healed the sick, and constantly drove away the swart spirits, and the departure of men marked for death sagaciously foretold, wise through prophecy in the spirit of wisdom?

There dwelt in a hermitage a priest very orthodox, according to his precepts, and visited him every year, called Hereberht, of pensive mind. Cuthberht then soon spake with him apart, saying he should then fully ask what he needed, ere his last day, and said that he might not again see him in human life, from that present day. Hereberht was then very sad, and fell at his feet with flowing tears, praying that he might journey with him to heavenly glory from this toil, as he had in life obeyed his precepts. The bishop hereupon bowed his knees at this prayer with cheerful mind, and immediately afterwards comforted the priest, saying that the Almighty Ruler had granted them that they might journey together from these tribulations to everlasting joy. Hereberht then returned home, and lying on his sick-bed awaited the other's end with afflicted limbs. Cuthberht the holy then with all speed hastened to the hermitage where he had before been seated; through the monition of the Mighty Lord, he would in that land end his life, where he had living long before passed his days; and in that land he was then confined to his bed, very rapidly hastening on his departure hence to God, in the third year of his bishophood; and on this day went to the Lord, and Hereberht with him, the holy priest, as they in life had before been informed, through the Spirit of God, with good will. His body was buried in the church of Lindisfarne, where very many wonders were wrought through the merits of his blessed life. It afterwards pleased the suffragan bishop Eadberht himself, his successor, that he would have his body placed there, in the eleventh year after his [Cuthberht's] death. Then the holy corpse was found lying in the earth whole and sound, as if he were sleeping, pliant in the limbs, so as he had been laid.

Sy wuldor and lóf þam welegan Drihtne, sede his gecorenan swa cystelice wurðað, æfter deadlicum life mid him lybbende a on ecnysse ealra worulda. Amen.

XII. KL. APRILIS.

SCI BENEDICTI ABBATIS.

BENEDICTUS se halga Abbud on disum andwerdum dæge gewat of disum deadlicum life to dam ecan, de he ær deoplice mid haligre drohtnunge geearnode.

He was of eawfæstum magum ædellice geboren, and hí hine on cildhade to lare befæston on Romebyrig gelæredum uðwitum. Þaða hề on wisdome wel deonde wæs, ða begánn hé to onscunigenne world-manna undeawas, and sceoc digellice of dære byrig, and him folgode his foster-moder, oðþæt hí becomon to dære stowe de is Efide gehâten, and eawfæste menn hine dær sume hwile geletton. Da abæed his fostormoder an hridder, and tobærst on emtwa on dære læne. Seo fostor-modor da sarlice weop for Sære awyrdan læne, ac se eawfæsta Benedictus besargode his fostor-moder sarnysse swide arfæstlice, and genẩm da sticcu þæs toclofenan hriddores, and mid wope on his gebedum cneowode. Ac ðaða he of his gebedum arás, da gemette hề þæt fæt wið hine licgende swa gehal þæt dær nan cinu on næs gesewen. pa wearð þis wundor on dære stowe sona gewidmærsod, and hí for wundrunge þæt hridder up-ahengon æt heora cyrcan geate, þæt men mihton tocnawan pæs mæran Benedictes mærða, hwylce gedince he hæfde ætforan Gode da gíu on his cildháde.

Ac Benedictus gewilnode swiðor to doligenne earfoonyssa and geswine for Gode, ponne hê cepte woruldlice he [runga, odde pises lifes hlisan, and forfleab pa deoruunga þa fostor

Be glory and praise to the bounteous Lord, who so munificently honours his chosen, after mortal life living with him to all eternity. Amen.

MARCH XXI.

ST. BENEDICT, ABBOT.

BENEDICT, the holy Abbot, on this present day departed from this mortal life to the life everlasting, which he had before truly merited by his holy conduct.

He was nobly born of pious parents, and they in his childhood intrusted him for instruction to learned philosophers at Rome. When he was well thriving in wisdom he began to shun the immoralities of worldly men, and fled secretly from the city, and his foster-mother followed him, till they came to the place which is called Effide, and pious men there some while detained him. His foster-mother there borrowed a winnowing sieve, and it brake in two during the loan. The fostermother then sorely wept for the injured loan, but the pious Benedict grieved for his foster-mother's affliction very affectionately, and took the pieces of the split sieve, and weeping knelt down in prayer. But when he arose from his prayers, he found the vessel lying by him so whole that no chink was visible in it. This miracle was soon made known in the place, and as an object of wonder they hung up the sieve at their church gate, that men might know of the glories of the great Benedict, what honour he had before God already in his childhood.

But Benedict desired rather to undergo hardships and toil for God, than he cared for worldly [praises, or renown of this life, and secretly fled from his foster-mother to a desolate

modor to anre westenre stowe, pe is Sublacus gecweden, feowertig mila fram Romebyrig, þær hine afedde sum eawfæst munuc, Romanus hatte, preo gear, and him to munuclicum gyrlum fylste. Pa aheng se munuc ane lytle bellan on dam stân-clude, þæt Benedictus mihte gehyran, þurh dære bellan sweg, hwænne he his bigleofan þær feccan sceolde; forðan þe se Romanus ne mihte him to gegán for dam stánclude. Pa sume dæge, se niðfulla deofol, þe ândode on ðæs munuces soðan lufe, and on dæs odres bigleofan, wearp da ænne stan to dære bellan, þæt heo eall tosprang; ac se æðela munuc ne geswác na de hraðor þam oðrum to þenigenne on gedafenlicum tidum. Efter dysum geswutelode se Ælmihtiga God sumum arwurðan mæsse-preoste be dam halgan Benedicte, and se preost þa hine gesohte on Easter-tide mid lacum, swa swa him beboden wæs. He ða hine gemette, on Sam halgan Easter-dæge, on anum scræfe, and hine gespræc, and he wears pa cuð hyrdemannum, and his nama geond eall sprang. Hwæt da forwel mænige hine geneosodon, and him lichamlice bigleofan brohton, and he him of his muðe þa heofonlican lare forgeaf, heora sawle to bigleofan.

On sumum dæge, þaða he ana wæs, þa com him to se costere. Witodlice án blac prostle flicorode ymbe his neb swa gemahlice, þæt he hi mid his handa gefōn mihte, gif he swa wolde; ac he hine bletsode mid pære halgan rode-tacne, and se fugol sona aweg gewất. pa gestod hine swa micel lichamlic costung, þæt he uneade pære lichamlican ontendnysse wiðstandan mihte; pa bedohte he hine sylfne, and unscrydde hine ealne, and wylode hine sylfne on dam piccum bremlum and pornum and netelum, de þær on dam westene picce stodon, swa lange pæt he eall toclifrod aras, and swa purh dære hyde wunda adwæscte his modes wunda; forðan de he awende pone unlust to sarnysse, and purh þa yttran ontendnysse acwencte pa inran. Witodlice he oferswiðde pa synne, forðan de he awende pa ontendnysse. Soðlice of dære tide, swa swa he sylf syddan sæde, æle gallic ontendnys

place which is called Subiaco, forty miles from Rome, where a pious monk fed him, called Romanus, for three years, and helped him to monastic garments. The monk then hung a little bell on the stony rock, that Benedict might hear, by the sound of that bell, when he should thence fetch his nourishment; because Romanus could not go to him by reason of the stony rock. Then one day, the envious devil, who was jealous of the monk's true love, and of the other's nourishment, cast a stone at the bell, so that it brake in pieces; but the noble monk refrained not the more from serving the other at fitting times. After this Almighty God made known to a venerable mass-priest concerning the holy Benedict, and the priest sought him at Easter-tide with gifts, as he had been commanded. He found him, on the holy Easter-day, in a cave, and addressed him, and he then became known to the herdsmen, and his name pervaded everywhere. Whereupon very many visited him, and brought him bodily food, and he from his mouth gave them heavenly lore, as food for their souls.

One day, when he was alone, the tempter came to him. A black throstle to wit flickered about his face so boldly, that he could have taken it with his hand, if he had so desired; but he blessed himself with the holy sign of the cross, and the bird instantly went away. He was then assailed with so great a corporal temptation, that he could hardly withstand the bodily fervour; but he bethought himself, and unclothed himself entirely, and rolled himself in the thick brambles and thorns and nettles, which stood thickly there in the wilderness, so long that he arose all scratched, and so through the wounds of the skin extinguished the wounds of his mind; for he turned evil lust to pain, and through outward inflammation quenched the inward. Verily he overcame sin, in changing the excitement. But from that time, as he himself afterwards