseback, let him read the history of the Maccabees, in which it is related that angels came on horseback to the defence of Judas Maccabeus and the temple of God. [2 Mac. iii. 25; v. 2; x. 29.]

CHAP. III.2-HOW THE WIND WAS CHANGED BY HIS PRAYER, AND HOW THE SHIPS WHICH HAD BEEN DRIVEN OUT TO SEA, WERE BROUGHT BACK TO THE SHORE.

§ 6. FROM this time forth, this devout servant of the Lord, as he himself was wont to attest afterwards to his friends, by devoutly praying to the Lord, when he was in difficulties, was often delivered from them by the ministry of angels; yea, even when with merciful kindness he prayed for others that happened to be in danger, his

1 Vit. Metr. cap. ii.; Vit. Anon. § 7. 2 Vit. Metr. cap. iii.

This incident is omitted in the anonymous legend; Beda derived it, as he tells us, from the information of one of the brethren of the monastery of Tynemouth.

prayers were heard by Him who is ever wont to give ear to the "poor that calleth on Him, and to deliver him out of all his troubles." Now there is a monastery not far from the mouth of the river Tyne,' towards the south. This was, at the time we speak of, a community of men, but now it is changed, as the state of all temporal affairs change, into one of virgins who serve Christ, and now flourish in goodly number. Those servants of Christ, then, were conveying upon the river, from a distant part, a supply of wood for the use of the monastery, on rafts. And when they had now arrived opposite the monastery, with their burden, and were endeavouring to draw them to the shore, behold, on a sudden a tempestuous wind arose from the west, and catching the rafts began to drift them out of the mouth of the river. The monks, perceiving this from the monastery, launched some boats on the river, with the view of assisting those that were toiling on board the rafts; but being overpowered by the force of the current and the violence of the winds, their efforts were unavailing. Despairing then of human aid, they fled to that which is divine. They accordingly went out of the monastery, (while the rafts were drifting into the ocean,) and assembling on the nearest point they bent their knees, beseeching the Lord for those whom they beheld hurried out at that very moment into so great a peril of death. But the earnest prayers of the brethren were long deferred for this end, namely, that divine providence might manifest how greatly the power of prayer existed in Cudberct. For there was assembled on the opposite bank of the river, among whom he himself also stood, no small number of the common people. And as the monks looked on with sadness, and saw the vessels driven out to sea, till they appeared as if they were five little birds (for there were five rafts) floating on the waves, the populace began to jeer at the life and conversation of the monks, as if those who despised the common laws of mortals, and who had introduced a new and unknown rule of life, deserved to suffer such a calamity. Cudberct, however, checked the reproaches of the scoffers, exclaiming, "What are you doing, brethren, in speaking evil against those whom you see hurried away towards death? Would it not be better and more like men, were you to pray to the Lord for their safety, than thus to rejoice at their perils? But chafing against him, with mind and tongue equally churlish, they called out, "Let no one pray for them; may God have pity on none of those persons who have taken away our old worship, and no one knows how to observe the new!" On receiving this answer, Cudberct bent his knees in prayer to the Lord, and bowed his head to the ground; and forthwith the violence of the winds being turned round brought the rafts back in safety to the beach, together with those who guided them, greatly rejoicing, and laid them on shore in a fitting position, close

1 The Bollandists, Mabillon and Smith, agree in supposing that this is the small stream in Lothian, upon which was situated the monastery of Tiningham. It appears more probable, however, that we are here to understand the river which separates the county of Durham from that of Northumberland. See § 55. 2 Here we see how long the old heathendom lingered in Northumbria, and how embittered were the feelings of the populace against those who opposed it.

to the monastery. On seeing this the rustics forthwith blushed for their misbelief, and proclaimed the faith of the venerable Cudberct with the praise due to him. Nor from that time did they cease to proclaim it; as a certain most approved monk of our monastery, from whose narration I received this history, told me, saying that he had heard it in the presence of many others, from one of themselves, a man of rustic simplicity, who was wholly incapable of inventing a fiction.

CHAP. IV. [A.D. 651.]-How AS HE WAS KEEPING COMPANY WITH SHEPHERDS HE SAW THE SOUL OF ST. AIDAN, THE BISHOP, CARRIED UP TO HEAVEN BY ANGELS.

§ 7. BUT when it pleased the grace of Christ, which ruleth the life of the faithful, that the virtue of his servant should undergo a stricter discipline, thereby to earn the glory of a higher reward, it happened that he was keeping watch over the flocks committed to his charge on some remote mountains. For when on a certain night he was extending his long vigils in prayer, as was his wont, his companions being asleep, he saw on a sudden a light streaming down from heaven, breaking the mid-darkness of the long night. And in this were choirs of the heavenly host coming down to earth; and they forthwith, after taking away a soul of exceeding brightness, returned to their heavenly country. The young man, beloved of God, was exceedingly touched at this vision, and resolved to use his utmost endeavour to attain to such grace, and to the fellowship hereafter of beings so glorious, in everlasting life and happiness. He accordingly gave instant praise and thanksgiving to God, and with brotherly exhortation arousing his companions to praise the Lord, "Alas! woe unto us," he said, "who by our sleep and drowsiness are not permitted to behold the light of the ever-watchful servants of Christ. For lo! while I was watching unto prayer for a little while this night, I have seen the wonderful works of God. I have seen the gate of heaven opened, and the spirit of some saint introduced thither by an angelic company, who is now, while still we lie in lowest darkness, for ever blessed in beholding the glory of the heavenly mansion, and Christ its king. And verily, I think that he whom I saw carried away in the splendour of such light, amid the choirs of so many angels, leading him to heaven, must either have been some holy bishop or some excellent man of the number of the faithful." Saying thus, Cudberct, the man of God, kindled not a little the hearts of the shepherds to worship and praise God. And it was found when morning came, that Aidan, the bishop of the church of

1 Vit. Metr. cap. iv.; Vit. Anon. § 8.

2 Beda does not state where these hills were situated; but we have the authority of the Anonymous Life, § 8, for stating that they were near the river Leder, in Scotland, which empties itself into the Tweed.

3 The authority of the Anonymous Life here seems preferable, which tells us that the intelligence of the death of Aidan did not reach Cuthbert until after a few days.

Lindisfarne, a man of especially great virtue, had departed to the Lord at the very time Cudberct had seen him carried up to heaven ; and' forthwith giving up to their masters the flocks which he was keeping he resolved to enter a monastery.

CHAP. V.2 [A.D. 651.]-HOW THE LORD SUPPLIED HIM WITH FOOD WHEN HE WAS ON

3

A JOURNEY.

§ 8. And while, with a mind now thoroughly in earnest, he was meditating on his new entrance into a more rigorous state of life, heavenly grace was present with him to strengthen his mind to a more strict purpose, and instructed him by manifest tokens that those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, shall over ana above find, by the bounty of his promise, even those things which appertain to the nourishment of the body. Thus one day, as he was journeying alone, he turned aside at the third hour into a farmstead, which he perchance perceived at some distance. Here he entered the house of a devout matron, with the view of resting himself for a little while, caring more for procuring food for his horse on which he rode than for himself; for it was at the beginning of winter. The woman of the house welcomed him kindly, and earnestly besought him to allow her to prepare dinner, that he might refresh himself. The man of God however refused, saying, I must not eat as yet, for this is the day of the fast." Now, it was the sixth day of the week, on which day' most of the faithful are wont to prolong their fast even to the ninth hour, out of reverence to our Lord's passion. The woman, however, urgent in her zeal for hospitality, persisted in pressing him: "Consider," she said, "that on your journey you will find no village nor habitation of man; for indeed a long journey is before you, nor can you possibly accomplish it before sunset. Wherefore I beg of you to take some food before setting out, lest you should be obliged to fast all day, or perhaps even till to-morrow." But notwithstanding the woman's importunity, Cudberct's love of religion overcame her entreaties, and he spent the rest of the day fasting until the evening.

§ 9. And when he perceived, as evening was now at hand, that he could not accomplish his intended journey on this the same day, and that there was no human habitation near, where he could take shelter for the night, lo! as he went on he suddenly noticed some

If this expression is to be understood literally, we hence gather that Cuthbert embraced monachism in A.D. 651.

2 Vit. Metr. cap. vi. ; Vit. Anon. § 9.

3 The route of his journey is more clearly marked by the anonymous legend, § 9. Aidan's death occurred in the month of August; the incident here recorded took place, as is here stated, about the beginning of the winter of the same year; shortly after which, towards the end of 651 or the beginning of 652, Cuthbert entered the monastery of Melrose.

5 Considerable diversity of usage prevailed in different churches in regard to fasting upon this day, as we learn from the epistle of St. Augustine to Casulanus, (ep. lxxxvi. Opp. ii. 119, ed. fol. Ludg. 1664,) yet the custom of the western church generally was in favour of its adoption. See the Canons of Odo (A.D. 943), § 9, and the Laws of Cant. § 17.

Namely, three o'olock, at which hour our Saviour expired on the Cross.

shepherds' huts' hard by, which having been roughly put together in summer, now lay ruinous and deserted. Entering one of these with the view of passing the night, he tied his horse to the wall and set before him a bundle of hay to eat, which the wind had carried off the roof. He himself meanwhile spent the time in prayer, when suddenly in the midst of the psalmody, he noticed his horse raising his head, and pulling at the thatching of the hut, and as he drew it down there fell also, along with the straw covering of the roof, a folded napkin. When he had finished his prayer, wishing to ascertain what it was, he went and found wrapped up in the napkin the half of a loaf and a piece of meat yet warm, sufficient for himself for a single meal. And uttering praise for this heavenly bounty, "I give thanks," he said, "to God, who hath vouchsafed to provide a meal for me, who am fasting for his love, as well as for my companion, the horse." He divided therefore the piece of bread which he had found, and gave one-half of it to his horse, reserving the rest for his own refreshment. From that day forward he became more ready to fast, since he assuredly understood that a table had been spread for him in the wilderness, by his gift, who fed of old Elias the solitary, who in like manner having no one to minister to him, was fed by means of ravens for no small time; for "Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him : upon them that trust in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death: and to keep them alive in famine." [Ps. xxxiii. 18, 19.] I heard the above from a devout priest of our monastery, which is at the mouth of the river Wear, by name Inguald, who now in the grace of good old age looks forward with a clean heart to heavenly things rather than to earthly things; and he said moreover, that he had heard this from Cudberct himself after he was a bishop.

CHAP. VI.2 [A.D. 651.]-WHAT BOISIL, A HOLY MAN, PROPHESIED IN SPIRIT CONCERNING HIM, BEARING TESTIMONY TO CUDBERCT, WHEN HE CAME TO HIS MONASTERY.

§ 10. MEANWHILE this venerable servant of the Lord, having forsaken all earthly concerns, hastened to put himself under monastic discipline; for he deemed that he had been summoned by the heavenly vision to seek the joys of everlasting blessedness, and invited by the food supplied to him from heaven, to suffer temporal hunger and thirst for the Lord. Now, although he knew that the church of Lindisfarne possessed many holy men, by whose learning

1 Some of those temporary habitations yet to be seen among the wilder Northumbrian hills called "sheals," or "shealings," which arrested the notice of Camden when he visited this portion of the country. "All over the Wastes, as they call them, as well as in Gilsland, you would think you see the ancient Nomades; a martial sort of people that from April to August lie in little huts, which they call sheals or shealings, here and there among their several flocks.”— Brit. col. 1079.

2 Beda has here considerably amplified the corresponding passage of the anonymous legend, which is deficient in incident. His own metrical narrative is entirely silent. It would appear, therefore, that when it was written he had not obtained the information which Sigfrid afterwards supplied upon this portion of Cuthbert's early history.