Catholica1 Here begins the Life of Saint Neot the Abbot.
2 England, which now as a whole serves one king alone,
Was once a single realm divided among many.
3 Chiefly it is said to have had four kings,
“Each rules his own portion with the honour of a king.”
4 Each was content with his own part and sought no more;
No one claimed for himself by right what belonged to another.
5 Firm peace, harmonious life, no discord at all:
Among them favour reigns, envy is absent.
6 Those subject to like rulers dwell together in peace;
The head uncut, the other members flourish.
7 Happy were the ages of that time, free from harshness:
Great abundance, the highest security, freedom from dread.
8 Thus they reigned successively through many seasons,
Sons after fathers, each in his own time.
9 Kent then had a king whose name was Adulphus,
Which was one portion, enjoying the honour of a king.
10 Happy was that part, placed under so great a king;
For his goodness it surpassed the other realms.
11 Happy were the other kings, happier still was this one:
Not by force but by life and character he stood forth.
12 For he was a devout worshipper of God in every
Deed, freely fortifying himself with the fear of God.
13 There is no need to exalt the praises of one whose
Whole life was glory, praise, and honour.
14 He had a wife from the noble lineage of kings;
Yet she surpassed all her ancestry
15 In character and in life, blessed in such a marriage;
The husband blessed in his wife, the wife blessed in her husband.
16 Both appear just and holy, worshippers of Christ;
In both burns the love of religion.
17 They frequent the holy church with feet and prayers;
They tread the lowest with their feet, the heights of heaven with prayer.
18 They show themselves fathers to the poor; from them
No poor person departs unless with hands made full.
19 To known and unknown alike, all things are shared;
The more anyone needs, the more compassion they show.
20 While they thus flourished in such great virtues, one thing
They lamented: that for a long time they lacked offspring.
21 Not because the pleasure of the flesh delighted them,
But that a child might succeed them in their realms,
22 Begotten of themselves, lest perhaps a strong outsider
Should succeed them and rule the realms badly.
23 Therefore they pour out prayers, and with tears their prayers are doubled,
And by prayer and tears they press God strongly.
24 Without delay, and not in vain do they weary the Lord with asking,
For he granted them to enjoy the begetting offspring.
25 A child is born, weak and small, and Neot is the name
They give him; both parents rejoice.
26 Little known then, but destined to be known by many in the world;
For the more he grew, the more he became known in the world.
27 And because offspring granted by prayer is often
Embraced more dearly and more pleasing to God,
28 The parents embrace him with their whole heart,
And that he may please God, both pour forth prayers.
29 When the time came for infants to be cleansed by holy baptism,
They have him cleansed; and he himself remains pure.
30 For he bore nothing unclean when the time came
When he knew what was pure and what was sacred.
31 As soon as he could discern what letters were,
He is handed over to learn; letters once seen delight him.
32 He learns with ease whatever reading the teachers
Set before him, God teaching all things within.
33 God, seeing how pure he would be in the future,
Already willed the youth to be an old man in understanding.
34 Though he was a child, he did not wish to be childish,
But strives in all things to make himself like an elder.
35 At an early age he was sent through the seven arts,
In which he was sufficiently instructed.
36 But when he perceived that their usefulness
Was slight, he longed to learn the holy writings.
37 He learns them and reads them, rereading and turning them over in his mind;
What is read once, often reread, helps him again.
38 Those things which do not save souls he counts as almost nothing;
Those which can save, he keeps fast in his mind.
39 He holds to holy teachings and avoids varied poems;
Holding the former as sacred, avoiding the latter as vain.
40 And when by the age of time he was fit for marriage,
Both parents strive to give him in marriage.
41 But he refused to be bound by the bonds of marriage,
So that, free in mind, he might fly towards heaven.
42 And although he was born of so great a lineage of kings,
He nevertheless did not wish to enjoy the honour of a king.
43 Nor did he wish to become a soldier and busy himself with arms;
Rather he wished to be a monk, and thus to be free for God.
44 There was at that time the monastery of Glastonbury Abbey,
Of high renown, and of great religious life.
45 There the young man lays aside his garments and takes up
Those of a monk, touched by love of the place.
46 And thus he is changed in habit, changed in action;
For he was first converted in heart, now also in body.
47 At that time that monastery was ruled
By Saint Dunstan, himself also filled with God.
48 A man holy in deeds, proven in religion,
An encourager of the Rule, likewise a lover of law.
49 For his goodness he afterwards became
Archbishop of Canterbury, God bringing it about.
50 But though made a prelate, he did not cease to be an abbot,
Bearing the weight of the office and its burden.
51 To such a patron Neot submitted himself,
That the son might serve the holy father.
52 But what manner of man he was, and how great and venerable,
When he was in the cloister, the tongue cannot relate.
53 Gentle, peaceable, sweet, and kind he was,
Peaceable to his companions and demanding of himself.
54 New in religion, yet strong in long-established practice;
An example of the Rule and well instructed in it.
55 Thus he appears to his companions both boy and old man,
A child in humility and an old man in gravity.
56 Whatever good he saw in his companions, he followed it;
56 om the heart he loved those who acted wisely.
57 If he saw anyone doing what was evil, he turned away from him,
Not by despising him, but by overlooking it.
58 Nor did he allow wrongdoing to go unchecked,
But reproved the one acting so.
59 If he did not amend himself,
He corrected him at once.
60 Whomsoever he saw fasting too much or keeping vigil,
More than the rest, he revered him the more.
61 While each strives to possess certain virtues,
He alone strove to possess them all together.
62 Inwardly and outwardly he so conducted himself in deeds
That he was worthy of the love of God, worthy of the honour of men.
63 To conclude many things in few words, this little one
So hated every evil, and thus loved every good.
64 There was one brother known to him,
Burning more fervently in religion, and pleasing him the more.
65 This man was called Æthelwold, afterwards promoted
To be bishop of Winchester because of his goodness.
66 To him he communicated all his secrets; with him
He spoke freely, often returning to the same matters.
67 “Of a thousand men, let one be your counsellor;
Thus says the Wise Man; thus shall I act wisely.”
68 To him he joins himself, him he follows, and his
Sweet conversations, when he can, he eagerly takes in.
69 Æthelwold speaks, and Neot receives it with his ear;
Often Neot speaks in turn, and he holds it fast.
70 Thus they poured out many consolations for one another,
And so each took help for himself.
71 Not of gold, not of silver, not of clothing indeed,
But the riches of religion and the work of piety.
72 With equal purpose they strove, if it might be so,
To be loved above all for character and for life.
73 Nor did envy then set its seat among them,
73 r what they had they wished others to share.
74 Saint Neot often said to Æthelwold,
When they could speak alone, one with the other:
75 “Beloved brother, you see, if you are able to discern,
What this life is worth, when it produces so many evils.
76 Evil reigns everywhere; there is no place for goodness;
Impiety is in arms, and piety is in exile.
77 Life is short and chance is fleeting; but the life to come
Is exceedingly long, and no mischance wanders there.
78 Therefore let us despise this one; from the heart let us seek
That one which alone can profit us.
79 A mind intent on many things does not perceive these;
Content with one, it is able to see them.
80 This one thing is God; and let us tend towards the One
Who is God, who is able to sanctify us.
81 Martha and Mary are two lives, each blessed;
One wills the work of labour, the other seeks rest.
82 Martha wills the work of labour; Mary herself wills quiet;
And yet both pleased God.
83 Martha served, and Mary sitting was at leisure;
But she who is at leisure has more praise, the other less,
84 She who serves with heavy sweat; therefore let us follow
Her whose praise comes forth from the mouth of God.” [Luke 10:38–42]
85 When the devout Neot spoke such things,
What he advised he did, and he himself kept leisure.
86 From then on he despised all passing things;
Yet he did not avoid labour, which he knew God loves.
87 For it is labour to mortify the flesh; he labours so that
He may strongly overcome it, lest it rule over him.
88 He makes the flesh serve the spirit,
Lest the spirit serve the flesh and both perish together.
89 And that he might better subdue it, he takes up
Harsher weapons, by which it may be slain.
90 He fasts more than usual, keeps vigil, prays more,
That by a threefold weapon one flesh may fall.
91 But since he could not prepare his weapons openly,
He strove to prepare them secretly for himself.
92 And believing common practices insufficient,
He fashioned disciplines for himself from his own body.
93 For when the brothers were sleeping, he changed his clothing,
So that free in the church he might keep vigil.
94 And thus keeping watch through the night he prayed, and no one knew
That such thefts were committed by this pious thief.
95 When he had prayed enough, he put his garments back on,
And thus he did for a long time, without a witness.
96 But God did not wish Neot to remain unknown,
But rather brought it about that he be known to many.
97 So that so great a lamp might not lie hidden in secret ways,
But might kindle many lights with its own light.
98 From that time onward his deeds began to be revealed to many,
Though he wished to hide them, desiring to remain concealed.
99 For he cures illnesses and works virtues
Innumerable, God giving help through prayer.
100 Every sick person, by whatever illness he suffers,
Receives help, whoever prays to him.
101 Nor do his deeds then exalt him; rather he is shown
To be the more humble, the more he does such things.
102 The fame of so great a father flies; it reaches the ears
Of the bishop, who soon causes him to be summoned.
103 When he speaks with him, he so delights in him
As if the conversation came forth from the mouth of God.
104 He wishes to raise him to the sacred orders, to make him a Levite;
He makes him such; unwillingly he receives the rank.
105 Once the order is received, he so conducts himself
That almost everyone cries out that he is worthy of a higher order.
106 Now, as it is reported in the Old Testament,
The Levite is accustomed to carry the vessels of God;
107 So the holy man himself bears the sacred vessel of the Lord,
Carrying clean things in a clean manner.
108 He then labours to shape himself to the sacred orders,
Lest his life detract from his office.
109 Nor was there long delay: clergy and people together entreat
That he be made a priest, to enjoy a worthy honour.
110 The bishop gladly consents, and ordains him priest;
Unwillingly he receives the dignity.
111 For he pours out tears and declares himself not to be worthy
To become a priest, he who is burdened by many faults.
112 “I am a sinner,” he says; “a sinner ought not to be a priest;
He ought to be wholly clean.
113 I am not clean,” he says; “therefore I ought not to perform
The office of the clean; spare me, I beg you.”
114 He excuses himself enough, and it avails nothing; he ordains him,
As I said, the bishop; and he stands grieving.
115 When the saint was made priest, he strives to be
Other than he was before, thus speaking to himself in mind:
116 “Holy things require one who is holy; I am not holy, but consecrated;
That I may be holy, it is fitting that I make sacrifice.
117 What shall I sacrifice but myself? Nothing; therefore I shall sacrifice myself, So that, made holy, I may touch holy things.”
118 Thus he thinks with himself, and this meditation comes forth;
And sparing himself not, he acts as he meditates.
119 Because he counts his past deeds as nothing,
He renews his actions; from holy he strives to be holier.
120 Having first managed his own care, henceforth the saint
Carries double care: his own, but more, that of another.
121 The name “priest” signifies providing a path; therefore
The priest himself provides a path for his people.
122 Priest and monk: thus he lives, so that of both
He performs the office strongly and without reproach.
123 Placed on a watchtower, the saint became a mirror, in which
A man may look at himself, so that he may please the Lord.
124 He was an example to those who saw him, so that their deeds,
If they were crooked, they might be made straight again.
125 The sacred name of priest signifies what is holy;
So that he may bestow what is holy, he strives himself to be holy.
126 Why should I relate more about the saint? More holy than he
Was rare in the world in the time in which he lived.
127 Great was the title of his virtues; but small was his body,
Another Zacchaeus because of his shortness [Luke 19:1–10].
128 Small was his bodily stature; but the honour of religion
Redeems what shortness takes away.
129 So small was he that when he wished to sing
Mass, he was accustomed always to have beneath his feet
130 A little bench made of iron; which supports him then,
And which remains even to this day as a relic.
131 Without delay he was made sacristan, and took up the office
Received, and carried it out reverently.
132 Those things which were entrusted to him he guarded honourably;
In this he advanced in his goodness.
133 From then on miracles appear more than usual, for indeed
That work pertains to his office.
134 Of these, so that we may be silent about many, we write one,
The more pleasing because it is the more unusual.
135 By chance on a certain day a man of high rank,
At the time of rest, came to the church.
136 For it is the custom of monks at the midday hour
To keep the doors closed while they rest.
137 Seeing the doors closed, he demands that they be opened; inside
No one responds, yet he persists in asking.
138 Seeing that no one answers, he strikes the doors
Strongly, so that you would think he wished to break them at once.
139 At length the sacristan Neot heard the sound,
And hastened greatly, wishing quickly to open them.
140 And seeing the bolt too high up, being small in body,
He was unable to reach it because of his shortness.
141 The man outside remained there; the one inside achieved nothing,
Nor could he find anything to place beneath his feet.
142 He becomes exceedingly anxious — and marvellous to see!
The bolt lifts itself from above and seeks what is below,
143 Descending of its own accord until it touches the saint’s belt,
And thus he is able to open it at will.
144 Thus the bolt, once lowered, remained for a long time,
So that it might be a witness of so great a miracle.
145 When the people heard that such wondrous things were happening,
Men ran together from all sides to see the deeds.
146 The sick come, and the healthy as well, to see these things;
And whatever each one asks, he receives without delay.
147 To the healthy he brings teaching, to the sick medicine;
He warms hearts with words, bodies with aid.
148 But the saint, fearing lest empty glory
Might steal upon him from this, prepares willingly to withdraw,
149 Thus contending with himself: “Many people honour me,
But I know that I am not worthy of their honour.
150 I am conscious of myself; therefore I ought not
To endure that the people do this any longer.
151 I cannot remain here; I shall act by seeking the wilderness.
There no people will be, no glory for me.
152 There I shall be able to lie hidden alone and to merit God,
Whom I fear to lose if I remain here longer.
153 There no one will be able to note my words or deeds,
And if I do good, light praise will not carry it away.
154 Until now the world has smiled on me; now I wish
To mock the world, and thus to please God.
155 I shall flee the sight of men, and shall see only him
In whose sight I am able to be satisfied.”
156 Thus the saint, standing alone, meditates with himself
How he may more quickly do what he is pondering.
157 Without delay he departs, with only one companion,
Whose name was Barius, who was faithful to him.
158 And he seeks Cornwall, and there wanders through many places,
Until at last he sees where he wishes to remain.
159 He explores mountains, searches valleys, and crosses waters,
That he may see which place is suitable for him.
160 At last a place appears pleasing to him, and suitable for brothers,
If perhaps he should wish to associate any with himself.
161 The place is enclosed by woodland, secluded and pleasant,
But known only to birds and wild beasts.
162 The land there is fertile; but, ignorant of cultivation,
It bore no fruit until the saint tilled it.
163 The place is cheerful with a river, playful with a spring,
And near the sea, thus more convenient.
164 Whatever seems to concern human use,
It possesses sufficiently within itself from itself.
165 This therefore the saint chooses for himself, and cultivates it,
Wishing of his own free will to live by his own hands.
166 Here, because he had not earlier lived under a strict rule,
He takes upon himself the burden of an unheard-of discipline.
167 He does not reckon his former deeds as his own;
He renews his actions, by a new way of life.
168 All the things which as a youth he had read in books before,
Now he makes bear fruit in holy action.
169 And thus, being free in heart for himself and for God alone,
He is often fed by angelic conversations.
170 For seven years he lives thus, always
Giving himself to what lies ahead, guarding against what lies behind.
171 When these had passed, he proposes to go to Rome,
That by seeing the holy places he may return holier from there.
172 Wishing also to learn from the Pope whether the life
Which he has now chosen is profitable for him.
173 He went and came to Rome, and seeing the Pope,
Named Martin, he bows low and worships him.
174 The Pope, seeing him shining with brightness of face,
Asks the cause of his coming; and he explains it.
175 When the cause was heard, he ordered the saint to rise,
Giving him kisses; afterwards he made him sit.
176 With sweet conversations each feeds the other in turn;
Each reveals to the other what pleases him.
177 The Pope reckons the man’s words as divine,
And venerates him as a father.
178 He commends his holy purpose, and exhorts him
That he adorn it with a holy end.
179 Likewise the saint receives the blessed instructions of the Pope,
And holds them fast with his whole heart.
180 And after a few days the Pope orders him to return
To his homeland, to scatter the words of God among the people.
181 And he blesses him, giving many kisses, praying
That he pour forth prayers for himself and for the people.
182 The father returns to his homeland; but many signs
God himself accomplishes through him on the return.
183 He heals the sick, cleanses lepers, and drives away every
Disease, and crushes the weapons of the devil.
184 He calmed schisms, condemned heresies, and in every
Time and place sowed all the seeds.
185 At last coming to his homeland, he sought again the wilderness
In which formerly, as a stranger, he had grown fervent.
186 From there he raises dwellings suited to religious life,
And builds a new church for God.
187 And wishing to save others with himself, he seeks
Brothers who wish of their own will to remain with him.
188 At his urging many propose to despise the world;
They come; the seeds he himself scatters.
189 The saint receives them, assigns them a hermit’s discipline,
And shapes those clothed by him in a new way of life.
190 For previously the people were barbarous, everywhere
Leading a wild life, without the fear of God.
191 And in a short time, through the saint’s guidance,
A great gathering of monks is brought together, God so working.
192 From that time the saints began to write miracles,
Of which innumerable ones exist; it pleases us to relate a few.
193 In a certain spring which he had near his dwelling,
Supreme Grace gave him three little fish.
194 But the saint did not wish to touch them at first,
Until he became certain what God wished from this.
195 By angelic instruction it is said to him that he should take
One each day, and that it should suffice him.
196 He should allow the others to remain untouched; and he preserves
What is permitted to him, nor does he allow it to be violated.
197 Each day he began to consume one; yet the three
Fish were no fewer in the spring.
198 It happened that the saint lay down, compelled by illness,
Weak, and scarcely able to take food.
199 Seeing this, Barius — whom we mentioned earlier,
The saint’s first faithful companion —
200 Grieved greatly for the sickness of his father, and
Wished to restore him with food, speaking thus in his heart:
201 “I shall take two fish from the spring, and prepare them,
Roasting one of them, cooking the other;
202 So that if he cannot take from one, he may take
From the other fish; perhaps it will help him.”
203 He does this and brings them before the father. When the father sees them,
He is troubled in heart and groans in sorrow,
204 Saying thus: “Why have you done this, wretch? Look,
The holy grace of God is taken away from us.
205 Go quickly, put these fish back into the spring,
Lest the wrath of God come and grow fierce.”
206 He runs and throws them into the spring — marvellous to tell!
As soon as they are plunged in, each fish swims.
207 He returns to the father, tells what he saw, and he
Said: “To the Lord be glory, praise, and honour.”
208 Then he ordered one to be taken and prepared in the usual way,
And when he had tasted it, he immediately recovered.
209 Here two wonders meet, marvellous yet also venerable:
Life restored to the little fish, and health to the man.
210 From that time he served the Lord more devotedly,
Always giving thanks to him for so great a gift.
211 Not long afterwards thieves arrive by night,
And steal the father’s oxen and flee away.
212 And when in the morning the brothers according to custom wished
To yoke the wagons, there was no ox there.
213 The theft is reported to the father, and he
Exhorts the brothers not to weep for their stolen goods.
214 Nearby there was a great herd of deer, and the father
Ordered them to be yoked to the wagons, like oxen.
215 At the father’s command they all leave their pastures,
And come readily to join their necks to the yoke.
216 They are yoked, steadily they plough in the light of day,
In the evening, unyoked, they seek their pleasant pastures.
217 For a long time they do this: they labour by day,
They feed in the evening, nor does the work distress them.
218 The fame of so great a deed reaches the ears of the thieves
Who had wickedly and violently plundered the oxen.
219 Stricken in heart, and at the same time compelled by fear,
They return to the father and lament their thefts,
220 And ask pardon for theft; they promise to change
Their evil life, and he spares the guilty men.
221 They ask for the habit of monks, which is given to them;
And they become monks, though formerly of an evil name.
222 They lead their lives in proven religious observance,
And by a happy death seek the heavenly realms.
223 Thus those who had been robbers are themselves plundered,
And are taken from themselves; ill-gotten spoil no longer pleases them.
224 Then the saint orders the oxen to serve their proper labour,
And the deer to live according to their own way.
225 Of these this wonder is reported, that all the offspring
Coming from them bear the marks of labour;
226 For around their necks, where they used to carry yokes,
There is a certain whiteness, which resembles a yoke.
227 A marvellous, pleasant, pleasing, and playful thing,
That a deer becomes an ox by performing its duties.
228 Nor is this less wondrous, that what the parents did
The offspring still show, bearing the signs of oxen.
229 But that Neot might be known through all ages,
He who does all good willed this to happen.
230 By chance on a certain day, while Neot was chanting psalms
At a certain spring, as was his custom,
231 A trembling doe, fleeing through pathless glades,
Leaping over thickets, fearing no impassable places,
232 Falls down before the saint’s feet, and seeks help
Which by prayer she could not obtain, through her distress.
233 The saint, seeing her subdued by such terror,
By the divine power he could, promises her rest.
234 And the pursuing hounds wished to tear her apart
And by their barking gave signs of the hunt;
235 But when they saw the doe before Neot,
They are driven back and flee, seeking their lairs,
236 As if they had been struck by spear or club;
And the saint orders the unharmed beast to depart.
237 The hunter, seeing so great a marvel, runs
And quickly throws his weapons before the saint’s feet,
238 And prostrates himself, and begs the saint with prayers
That he give him counsel concerning the deeds he has committed.
239 By the saint’s counsel he leaves the world from the heart,
And, made a monk, lives in the honour of God.
240 His horn also, which he was accustomed to carry about,
Is a witness of the deed, for it remains even to this day,
241 Sent as a lawful gift of relics by the saint;
It hangs in the church of Saint Petroc.
242 Great is the saint’s wondrous faith and mighty power, that thus
He wills to save beasts which lack reason;
243 But while he saves those which lack reason,
In them he saves men who possess reason.
244 A wealthy neighbour lived near him, but proud in heart,
And willingly striving to oppress the people of Neot.
245 He extorted from them service not lawfully due,
And they rendered service through force and threats.
246 It happened that his wagons, filled with grain,
Were being drawn in the usual way to the places ordered.
247 Scarcely had they set out upon the journey — marvellous to see! —
Look, a violent wind rushed in among them.
248 Wagons and oxen and men it suddenly forces
To turn back again; so great was its force.
249 They all hasten together back to the places
From which they had set out, as if driven by showers of missiles.
250 But the rich man, when he heard such things had happened to him,
Attributes everything which went wrong wholly to himself.
251 He hastens to the saint, begs pardon, and frees all
Who were subject to the saint by a perpetual gift;
252 He promises that he will exact no service from them
For the rest of his life, while life remains to him.
253 A new thing: although the saint is absent in body,
Yet present in heart, he himself frees his people.
254 Likewise a new thing, that the violent wind called the north wind,
From which (so it is said) all evil is revealed,
255 Was willing or able to perform service for the man; but he
Who made the winds willed it thus to be done,
256 So that the saint’s merits might be shown to be holy,
Even by mute things which lack reason.
257 By these and many other deeds the fame of Neot increases,
And the more he lives, the more his life is pleasing.
258 Great and small, rich and poor, both sexes alike,
Seek to share in the power of the man’s prayers.
259 When King Æthelred heard such great things
Being reported about the saint, he rejoices and reveres him.
260 For the saint was born from the same blood as he,
But their lives were exceedingly different.
261 For the saint’s life was holy, steadfast, and chaste,
But the king’s was slippery, savage, proud, and harsh.
262 Yet when he often seeks the saint,
That he may bless him, and the saint blesses him,
263 The saint also exhorts him to change his life,
To take up honourable deeds, for his life is short.
264 He sets before him the example of David, who
Was made king from small beginnings because he was meek;
265 And of Saul, because he was savage and exceedingly proud,
Was deprived of the kingdom, God so working.
266 Repeating these things often, he reproves his deeds; and the king
Promises to correct himself, and does nothing;
267 But rather he heaps up evil deeds, hurried on by tyranny,
And from evil becomes worse, God permitting it.
268 At last coming to the saint, he heard from him
Words exceedingly hard, for the father said to him:
269 “In crooked ways you have wandered and strayed;
‘I gave many sound teachings; you hold none of them.
270 In foul deeds all your glory consists; but be certain
That at the end many evils will rush upon you.
271 For your prosperity is short, and your weeping long;
If you are wise, you will redeem your crimes with tears.
272 After a little time nations will raise wars against you;
Your strength will fail, theirs will be great,
273 And from the kingdom, for which you now wander ill-secured,
They will drive you out, and for a short time you will be alone.
274 But be steadfast, for you will be restored to the kingdom,
Through our prayers, God having mercy on you.
275 If, when you repent of your sins, you amend
Your evil deeds, what I say will come to you in due time.
276 But while I live, these evils will not come upon you;
When I am taken from life, you will have them.
277 This will happen soon; for my Redeemer himself
Will take me from life, that I may enjoy what is better.
278 After a little while I shall pay my debts to death,
And then, I do not doubt, I shall seek the heavenly realms.
279 Then with all my strength I shall pray to the Lord for you,
That he may restore to you your lost kingdoms.
280 Now therefore send to Rome, and ask the Pope
That for you and for the realm he pour forth prayers.
281 And ask this also, that the tribute begun at Rome
May leave English teaching free.”
282 When such words were heard, the king trembles
With his whole heart, and is saddened with double sorrow:
283 For the saint’s death foretold to him, and for the shame
Which he will soon endure when he pays for his deeds.
284 He beats his breast, pours forth rivers of tears,
And departs from the father, never to return to him.
285 At once he sends to Rome, sending many gifts,
And thus obtains all that he had asked.
286 Moreover the Pope sends back a portion of the holy Cross
To the king, who was protected by so great a gift.
287 When the king departed from the saint, the saint from that time
Immediately began to be grievously afflicted with fevers.
288 But the weaker the body became from the fevers themselves,
The stronger the spirit within was made.
289 Giving no attention to the flesh, he thinks on this one thing:
How he may go more safely to the Lord.
290 Not that he distrusts his merits, but he fears one thing:
Lest the way be disturbed if the flesh recover.
291 Not, as is the custom of the sick, does he seek medicines;
God alone is sufficient as his healing.
292 Continuously the fever grows stronger in him;
But the more it increases, the more joyful the father becomes.
293 For after the saint begins to burn with this fever,
He uses heavenly conversations more than usual.
294 He considers it a joy to lie upon his bed; he calls
His brothers to him from there, wishing to teach holy things.
295 The brothers gather, grieving greatly and groaning,
For they fear that their father will be taken from them.
296 Seeing the brothers as fountains of tears, he restrains them
From weeping, saying, “Thus the flower does not teach:
297 I do not die for you, but for the world; dead I shall go
To the Lord, whom I have long desired to see.
298 For you I shall pray to God; afterwards you will come
After me, to live for ever with the Lord.
299 Be of one mind, fear God from the heart,
Serve him; have no fear of death.
300 Let there be peace among you; let no discord enter;
Let justice, piety, and love reign among you.
301 Do not be intent on the flesh; it is the Spirit
Who gives life; the flesh profits nothing, rather it kills.” [John 6:63]
302 “Fear excesses of the Rule; let there remain among you
One constant love of the religious life.
303 Always direct your eyes to the last things,
And hold your mind fixed on the Lord God.
304 Of me, if you are wise, you may take a mirror:
Now I am a living man; soon I shall be dust.
305 I do not fear death; but, as the Apostle says,
I desire to be dissolved and to be joined to God.” [Philippians 1:23]
306 When he had said this and much more,
Death hastened, sparing none, nor able to be resisted.
307 And rejoicing, the saint ordered the Body of the Lord
To be brought to him, and he received it; he was made stronger.
308 And chanting psalms he lifted his ears on high,
And heard choirs singing a sweet melody.
309 He stretched out his hands to the heights of heaven, and to God,
Commending his soul, he himself gave it up.
310 Then sorrow and groaning arise everywhere among the brothers,
And each grieves that he has been taken from him.
311 They weep and chant; weeping overcomes them,
And cuts the chant short; thus grief oppresses them.
312 When the people learned that the saint had rested in death,
They run together from all sides, wishing to mourn the funeral.
313 Clergy with people, rich with poor, run together,
That they may perform the obsequies of the holy body.
314 They find the body shining with such splendour
That scarcely can a human gaze endure it.
315 This, because he always had conflict with the flesh,
So that he might cleanse it; and thus it was wholly pure.
316 A sweet and very abundant fragrance flows from the body,
Pouring into the nostrils and filling the heights of the air.
317 This, because while he lived he spread a holy fragrance,
Near and far, by reason of his goodness.
318 The healthy and the sick alike run together from all sides;
The sick rejoice to receive the aid of salvation.
319 Every sick person, by whatever disease he suffers,
Receives gifts of healing by touching the body.
320 And those who could not touch the body, by sight alone
Receive what they sought to obtain.
321 The devout clergy complete the obsequies of the body
With hymns and psalms, with chants and sacred rites.
322 The brothers at times weep and dig the grave
Within the basilica which the father had founded.
323 They commend the soul to the Lord, and the body to the tomb,
Clergy and people together, each in his proper order.
324 And until all is completed concerning the holy body,
As before, a fragrance continually goes forth from the body,
325 Whose scent is sweet refreshment to the healthy,
And becomes powerful medicine for the sick.
326 The holy body being buried according to the custom of saints,
People of both sexes come from many regions.
327 Each day the crowd grows, coming to honour
The saint, so that the place itself cannot contain them.
328 Then they decide to break down the small
Church, and quickly to build a new one.
329 It is done as they decide: a great work, and marvellously
It grows, and is completed in a short time.
330 For the people coming bring so many gifts
That there is enough for the building and more besides.
331 Nor does anyone do this in vain; for whatever one seeks,
This alone he obtains, asking it in the Lord.
332 When the church is built and adorned with varied beauty,
The saint is raised from the earth with devout love.
333 And he is lifted up upon the altar by hands; and thus
Honour grows for the saint, glory and praise for God.
334 After a short time it became clear that the things were true
Which the saint had spoken, for he was a prophet.
335 Concerning King Æthelred, that he must lose
His kingdom for a time; thus, because he was wicked.
336 The English people with their king did not fear
To sin frequently; therefore they were worthy to perish.
337 But rather the king alone sinned so wickedly,
That for him alone his whole people perished.
338 When Adam sinned, all his descendants perished. [Romans 5:12]