Complete Works of Bede

by Bede

  Quod dum tempore quodam faceret, et relicta domu conuiuii egressus esset ad stabula iumentorum, quorum ei custodia nocte illa erat delegata, ibique hora conpetenti membra dedisset sopori, adstitit ei quidam per somnium, eumque salutans, ac suo appellans nomine: ‘Caedmon,’ inquit, ‘canta mihi aliquid.’ At ille respondens: ‘Nescio,’ inquit, ‘cantare; nam et ideo de conuiuio egressus huc secessi, quia cantare non poteram.’ Rursum ille, qui cum eo loquebatur, ‘Attamen,’ ait, ‘mihi cantare habes.’ ‘Quid,’

  inquit, ‘debeo cantare?’ Et ille, ‘Canta,’ inquit, ‘principium creaturarum.’ Quo accepto responso, statim ipse coepit cantare in laudem Dei conditoris uersus, quos numquam audierat, quorum iste est sensus: ‘Nunc laudare debemus auctorem regni caelestis, potentiam Creatoris et consilium illius, facta Patris gloriae. Quomodo ille, cum sit aeternus Deus, omnium miraculorum auctor extitit, qui primo filiis hominum caelum pro culmine tecti, dehinc terram custos humani generis omnipotens creauit.’ Hic est sensus, non autem ordo ipse uerborum, quae dormiens ille canebat; neque enim possunt carmina, quamuis optime conposita, ex alia in aliam linguam ad uerbum sine detrimento sui decoris ac dignitatis transferri. Exsurgens autem a somno, cuncta, quae dormiens cantauerat, memoriter retinuit, et eis mox plura in eundem modum uerba Deo digni carminis adiunxit.

  Ueniensque mane ad uilicum, qui sibi praeerat, quid doni percepisset, indicauit, atque ad abbatissam perductus, iussus est, multis doctioribus uiris praesentibus, indicare somnium, et dicere carmen, ut uniersorum iudicio, quid uel unde esset, quod referebat, probaretur. Uisumque est omnibus caelestem ei a Domino concessam esse gratiam. Exponebantque illi quendam sacrae historiae siue doctrinae sermonem, praecipientes eum, si posset, hunc in modulationem carminis transferre. At ille suscepto negotio abiit, et mane rediens, optimo carmine, quod iubebatur, conpositum reddidit.

  Unde mox abbatissa amplexata gratiam Dei in uiro, saecularem illum habitum relinquere, et monachicum suscipere propositum docuit, susceptumque in monasterium cum omnibus suis fratrum cohorti adsociauit, iussitque illum seriem sacrae historiae doceri. At ipse cuncta, quae audiendo discere poterat, rememorando secum, et quasi mundum animal ruminando, in carmen dulcissimum conuertebat, suauiusque resonando doctores suos uicissim auditores sui faciebat.

  Canebat autem de creatione mundi, et origine humani generis, et tota genesis historia, de egressu Israel ex Aegypto, et ingressu in terram repromissionis, de aliis plurimis sacrae scripturae historiis, de incarnatione dominica, passione, resurrectione, et ascensione in caelum, de Spiritus Sancti aduentu, et apostolorum doctrina. Item de terrore futuri iudicii, et horrore poenae gehennalis, ac dulcedine regni caelestis multa carmina faciebat; sed et alia perplura de beneficiis et iudiciis diuinis, in quibus cunctis homines ab amore scelerum abstrahere, ad dilectionem uero et solertiam bonae actionis excitare curabat. Erat enim uir multum religiosus, et regularibus disciplinis humiliter subditus; aduersum uero illos, qui aliter facere uolebant, zelo magni feruoris accensus; unde et pulchro uitam suam fine conclusit.

  Nam propinquante hora sui decessus, XIIII diebus praeueniente corporea infirmitate pressus est, adeo tamen moderate, ut et loqui toto eo tempore posset, et ingredi. Erat autem in proximo casa, in qua infirmiores et qui prope morituri esse uidebantur, induci solebant. Rogauit ergo ministrum suum uespere incumbente, nocte qua de saeculo erat exiturus, ut in ea sibi locum quiescendi praepararet; qui miratus, cur hoc rogaret, qui nequaquam adhuc moriturus esse uidebatur, fecit tamen, quod dixerat. Cumque ibidem positi uicissim aliqua gaudente animo, una cum eis, qui ibidem ante inerant, loquerentur ac iocarentur, et iam mediae noctis tempus esset transcensum, interrogauit, si eucharistiam intus haberent.

  Respondebant: ‘Quid opus est eucharistia? neque enim mori adhuc habes, qui tam hilariter nobiscum uelut sospes loqueris.’ Rursus ille: ‘Et tamen,’ ait, ‘afferte mihi eucharistiam.’ Qua accepta in manu, interrogauit, si omnes placidum erga se animum, et sine querela controuersiae ac rancoris haberent. Respondebant omnes placidissimam se mentem ad illum, et ab omni ira remotam habere, eumque uicissim rogabant placidam erga ipsos mentem habere. Qui confestim respondit: ‘Placidam ego mentem, filioli, erga omnes Dei famulos gero.’ Sicque se caelesti muniens uiatico, uitae alterius ingressui parauit; et interrogauit, quam prope esset hora, qua fratres ad dicendas Domino laudes nocturnas excitari deberent.

  Respondebant: ‘Non longe est.’ At ille: ‘Bene, ergo exspectemus horam illam.’ Et signans se signo sanctae crucis reclinauit caput ad ceruical, modicumque obdormiens ita cum silentio uitam finiuit.

  Sicque factum est, ut, quomodo simplici ac pura mente tranquillaque deuotione Domino seruierat, ita etiam tranquilla morte mundum relinquens ad eius uisionem ueniret, illaque lingua, quae tot salutaria uerba in laudem Conditoris conposuerat, ultima quoque uerba in laudem ipsius, signando sese, et spiritum suum in manus eius commendando clauderet; qui etiam praescius sui obitus extitisse ex his, quae narrauimus, uidetur.

  Chap. XXIV.

  That there was in her monastery a brother, on whom the gift of song was bestowed by Heaven.[680 a.d.]

  There was in the monastery of this abbess a certain brother, marked in a special manner by the grace of God, for he was wont to make songs of piety and religion, so that whatever was expounded to him out of Scripture, he turned ere long into verse expressive of much sweetness and penitence, in English, which was his native language. By his songs the minds of many were often fired with contempt of the world, and desire of the heavenly life. Others of the English nation after him attempted to compose religious poems, but none could equal him, for he did not learn the art of poetry from men, neither was he taught by man, but by God’s grace he received the free gift of song, for which reason he never could compose any trivial or vain poem, but only those which concern religion it behoved his religious tongue to utter. For having lived in the secular habit till he was well advanced in years, he had never learned anything of versifying; and for this reason sometimes at a banquet, when it was agreed to make merry by singing in turn, if he saw the harp come towards him, he would rise up from table and go out and return home.

  Once having done so and gone out of the house where the banquet was, to the stable, where he had to take care of the cattle that night, he there composed himself to rest at the proper time. Thereupon one stood by him in his sleep, and saluting him, and calling him by his name, said, “Cædmon, sing me something.” But he answered, “I cannot sing, and for this cause I left the banquet and retired hither, because I could not sing.” Then he who talked to him replied, “Nevertheless thou must needs sing to me.” “What must I sing?” he asked. “Sing the beginning of creation,” said the other. Having received this answer he straightway began to sing verses to the praise of God the Creator, which he had never heard, the purport whereof was after this manner: “Now must we praise the Maker of the heavenly kingdom, the power of the Creator and His counsel, the deeds of the Father of glory. How He, being the eternal God, became the Author of all wondrous works, Who being the Almighty Guardian of the human race, first created heaven for the sons of men to be the covering of their dwelling place, and next the earth.” This is the sense but not the order of the words as he sang them in his sleep; for verses, though never so well composed, cannot be literally translated out of one language into another without loss of their beauty and loftiness. Awaking from his sleep, he remembered all that he had sung in his dream, and soon added more after the same manner, in words which worthily expressed the praise of God.

  In the morning he came to the reeve who was over him, and having told him of the gift he had received, was conducted to the abbess, and bidden, in the presence of many learned men, to tell his dream, and repeat the verses, that they might all examine and give their judgement upon the nature and origin of the gift whereof he spoke. And they all judged that heavenly grace had been granted to him by the Lord. They expounded to him a passage of sacred history or doctrine, enjoining upon him, if he could, to put it into verse. Having undertaken this task, he went away, and returning the next morning, gav
e them the passage he had been bidden to translate, rendered in most excellent verse. Whereupon the abbess, joyfully recognizing the grace of God in the man, instructed him to quit the secular habit, and take upon him monastic vows; and having received him into the monastery, she and all her people admitted him to the company of the brethren, and ordered that he should be taught the whole course of sacred history. So he, giving ear to all that he could learn, and bearing it in mind, and as it were ruminating, like a clean animal, turned it into most harmonious verse; and sweetly singing it, made his masters in their turn his hearers. He sang the creation of the world, the origin of man, and all the history of Genesis, the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, their entrance into the promised land, and many other histories from Holy Scripture; the Incarnation, Passion, Resurrection of our Lord, and His Ascension into heaven; the coming of the Holy Ghost, and the teaching of the Apostles; likewise he made many songs concerning the terror of future judgement, the horror of the pains of hell, and the joys of heaven; besides many more about the blessings and the judgements of God, by all of which he endeavoured to draw men away from the love of sin, and to excite in them devotion to well-doing and perseverance therein. For he was a very religious man, humbly submissive to the discipline of monastic rule, but inflamed with fervent zeal against those who chose to do otherwise; for which reason he made a fair ending of his life.

  For when the hour of his departure drew near, it was preceded by a bodily infirmity under which he laboured for the space of fourteen days, yet it was of so mild a nature that he could talk and go about the whole time. In his neighbourhood was the house to which those that were sick, and like to die, were wont to be carried. He desired the person that ministered to him, as the evening came on of the night in which he was to depart this life, to make ready a place there for him to take his rest. The man, wondering why he should desire it, because there was as yet no sign of his approaching death, nevertheless did his bidding. When they had lain down there, and had been conversing happily and pleasantly for some time with those that were in the house before, and it was now past midnight, he asked them, whether they had the Eucharist within? They answered, “What need of the Eucharist? for you are not yet appointed to die, since you talk so merrily with us, as if you were in good health.” “Nevertheless,” said he, “bring me the Eucharist.” Having received It into his hand, he asked, whether they were all in charity with him, and had no complaint against him, nor any quarrel or grudge. They answered, that they were all in perfect charity with him, and free from all anger; and in their turn they asked him to be of the same mind towards them. He answered at once, “I am in charity, my children, with all the servants of God.” Then strengthening himself with the heavenly Viaticum, he prepared for the entrance into another life, and asked how near the time was when the brothers should be awakened to sing the nightly praises of the Lord? They answered, “It is not far off.” Then he said, “It is well, let us await that hour;” and signing himself with the sign of the Holy Cross, he laid his head on the pillow, and falling into a slumber for a little while, so ended his life in silence.

  Thus it came to pass, that as he had served the Lord with a simple and pure mind, and quiet devotion, so he now departed to behold His Presence, leaving the world by a quiet death; and that tongue, which had uttered so many wholesome words in praise of the Creator, spake its last words also in His praise, while he signed himself with the Cross, and commended his spirit into His hands; and by what has been here said, he seems to have had foreknowledge of his death.

  CHAP. 25

  His temporibus monasterium uirginum, quod Coludi Urbem cognominant, cuius et supra meminimus, per culpam incuriae flammis absumtum est. Quod tamen a malitia inhabitantium in eo, et praecipue illorum, qui maiores esse uidebantur, contigisse, omnes, qui nouere, facillime potuerunt aduertere. Sed non defuit puniendis admonitio diuinae pietatis, qua correcti per ieiunia, fletus, et preces iram a se, instar Nineuitarum, iusti Iudicis auerterent.

  Erat namque in eodem monasterio uir de genere Scottorum, Adamnanus uocabulo, ducens uitam in continentia et orationibus multum Deo deuotam, ita ut nil umquam cibi uel potus, excepta die dominica et quinta sabbati, perciperet, saepe autem noctes integras peruigil in oratione transigeret. Quae quidem illi districtio uitae artioris, primo ex necessitate emendandae suae prauitatis obuenerat, sed procedente tempore necessitatem in consuetudinem uerterat.

  Siquidem in adulescentia sua sceleris aliquid commiserat, quod commissum, ubi ad cor suum rediit, grauissime exhorruit, et se pro illo puniendum a districto Iudice timebat. Accedens ergo ad sacerdotem, a quo sibi sperabat iter salutis posse demonstrari, confessus est reatum suum, petiitque, ut consilium sibi daret, quo posset fugere a uentura ira. Qui audito eius commisso dixit: ‘Grande uulnus grandioris curam medellae desiderat; et ideo ieiuniis, psalmis, et orationibus, quantum uales, insiste, quo praeoccupando faciem Domini in confessione propitium eum inuenire merearis.’ At ille, quem nimius reae conscientiae tenebat dolor, et internis peccatorum uinculis, quibus grauabatur, ocius desiderabat absolui: ‘Adulescentior,’ inquit, ‘sum aetate, et uegetus corpore; quicquid mihi inposueris agendum, dummodo saluus fiam in die Domini, totum facile feram, etiam si totam noctem stando in precibus peragere, si integram septimanam iubeas abstinendo transigere.’ Qui dixit: ‘Multum est, ut tota septimana absque alimento corporis perdures; sed biduanum uel triduanum sat est obseruare ieiunium. Hoc facito, donec post modicum tempus rediens ad te, quid facere debeas, et quamdiu paenitentiae insistere tibi plenius ostendam.’ Quibus dictis, et descripta illi mensura paenitendi, abiit sacerdos, et ingruente causa subita secessit Hiberniam, unde originem duxerat, neque ultra ad eum iuxta suum condictum rediit. At ipse memor praecepti eius, simul et promissi sui, totum se lacrimis paenitentiae, uigiliis sanctis, et continentiae mancipauit; ita ut quinta solum sabbati et dominica, sicut praedixi, reficeret, ceteris septimanae diebus ieiunus permaneret. Cumque sacerdotem suum Hiberniam secessisse, ibique defunctum esse audisset, semper ex eo tempore, iuxta condictum eius memoratum, continentiae modum obseruabat; et, quod causa diuini timoris semel ob reatum conpunctus coeperat, iam causa diuini amoris delectatus praemiis indefessus agebat.

  Quod dum multo tempore sedulus exsequeretur, contigit, eum die quadam de monasterio illo longius egressum, comitante secum uno de fratribus, peracto itinere redire. Qui cum monasterio propinquarent, et aedificia illius sublimiter erecta aspicerent, solutus est in lacrimas uir Dei, et tristitiam cordis uultu indice prodebat. Quod intuens comes, quare faceret, inquisiuit. At ille: ‘Cuncta,’

  inquit, ‘haec, quae cernis, aedificia puplica uel priuata, in proximo est, ut ignis absumens in cinerem conuertat.’ Quod ille audiens, mox ut intrauerunt monasterium, matri congregationis, uocabulo Aebbæ, curauit indicare. At illa merito turbata de tali praesagio uocauit ad se uirum, et diligentius ab eo rem, uel unde hoc ipse nosset, inquirebat. Qui ait: ‘Nuper occupatus noctu uigiliis et psalmis, uidi adstantem mihi subito quendam incogniti uultus; cuius praesentia cum essem exterritus, dixit mihi, ne timerem; et quasi familiari me uoce alloquens, ‘Bene facis,’

  inquit, ‘qui tempore isto nocturnae quietis non somno indulgere, sed uigiliis et orationibus insistere maluisti.’ At ego: ‘Noui,’

  inquit, ‘multum mihi esse necesse uigiliis salutaribus insistere, et pro meis erratibus sedulo Dominum deprecari.’ Qui adiciens ‘Uerum,’

  inquit, ‘dicis, quia et tibi et multis opus est peccata sua bonis operibus redimere, et, cum cessant a laboribus rerum temporalium, tunc pro appetitu aeternorum bonorum liberius laborare; sed hoc tamen paucissimi faciunt. Siquidem modo totum hoc monasterium ex ordine perlustrans, singulorum casas ac lectos inspexi, et neminem ex omnibus praeter te erga sanitatem animae suae occupatum repperi;

  sed omnes prorsus, et uiri et feminae, aut somno torpent inerti, aut ad peccata uigilant. Nam et domunculae, quae ad orandum uel legendum factae erant, nunc in comessationum, potationum, fabulationum, et ceterarum sunt inlecebrarum cubilia conuersae, uirgines quoque Deo dicatae,
contemta reuerentia suae professionis, quotiescumque uacant, texendis subtilioribus indumentis operam dant, quibus aut se ipsas ad uicem sponsarum in periculum sui status adornent, aut externorum sibi uirorum amicitiam conparent. Unde merito loco huic et habitatoribus eius grauis de caelo uindicta flammis saeuientibus praeparata est.’ Dixit autem abbatissa: ‘Et quare non citius hoc conpertum mihi reuelare uoluisti?’ Qui respondit: ‘Timui propter reuerentiam tuam, ne forte nimium conturbareris; et tamen hanc consolationem habeas, quod in diebus tuis haec plaga non superueniet.’ Qua diuulgata uisione, aliquantulum loci accolae paucis diebus timere, et se ipsos intermissis facinoribus castigare coeperunt. Uerum post obitum ipsius abbatissae redierunt ad pristinas sordes, immo sceleratiora fecerunt. Et cum dicerent, ‘Pax et securitas,’ extemplo praefatae ultionis sunt poena multati.

  Quae mihi cuncta sic esse facta reuerentissimus meus conpresbyter Aedgils referebat, qui tunc in illo monasterio degebat. Postea autem, discedentibus inde ob desolationem plurimis incolarum, in nostro monasterio plurimo tempore conuersatus, ibidemque defunctus est. Haec ideo nostrae historiae inserenda credidimus, ut admoneremus lectorem operum Domini, quam terribilis in consiliis super filios hominum; ne forte nos tempore aliquo carnis inlecebris seruientes, minusque Dei iudicium formidantes, repentina eius ira corripiat, et uel temporalibus damnis iuste saeuiens affligat, uel ad perpetuam perditionem districtius examinans tollat.

  Chap. XXV.

  Of the vision that appeared to a certain man of God before the monastery of the city Coludi was burned down.