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.

* 1.1V. CHAP.

1.2. &c. S. Ethelreds Body found incorrupt.

7 Taudrey-lace.

8.9. &c. Apparitions and Miracles wrought by the Holy Virgin.

1. SEaven years the Blessed Virgin Ethelreda governd her Monastery of Ely,* 1.2 exhibiting her self a glorious example of Piety and all vertues: after which in the year of Grace six hundred seaventy nine our Lord calld her out of this world to receive her reward,* 1.3 on the eighth day before the Calends of Iuly: and according to her own command she was buried among her own Religious Virgins in the same coffin of wood, wherin she lay when she gave up her Spirit: and her Sister Sexburga, who had been the Wife of Earcom∣bert King of Kent, succeeded her in the Office of Abbesse.

2. The wonderfull testimonies which God was pleased to afford in approbation of the Sanctity and purity of this Holy Widow, twice a wife and always a Virgin, are commemora∣ted by S. Beda, who himself might have been a witnes of them. He was three and twenty years old when those things hapned, and wrote them forty years after. The relation by him given thus follows:

* 1.43. Sixteen years after the Blessed Virgin Saint Ethelreda was buried, her Sister Sexburga Ab∣besse thought fitt to take up her bones, and put∣ting them into a New Coffin to translate them into a Church (dedicated to her honour.) She commanded therefore certain of the Monks to search out a Stone commodious for that purpose. Now the region of Ely being all encompassed with rivers and marishes, afforded no such stones of a convenient largenes. They therefore taking boat, went to a certain Citty not far distant, which lay desolate, calld in the English tongue Grandacister, where presently neer the walls of the Citty they found a Coffin of white Marble, elegantly made, and fittly coverd with a stone of the same. Perceiving hereby that God had pro∣spered their iourney, they with great ioy and thankfullnes brought the Coffin to the Monastery.

* 1.54. Now when her Sepulcher was opened and the sacred body of this Holy Virgin and Spouse of our Lord discovered, it was found ••s free from any cor∣ruption as if she had been buried the same day. This the foresaid Bishop Wilfrid and many other eye-witnesses have testified. But a more certain Witnes hereof was her Physician calld Cinfrid, who assisted her at her death, and was likewise pre∣sent when her body was taken up. He frequently made relation how in her sicknes she had a great swelling under the hollow of her arme. Whereup∣on he was advised to make an incision in the said swelling that the noxious humour might flow out.

Which I having done, saith he, for two days after she found her self at more ease, insomuch as many thought she would recover. But the third day after her paines returning, she was suddenly taken out of the world, and made a happy exchange of paines and death for life and perpetuall health.

5. And many years after when her bones were taken out of her Sepulcher,* 1.6 a Pavilion was sett up, about which the whole congregation of Reli∣gious men and Virgins stood singing Psalmes In the mean time the Abbesse attended with a few of the Nunnes where busy within the Pavilion, taking up the body: and on a sudden we heard the Ab∣besse from within cry out with a distinct voyce, Glory be to the name of our Lord And presently after they opened the dore of the Pavilion, and calld mee in: where I saw the Sacred Body of the Holy Virgin taken out of her Sepulcher and placed in the Coffin, where it lay as if she had been asleep. After which taking the cover from her face they shewd mee the wound of the incision which I had made, perfectly cured, insomuch as instead of a wide gaping wound which was in her body when she was buried, now only some small signs of a scarr appeared, and those likewise were so fresh, that they seemd as if they had been clo∣sed that very day.

6. The Religious Virgins also reported,* 1.7 that when by reason of the foresaid swelling she was tor∣men••ed with extreme pains in her neck and side of her face, she took great contentment in her infirmity, and was want to say, I know of a cer∣tainty that I am iustly paind in my neck, because when I was a young maid I wore about my neck weighty chains of iewells: Therefore God in his mercy has thus punished mee, that the fiery heat and rednes of the swelling in my neck may satisfy ••or my former pride and levity,

7. Harpsfeild from this passage in S. Beda well collects,* 1.8 that the custom in England for women to were a neck-lace of fine silk, came from this Exemple and saying of S. Ethelred: and therefore the said neck-lace is vulgarly calld Taudry-lace, that is the lace of S. Audrey or S. Ethelreda. And it were to be wished that by such a monument the minds of our woe∣men and Virgins would be incited to imitate the Vertues of this Blessed Virgin.

8. S. Beda thus proceeds in his Narration:* 1.9 When the Holy Virgins body was translated into the Church dedicated to her, it hapned that by the touching of her Vestments Devills were driven from the bodies of the obsessed, and many infirmi∣ties were cured. The Coffin likewise of wood in which she was first buried restored sight to the blind, and tooke away pain from the eyes of

such infirm persons as applied their head to the same when they prayed. The Religious Virgins therefore washed the Saints body, and putting new vestments on it, caried it into the Churchs placing it in the new Marble Coffin late••y brought thither: where it remains to this day in great ve∣neration. And which was very strange, the said Coffin was found so exactly fitt for the Holy Virgins body, as if it had been made on purpose for her. The place likewise of the head which was distinct∣ly framed, did properly suit with the measure of the Virgins head.

* 1.109. This Translation was on the seaven∣teenth of October, on which day it is com∣memorated in the Calender of Sarum. And the same day in following ages was solemnly observed as a Feast: For in a Charter made by King Henry the first for the erection of the Monastery of Ely into an Episcopall See, we find it dated, in a Synod held at Nottingham Castle, on the day of the Translation of the Blessed Virgin Ethelreda: though as M. Selden observes, there be there an antichronism, the ninth being written, instead of the one and twentieth of the Calends of Novem∣ber.

10. In succeeding times when the fury of the Danes layd wast all places, and their rage was cheifly exercised against the Sa∣cred Relicks of Saints, God by a speciall Mi∣racle preserved the Monument of this Holy Virgin.* 1.11 For thus writes William of Malms∣bury: The Danes (saith he) rushing violently into that fenny countrey, drove out the Religious Virgins, and demolished their buildings. Among which one, more outrageous then the rest, stole away the Mantle which covered the Virgins Tomb, and with his sword smote the Marble: by which stroke a splinter of it rever∣berated from the pavement into the Sacrile∣gious Soldiers eye, and he fell distracted to the ground. Whereupon his companions raising him up, sled away, and against their former design left untouched all the other Sepulchers of the Holy Virgins which had been buried there.

11. The same Authour further relates, how in the age next following,* 1.12 when the Danish troubles were ceased, there were placed in the said Monastery Secular Preists to perform Divine service there: Among which one more r••••h and saucy then his companions, tempted the rest to make a tryall whether the Sacred Virgins body yet remaind uncorrupted. But they upon an apprehension of danger refu∣sing, he foolishly adventured on it. And fa∣sting a candle to the end of a rodd, he passed it through a hole which the Danes had made in the Sepulcher, and looking in as curiously as he could, searched round about the Tomb. And not content with this, with the end of a forked stick he endeavoured to draw to him the cloa∣thes in which the Sacred Body was enwrapped; and some part of the Body he discovered: When the Holy Virgin having indignation that a Vile person should presume to look upon her naked body,* 1.13 with great violence drew back the cloathes, insomuch as he striving against her, fell back ward, and was forcibly dashed against the pavement: by which fall he became lame all his life, and afterward was strook with madnes. That hole made in the Sepulcher the Holy Bishop Ethelwold caused to be damned up with stone and morter: and thrusting out the Secu∣lars, brought Monks into the place: and moreover conferred on the Monastery an in∣credible number of Mannours and possessions which he bought with his own money.

12. This hapned about the year of our Lord nine hundred and sixty, in the raign of King Edgar. Now what speciall lands then belonged to that Mo∣nastery does not distinctly appear. Yet we find that the part of Suffolk adioy∣ning to Ely was anciently divided into three portions, of which one was calld The liberty of Saint Ediltrudis, because it appertaind to her Convent: On which, saith Camden,* 1.14 our Kings heretofore bestowd territories Cum Sacha & Socha, as we read in the Records of Ely, granting thereto an entire exemption from all Iurisdiction, Eccle∣siasticall and Secular.

13 These possessions were continual∣ly encreased by the great devotion born to her during the Saxon Government and Monarchy. But when the Norman race came in, this and many other Religious houses and Churches suffred much pre∣iudice, many of their Lands and Man∣nours being either confiscated to the Kings Exchequor, or bestowd on Officers and soldiers assisting in the Conquest. Notwithstanding after all such extor∣tions, yet there remaind very conside∣rable revenews to Saint Ethelreda's Mona∣stery: Concerning which William of Malmsbury thus wrote above four hun∣dred years since:* 1.15 You may coniecture the largenes of the possessions of Saint Ethelreda by this, that though very much was by fraud taken away, and more by violence usurped, the last Abbot Richard putt up in his own purse yearly a thousand and four hundred pounds, allowing scarce three hundred for the maintenance of the Monks; besides those ex∣penses which were consumed on his servants and guests.* 1.16 This Summ saith B. Codwin if compared with the present rate of coyn amounts to more then four thousand pound yearly rents.

14 But it will be more expedient that we should celebrate this Holy Virgins ri∣ches in Divine Graces, then worldly pos∣sessions. In the days of the said Richard the last Abbot (for after him that Church was made an Episcopall See) the uncorruptednes of her body was not questioned, as we shall shew presently when we treat of her Sister S. Withburga a Holy Virgin also. To avoyd tediousnes I will omitt many wonderful

things which God was pleased to work by S. Ethelreda in severall following ages. Yet without a great fault we must not passe by two apparitions of the holy Virgin, related by a faithfull Historian, and approved by many witnesses, wherein she promised her speciall patronage to the inhabitants of our Island who should have recourse to her in∣tercession.

* 1.1715. In the year of Grace thirteen hundred eighty nine (saith Thomas Walsingham) at Ely the Blessed Virgin and Queen Ethelreda appea∣red to a certain young man admonishing him to beware of some dangers ready to befall him, and informing him likewise of far greater calamities coming on the Kingdom, except Almighty God being pacified by the prayers of his servants, would mercifully hold his hand. Therefore she advised him to require the Priour and Monks of her Convent in her name to pray unto our Lord for the common safety of the Kingdom, adding, that She her self would also add her prayers for the same purpose. And when the young man had not the courage to perform her commands, she told him, that for a sign he should be con∣tracted in his members, lame and disabled to every thing till the day of her Deposition: on which solemnity if he were caried to her Sepul∣cher, he should recover his perfect health. Here∣upon the young man published his Vision, inso∣much as many beleived it, being induced thereto by seing the penalty layd on him: For to shew that there was no fiction in the matter, his leggs were so slender, that there was nothing but skin and bones, and his hamms were so drawn up, that his heeles stuck to his hanches.

16. The report of this being spread abroad, many came to see him, and for tryal they prickd his leggs and feet with iron bodkins, but the skin being dead, he felt nothing: Others endea∣voured, but in vain, to draw back his leggs. They determined therefore to expect the prefixed day, wherein the event would prove his speeches either true or false. On the solemnity therefore of the glorious Virgin-Queen the young man was caried to the Church. There being layd he began first to fall into a slumber, but being wakd, he leapt up. Those who were near heard the cracking of his sinews, after which followed the stretching forth of his members: and the young man began to leape and in the presence of many he went about the Virgins Sepulcher. And whereas by command of the Holy Virgin he had foretold ma∣ny secret matters touching particular persons (the which he revealed to his Parish-Preist under seal of Confession) all which were found to be true: men therefore did assure themselves that all the rest which he sayd should afterward come to passe, were true likewise. Among which he foretold that the summer following the heats would be so extreme, that the leads on some Churches would be melted, unlesse God would qualify it. And indeed we felt a very great heat, which but for the prayers of some devout persons would have been intolerable. Moreover by lightning from heaven the lead on some Churches was melted, as at a town called Manfeild in Sussex: the Colle∣giat Church of Canterbury likewise was burnt, with a great part of the Citty, severall farm-houses also in Essex, and in some places both ships and mariners were consumed by fire from heaven.

7 This Vision and prediction was more∣over confirmed by another shortly follow∣ing,* 1.18 made by the same glorious Saint to an old decrepit woman of fourscore years, who was healed of a long continued lame∣nes at her Sepulcher, as the same Historian at large recounts: to whom the Reader is re∣ferred. To conclude, we will here only add the Testimony given to this Holy Virgin in the Roman Martyrologe, where on the three and twentieth of Iune we read these words,* 1.19 In Brittany on that day is the Commemoration of S. Ediltrudis Queen and Virgin, illustrious for Sanctity and Miracles, whose Body eleaven years after she was buried, was found un∣corrupted.

Notes

• * 1.1

  V. CHA.
• * 1.2

  Bed. l. 4. c. 19
• * 1.3

  Wigorn. ad A. D. 679.
• * 1.4

  Bed. l. 4. c. 9.
• * 1.5

  Id. ib.
• * 1.6

  Id. ib.
• * 1.7

  Id. ib.
• * 1.8

  Harp••f. ••aec. 7. c. 24.
• * 1.9

  Bed. ubi ••upr
• * 1.10

  Matt. Angl 7. Oct.
• * 1.11

  Malmsbur. de ••. Pontif. l. 4 f. 293.
• * 1.12

  Id. ib.
• * 1.13

  A. D. 960
• * 1.14

  Camden in Suffolk.
• * 1.15

  Malmsbur de Pontif. l. 4. f. 273.
• * 1.16

  Godvvin. in Elieus. Episcop
• * 1.17

  Walsingh. in Rich. 1. f. 338.
• * 1.18

  Id. ibid.
• * 1.19

  Martyrolog. Rom. 23. Iun.