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.
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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
