CHAP. XIV. How on the death of Paulinus,
Ithamar was made Bishop of Rochester in
his stead; and of the wonderful humility of King Oswin,
who was cruelly slain by
Oswy. [644-651 A. D.]
OSWALD being translated to the heavenly kingdom, his brother Oswy,a young man of
about thirty years of age, succeeded him on the throne of his earthly kingdom,
and held it twenty-eight years with much trouble, being attacked by the pagan
nation of the Mercians, that had slain his brother, as also by his son
Alchfrid,and by his nephew Oidilwald,the son of his brother who reigned before
him. In his second year, that is, in the year of our Lord 644, the most reverend
Father Paulinus, formerly Bishop of York, but at that time Bishop of the city of
Rochester, departed to the Lord, on the ioth day of October, having held the
office of a bishop nineteen years, two months, and twenty-one days; and was
buried in the sacristy of the blessed Apostle Andrew,’ which King Ethelbert had
built from the foundation, in the same city of Rochester. In his
place.Archbishop Honorius ordained Ithamar,of the Kentish nation, but not
inferior to his predecessors in learning and conduct of life.
Oswy, during the first part of his reign, had a partner in the royal dignity
called Oswin, of the race of King Edwin, and son to Osricof whom we have spoken
above, a man of wonderful piety and devotion, who governed the province of the
Deiri seven years in very great prosperity, and was himself beloved by all men.
But Oswy, who governed all the other northern part of the nation beyond the
Humber, that is, the province of the Bernicians, could not live at peace with
him; and at last, when the causes of their disagreement increased, he murdered
him most cruelly. For when each had raised an army against the other, Oswin
perceived that he could not maintain a war against his enemy who had more
auxiliaries than himself, and he thought it better at that time to lay aside all
thoughts of engaging, and to reserve himself for better times. He therefore
disbanded the army which he had assembled, and ordered all his men to return to
their own homes, from the place that is called Wilfaraesdun,that is, Wilfar’s
Hill, which is about ten miles distant from the village called Cataract, towards
the north-west. He himself, with only one trusty thegn, whose name was Tondhere,
withdrew and lay concealed in the house of Hunwald, a noble,whom he imagined to
be his most assured friend. But, alas! it was far otherwise; for Hunwald
betrayed him, and Oswy, by the hands of his reeve, Ethilwin, foully slew him and
the thegn aforesaid. This happened on the 20th of August, in the ninth year of
his reign, at a place called Ingetlingum, where afterwards, to atone for this
crime, a monastery was built, wherein prayers should be daily offered up to God
for the redemption of the souls of both kings, to wit, of him that was murdered,
and of him that commanded the murder.
King Oswin was of a goodly countenance, and tall of stature, pleasant in
discourse, and courteous in behaviour; and bountiful to all, gentle and simple
alike; so that he was beloved by all men for the royal dignity of his mind and
appearance and actions, and men of the highest rank came from almost all
provinces to serve him. Among all the graces of virtue and moderation by which
he was distinguished and, if I may say so, blessed in a special manner, humility
is said to have been the greatest, which it will suffice to prove by one
instance.
He had given a beautiful horse to Bishop Aidan, to use either in crossing
rivers, or in performing a journey upon any urgent necessity, though the Bishop
was wont to travel ordinarily on foot. Some short time after, a poor man meeting
the Bishop, and asking alms, he immediately dismounted, and ordered the horse,
with all his royal trappings, to be given to the beggar; for he was very
compassionate, a great friend to the poor, and, in a manner, the father of the
wretched. This being told to the king, when they were going in to dinner, he
said to the Bishop, "What did you mean, my lord Bishop, by giving the poor man
that royal horse, which it was fitting that you should have for your own use?
Had not we many other horses of less value, or things of other sorts, which
would have been good enough to give to the poor, instead of giving that horse,
which I had chosen and set apart for your own use?" Thereupon the Bishop
answered, "What do you say, O king? Is that son of a mare more dear to you than
that son of God?" Upon this they went in to dinner, and the Bishop sat in his
place; but the king, who had come in from hunting, stood warming himself, with
his attendants, at the fire. Then, on a sudden, whilst he was warming himself,
calling to mind what the bishop had said to him, he ungirt his sword, and gave
it to a servant, and hastened to the Bishop and fell down at his feet,’
beseeching him to forgive him; "For from this time forward," said he, "I will
never speak any more of this, nor will. I judge of what or how much of our money
you shall give to the sons of God." The bishop was much moved at this sight, and
starting up, raised him, saying that he was entirely reconciled to him, if he
would but sit down to his meat, and lay aside all sorrow. The king, at the
bishop’s command and request, was comforted, but the bishop, on the other hand,
grew sad and was moved even to tears. His priest then asking him, in the
language of his country, which the king and his servants did not understand, why
he wept, "I know," said he, "that the king will not live long; for I never
before saw a humble king; whence I perceive that he will soon be snatched out of
this life, because this nation is not worthy of such a ruler." Not long after,
the bishop’s gloomy foreboding was fulfilled by the king’s sad death, as has
been said above. But Bishop Aidan himself was also taken out of this world, not
more than twelve days after the death of the king he loved, on the 31st of
August, to receive the eternal reward of his labours from the Lord.
