887 Florence Huntingdon Simeon Another monastery, also, was built by the same king as a He also built another monresidence for nuns, near the eastern gate of Shaftesbury, and astery near the eastern gate his own daughter, Æthelgeofu, a nun, was placed in it as of the city called Sceftesabbess. burg, intended for the resi dence of nuns, wherein he These two edifices dedicated to God as abbess were enriched by the king with much land, as well as perso- his own daughter the virgin nal property. Ethelgyfa. He gave such large gifts and possessions to both these monasteries that they had enough for food and clothing as long as life should last. When these things which we have related were fully and firmly done, king Elfred, as was his wont, began with searching mind to look withMoreover he vowed in the recesses of his breast, humbly and faithfully to devote to God half and to meditate upon that of all his wealth, such as which is written in the divine lawfully and justly came annually into his possession ; and letters ; " If you offer rightly, Saron Chronicle Asser cretion can perceive and keep, he skilfully and wisely endeavoured to fulfil. But, that he might, with his usual caution, avoid that which scripture warns us against : “ If you offer aright, but do not divide aright, you sin,” he considered how he might divide aright that which he had vowed to God; and as Solomon had said, “ The heart of the king is in the hand of God," that is, his counsel, he ordered with wise policy, which could come only from above, that his officers should first divide into two parts the revenues of every year. When this division was made, he assigned the first part to worldly uses, and ordered that one-third of it should be paid to his soldiers, and also to his ministers, the nobles who dwelt at court where they discharged divers duties; for so the king's family was arranged at all times into three classes. The king's attendants were most wisely distributed into three companies, so that the first company should be on duty at court for one month, night and day, at the end of which they returned to their homes, and were relieved by the second company. At the end of the second month, in the same way, the third company relieved the second, who returned to their homes, where they spent two months, until their services were again wanted. The third company also gave place to the first in the same way, and also spent two months at home. Thus was the threefold division of the companies ar ranged at all times in the royal household. To these therefore was paid the first of the three portions aforesaid, to each according to their respective dignities and peculiar services; the second to the operatives, whom he had collected from every nation, and had about him in large numbers, men skilled in every kind of construction ; the third portion was assigned to foreigners who came to him out of every nation far and near, whether they asked money of him or not, he cheerfully gave to each with wonderful munificence according to their respective merits, according to what is written : “God loveth a cheerful giver.” But the second part of all his revenues, which came yearly into his possession, and was included in the receipts of the exchequer, as we mentioned a little before, he, with ready devotion, gave to God, ordering his ministers to divide it earefully into four parts, on the condition that the first part should be discreetly bestowed on the poor of every nation who came to him; and on this subject he said that, as far as human discretion could guarantee, the remark of pope St Gregory should be followed; “ Give not much to whom you should give little, nor little to whom much, nor something to whom nothing, nor nothing to whom something." The second of the four portions was given to the two monasteries which he had built, and to those who therein had dedicated themselves to God's service, as we have mentioned above. The third portion was assigned to the school, which he had studiously collected together, consisting of many of the nobility of his own nation. The fourth portion was for the use of all the neighbouring monasteries in all Saxony and Mercia, and also during some years, in turn, to the churches and servants of God dwelling in Britain (Wales), Cornwall, Gaul, Armorica, Northumbria, and sometimes also in Ireland ; according to his means, he either distributed to them beforehand, or afterwards, if life and success should not fail him. When the king had arranged these matters, he remembered that sentence of divine scripture, “ Whosoever will Hantingdon 887 Florence Simeon and divide not rightly, you have sinned.” He reflected too, from his heart, on what is said by Solomon that wisest of kings, “The heart of the king is in the hand of Almighty God.” He also divided his income into 3 parts. The first portion of his income he gave yearly to his warriors : He ordered with wise policy which could come only from above, that his officers should first divide into 2 parts the revenues of every year. When this division was made, he ordered that one-third of the first part should be divided into three parts, of which he gave yearly the first part to his ministers, the nobles who dwelt at court where they discharged divers duties; for the king's attendants were most wisely distributed into three companies so that the first company should be on duty at court for one month, night and day, at the end of which they were relieved by the second company and return to their homes, where they stayed 2 months attending to their own business. At the end of the second month, in the same way, the third company relieved the second, whó returned to their homes, where they also spent two months. The third company also gave place to the first in the same way, and also spent two months at home. Thus was the threefold division of the companies ar ranged at all times in the royal household. a The second part was paid to the operatives, whom he had the second, to the workmen collected from many nations and had about him in large num- whom he had gathered out bers, men skilled in every kind of construction ; the third of many nations: the third portion was assigned to foreigners who came to him out of to foreigners who came to every nation far and near; whether they asked money of him him from every quarter, or not, he cheerfully gave to each with wonderful munificence. For he knew that “God loveth a cheerful giver." But the second part of all his revenues, which came yearly For he was placed among into his possession, manifold thorns of tribulahe tion, al:hough he was ordered his ministers to divide care en throned in the royal power. fully into four parts, on the condition that the first part should be discreetly bestowed on the poor of every nation who came to him. The second of the four portions was given to the two monasteries which he had built, and to those who therein had dedicated themselves to God's service. The third portion was assigned to the school, which he had studiously collected together, consisting of many, both noble and ignoble, of his own nation. The fourth portion was for the use of all the neighbouring monasteries in all Saxony and Mercia, and also during some years, in turn, to the churches and servants of God dwelling in Britain (Wales,] Cornwall, Gaul, Armorica, Northumbria and sometimes also in Ireland ; accord ing to his means, he distributed to them. When the king had arranged these matters, Saron Chronicle Asser himself," and prudently began to reflect what he could offer to God from the service of his body and mind; for he proposed to consecrate to God no less out of this than he had done of things external to himself. Moreover, he promised, as far as his infirmity and his means would allow, to give up to God the half of his services, bodily and mental, by night and by day, voluntarily, and with all his might; but, inasmuch as he could not equally distinguish the lengths of the hours by night, on account of the darkness, and ofttimes of the day, on account of the storms and clouds, he began to consider, by what means and without any difficulty, relying on the mercy of God, he might discharge the promised tenor of his vow until his death. After long reflection on these things, he at length, by a useful and shrewd invention, commanded his chaplains to supply wax in a sufficient quality, and he caused it to be weighed in such a manner that when there was so much of it in the scales, as would equal the weight of seventy-two pence, he caused the chaplains to make six candles thereof, each of equal length, so that each candle might have twelve divisions f marked longitudinally upon it. By this plan, therefore, those six candles burned for twenty-four hours, a night and day, without fail, before the sacred relics of many of God's elect, which always accompanied him wherever he went; but sometimes when they would not continue burning a whole day and night, till the same hour that they were lighted the preceding evening, from the violence of the wind, which blew day and night without intermission through the doors and windows of the churches, the fissures of the divisions, the plankings of the wall, or the thin canvass of the tents, they then unavoidably burned out and finished their course before the appointed time; the king therefore considered by what means he might shut out the wind, and so by a useful and cunning invention, he ordered a lantern to be beautifully constructed of wood and white ox-horn, which, when skilfully planed till it is thin, is no less transparent than a vessel of glass. This lantern, therefore, was wonderfully made of wood and horn, as we before said, and by night a candle was put into it, which shone as brightly without as within, and was not extinguished by the wind; for the opening of the lantern was also closed up, according to the king's command, by a door of horn. By this contrivance, then, six candles, lighted in succession, lasted four and twenty hours, neither more nor less, and, when these were extinguished, others were lighted. When all these things were properly arranged, the king, eager to give up to God the half of his daily service, as he had vowed, and more also, if his ability on the one hand, and his malady on the other, would allow him, showed himself a minute investigator of the truth in all his judgments, and this especially for the sake of the poor, to whose interest, day and night, among other duties of this life, he ever was wonderfully attentive. For in the whole kingdom the poor, besides him, had few or no protectors ; for all the powerful and noble of that country had turned their thoughts rather to secular than to heavenly things: each was more bent on secular matters, to his own profit, than on the public good. He strove also, in his own judgments, for the benefit of both the noble and the ignoble, who often perversely quiar a 887 Florence Huntingdon Simeon he promised, as far as his infirmity and his Wherefore he began to consider, by what means and without any variation, he might discharge the promised tenor of his vow until his death. He at length, by a wax to be given him in a sufficient quality, and weighed against penny pieces : and when there was so much of it in the scales, as would equal the weight of seventy-two pence, he caused the chaplains to make six candles thereof, each of equal length, so that each candle might have twelve divisions marked longitudinally upon it. By this plan, therefore, those six candles burned for twenty-four hours, a night and day, without fail, before the sacred relics of many of God's elect, which always accompanied him wherever he went. Moreover the king was a minute investigator of the truth in all his judgments, as in all other things. |
