XXIII. Of the life and death of the Abbess Hilda. [614-680 A.D.]
CHAP. XXIII.
Of the life and death of the Abbess Hilda. [614-680 A.D.]
IN the year after this, that is the year of our Lord 680, the most religious
handmaid of Christ, Hilda,abbess of the monastery that is called
Streanaeshalch,as we mentioned above, after having done many heavenly deeds on
earth, passed thence to receive the rewards of the heavenly life, on the 17th of
November, at the age of sixty-six years. Her life falls into two equal parts,
for the first thirty-three years of it she spent living most nobly in the
secular habit; and still more nobly dedicated the remaining half to the Lord in
the monastic life. For she was nobly born, being the daughter of Hereric, nephew
to King Edwin, and with that king she also received the faith and mysteries of
Christ, at the preaching of Paulinus, of blessed memory,the first bishop of the
Northumbrians, and preserved the same undefiled till she attained to the vision
of our Lord in Heaven.
When she had resolved to quit the secular habit, and to serve Him alone, she
withdrew into the province of the East Angles, for she was allied to the king
there; being desirous to cross over thence into Gaul, forsaking her native
country and all that she had, and so to live a stranger for our Lord's sake in
the monastery of Cale, that she might the better attain to the eternal country
in heaven. For her sister Heresuid, mother to Aldwulf, king of the East Angles,
was at that time living in the same monastery, under regular discipline, waiting
for an everlasting crown; and led by her example, she continued a whole year in
the aforesaid province, with the design of going abroad; but afterwards, Bishop
Aidan recalled her to her home, and she received land to the extent of one
family on the north side of the river Wear; where likewise for a year she led a
monastic life, with very few companions.
After this she was made abbess in the monastery called Heruteu, (Hartlepool)
which monastery had been founded, not long before, by the pious handmaid of
Christ, Heiu, who is said to have been the first woman in the province of the
Northumbrians who took upon her the vows and habit of a nun, being consecrated
by Bishop Aidan; but she, soon after she had founded that monastery, retired to
the city of Calcaria,which is called Kaelcacaestir (Tadcaster)by the English,
and there fixed her dwelling. Hilda, the handmaid of Christ, being set over that
monastery, began immediately to order it in all things under a rule of life,
according as she had been instructed by learned men; for Bishop Aidan, and
others of the religious that knew her, frequently visited her and loved her
heartily, and diligently instructed her, because of her innate wisdom and love
of the service of God.
When she had for some years governed this monastery, wholly intent upon
establishing a rule of life, it happened that she also undertook either to build
or to set in order a monastery in the place called Streanaeshalch, and this work
which was laid upon her she industriously performed; for she put this monastery
under the same rule of monastic life as the former; and taught there the strict
observance of justice, piety, chastity, and other virtues, and particularly of
peace and charity; so that, after the example of the primitive Church, no one
there was rich, and none poor, for they had all things common, and none had any
private property. Her prudence was so great, that not only meaner men in their
need, but sometimes even kings and princes, sought and received her counsel; she
obliged those who were under her direction to give so much time to reading of
the Holy Scriptures, and to exercise themselves so much in works of justice,
that many might readily be found there fit for the priesthood and the service of
the altar.
Indeed we have seen five from that monastery who afterwards became bishops, and
all of them men of singular merit and sanctity, whose names were Bosa,Aetla,
Oftfor, John,and Wilfrid.Of the first we have said above that he was consecrated
bishop of York; of the second, it may be briefly stated that he was appointed
bishop of Dorchester. Of the last two we shall tell hereafter, that the former
was ordained bishop of Hagustald, the other of the church of York; of the third,
we may here mention that, having applied himself to the reading and observance
of the Scriptures in both the monasteries of the Abbess Hilda,at length being
desirous to attain to greater perfection, he went into Kent, to Archbishop
Theodore, of blessed memory; where having spent some time in sacred studies, he
resolved to go to Rome also, which, in those days, was esteemed a very salutary
undertaking. Returning thence into Britain, he took his way into the province of
the Hwiccas,where King Osric then ruled,and continued there a long time,
preaching the Word of faith, and showing an example of good life to all that saw
and heard him. At that time, Bosel, the bishop of that province,laboured under
such weakness of body, that he could not himself perform episcopal functions;
for which reason, Oftfor was, by universal consent, chosen bishop in his stead,
and by order of King Ethelred, consecrated by Bishop Wilfrid,of blessed memory,
who was then Bishop of the Midland Angles, because Archbishop Theodore was dead,
and no other bishop ordained in his place. A little while before, that is,
before the election of the aforesaid man of God, Bosel, Tatfrid,a man of great
industry and learning, and of excellent ability, had been chosen bishop for that
province, from the monastery of the same abbess, but had been snatched away by
an untimely death, before he could be ordained.
Thus this handmaid of Christ, the Abbess Hilda, whom all that knew her called
Mother, for her singular piety and grace, was not only an example of good life,
to those that lived in her monastery, but afforded occasion of amendment and
salvation to many who lived at a distance, to whom the blessed fame was brought
of her industry and virtue. For it was meet that the dream of her mother,
Bregusuid, during her infancy, should be fulfilled. Now Bregusuid, at the time
that her husband, Hereric, lived in banishment, under Cerdic,king of the
Britons, where he was also poisoned, fancied, in a dream, that he was suddenly
taken away from her and she was seeking for him most carefully, but could find
no sign of him anywhere. After an anxious search for him, all at once she found
a most precious necklace under her garment, and whilst she was looking on it
very attentively, it seemed to shine forth with such a blaze of light that it
filled all Britain with the glory of its brilliance. This dream was doubtless
fulfilled in her daughter that we speak of, whose life was an example of the
works of light, not only blessed to herself, but to many who desired to live
aright.
When she had governed this monastery many years, it pleased Him Who has made
such merciful provision for our salvation, to give her holy soul the trial of a
long infirmity of the flesh, to the end that, according to the Apostle's
example, her virtue might be made perfect in weakness. Struck down with a fever,
she suffered from a burning heat, and was afflicted with the same trouble for
six years continually; during all which time she never failed either to return
thanks to her Maker, or publicly and privately to instruct the flock committed
to her charge; for taught by her own experience she admonished all men to serve
the Lord dutifully, when health of body is granted to them, and always to return
thanks faithfully to Him in adversity, or bodily infirmity. In the seventh year
of her sickness, when the disease turned inwards, her last day came, and about
cockcrow, having received the voyage provision of Holy Housel, and called
together the handmaids of Christ that were within the same monastery, she
admonished them to preserve the peace of the Gospel among themselves, and with
all others; and even as she spoke her words of exhortation, she joyfully saw
death come, or, in the words of our Lord, passed from death unto life.
That same night it pleased Almighty God, by a manifest vision, to make known her
death in another monastery, at a distance from hers, which she had built that
same year, and which is called Hacanos. There was in that monastery, a certain
nun called Begu,who, having dedicated her virginity to the Lord, had served Him
upwards of thirty years in the monastic life. This nun was resting in the
dormitory of the sisters, when on a sudden she heard in the air the well-known
sound of the bell, which used to awake and call them to prayers, when any one of
them was taken out of this world, and opening her eyes, as she thought, she saw
the roof of the house open, and a light shed from above filling all the place.
Looking earnestly upon that light, she saw the soul of the aforesaid handmaid of
God in that same light, being carried to heaven attended and guided by angels.
Then awaking, and seeing the other sisters lying round about her, she perceived
that what she had seen had been revealed to her either in a dream or a vision;
and rising immediately in great fear, she ran to the virgin who then presided in
the monastery in the place of the abbess,and whose name was Frigyth, and, with
many tears and lamentations, and heaving deep sighs, told her that the Abbess
Hilda, mother of them all, had departed this life, and had in her sight ascended
to the gates of eternal light, and to the company of the citizens of heaven,
with a great light, and with angels for her guides. Frigyth having heard it,
awoke all the sisters, and calling them to the church, admonished them to give
themselves to prayer and singing of psalms, for the soul of their mother; which
they did earnestly during the remainder of the night; and at break of day, the
brothers came with news of her death, from the place where she had died. They
answered that they knew it before, and then related in order how and when they
had learnt it, by which it appeared that her death had been revealed to them in
a vision that same hour in which the brothers said that she had died. Thus by a
fair harmony of events Heaven ordained, that when some saw her departure out of
this world, the others should have knowledge of her entrance into the eternal
life of souls. These monasteries are about thirteen miles distant from each
other.
It is also told, that her death was, in a vision, made known the same night to
one of the virgins dedicated to God, who loved her with a great love, in the
same monastery where the said handmaid of God died. This nun saw her soul ascend
to heaven in the company of angels; and this she openly declared, in the very
same hour that it happened, to those handmaids of Christ that were with her; and
aroused them to pray for her soul, even before the rest of the community had
heard of her death. The truth of which was known to the whole community in the
morning. This same nun was at that time with some other handmaids of Christ, in
the remotest part of the monastery, where the women who had lately entered the
monastic life were wont to pass their time of probation, till they were
instructed according to rule, and admitted into the fellowship of the community.
