The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.

XV. CHAP.* 1.1

1.2. &c. Miraculous Iudgments of God against the Pagan blasphemers of Saint Swibert, and Sacrilegious destroyers of his Church and Monastery at Werda.

9.10. &c The Writer of that Narration is Saint Ludger: whose Holines, together with the Doctrine of the Veneration of Saints, is asserted.

1. WHilst these troubles afflicted Britta∣ny. Almighty God in Germany fought for the defence of the Faith planted there by the English-Saxons, miraculously puni∣shing the Sacriledge committed by the Sa∣xons and Westphalian Pagans against the Mo∣nastery or Werda built by his servant S. Swibert: as we find written in an Epistle of S. Ludger Bishop of Munster written to Rixfrid Bishop of Vtrecht.

2. Whilst the glorious King of the French,* 1.2 Charles sirnamed the Great was fighting in the Southern parts of France against the Sara∣cens then raigning in Spain, the feirce and perfidious Saxons and Westphalians iudging this to be a fitt time to revenge themselves of the losses which they had formerly suf∣fred from the Christians, raised a mighty army, with which they wasted all the coun∣treys as far as the Rhene, expressing their ra••e principally against the Churches of God, and sparing neither sexe nor age. With this fury they came to Werda where was the Church of S. Swibert. There they utterly de∣stroyed and burnt to the ground both the Town and Church: all the inhabitants and Preists they killed which had not escaped by flight: and all the Sacred Books and orna∣ments they burnt. Only the Sacred Body of S. Swibert was preserved from their fury, though with all possible diligence they made search for it. Yea many of those Sa∣xons who were Christians, had a desire to ex¦presse their hatred against this Holy Bishop, because many years before this, by his in∣tercession

the French had gaind a memorable victory against them.

3. In this detestable Army there was not any one so execrable in his malice and cruelty as a certain Officer called Ogell Oster∣bach of Paderborn. This man was the princi∣pall instrument of the Devill in all mischeifs committed, in which he took excessive pleasure: And particularly he it was who with great labour and diligence heaped wood for burning the said Church, which with much adoe at last by Gods permission he performed.

4. After he had among many other abo∣minable actions executed this, being at dinner with his companions in a meadow ad∣ioyning to the same place, he with great ioy and triumph recited to them what he had done, particularly insulting upon S. Swibert the Protectour of the French, and blasphe∣ming God: But behold in the middst of his laughter and ioy the heavy wrath of God came upon him, so that he fell backward before them all upon the plain ground; and broke his neck: by this horrible death paying a fitt punishment for his sacrilegious cruelty.

5 Neither did Almighty God iudge this a sufficient testimony of the honour which he would doe to S. Swibert in the sight of the Pagan Army. For three howers after the accurted body had lyen on the ground covered with a garment, a trumpet soun∣ding to the remove of the Army, certain kinsmen of this execrable Ogell and others his associates in mischeife carye•• it into the Church-yard of S. Swibert, to bury it there. But they could not effect it by any means: For assoon as ever they had digged a grave, presently the earth would fall into it, and no sign of a trench would appear. Again and again they made tryall in other places there, but still the ground became plain and even immediatly. This caused a wonderfull astonishment in them: and they all conclu∣ded that he was unworthy of buriall there, who had so sacrilegiously profaned the place and burnt the Church. Moreover when they took the garment off from his face, it app••ard so horrible to them▪ that in a greivous fright they left the body, not knowing what to doe with it: When some other Saxons of that Army heard this, they with indignation took the carkeyse and cast it into the Rhene.

6 This prodigious accident being by some of these companions with much greif told to the two principall Rulers of the Army, Nothelin and Occo: they answerd, This was an accident to be imputed to chance, and not to any power of S. Swibert, who was not able to de∣fend his own Church. After many the like blas∣phemous speeches the said Noble men depar∣ted from one another, and Nothelin as he was boasting of the mischeif done to the Chri∣stians, was immediatly struck blind, and tor∣mented with unsufferable pains in all his members: Which continued and encreased upon him; till by the advice of certain sober men, he with many sighs & teares acknow∣ledged the crimes which out of pride and malice he had committed against God and his Saint: Moreover he upon his knees in the sight of his army made a vow that if God would please by the intercession of that Ho∣ly Bishop to restore his sight, and take away his torments, he would humbly visit the Shrine of S. Swibert, and employ his riches for rebuilding the Church. He had no sooner publickly made this vow, but immediatly he recovered his sight and health. And shortly after attended by his whole family, he ac∣complished his vow.

7. As for the other Noble man called Occo, he returning nomewards, not knowing any thing which had hapned to Nothelin, as he was beasting in the way of his exploits against the Christians, and especially how they had been revenged upon S. Swibert, in whose protection the Christians had put so much confidence: He presently in the pre∣sence of his whole troop was by Almighty God struck both deaf and dumb. In which case he was caried to his house: and a good space of time after, recalling to mind his cruelties and blasphemies against God, he acknowledged himself iustly punished, of which he heartily repented, and hoped by Prayers and Almes to obtain a removall or that punishment. Notwithstanding his Prayers and Almes had not that effect which he expected.

8. But when he was informed how Nothe∣lin by the intercession of S. Swibert had been cured of his blindnes and pains, he presently conceived a great hope in God and his Saint: and in like manner vowed that he would visit the Saint at Werda, and addict himself wholly to his service, if he likewise might recover his speech and hearing. The same hower he also was healed by the Heavenly Physicion: and setting his house in order, he with his whole family solemnly went to Werda to the Church of S. Swibert, and with great devotion and rever••nce performed his Vow. Moreover disdaining to return home to worldly employments, he remaind there and ioyning with the foresaid Nothelin and other devout persons to furnish costs, he the next year rebuilt the Church which had been burnt, so that it was more beautifull then it had been before. Yea moreover re∣nouncing his Government and dignity, he spent the rest of his life at the Monastery of S. Swibert at Werda, with great fervour serving our Lord and S. Swibert..

9. Thus writes the Holy Bishop Ludger, re∣lating the affairs of his own age. Now what will the Sectaries of our age oppose he∣reto, those I mean, who are as great enemies to the veneration due to Saints and honour to their Shrines, as Ogell or the two Noble men

had been? They will perhaps say, that Saint Ludger was too credulous, or not rightly informed in the occurrents of those times.

* 1.310. Let Baronius then inform them what a person S. Ludger was: S. Ludger (saith he) was by birth a Frison, descended from Christian parents, and bred up under the disciplin of Saint Gregory disciple of the holy Martyr S. Boniface, in the Church of Vtrecht. Assoon as he was ado∣pted into the Clergy, he was by him sent into En∣gland, where Alcuin did publickly professe the teaching of Sacred learning. He staid then onely one year with him: after which he returned to S. Gregory, by whom he was ordained Deacon. Then he went back into England, where during the space of three years and a half he heard the Lectures of the same famous Doctour, well known to Charles the Great, insomuch as Letters passed frequently between them. From thence, after the death of S. Gregory, he was in a vision called by S. Lebwin who had preached the Gospell at Daventry: Whereupon thither he went, and repaired the Church which had been burnt by the Saxons. From Daventry he was sent by Albinus the Successour of S. Gregory into the countrey of the Frisons, where he Zealously preached the Christian Faith, and destroyed many profane Temples of Idols, even when the Idolatrous Pagans were present, and withheld by a Divine hand from opposing or hur∣ting him: so that he may truly be called the Apostle of the Frisons. This testimony does Baronius give of S. Ludger, which he collected out of his ancient Acts written by the Monks of Werda.

11. But though it were supposed that Saint Ludger was misinformed: and the like may be said of S. Gregory the Great, S. Augustin, S. Gregory Nazianzen & other Fathers who write such like Stories, confirming the Doctrine so much opposed by Sectaries, of Invocation and Veneration of Saints: It may be they were credulous a little too much, at some times. But the Miracles, of which they professe themselves to have been eye-witnesses, cannot be suspected. And however, this may be said in generall, that how incredu∣lous soever any one may pretend to be of the speciall stories related by them, yet none can be so unreasonable to affirm that they related any Stories which contradicted or destroyed the Faith which they maintained: and which appears likewise to have been the common Faith of the Church in their res∣pective ages, since their Writings have been generally approved and admired, and not any but professed Hereticks, such as Vigilan∣tius and Iovinian, ever opposed the Doctrines confirmed by such Stories.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XV. CHA.
• * 1.2

  Append. ad Sur. 1. Mar••.
• * 1.3

  Baron. hic.