Christ. Her Husband King Alfrid was much delighted with the devout chast mind of his Queen, and now at last suffred himself to be perswaded to comply with her desires. Yea moreover his Wives zealous affection to Chastity wrought so far upon him, that he undertook a perpetuall Vow if not of a Reli∣gious, yet a continent life, so that in the ex∣pression of Harpsfeild, in a short time the Kings Court was converted, as it were, into a Monastery and Schoole of Christian Perfection and Disci∣pline.
4. The place chosen by the devout Queen Kineburga for her future voluntary prison was Dormund, anciently by Antoninus called Durobriva, seated in the Region of the Girvij, or Eastern Mercians, now in the confines of Huntington and Northampton shires: a place moist and fenny, and though not propitious to bodily health, yet pleasing to her for its retirednes. There she built her self a Mona∣stery, to which she gathered a chast congre∣gration of devout Virgins: Though some Writers affirm that the said Monastery had been formerly built by her Brothers Wulfere and Ethelred. The place is thus described by Camden: Our ancient History affirms, saith he, that near the River Avon there was a place cal∣led Dormund-caster, in which after that Kine∣burga had built for her self a small Monastery, it first began to be called Kineburge-caster, and af∣terward contractedly Caster. The said Kineburga was the most Christian daughter of the Pagan King Penda, and Wife of Alfrid King of the Nor∣thumbers, who changed Royall authority into the humble service of Christ, and governed this Mo∣nastery in the quality of a Mother of Holy Vir∣gins.
5. Thither flowed together (saith the Authour of her Life,) to receive institution in a Religious life from her, Virgins of all sorts: Daughters of Dukes and Princes reverenced her as a Mistresse, the Poor embraced her as a companion, and all her Daughters venerated her as a Mother, who neglecting to multiply a carnall offspring, became far more happily fruitfull in Spirituall chil∣dren, &c. And as for the Queen her self, she was a Mirrour of all Sanctity, and no expression of words can declare the bowells of Charity with which she cherished the soules committed to her care, and which she had brought forth to Christ, how watchfull she was over their conversation, how diligent to instruct them in the Divine Law and Religious Discipline, and with what teares she implored the heavenly protection over them. She was a compassionate provider for the Poor, a pious Mother of the afflicted, and a Zealous exhor∣ter of the Kings and Princes her Brethren to Alms-giving and works of Mercy.
6. The odour of her Sanctity invited a few years after a younger Sister of hers to em∣brace a retired Religious life in the same Mo∣nastery. Her name was Kineswitha a Virgin: who though by her Brethren she had been promised a Wife to Offa King of the East-Sa∣xons, yet out of a desire to consecrate her Virginity to God, she not being able to resist their earnest persecutions, had recourse to Prayer, imploring withall the assistance of the Queen of Virgins, who in a Vision by night comforted her with an assurance that she should obtain her desire. Whereupon she sent Messengers to King Offa employing her most earnest Prayers and adjurations that he would not by violence bereave our Lord of a Spouse in heart consecrated to him. Vpon which the pious King not only disen∣gaged her from a Promise and consent which her Brethren had extorted frō her, but with∣in a few years after followed her example, and forsaking all worldly pomps and vani∣ties, he changed his Regall authority into an humble Service of God in Poverty and Devo∣tion, as in due place shall be shewed.
7. How long those two Holy Sisters lived does not appear: But their Festivity was ce∣lebrated together on the day before the Nones of March in the Monastery of Peterbo∣rough, not above two miles distant from Dor∣mond-caster, the place of their Religious abode, to which place their Sacred Bodies were tran∣slated. There they remained till the year one thousand and ten, in which the Danes cruelly wasting the whole Island, and espe∣cially Monasteries, they were from thence translated to Thorney.
8. Together with them on the same day was celebrated the memory of Saint Tibba a Virgin and kinswoman of theirs: Ingulphus calls her Tilba, and Harpsfeild, Cibba. She ha∣ving spent many years in a devout solitary life, in the end rendred her Spirit to God.
And after her death appearing to a certain Holy man, among other things told him, I am come down from the celestiall Festivity to declare to thee the day of my happy transmigration. This is the day of the blessed Virgin Lucia, in the Night of whose Vigile I gave up my soule to our Lord Iesus Christ.
She was anciently in great veneration among the
Corita••••, in the County of
Rut∣land: For, saith
Camden, near the River Wash there is a Town called Rihal, where a Saint na∣med Tibba was honoured: and particularly was by Falkoners, as a Diana and Patronesse of their profession, had in veneration. Thus perversely he confounds the
Honour due to
Gods Saints with the
Idolatrous Worship of
Heathen Gods.
9. Harpsfeild writing of S. Kineburga, af∣firms from Marianus and Mathew of Westmin∣ster, that she founded another Monastery at Winburn. But he seems to be mistaken. For there were at this time two Holy women cal∣led Kineburga: This, who was Wife to King Alfrid, and Mother to his Successour Osred and another Kineburga Sister to Ina King of the West-Saxons, a Virgin of whom we shall treat in the next Century.
10. The present S. Kineburga is said to have been Mother to another child called Rum∣wold, who immediatly after he was born is reported to have made cōfession of his Faith,