THE MONKS OF THE WEST L NEWYORKCITY THE MONKSOFTHEWEST FROMSTBENEDICTTOSTBERNARD BY THECOUNTDEMONTALEMBERT MEMBEROFTHEFRENCHACADEMY FIDEETVEEITATE AUTHORISEDTRANSLATION VOL.V. WILLIAMBLACKWOODANDSONS EDINBURGHANDLONDON MDOCCLXVII publicLibrary AETCT^,LHNOXAITO TIl-DENFOUNDATIONS R 1020 L THISENGLISHVERSIONOFHERHUSBAND'SWORK ONTHECONVERSIONOFENGLAND |sJltWattijfrjj%Cranslafor TO MADAMEDEMONTALEMBERT. THÉOPHILEFOISSET ANCIENCONSEILLER A LACOURD'APPELDEDUO SOUVENIRRECONNAISSANT DE TRENTEANS D'UNEAMITIÉ VRAIE,FIDÈLE,ENTIERE, SANSLACUNEETSAN8RIDE. AMICUSFIDELIS MEDICAMENTUMVIT>EET I MMORTALITATI8. ECCLI,VI.16. CONTENTS. CONCLUSIONOFBOOKXIII. CONTEMPORAEIESANDSUCCESSORSOPSTWILFRID,650-735. Chap. Paok III.EndoftheCelticHebesy.—Adamnan,Egbert,St Aldhelm,......8 IV.TheVenerableBede,.....57 V.TheEoyalMonks, . .101 BOOKXIV. SocialandPoliticalInfluenceoftheMonksamong theAnglo-Saxons,. .137 BOOKXV. TheAnglo-SaxonNuns, .....213 B.GenealogicalTableofNunsDescendedfromtheEaceof HengistandDynastyofthejEscings,KingsofKent. C.GenealogicalTable'ofNunsDescendedfromtheDynasty oftheKingsofMercia. D.GenealogicalTableofPrincessesoftheEaceofthe Uffings,KingsofEastAnglia,whotooktheVeil. E.GenealogicalTableoftheKingsofWessex. CONCLUSIONOFBOOKXIII. CONTEMPORARIESANDSUCCESSORSOFSTWILFRID, 650-735. CHAPTERIII. ENDOFTHECELTICHERESY.—ADAMNAN, EGBERT,STALDHELM. TheKingofthePictsrequestsCeolfridtosendhimarchitects,andargu mentsinfavourofRomanunity.—AnswerofCeolfrid,inwhichhe quotesfromPlato.—ThePictsabandontheCelticpeculiarities.—The monksofIonaleavetheirmonasteriesratherthanadopttheRoman ritual.—Theirabbot,Adamnan,biographerofColumba,andthelast greatpersonageoftheCelticChurch.—HisrelationswithKingAldfrid andtheAbbotCeolfrid.—Heattemptsinvaintoleadthemonksof IonabacktoRomanrule,buthasmoresuccessinIreland,wherehe dies.—IonaisbroughtbacktoCatholicunitybytheAnglo-Saxon Egbert,theheadofacolonyofSaxonmonksinIreland.—Hisaustere andholylife.—Heloseshismostintimatefriend,whoreproacheshim fordesiringtosurvivehim.—HeuseshisinfluencewiththeAnglo- SaxonstosendthemasmissionariestoGermany.—Afterthirteenyears' struggle,heovercomestheresistanceofIona,anddiesonthevery daywhenthefeastofEasteriscelebratedbybothpartiestogether.— IrelandandCaledoniahavingbeenthusbroughtbacktoCatholic unity,onlytheBritonsofCambriaandCornwallremainoutsideits pale,byreasonoftheirnationalantipathyfortheSaxonconquerors. —NoteuponBede'sinjusticetothem.—AttemptofStAldhelmto bringthemin.—Hisroyalbirth,andeducation—halfCeltic,half Roman—atMalmesburyandCanterbury.—HebecomesAbbotof Malmesbury.—Hisliteraryfamegreaterthanhismerit; hisverna cularsongs; intellectualdevelopmentofAnglo-Saxoncloisters.— Extentandvarietyofhisstudies.—Hiscontinualsolicitudeforsouls. —Hisgreatmonasticcharacter.—Hiszealforpreaching.—Heinter feresinfavourofWilfrid.—HegoestoRometoobtaintheprivilege ofexemptionforMalmesbury,themonksofwhichpersistinretaining himasabbot,evenafterhispromotiontotheepiscopate.—Anecdote abouttheimportationofBibles.—DeathofAldhelm.—Hisexertions forbringingbackCelticdissenters.—HislettertotheKingofCorn wall.—TheBritonsofCambria,whohadresistedalltheeffortsof 4 ENDOFTHECELTICHERESY. RomanandSaxonmissionaries,adopttheKomanritualbytheinflu enceofoneoftheirownbishops.—TheirpilgrimagestoRome.—End ofthestruggleOpinionofMabillon.—Resistanceproportionedto thedangerswhichbesetthespecialnationality.—Unionthework ofBenedictines.—IntheBritannicIsles,asamongtheGauls,Celtic monasticismconqueredandeclipsedbytheBenedictineorder. ThememoryofCeolfrid,alongwiththatofhisfaith fulEnglish,hasfadedoutofthecountryinwhich hedied.Buthebelongsneverthelesstothegeneral historyoftheChurchbythedirectinfluencewhich heexercisedupontheconclusionofthatgreat strugglebetweenCelticChristianityandRoman unitywhichhadagitatedtheBritishIslesfor morethanacentury,andwhichhadcostsomany holymonks,fromAugustintoWilfrid,somuch anxiousthoughtandeffort.Ceolfrid,trainedin theschoolofWilfrid,hadthegloryofgivingthe lastblowtothatspeciesofschismwhichWil fridtohiscosthadconquered; andthissupreme victorywaswonattheverytimewhenWilfrid concludedinobscurityhislongandlaborious career. AyearafterthedeathofWilfrid,Nechtan,the kingofthosePictswhooccupiedthenorthof Caledonia,thesuccessorofthatBruidhwhoreceived thegreatCelticapostleColumba,wrotetoAbbot Ceolfridamemorableletter.Thistributaryking wasnotonlyaChristian,butgreatlyoccupiedby religiousquestions.Hemeditatedmuchonthe HolyScriptures,andwasthusledtounderstand, andtoregret,theadvantagesofCatholicunity,from ADAMNAN,EGBERT,STALDHELM.5 whichhisnationwastoacertainextentseparateby thepaschalquestion.Heresolvedtoleadbackhis peopletotheRomanrule,notwithstandingtheob stinateresistanceofthemonksofIona,thesonsof StColumba,whocontinuedtheapostolicalworkof theirpatriarch.Toovercometheiropposition,he^h^fte determined,inoneofthesingularrevolutionsofc3fridto mortalaffairs,.toaddresshimselftothatNorthum-architect briawhichhadbeenevangelisedbyCelticmission-mentsm ariesfromIona,imbuedwiththetraditionalerrorR^mau°f oftheirrace,butwhichheknewtohavealready7io!y' conformedtotherulesoftheRomanChurch.At thesametime,inseekingtheaidoftheAnglo- SaxonChurch,hedidnotapplyeithertothe bishopswhohaddividedamongthemselvesWil frid'sspoil,noreventothegreatMonasteryof Lindisfarne,whichhadbeensolongthepointof junctionbetweenthetworaces.Instead,he knockedatthedoorofthenewsanctuariesonthe banksoftheWearandTyne,towhichBenedict Biscophadgiventhehighestplaceinpublicvene ration; heaskedtheaidofAbbotCeolfrid,whofor twentyyearshadworthilyoccupiedtheplaceofthe holytraveller.Hesenttohimaspecialembassy toaskofhimgoodarguments,setforthinwriting, withwhichtorefutethepartisansofCelticritual isminrespecttoEasterandthetonsure;1andat 1 "Ifaiton. admonitusecclesiasticarumfrequentimeditatione seripturarnm.. QusesivitauxiliumdegenteAnglorumquosjamdu- dumadexemplumS.RomanseetApostolicseEcclesieesuamreligionem instituissecognovit.. Postulansutexhortatoriassibilitterasmitteret, 6 ENDOFTHECELTICHERESY. thesametimeprayedtheabbottosendhimarchi tectstobuildhimachurchofstone,liketheRo mans,promisingtodedicatethechurch,whenbuilt, tothehonourofStPeter,andtofollowwithall hispeopletheobservancesoftheRomanChurchas muchasthedistanceanddifferenceoflanguage permittedthemtodo.1 Ceolfridsenthimarchitects,whowere,without doubt,monksofhiscommunity,andwhosemission thusgivesustheexactdateoftheintroductionof ChristianarchitectureintoScotland,whereupto thatmomentthechurchesweremadeofwood,or Answerof osiers,intheIrishfashion.Hewroteatthesame whichCeolfrid.heintime. tothe, rictish....kinga .longletter. whichi • 1 Beder» n quotes Plato. haspreservedtous,andinwhichhebeginsby quoting,nottheScripturesortheFathers,but Plato,inthatwell-knownpassageintheRepublic whereitissaidthat,forthehappinessoftheworld, itisnecessarythatkingsshouldbephilosophers, orphilosopherskings.Inthelegitimategloryof thegreatestthinkerofantiquitythereis,perhaps, noraypurerormorepreciousthanthatinvocation ofhisnameandauthority,morethanathousand yearsafterhisdeath,byaSaxonprelatetoaCeltic king,bothsprungfromracestotallyunknownto Greeceandhergreatmen."But,"addsCeolfrid, quibuspotentiusconfortareposseteosquiPaschanonsuotemporeobser- vareprsesumerent.. Sedetarchitectos. quijuxtamoremRo- manorumecclesiamdelapideingenteipsiusfacerent."—Bede,Hist. Eccles.,v.21. 1 "InquantumdumtaxattamlongeaEomanorumloquelaetnatione segregatinuncediscerepotuissent." ADAMNAN,EGBERT,STALDHELM.7 "ifamanoftheworldwasrightinthinkingand speakingthus,inwhatconcernsthephilosophyof thisworld,howmuchmoreoughtthecitizensof thecelestialcountry,exiledherebelow,todesire thatthegreatonesofthisearthshouldapplythem selvestoknowthelawsoftheSupremeJudge, and,bytheirexampleandauthority,tomakethese lawsobserved.Thuswetakeitasa markof heavenlyfavourbestowedontheChurcheachtime thatthemastersoftheworldapplythemselvesto know,toteach,ortokeepthetruth."1 Thereupon heentersintoa theologicalandastronomicaldis cussion,inwhich,passinginreviewthetextofthe Pentateuch,andthevariouscyclesusedfromthe timeofEusebiustothatofDenistheLittle,he provesthatEasteroughttobecelebrated,accord ingtotheusageoftheCatholicChurch,inthe thirdweekofthefirstlunarmonth,andalwayson Sunday.Asforthetonsure,headmitsthatitis, initself,anindifferentmatter; butheinsistsupon thefabuloustradition,whichalltheorthodoxthen heldasanarticleoffaith,bywhichtheKoman tonsure,intheformofacrown,wasattributedto StPeter,andtheIrishtonsure,inwhichthefront oftheheadwasshaven,toSimontheMagician. TheletteroftheNorthumbrianabbot,which appearstomodernreaderslongandwearisome, 1 "Vereomninodixitquidamseculariumscriptorum.. Quodsi dephilosophiahujusmundivereintelligereetdestatuhujusmundi meritodicerepotuithomohujusmundi,quautomagisccelestispatriee civibus."—Bede,ibid. 8 ENDOFTHECELTICHERESY. andtheirwascompletelysuccessful.Itwasreadpublicly dongtheantothePietistking,inpresenceofallthewise Stuai. men0I"tnecountry,translatedverballyintotheir language.Assoonashehadheardit,herose, and,inthemidstofthenoblesbywhomhewas surrounded,kneltdownandthankedGodtohave beensofortunateastohavereceivedsucha presentfromEngland."I knewwell,"hesaid, "thatthiswasthetruewayofcelebratingEaster. ButnowI seethereasonsoclearlythatI seem tohaveunderstoodnothingaboutitbefore.For thiscause,I takeyoualltowitness,allyouwho sitwithmehere,thatI willhenceforwardkeep Easterthus,withallmypeople,andIordainthat alltheclerksinmykingdomassumethistonsure."1 Theordinancewasimmediatelyputinoperation, andthemessengersofthekingcarriedintoallthe provincescopiesofthepaschalcalculation,with orderstoeffacetheancienttables.Themonks andotherecclesiasticshadalsotoreceivethe tonsureaccordingtotheRomancustom.Bede