Page images
PDF
EPUB

Saron Chronicle

Asser

Ethelwerd 887

WISE conjectures that we ought to read Hiberiæ, SPAIN, and not

from suffering the pain which it causes, or from the gloom which is thrown over him by the apprehension of its coming. Moreover, the constant invasions of foreign nations, by which he was continually harassed by land and sea, without any interval of rest, were a just cause of disquiet. What shall I say of his repeated expeditions against the pagans, his wars, and incessant occupations of government? Of the daily embassies sent to him by foreign nations, from the Tyrrhenian sea to the farthest end of Ireland? For we have seen and read letters, accompanied with presents, which were sent to him by Abel the patriarch of Jerusalem. What Hiberniæ, IRELAND, in this passage. shall I say of the cities and towns which he restored, and of others which he built, where none had been before? of the royal halls and chambers, wonderfully erected by his command, with stone and wood? of the royal vills constructed of stone, removed from their old site, and handsomely rebuilt by the king's command in more fitting places? Besides the disease above mentioned, he was disturbed by the quarrels of his friends, who would voluntarily endure little or no toil, though it was for the common necessity of the kingdom; but he alone, sustained by the divine aid, like a skilful pilot, strove to steer his ship, laden with much wealth, into the safe and much desired harbour of his country, though almost all his crew were tired, and suffered them not to faint or hesitate, though sailing amid the manifold waves and eddies of this present life.

For all his bishops, earls, nobles, favourite ministers, and prefects, who, next to God and the king, had the whole government of the kingdom, as is fitting, continually received from him instruction, respect, exhortation, and command; nay, at last, when they were disobedient, and his long patience was exhausted, he would reprove them severely, and censure their vulgar folly and obstinacy; and thus he directed their attention to his own will and to the common interests of the kingdom. But, owing to the sluggishness of the people, these admonitions of the king were either not fulfilled, or were begun late at the moment of necessity, and so ended less to the advantage of those who put them in execution; for I will say nothing of the castles which he ordered to be built, but which, being begun late, were never finished, because the hostile troops broke in upon them by land and sea, and as often happened, the thwarters of the royal ordinance repented when it was too late, and blushed at their non-performance of his commands. I speak of repentance when it is too late, on the testimony of Scripture, whereby numberless persons have had cause for too much sorrow when many insidious evils have been wrought. But though by these means, sad to say, they may be bitterly afflicted and roused to sorrow by the loss of fathers, wives, children, ministers, servant-men, servant-maids, and furniture and household stuff, what is the use of hateful repentance when their kinsmen are dead, and they cannot aid them, or redeem those who are captive from captivity? for they are not able even to assist those who have escaped, as they have not wherewith to sustain even their own lives. They repented, therefore, when it was too late, and grieved at their incautious neglect of the king's commands, and they praised the royal wisdom with one voice, and tried with all their power to fulfil what they had before refused, namely, concerning the erection of castles, and other things generally useful to the whole kingdom.

[blocks in formation]

by the fear of its coming.
Moreover, the constant invasions of foreign nations, by which
he was continually harassed by land and sea, without any
interval of rest, were a just cause of disquiet. What
shall I say of his repeated expeditions against the pagans,
his wars, and incessant occupations of government?

of the cities and towns which he restored, and
of others which he built, where none had been before? of
the buildings of gold and silver, incomparably wrought at his
command? of

the royal halls and chambers, wonderfully erected by his
command, with stone and wood? of the royal vills constructed
of stone, removed from their old site, and handsomely rebuilt
by the king's command in more fitting places?
He, sustained by the divine aid,

did not suffer his government, once undertaken, to faint
or hesitate, though sailing amid the manifold waves and
eddies of this present life.

For all his bishops, earls, nobles, favourite ministers, and

prefects,

continually received

from him instruction, exhortation, and command; nay, at last, when they were disobedient, and his long patience was exhausted, he would reprove them severely, and censure their vulgar folly and obstinacy; and thus he directed their attention to his own will, and the common interests of the kingdom. But if, owing to the sluggishness of the people, these admonitions of the king were either not fulfilled, or were begun late at the moment of necessity, and so ended less to the advantage of those who put them in execution; for instance the castles which he ordered to be

built, but which, being begun late, were never finished, because the hostile troops broke in upon them by land and sea, as often happened, the thwarters of the royal ordinance repented when it was too late,

and grieved at their incautious neglect

of the king's commands, and they praised the royal wisdom with one voice, and tried with all their power to fulfil what they had before refused.

[blocks in formation]

Who, moreover, shall tell how he enriched the Holy Places with ornaments and with kingly gifts? He was often disturbed in mind against the princes, and leaders of galleys, and all the race of the wicked, because they would not follow him in the studies on which he was bent. But yet, he alone, supported by the divine aid, like a skilful pilot, sought to steer his ship, that is the life of his own glorious mind, into the haven of a peaceful paradise. He was in the habit of keeping in frequent memory those

verses:

He who would hope with cautious
A lasting seat to find [steps
And with firm feet to keep his stand
Against the blowing wind; &c.
And lower down:
Though down this world in ruin falls,
And winds may swell the seas,
Thou, shut within thy peaceful walls,
Shalt spend thy days in ease,
And smile at all the impotence
And fury of the breeze.

These things the pious king

turning over and over in his mind, gave forth a fragrance by his unspeakable deeds which were the fruits of his goodness. Who shall tell what gifts he gave on festal days to his bishops, chiefs and soldiers? The poor then rejoiced in jubilee: then orphans and widows applauded with unbounded joy of heart. He [ALFRED] knew those words of the scholastic writer; "Money is precious when it has been transferred to others: with the use of giving it ceases to be possessed." He constantly admonished his bishops shining with heavenly brightness, to correct the faults of the people and restrain by bold chastisement the folly of the vulgar: and he not only admonished the shepherds of the people, but also commanded his dukes and chosen servants, to make themselves wisely serviceable to the common good of all the kingdom.

[blocks in formation]

Of his fixed purpose of holy meditation, which in the midst of prosperity and adversity he never neglected, I cannot with advantage now omit to speak. For, whereas he often thought of the necessities of his soul, among the other good deeds to which his thoughts were night and day turned, he ordered that two monasteries should be built, one for monks at Athelney, which is a place surrounded by impassable marshes and rivers where no one can enter but by boats, or by a bridge laboriously constructed between two other heights; at the western end of which bridge was erected a strong tower, of beautiful work, by command of the aforesaid king; and in this monastery he collected monks of all kinds, from every quarter, and placed them therein. For at first, because he had no one of his own nation, noble and free by birth, who was willing to enter the monastic life, except children, who could neither choose good nor avoid evil in consequence of their tender years, because for many previous years the love of a monastic life had utterly decayed from that nation as well as from many other nations though many monasteries still remain in that country; yet, as no one directed the rule of that kind of life in a regular way, for what reason I cannot say, either from the invasions of foreigners which took place so frequently both by sea and land, or because that people abounded in riches of every kind, and so looked with contempt on the monastic life. It was for this reason that king Ælfred sought to gather monks of different kinds to place in the same monastery. First he placed there as abbat, John the priest and monk, an old Saxon by birth, then certain priests and deacons from beyond the sea; of whom, finding that he had not as large a number as he wished, he procured as many as possible of the same Gallic race, some of whom, being children, he ordered to be taught in the same monastery, and at a later period to be admitted to the monastic habit. I have myself seen a young lad of pagan birth who was educated in that monastery, and by no means the hindmost of them all. There was also a deed done once in that monastery, which I would utterly consign to oblivion, although it is an unworthy deed; for throughout the whole of Scripture the base deeds of the wicked are interspersed among the blessed deeds of the just, as tares and darnel are sown among the wheat: good deeds are recorded that they may be praised and imitated, and that their imitators may be held in all honour; wicked deeds are there related, that they may be censured and avoided, and their imitators be reproved with all odium, contempt, and vengeance.

For once upon a time, a certain priest and a deacon, Gauls by birth, and two of the aforesaid monks, by the instigation of the devil, and excited by some secret jealousy, became so embittered in secret against their abbat, the above mentioned John, that, like Jews, they circumvented and betrayed their master. For whereas he had two servants, whom he had hired out of Gaul, they taught these such wicked practices, that in the night, when all men were enjoying the sweet tranquillity of sleep, they should make their way into the church armed, and shutting it behind them as usual, hide themselves therein, and wait for the moment when the abbat should enter the church alone. At length, when he should come alone to pray, and bending his knees, bow before the holy altar, the men should rush on him with hostility, and try to slay him on the spot. They then should drag his

[blocks in formation]

887

Florence

Among the other good

deeds which he did, he

Huntingdon

Simeon

The same king had made a beautiful monastery in the place called Ethelingaige, close to which on the western side was placed a fortress

ordered that two monasteries should be built, one for monks that had been made very at Athelney,

where he collected monks of all kinds.

strong by the command and the labour of the aforesaid king. In this convent he collected from all sides monks of different kinds, and settled in that place.

First he placed there as abbat, John the priest and monk, an old Saxon by birth.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

lifeless body out of the church, and throw it down before the house of a certain harlot, as if he had been slain whilst on a visit to her. This was their machination, adding crime to crime, as it is said, "The last error shall be worse than the first."

But the divine mercy, which always delights to aid the innocent, frustrated in great part the wicked design of the wicked men, so that it should not turn out in every respect as they had proposed.

When, therefore, the whole of the evil counsel had been explained by those wicked teachers to their wicked agents, and the night which had been fixed on as most fit was come, the two armed ruffians were placed, with a promise of impunity, to await in the church for the arrival of the abbat. In the middle of the night John, as usual, entered the church to pray, without any one's knowing of it, and knelt before the altar. The two ruffians rushed upon him with drawn swords, and dealt him some severe wounds. But he, being a man of a brave mind, and, as we have heard say, not unacquainted with the art of self-defence, if he had not been a follower of a better calling, no sooner heard the sound of the robbers, before he saw them, than he rose up against them before he was wounded, and, shouting as loud as he could, struggled against them, crying out that they were devils and not men: for he himself knew no better, as he thought that no men would dare to attempt such a deed. He was, however, wounded before any of his people could come to his help. His attendants, roused by the noise, were frightened when they heard the word devils, and both these two who, like Jews, sought to betray their master, and the others who knew nothing of the matter, rushed together to the doors of the church; but before they got there those ruffians escaped, leaving the abbat half dead. The monks raised the old man, in a fainting condition, and carried him home with tears and lamentations; nor did those two deceit ful monks shed tears less than the innocent. But God's mercy did not allow so bold a deed to pass unpunished; the ruffians who perpetrated it, and all who urged them to it, were taken and put in prison, where, by various tortures, they came to a disgraceful end. Let us now return to our

narrative.

Another monastery, also, was built by the same king as a residence for nuns, near the eastern gate of Shaftesbury; and his own daughter, Ethelgiva, was placed in it as abbess. With her many other noble ladies bound by the rules of the monastic life, dwell in that monastery. These two edifices were enriched by the king with much land, as well as personal property.

These things being thus disposed of, the king began, as was his practice, to consider within himself, what more he could do to augment and show forth his piety; what he had begun wisely, and thoughtfully conceived for the public benefit, was adhered to with equally beneficial result; for he had heard it out of the book of the law, that ths Lord had promised to restore to him tenfold; and he knew that the Lord had kept his promise, and had actually restored to him tenfold. Encouraged by this example, and wishing to exceed the practices of his predecessors, he vowed humbly and faithfully to devote to God half his services, both day and night, and also half of all his wealth, such as lawfully and justly came annually into his possession; and

Ethelwerd 887

« PreviousContinue »