of war in the midst of conflicting nations, felt their tranquillity for the first time disturbed, and their lands the object of depredation. The city of Carlisle, which lay within their frontiers, and probably was their capital, suffered the most: it was reduced to ruin by the Danes, and lay desolate more than two hundred years, when it was restored in 1092 by William the Conqueror ".

But here, as in Mercia, nature usurped her rights over the fierce passions of the barbarians. Man is not given to destroy that which he can convert to his own use; and the minds of the most unsettled race of men will, at one time or other, yield to the charms of enjoyment and the luxury of repose. The Archdeacon and historian of Huntingdon is doubtlessly correct, though unsupported by the other five Chronicles, which are our principal authority for these events, when he tells us, that Halfdene "seized on the country, and divided it among his men who occupied and cultivated it two years." His followers, "settling among the AngloSaxons there, and intermarrying with them, became in the course of a few generations so mixed, as to form almost one people. It is not easy, from the vagueness of the old writers, to fix limits; but this fusion was probably felt strongest along our north-eastern coast between the Tees and the Tweed, where some Danish peculiarities are still detected among the people"."

In the midst of these convulsions we hear nothing of Rigsig, the obscure individual, into whose hands the shadow of the Northumbrian sovereignty had fallen, except that he died in 876, and was succeeded by a

"Simeon Dun. an. 1092.

"Saisivit terram, et divisit eam suis, et coluerunt eam duobus

annis."

Pict. Hist. of England, vol. i. p. 157.

second Egbert, whose life and actions are as little known to us as those of his predecessor'.

Hoveden. Chron. Mailros. Dr. Lingard and Lappenberg relate the destruction of Coldingham, where the nuns mutilated their faces, among the events of 875 and 876, but this is certainly a mistake. Hubba, not Halfdene, commanded the Danes, when those barbarities were perpetrated, and it happened in 869 or 870, not in 875.

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CHAP. XII.

THE LEGEND OF THE TRANSLATION OF ST. CUTHBERT'S BODY, WHEREIN ARE RELATED THE FLIGHT OF THE MONKS OF LINDISFARNE FROM BEFORE THE DANISH ARMY, THE CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF NORTHUMBRIA AS A DANISH KINGDOM, UNTIL IT FINALLY WAS UNITED TO THE DOMINIONS OF KING ALFRED.

"ALMIGHTY GOD, who is justly merciful and mercifully just, being willing to punish the English nation. for their manifold sins, permitted the Fresons and Danes, pagan nations, to exercise their inhumanity over them. These nations, under Hubba, duke of the Fresons, and Halfdene, king of the Danes, arrived in Britain, which is now called England, and, having divided themselves into three bodies, ravaged the country in three directions. One body of them rebuilt

The ecclesiastical legend, of which a translation forms the text of this chapter, is found in the second volume of Bedæ Opera Historica, ed. Stevenson, and in the Appendix to vol. vi. of Bedæ Opera Omnia, ed. J. A. G. 12 vols. 8vo. Lond. 1844. It was written soon after the reign of William the Conqueror, as appears by its concluding sentence, (not here given,) in which the writer states, that he had some of his facts from eye-witnesses. It will give the reader a much better picture of the state of things in Northumberland between the years 875 and 894, than any abstract of its contents that I could make in my own language. I have therefore introduced it into the narrative, trusting that the reader will easily distinguish the true from the fabulous. The same legend is found also, in much the same language, but rather abbreviated, in Simeon of Durham's work De Dunelmensi ecclesia, lib. ii. cap. 11.

the walls of York', and, occupying the neighbouring country on all sides, took up their abode there; the other two, much more ferocious than the first, occupied Mercia and the country of the South Saxons, destroying every thing they came near, both sacred and profane, with fire, rapine, and slaughter. Then might be seen noble and excellent priests slain around the altars on which they had solemnized the holy mysteries of the body and blood of Christ, virgins ravished, the respect due to matrons trodden under foot, infants torn from their mothers' breasts and dashed against the ground, or suspended by the feet, or torn in pieces by the hands of the barbarians; in short, no mercy was shewn by the cruel wretches, to sex, age, or dignity. Yet even thus their brutal ferocity could not glut itself, but they must needs destroy every member of the royal family, from whom they apprehended danger to their dominion. Alfred, the father of King Edward the First, alone escaped destruction. . . .

"About the time of the persecution just mentioned, an intolerable affliction arose of a sudden in Northumberland, which grievously shook the Churches of God in those parts. At that time, a certain man of great abilities, named Eardulf, was ruling, in a praiseworthy manner before God and man, the bishopric of the Church of Lindisfarne, in which rested the

The writer of the legend here blends together all the principal features of the Danish invaders which had occurred during many years, by way of introduction to his subject, and without adhering very accurately to the time and exact nature of the facts.

The writer calls him Edward the First, to distinguish him from Edward the Confessor: he is generally termed," Edward the Elder." Lindisfarne was at this time the episcopal city of the diocese of

Durham.

body of Christ's most holy confessor St. Cuthbert. This man, remembering the last admonitions which that holy father had given his brethren, as he was at the point of death, chose to vacate his place rather than be in subjection to the wicked. For, among other precepts of love and peace which his paternal affection dictated, Saint Cuthbert had thus warned them'. "If you are ever obliged by necessity to choose between the two, I would much rather that you should remove my bones from the tomb, and taking them with you leave this place, and stop where God shall determine, than that you in any way be consenting to iniquity, or submit your necks to the yoke of schismatics." There was at that time also a certain abbat, Edred by name, of wonderful sanctity before God, and of no little nobility among men, who had always as much devotion towards God's holy confessor as the bishop himself. When, therefore, this tribulation came upon them, these two men, taking with them some others of a religious character, carried away the incorruptible body of the venerable father from the monastery of Lindisfarne. When his own people heard of this, they left their houses and household goods, and immediately followed him with their wives and children. For those who are properly called his own people, inasmuch as he keeps them under his especial protection, and they cannot live any where else save

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The Life of St. Cuthbert has been written by the Venerable Bede, and exhibits a curious picture of the superstition and asceticism, which abounded in the seventh century.

The passage, here quoted, occurs in Venerable Bede's Life of St. Cuthbert, vol. iv. p. 335. edit. meæ.

That is, those persons who dwell upon the lands, or, as it was generally termed, the " patrimony" of St. Cuthbert.

L