DE VITA ET MIRACULIS

SANCTI CUTHBERTI,

EPISCOPI LINDISFARNENSIS.

PRÆFATIO.

Domino sancto ac beatissimo Patri Eadfrido Episcopo, sed et omni Congregationi Fratrum, qui in Lindisfarnensi Insula Christo deserviunt, Beda, fidelis vester conservus, salutem.

QUIA jussistis, dilectissimi, ut in libro, quem de vita beatæ memoriæ patris nostri Cuthberti vestro rogatu composui, præfationem aliquam, juxta morem, in fronte præfigerem, per quam legentibus universis et vestræ desiderium voluntatis et obeditionis nostræ pariter assensio fraterna claresceret; placuit in capite præfationis et vobis qui nostis ad memoriam revocare, et eis qui ignorant hæc forte legentibus notum facere; quia nec sine certissima exquisitione rerum gestarum aliquid de tanto viro scribere, nec tandem ea, quæ scripseram, sine subtilissima examinatione testium indubiorum passim transcribenda quibusdam dare præsumsi. Quin potius primo diligenter exordium, progressum et terminum gloriosissimæ conversationis ac vitæ illius ab his, qui noverant, investigans, quorum etiam nomina in ipso

THE

LIFE AND MIRACLES

OF

SAINT CUTHBERT,

BISHOP OF LINDISFARNE.

PREFACE.

To the holy and most blessed Father Bishop Eadfrid, and to all the Congregation of Brothers also, who serve Christ in the Island of Lindisfarne, Bede, your faithful fellow-servant, sends greeting.

NASMUCH as you bade me, my beloved, prefix to the book, which I have written at your request about the life of our father Cuthbert, of blessed memory, some preface, as I usually do, by which its readers might become acquainted with your desire and my readiness to gratify it, it has seemed good to me, by way of preface, to recal to the minds of those among you who know, and to make known to those readers who were before ignorant thereof, how that I have not presumed without minute investigation to write any of the deeds of so great a man, nor without the most accurate examination of credible witnesses to hand over what I had written to be transcribed. Moreover, when I learnt from those who knew the beginning, the middle, and the end of his glorious life and conversation, I sometimes inserted the names of these my authors, to esta

libro, aliquoties ob indicium certum cognitæ veritatis. apponenda judicavi, sic demum ad schedulas manum mittere incipio. At digesto opusculo, sed adhuc retento in schedulis, frequenter et reverendissimo fratri nostro Herefrido presbytero huc adventanti, et aliis, qui diutius cum viro Dei conversati vitam illius optime noverant, quæ scripsi legenda atque ex tempore retractanda præstiti, ac nonnulla ad arbitrium eorum, prout videbantur, sedulus emendavi; sicque omnibus scrupulorum ambagibus ad purum ablatis, certam veritatis indaginem simplicibus explicitam sermonibus commendare membranulis, atque ad vestræ quoque fraternitatis præsentiam asportare curavi, quatenus vestræ auctoritatis judicio vel emendarentur falsa, vel probarentur vera esse, quæ scripta sunt. Quod cum, Domino juvante, patrarem, et coram senioribus ac doctoribus vestræ congregationis libellus biduo legeretur, ac sollertissime per singula ad vestrum pensaretur examen; nullus omnimodis inventus est sermo, qui mutari debuisset, sed cuncta, quæ scripta erant, communi consilio decernebantur absque ulla dubietate legenda, et his, qui religionis studio vellent, ad transcribendum esse tradenda. Sed et alia multa nec minora his, quæ scripsimus, præsentibus nobis, adinvicem conferentes, de vita et virtutibus beati viri superintulistis, quæ prorsus memoriæ digna videbantur, si non deliberato ac perfecto operi nova interserere vel superadjicere, minus congruum atque indecorum esse constaret.

Dehinc admonendam vestræ almitatis coronam ratus sum, ut sicut ipse munus obedientiæ meæ, quod jubere estis dignati, promtus solvere non distuli, ita vos quoque ad reddendum mihi vestræ intercessionis præmium pigri non sitis; sed cum eundem libellum relegentes pia sanctissimi patris memoria vestros animos ad desideria regni cœlestis ardentius attollitis, pro mea quoque parvitate memineritis Divinam exorare clementiam, quatenus et

blish the truth of my narrative, and thus ventured to put my pen to paper and to write. But when my work was arranged, but still kept back from publication, I frequently submitted it for perusal and for correction to our reverend brother Herefrid the priest, and others, who for a long time had well known the life and conversation of that man of God. Some faults were, at' their suggestion, carefully amended, and thus every scruple being utterly removed, I have taken care to commit to writing what I clearly ascertained to be the truth, and to bring it into your presence also, my brethren, in order that by the judgment of your authority, what I have written might be either corrected, if false, or certified to be true. Whilst, with God's assistance, I was so engaged, and my book was read during two days by the elders and teachers of your congregation, and was accurately weighed and examined in all its parts, there was nothing at all found which required to be altered, but every thing which I had written was by common consent pronounced worthy to be read without any hesitation, and to be handed over to be copied by such as by zeal for religion should be disposed to do so. But you also, in my presence, added many other facts of no less importance than what I had written, concerning the life and virtues of that blessed man, and which well deserved to be mentioned, if I had not thought it unmeet to insert new matter into a work, which, after due deliberation, I considered to be perfect.

Furthermore, I have thought right to admonish your gracious company, that, as I have not delayed to render prompt obedience to your commands, so you also may not be slow to confer on me the reward of your intercession; but when you read this book, and in pious recollection of that holy father lift up your souls with ardour in aspiration for the heavenly kingdom, do not forget to entreat the Divine clemency in favour of my

nunc pura mente desiderare et in futuro perfecta beatitudine merear videre bona Domini in terra viventium: sed, et me defuncto, pro redemptione animæ meæ, quasi familiaris et vernaculi vestri, orare, et missas facere, et nomen meum inter vestra scribere dignemini. Nam et tu, sanctissime antistes, hoc te mihi promisisse jam retines, in cujus etiam testimonium futuræ conscriptionis religioso fratri vestro Guthfrido mansionario præcepisti, ut in albo vestræ sanctæ congregationis meum nunc quoque nomen apponeret. Sciat autem sanctitas vestra, quia vitam ejusdem Deo dilecti patris nostri, quam vobis prosa editam dedi, aliquanto quidem brevius, sed eodem tamen ordine, rogantibus quibusdam e nostris fratribus, heroicis dudum versibus edidi; quos si vos habere delectat, a nobis exemplar accipere potestis; in cujus operis præfatione promisi me alias de vita et miraculis ejus latius esse scripturum, quam videlicet promissionem in præsenti opusculo, prout Dominus dederit, adimplere satago. Orantem ergo pro nobis, beatitudinem vestram Dominus omnipotens custodire dignetur incolumem, dilectissimi fratres et domini mei. Amen.

CAP. I. QUOMODO PUER DEI CUTHBERTUS PER INFANTEM SIT PRÆDICTO EPISCOPATUI ADMONI

TUS.

PRINCIPIUM nobis scribendi de vita beati Cuthberti Hieremias propheta consecrat, qui anachoreticæ perfectionis statum glorificans ait, [Thren. iii. 27.] Bonum est viro cum portaverit jugum ab adolescentia sua; sedebit