XII. How one in the province of the Northumbrians,
rose from the dead, and related many things which
he had seen, some to be greatly dreaded and some to be
desired. [Circ. 696 A.D.]
CHAP. XII.
How one in the province of the Northumbrians, rose from the dead, and related
many things which he had seen, some to be greatly dreaded and some to be
desired. [Circ. 696 A.D.]
AT this time a memorable miracle, and like to those of former days, was wrought
in Britain; for, to the end that the living might be roused from the death of
the soul, a certain man, who had been some time dead, rose again to the life of
the body, and related many memorable things that he had seen; some of which I
have thought fit here briefly to describe. There was a certain householder in
that district of the Northumbrians which is called Incuneningum, who led a godly
life, with all his house. This man fell sick, and his sickness daily increasing,
he was brought to extremity, and died in the beginning of the night; but at dawn
he came to life again, and suddenly sat up, whereat all those that sat about the
body weeping fled away in great terror, only his wife, who loved him better,
though trembling and greatly afraid, remained with him. And he comforting her,
said, "Fear not, for I am now in very deed risen from death whereof I was
holden, and permitted again to live among men; nevertheless, hereafter I must
not live as I was wont, but after a very different manner." Then rising
immediately, he went to the oratory of the little town, and continuing in prayer
till day, forthwith divided all his substance into three parts; one whereof he
gave to his wife, another to his children, and the third, which he kept himself,
he straightway distributed among the poor. Not long after, being set free from
the cares of this world, he came to the monastery of Mailros, which is almost
enclosed by the winding of the river Tweed, and having received the tonsure,
went apart into a place of abode which the abbot had provided, and there he
continued till the day of his death, in so great contrition of mind and
mortifying of the body, that even if his tongue had been silent, his life would
have declared that he had seen many things either to be dreaded or coveted,
which were hidden from other men.
Thus he related what he had seen. "He that led me had a countenance full of
light, and shining raiment, and we went in silence, as it seemed to me, towards
the rising of the summer sun. And as we walked we came to a broad and deep
valley of infinite length; it lay on our left, and one side of it was exceeding
terrible with raging flames, the other no less intolerable for violent hail and
cold snows drifting and sweeping through all the place. Both sides were full of
the souls of men which seemed to be tossed from one side to the other as it were
by a violent storm; for when they could no longer endure the fervent heat, the
hapless souls leaped into the midst of the deadly cold; and finding no rest
there, they leaped back again to be burnt in the midst of the unquenchable
flames. Now whereas an innumerable multitude of misshapen spirits were thus
tormented far and near with this interchange of misery, as far as I could see,
without any interval of rest, I began to think that peradventure this might be
Hell, of whose intolerable torments I had often heard men talk. My guide, who
went before me, answered to my thought, saying, 'Think not so, for this is not
the Hell you believe it to be.'
"When he had led me farther by degrees, sore dismayed by that dread sight, on a
sudden I saw the place before us begin to grow dark and filled with shadows.
When we entered into them, the shadows by degrees grew so thick, that I could
see nothing else, save only the darkness and the shape and garment of him that
led me. As we went on 'through the shades in the lone night,' lo! on a sudden
there appeared before us masses of foul flame constantly rising as it were out
of a great pit, and falling back again into the same. When I had been led
thither, my guide suddenly vanished, and left me alone in the midst of darkness
and these fearful sights. As those same masses of fire, without intermission, at
one time flew up and at another fell back into the bottom of the abyss, I
perceived that the summits of all the flames, as they ascended were full of the
spirits of men, which, like sparks flying upwards with the smoke, were sometimes
thrown on high, and again, when the vapours of the fire fell, dropped down into
the depths below. Moreover, a stench, foul beyond compare, burst forth with the
vapours, and filled all those dark places.
"Having stood there a long time in much dread, not knowing what to do, which way
to turn, or what end awaited me, on a sudden I heard behind me the sound of a
mighty and miserable lamentation, and at the same time noisy laughter, as of a
rude multitude insulting captured enemies. When that noise, growing plainer,
came up to me, I beheld a crowd of evil spirits dragging five souls of men,
wailing and shrieking, into the midst of the darkness, whilst they themselves
exulted and laughed. Among those human souls, as I could discern, there was one
shorn like a clerk, one a layman, and one a woman. The evil spirits that dragged
them went down into the midst of the burning pit; and it came to pass that as
they went down deeper, I could no longer distinguish between the lamentation of
the men and the laughing of the devils, yet I still had a confused sound in my
ears. In the meantime, some of the dark spirits ascended from that flaming
abyss, and running forward, beset me on all sides, and with their flaming eyes
and the noisome fire which they breathed forth from their mouths and nostrils,
tried to choke me; and threatened to lay hold on me with fiery tongs, which they
had in their hands, yet they durst in no wise touch me, though they assayed to
terrify me. Being thus on all sides encompassed with enemies and shades of
darkness, and casting my eyes hither and thither if haply anywhere help might be
found whereby I might be saved, there appeared behind me, on the way by which I
had come, as it were, the brightness of a star shining amidst the darkness;
which waxing greater by degrees, came rapidly towards me: and when it drew near,
all those evil spirits, that sought to carry me away with their tongs, dispersed
and fled.
"Now he, whose approach put them to flight, was the same that led me before;
who, then turning towards the right, began to lead me, as it were, towards the
rising of the winter sun, and having soon brought me out of the darkness, led me
forth into an atmosphere of clear light. While he thus led me in open light, I
saw a vast wall before us, the length on either side, and the height whereof,
seemed to be altogether boundless. I began to wonder why we went up to the wall,
seeing no door in it, nor window, nor any way of ascent. But when we came to the
wall, we were presently, I know not by what means, on the top of it, and lo!
there was a wide and pleasant plain full of such fragrance of blooming flowers
that the marvellous sweetness of the scents immediately dispelled the foul
stench of the dark furnace which had filled my nostrils. So great was the light
shed over all this place that it seemed to exceed the brightness of the day, or
the rays of the noontide sun. In this field were innumerable companies of men
clothed in white, and many seats of rejoicing multitudes. As he led me through
the midst of bands of happy inhabitants, I began to think that this perchance
might be the kingdom of Heaven, of which I had often heard tell. He answered to
my thought, saying, 'Nay, this is not the kingdom of Heaven, as you think.'
"When we had also passed those mansions of blessed spirits, and gone farther on,
I saw before me a much more beautiful light than before, and therein heard sweet
sounds of singing, and so wonderful a fragrance was shed abroad from the place,
that the other which I had perceived before and thought so great, then seemed to
me but a small thing; even as that wondrous brightness of the flowery field,
compared with this which I now beheld, appeared mean and feeble. When I began to
hope that we should enter that delightful place, my guide, on a sudden stood
still; and straightway turning, led me back by the way we came.
"In our return, when we came to those joyous mansions of the white-robed
spirits, he said to me, 'Do you know what all these things are which you have
seen?' I answered, 'No,' and then he said, 'That valley which you beheld
terrible with flaming fire and freezing cold, is the place in which the souls of
those are tried and punished, who, delaying to confess and amend their crimes,
at length have recourse to repentance at the point of death, and so go forth
from the body; but nevertheless because they, even at their death, confessed and
repented, they shall all be received into the kingdom of Heaven at the day of
judgement; but many are succoured before the day of judgement, by the prayers of
the living and their alms and fasting, and more especially by the celebration of
Masses. Moreover that foul flaming pit which you saw, is the mouth of Hell, into
which whosoever falls shall never be delivered to all eternity.
This flowery place, in which you see this fair and youthful company, all bright
and joyous, is that into which the souls of those are received who, indeed, when
they leave the body have done good works, but who are not so perfect as to
deserve to be immediately admitted into the kingdom of Heaven; yet they shall
all, at the day of judgement, behold Christ, and enter into the joys of His
kingdom; for such as are perfect in every word and deed and thought, as soon as
they quit the body, forthwith enter into the kingdom of Heaven; in the
neighbourhood whereof that place is, where you heard the sound of sweet singing
amidst the savour of a sweet fragrance and brightness of light. As for you, who
must now return to the body, and again live among men, if you will seek
diligently to examine your actions, and preserve your manner of living and your
words in righteousness and simplicity, you shall, after death, have a place of
abode among these joyful troops of blessed souls which you behold. For when I
left you for awhile, it was for this purpose, that I might learn what should
become of you.' When he had said this to me, I much abhorred returning to the
body, being delighted with the sweetness and beauty of the place which I beheld,
and with the company of those I saw in it. Nevertheless, I durst not ask my
guide anything; but thereupon, on a sudden, I found myself, I know not how,
alive among men."
Now these and other things which this man of God had seen, he would not relate
to slothful men, and such as lived negligently; but only to those who, being
terrified with the dread of torments, or ravished with the hope of everlasting
joys, would draw from his words the means to advance in piety. In the
neighbourhood of his cell lived one Haemgils, a monk, and eminent in the
priesthood, whose good works were worthy of his office: he is still living, and
leading a solitary life in Ireland, supporting his declining age with coarse
bread and cold water. He often went to that man, and by repeated questioning,
heard of him what manner of things he had seen when out of the body; by whose
account those few particulars which we have briefly set down came also to our
knowledge. And he related his visions to king Aldfrid, a man most learned in all
respects, and was by him so willingly and attentively heard, that at his request
he was admitted into the monastery above-mentioned, and received the crown of
the monastic tonsure; and the said king, whensoever he came into those parts,
very often went to hear him. At that time the abbot and priest Ethelwald, a man
of godly and sober life, presided over that monastery. He now occupies the
episcopal see of the church of Lindisfarne, leading a life worthy of his degree.
He had a place of abode assigned him apart in that monastery, where he might
give himself more freely to the service of his Creator in continual prayer. And
inasmuch as that place was on the banks of the river, he was wont often to go
into the same for the great desire he had to do penance in his body, and
oftentimes to plunge in it, and to continue saying psalms or prayers in the same
as long as he could endure it, standing still, while the waves flowed over him,
sometimes up to the middle, and sometimes even to the neck in water; and when he
went ashore, he never took off his cold, wet garments till they grew warm and
dry on his body. And when in the winter the cracking pieces of ice were floating
about him, which he had himself sometimes broken, to make room to stand or
plunge in the river, and those who beheld it would say, "We marvel, brother
Drythelm (for so he was called), that you are able to endure such severe cold;"
he answered simply, for he was a simple and sober-spirited man, "I have seen
greater cold." And when they said, "We marvel that you choose to observe so hard
a rule of continence," he replied, "I have seen harder things." And so, until
the day of his calling hence, in his unwearied desire of heavenly bliss, he
subdued his aged body with daily fasting, and forwarded the salvation of many by
his words and life.
