A fragmentary Life of St. Mildred and other Kentish Royal Saints

A FRAGMENTARY LIFE OF ST. :MILDRED AND OTHER KENTISH ROYAL SAINTS By M. J. SW.ANTON, B.A., Pn.D., F.S.A., F.R.HIST.S. ALTHOUGH long known to philolog.ists,1 the fragments which constitute the so-called Lives of the Kentisk Royal Saints are worth drawing to wider attention. For while little of the information it offers is unavailable elsewhere, the form in which it is presented probably represents the genuine Canterbury tradition in a relatively pristine state, reflecting a lively interest at the very end of the Anglo-Saxon period in the Golden Age of Kent and especially its native hagiography. Although in part, at least, in the form we have it, fashioned into a homily for the festival of St. Mildred, the framework of the piece is that of a straightforward memorial of all the Kentish royal saints, parallel with and in places verbally identical with the odd compilation we call The Resting Places of the Saints. 2 The royal patronage of monasticism in what was acknowledged to be the cradle of English Christianity must have been of particular interest to the age of the Benedictine Revival. But perhaps the greatest attraction of this piece always lay in its account of the dramatic circumstances which led up to the endowment of Minster-in-Thanet. The story was repeated frequently by twelfth-century Latin historians.a But it must have been of particular interest in those places that could boast relics of the saints involved,4 and not unnaturally received greatest attention from scholars at Canterbury. Of these, perhaps the most significant was Goscelin, a Flemish monk from St. Bertins who had come to England in the train of Bishop Herman shortly before the Conquest. He was no doubt introduced to the subject during brief sojourns at Ely and at Ramsey, both of which claimed relics of certain of these royal saints;& 1 Cf. T. 0. Cooka.yne, Leechdoms, W ortcunnmg and Starcraft of EarlAJ England, London, 1864-6, iii, 401; F. Liebermann, Die Heiligen Englands, Ha.nnover, 1889, Pallsim; M. Forster, 'Die altenglisohen Beigaben des Lambeth-Psalters', Arohiv fur dra, together with frequent use of the pronominal form hio, suggest that this might well have had the Kentish provenance its subject matter would lead one to expect. Within the text the usual contractions have been expanded without comment. 13TH JULY. THE BIRTH OF ST. MILDRED, vmom St . .Augustine [brought) baptism in the name of the Lord to JEthelberht, king of the men of Kent, and to all his nation. Next Eadbald, son of 1.Ethelberht and of his queen Bertha, was king. .And their daughter i.Ethelburh (otherwise called Tate) was given as queen to Edwin, king of the Northumbrians . .And St. Paulinus went with her, and baptised Edwin the king and all his nation . .And after his [Edwin's) death she returned to Canterbury and her brother the king; and the bishop Paulinus again came ·with her . .And she brought her most valuable treasures to the church at Canterbury for prayers on behalf of herself and the soul of the king who begot her; one can still see them there. And then, by God's will, Paulinus received the bishopric of Rochester, and there ended his life and attained to the kingdom of God. u Ker, op. cit., 343. u Ed. 16 U. Lin OF THE EAST AN'GLIAX A::-.D MERCIAN ROYAL HOUSES 􀃗ames printt"d in italic.􀀖 are not mentioned in the text Seaxburh m. Eorcenberht of Kent I I I Arma. King of the East Angles m.Sret halige oild. And hi }:>a oofter 6an for Godes lufan and for pisse worolde him todooldon, and hiora beam and hiora woruldrehta Gode forgeafan. And hiora yldeste dohtor, [and] Sa.note Mildburh, reste5 ret Wynlucan, }'rem mynstre on Mereno. lande }'rer wreron hire mihta oft geoy6ede, and gyt synd. Sa.note Mildry6 reste6 binnan Tene6 on 6oom iglande; and 6rer wreron oft hyre mihta geoypede and get synd. Sa.note Mildgy6 reste6 on Nor6hembran, J,rer wreron hire mihta oft geoy6ede and get s1 An obvious exaggeration. But in early vernacular literature the periods of thirty and fifty years are used conventionally to indicate simply 'a. long time'• Compare the thirty years it is said to have taken to build the church at Minster• in-Sheppey. 24 ST. :MILDRED .AND OTHER KENTISH ROYAL SAINTS syndon. Ponne w838 Sa.note Merefin pret halige cild on iogooha.de to Gode gelred. ponne wmron lEoelred and lE6elbryht pa haJgan repelingas befreste Egcbrihte cynge to fostre and to lare, for}:>an hi wooron ret hiora yldran befeallenne, and wres he se cyning I heora fooderan, sunu Eoroenbrihtes f.123r and Sexburh his owene. pa wmron hi sona in geogo6e swyoe gesceadwise and rihtwise, swa hit Godes willa wres. Da ofouhte pmt anum pres cyninges geferan, se woos Punor haten, a.nd woos him se leofestan oegen to his bearnum. Da ondrredde he him gif hi Ieng lifedon pmt hi wurdon pam cynge leofran oonne he. Ongan hi pa hatian dee.munge. and wregean to }'am cyninge and cwreo }'iat gif hi libban moston }:>ret hi rog6er ge hine ge his bearn pres cynerices benmmde. Ongan hine 6a biddan pret he moste }:>a mpelingas dearnunga aowellan, ao se cyning him lyfan nolde foroam }'e hi him leofa wreron and gesibbe. And pa git se Dunor hine oft and gelome bred Jnet he him leafe sealde pret he most don embe oa repelingas swa he wolde. And he oa sona swa dyde swa he ::er gyrnende wres, and he hi on niht I sona gemartirode innan f.123v ores oyninges heahsetle, swa he dyrnlicost mihte. And he geooht hrefde }:>ret hi piar nrefre uppe ne wurdan; ao ourh Godes mihte hi pa.non geoydde wurdon, emne swa ores leohtes leoma stod up j>urh prere healle hrof up to heofonum. And he oa se cyning sylf embe forman hancred ut gangende wres, and he pa him sylf geseonde woos j>ret wundor. pa wear5 he afyrht and afrered, and het hi hrredlice pame Punor to feccean and hine ahsode hwrer he his mregcildum cumen hrefde oe he him forstolen hmfde. He him andsworode and cwreo pret he sylf wiste and he him secgan nolde buton he nyde sceolde. He oa se cyning cwreo pret he be his freondsoipe hit seogan soeolde. He him andsworode and cwreo }>ait he hi innan his healle under his heahsetle bebyrged hrefde. And he pa se cyning swyoe unrot geworden wres, for pres Godes Vl'Ulldre and for pmre ge I sihpe oe he orer gesewen hrefde; and he pa be oam gearo wiste f.124r pmt he God abolgen hrefde swypor ponne his oearfe wrere. And pa on morgen swyoe hrredlice him to feccean hot his witan and his pegnas pret hi him gerreddon hwret him be oam selost ouhte, oMe to don wrere. And he pa and hi gerreddon mid ores mrcebisceopes fultume, Deusdedit, J,mt man heora swustor on Mercna lande }'e hio to forgifen wres gefeccean het, to 6am pret hio hyre broora wergild gecure on swylcum pingum swylce hyre, and hire nyhstan freondum, selost Jicode. And hio oa swa dyde }:>ret hio pret wergeld geceas purh Godes fultum on 6am iglande J:>e Tene6 is nemmed: pret is ponne hundeahtatig hida landes }:>e hio orer ret }:>rem cyninge onfeong. And hit oa swa gelamp ]:>a se oyning and hio Domne Eafe rerest }:>ret land geceas, and hi ofer )'a ea comon, }:>a owreo se cyning I to hire hwylllne drel ]:>a:is Iandes hio onfon f.124v wolde byre broorum to wergilde. Hio him andsworode and CW836 )'ret hio his na ma.ran ne gyrnde ):>onne hire hind utan ymbe yrnan wolde, 25 M. J. SWANTON ):>e hire ealne weg beforan arn 6onne hio on ra.de wres. Owre6 ):>ret hire J:>ret gety6ed wrere ):>ret hio swa myceles his onfon sceolde swa. seo hind hire gewisede. He 6a se cyning hire geandsworode and owreo ):>ret he ):>ret lustlice fregnian wolde. And hio oa hind swa dyde }>rot hio him beforan hleapende WlBS, and hi byre refter filigende wreron, oo]:>ret hi comon to oa:ire stowe J:>e is nu gecwedon Punores Hlrewe. And he oa se Punor to oam cyninge aleat, and he him to cwreo: 'Leof, hu Iange wylt OU hlystan ):>yssum dumban nytene, pe hit eal wyle pis land utan beyrnan1 Wylt ou bit eal orere owenon syllan1 And oa sona mfterpyssum wordum se eor6e toWad ... n f.21 or 'Benedicta et beata sis semper in aeternum, et in thr<>num Dei connumerata et compiitata sis cwm choris virginum.' £)a byre modor hi mid :i,yssere bletsunge byre ous onfangen h::efde, heo hy arenedum limum mtforan pam halga.n wefode a.strehte, and hy mid teara agotennysse to Drihtne gebred. £>a heo byre gebed geendod hrefde, heo up astod and to byre modor cneowum. onbeah. And heo hy 6a mid sibbe oosse gegrette, and ea11e oa geferrredene samod. And hy hire wreter to handa breron, refter regollicre wisan. Him 6a eallum retgrederum sittendum, ongan seo abbodyssa hyre modor of 6am Daviticum Sealmum gyddian, and pus cweoan: 'Suscepimus Deus misericordiam tuam in medio templi tui', swa swa Anna seo halige wuduwa and Simeon se ealda sungon and drymdon 6a hy pret mycele and Jnat formrere bearn mid heora earmum beclypton, and in to 6am temple bmron and offrodon. Heo sang pa f.210v o6er fers: I 'Oonfirma hoe Deus quod operatus es in nobis a templo sancto tuo quad est in Hierusalem. Heo sang pret 6ridde: Salvos nos Jae Domine De™ noster et C()ngrega nos de nationibus ut confiteamur nomini sancto tuo, et gloriemur in laude tua. Dylicum and fela oorum godcundlicum wordum heo hyre leofe bearn georne la:irde, and to Gode tihte. Wro s hit hyre eao ea6drede, swa lange s,va hyre·ingehyd wres eal mid Godes gaste afylled. Nres heo swa nu ro6elborene men synt, mid ofermettum afylled, ne mid woruldprydum, ne mid nyoum, ne mid refeste, ne mid teonwordum; nres heo sacful, ne geflitgeorn; nres heo swicol nanum prera pe hyre to oohte. Heo wres wuduwena and steopcilda arigend, and ealra earmra and geswincendra frefiend, and on eallum pingum eaomod and stille. Woos heo swy6e gemundi pret we ealle of twam mannum comon, and of eoroan lame gesceapene and gewrohte wreron, and to }'am eft gewuroan sceo]an. Gemunde ... 26 ST. MILDRED AND OTHER KENTISH ROYAL SAINTS m •.. oror cuoe wreron, and gyta syndon. And Sancta Eadburh pa. to oam f.2llr mynstre feng refter Sancte Myldry-pe, and heo oa cyricean arrorde oe hyre lichama nu inne resteo. Donne wres Sancte Seaxburh and Sancta ..EJ,eldryo and Sancta Wihtburh; hy wroron Annan dohtra East Engla cynges. Donne wres Sancta ..Epeldryo forgyfen twam werum: Tondbryhte, Suo Gyrwena ealdormi:en, and Ecgferoe, Norohymbrena cynige, to cwene. And heo 5eah hwropere hyre mregohad geheold oo hyre lifes ende. And heo oa hyre licreste geceas on Elig byrig, and 6ror hyre mihta. oft cuoe syndon. Donne woos Sancte Eormenhild, Ercenbrihtes dohtor and Seaxburge, forgyfen Wulfhere, Pendan sunu Myrcena cinges, to cwene. And on hyra dagum Myrcena oeod onfeng fulluht. And oror hi begeaton Sancte Wrerbnrge oa halige fremnan; and heo restep on oam mynstre pe is gecweden Heanburh. Donne resteo Sancte Eormenhild on Elig byrig mid hyre meder and mid hyre modrian Sancte }Epel I dryoa; and f.211 v heora mihta orer oft cu5e syndon. And Sancta Seaxburh and Sancta Eormenhild onfengon halig riftc on 5am mynstre pe is gecweden Middeltune on Kentlande. And pret igland on Screpyge hyr5 into Middeltune; and hit is oreora mila brad and seofan mila lang. Da gelicode 5rere halgan cwene Sea.xburge pret heo 5ror binnan for myrhcSe and for mreroe, hyre orer mynster getimbrode and gestaclelode, swa geo men cwredon prot orittegum gearum ne gestilde nrefre stefen cearciendes wrenes ne ceoriendes wales. Da )'ret mynster getimbrod wres, oa com hyre to Godes engel on nihtlicre gesih5e, and hire bodode Jnet rer feala gearum hreoene leod sceolde oas peode gewinnan. Hrofde heo pa gehealdan pret cynerice prittig wintra, hyre suna Hloohere to handa. And heo oa ret him gebohte his drel 5oos eardes to freodome in to oam mynstre oa hwile oe Cristendom wrere on Englalande gehealden. And ):>a gebletsunge heo prer to on Rome begeat, ):>am oe ):>a are to Godes peowdome ... 27