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diff --git a/old/53617.txt b/old/53617.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 84da32b..0000000 --- a/old/53617.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5240 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Legendary Yorkshire, by Frederick Ross - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Legendary Yorkshire - - -Author: Frederick Ross - - - -Release Date: November 28, 2016 [eBook #53617] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEGENDARY YORKSHIRE*** - - -E-text prepared by Chris Whitehead, MWS, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/legendaryyorkshi00ross - - - - - -LEGENDARY YORKSHIRE - -by - -FREDERICK ROSS, F.R.H.S., - -Author of -"Celebrities of Yorkshire Wolds," "Yorkshire Family Romance," -etc. - - - - - - - -Hull: -William Andrews & Co., The Hull Press. -London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co., Limited. -1892. - - - - -_NOTE._ - -Of this book 500 copies have been printed, and this is - -No. ... - - - - -Contents. - - PAGE - - THE ENCHANTED CAVE 1 - - THE DOOMED CITY 15 - - THE "WORM" OF NUNNINGTON 34 - - THE DEVIL'S ARROWS 51 - - THE GIANT ROAD-MAKER OF MULGRAVE 70 - - THE VIRGIN'S HEAD OF HALIFAX 80 - - THE DEAD ARM OF ST. OSWALD THE KING 100 - - THE TRANSLATION OF ST. HILDA 117 - - A MIRACLE OF ST. JOHN 131 - - THE BEATIFIED SISTERS OF BEVERLEY 147 - - THE DRAGON OF WANTLEY 168 - - THE MIRACLES AND GHOST OF WATTON 176 - - THE MURDERED HERMIT OF ESKDALE 195 - - THE CALVERLEY GHOST 214 - - THE BEWITCHED HOUSE OF WAKEFIELD 231 - - - - -LEGENDARY YORKSHIRE. - - - - -The Enchanted Cave. - - -Who is there that has not heard of the famous and redoubtable hero of -history and romance, Arthur, King of the British, who so valiantly -defended his country against the pagan Anglo-Saxon invaders of the -island? Who has not heard of the lovely but frail Guenevera, his Queen, -and the galaxy of female beauty that constituted her Court at Caerleon? -Who has not heard of his companions-in-arms--the brave and chivalrous -Knights of the Round Table, who went forth as knights-errant to succour -the weaker sex, deliver the oppressed, liberate those who had fallen -into the clutches of enchanters, giants, or malicious dwarfs, and -especially in quest of the Holy Graal, that mystic chalice, in which -were caught the last drops of blood of the expiring Saviour, and -which, in consequence, became possessed of wondrous properties and -marvellous virtue of a miraculous character? - -If such there be, let him lose no time in perusing Sir John Mallory's -"La Morte d'Arthur," the "Chronicles of Geoffrey of Monmouth," the -"Mabinogian of the Welsh," or the more recent "Idylls of the King," -of Tennyson. According to Nennius, after vanquishing the Saxons in -many battles, he crossed the sea, and carried his victorious arms into -Scotland, Ireland, and Gaul, in which latter country he obtained a -decisive victory over a Roman army. Moreover, that during his absence -Mordred, his nephew, had seduced his queen and usurped his government, -and that in a battle with the usurper, in 542, at Camlan, in Cornwall, -he was mortally wounded; was conveyed to Avalon (Glastonbury), where -he died of his wound, and was buried there. It is also stated that in -the reign of Henry II. his reputed tomb was opened, when his bones -and his magical sword "Excaliber" were found. This is given on the -authority of Giraldus Cambrensis, who informs us that he was present on -the occasion. But the popular belief in the West of England was that -he did not die as represented, his soul having entered the body of a -raven, which it will inhabit until he reappears to deliver England in -some great extremity of peril. - -This is what is told us by old chroniclers of Western England, the -Welsh bards, and some romance writers; but in Yorkshire we have a -different version of the story. It is true, say our legends, that -Arthur was a mighty warrior, the greatest and most valiant that the -island of Britain has produced either before or since; a man, moreover, -of the most devout chivalry and gentle courtesy, and withal so pure -in his life and sincere in his piety as a Christian, that he alone is -worthy to find the Holy Graal, if not in his former life, in that which -is forthcoming--for he is not dead, but reposes in a spell-bound sleep, -along with his knights, Sir Launcelot, Sir Gawaine, Sir Perceval, etc., -and that the time is coming when the needs of England will be such as -only his victorious arm, wielding his magically wrought Excaliber, -can rescue from irretrievable ruin. He sleeps--it is asserted--along -with his knights, in a now undiscoverable cavern beneath the Castle -of Richmond, whence he will issue in the fulness of time, scatter the -enemies of England like chaff before the wind, as he so frequently -dispersed the hordes of Teuton pagans, and place England on a higher -eminence among the nations of the earth than it has ever previously -attained. This enchanted cave has been seen but once, and by one man -only. It happened in this wise:-- - -Once on a time there dwelt in Richmond one Peter Thompson. At what -period he flourished is not recorded, but it matters not, although -a little trouble in searching the parish registers and lists of -burgesses of the town might reveal the fact. He gained a living by -the fabrication of earthenware, and hence was popularly known amongst -his comrades and townspeople as Potter Thompson. He was a simple and -meek-minded man, small in stature and slender in limb, never troubling -himself with either general or local politics. His voice was never -heard at the noisy meetings of the vestry, nor did he join in the -squabbles attendant on the meetings of the electors for the choice -of their municipal governors or representatives in Parliament; he -merely recorded his vote for the candidate who came forward as the -representative of the colour he supported, leaving the shouting and -quarreling and cudgel-playing to those of his fellow-townsmen who had -a liking for such rough work. As for himself, he was only too glad -when he had discharged his duty as a citizen to get back to his clay -and his wheel, for he was an industrious little fellow, had plenty of -work, and was thus enabled, by living a frugal life, to lay by a little -money, and would have lived a comfortable and happy life but for one -circumstance. - -Unfortunately, Peter Thompson was a married man; not that matrimony, -in the abstract, is a misfortune, but he was unfortunate inasmuch as -his wife was a termagant, and made his life miserable. Her tongue went -clack, clack, clacking all day long; nothing that he did was right. She -declared herself to be the greatest fool in Richmond to have united -herself to an insignificant little wretch like him; and even when the -bed curtains were drawn around them at night, the poor fellow was kept -awake for an hour or more while she dinned into his ears a lecture on -his manifold faults and his failures of duty as a husband. Peter seldom -replied, but bore it all with meekness, and allowed her to go on with -her monologue until she was tired, or ceased for want of breath. At -times, when she was more exasperating than usual, he would start up -from his wheel, clap his hat on his head, and rush out of the house to -escape her pertinacious scolding. At such times he would go wandering -about the hills and picturesque scenery by which Richmond is environed, -and especially about the hill on which stands the Castle, and amongst -the castle ruins, remaining away for three or four hours, moodily -meditating on the mischance or infatuation which had led him to ally -himself with so untoward a helpmate. - -It chanced one day that Peter, unable to endure the persecution of -his wife's tongue, rushed out of his house with the full intention -of throwing himself into the Swale, so as to end his misery there -and then. It was a brilliant summer's day, and there was a glorious -sheen cast over hill and vale, rock and ravine, the silvery river -winding between its emerald-hued banks and the clumps of foliaged -woodland--over the Castle keep standing pre-eminently above all other -buildings, church tower, ruined friary, antique bridge, and the -quaint houses of the burghers, with the tower of Easby gleaming in -the distance, imparting to the whole scene, which is one of the most -picturesque in Yorkshire--which is saying a great deal, and which for -natural beauty can scarcely be surpassed in England--a charm which -had a wonderful effect on Peter's perturbed mind. He was a lover of -nature in all her aspects, and an ardent admirer of the landscape -beauties which surrounded his native town; and he began to reflect, as -he ran down the slope, that if he carried out his purpose, he would -never more be able to delight his eyes with the lovely prospects of -nature so lavishly displayed before him at that moment; and by the -time he reached the river's bank he had almost determined to live on -and find compensation for his domestic discomforts in his communings -with nature--or at least, continued he to himself--"I will take another -turn among the hills and rocks and old ivy-mantled ruins, before I bid -good-bye to it all." He wandered along round the base of the Castle -hill, his spirits becoming more elevated the farther he went, as he -gazed on the glorious landscape which gradually became revealed to his -view. Anon he fell into a contemplative mood, and reasoned calmly and -philosophically on the wisdom of disregarding the minor ills of life, -when it was possible for him as a compensating alternative to revel -in the delights he was now enjoying, and he soon forgot altogether his -purpose of terminating his woes and his life together from the parapet -of Swale bridge. Onward he wandered; when suddenly turning a corner -he came upon a spot altogether unknown to him--a ravine which seemed -to wind away under the Castle hill, walled in with rugged rocks, from -whose crevices sprang upward trees and shrubs, whilst underfoot was a -flooring of rough scattered stones and fragments of fallen rocks, which -appeared not to have been trodden for centuries. Astonished at the -sight, for he imagined that he knew every nook in the neighbourhood, -he rubbed his eyes to ascertain whether he was dreaming; but he found -himself to be fully awake, and the unknown ravine to be a palpable -reality. It just flashed across his mind that sorcery had been at work, -and that what he beheld was the result of necromancy, for in his time -enchanters, warlocks, wizards, and witches were rife in the land; but -Peter had a bold heart, and he resolved upon solving the mystery by an -exploration of the recesses of the ravine, let what would come of it. - -Summoning up all his courage, Peter entered the ravine, stumbling -now and then over the stones bestrewn along his pathway. The road -wound about, now to one side then to another, and the trees overhead -to stretch out towards each other so as to overshadow the ravine and -impart a twilight effect, which, as Peter proceeded onward, deepened -into gloom, and eventually almost to darkness. At this period, when -he was compelled to move along with caution, he encountered what at -first seemed to be a wall of rock forming the end of the ravine. On -feeling it carefully he found it to be a huge boulder which obstructed -his path, but, his courage failing him not, he found means to clamber -over it and land safely on the further side. On looking about him, as -well as he could by the dim light, he found that he had alighted on -the entrance to a cavern, the boulder seeming as if it had been placed -there to prevent the intrusion of unauthorised persons, and then he -imagined that it might be the cave of a gang of banditti, and was at -once their treasure house and their refuge in times of peril; and this -idea seemed to be confirmed by the circumstance that he could perceive, -in the extreme distance, a glimmer of light. He felt that it would be -extremely dangerous to be discovered in the purlieus of their haunt, -but curiosity got the better of his fears, and he resolved upon going -forward, mentally adding "After all it may be nothing more than the -daylight streaming in at the other end, and by going on I may come out -into the open air without having to return by the rough, shinbreaking -road by which I have come;" and onward he went, feeling his way by the -rocky walls cautiously and slowly, and, it must be added, with some -degree of trepidation. - -As he proceeded along, the distant light increased, and could be seen -beaming through an opening like a doorway, with a mild effulgence -resembling moonlight. Clearly it could not be the light of the sun -streaming in through the aperture, and Peter, becoming more convinced -that he was either approaching a robbers' haunt or a scene of -enchantment, crept along as silently as possible, with some timidity, -it is true; but having come thus far, and his curiosity being excited -to the utmost pitch, he determined to carry out his adventure to the -end. As he approached the portal, he stood to listen; but not the -slightest sound broke the death-like stillness, and concluding from -this that the cave was not occupied--at least, was not at present--he -ventured onward with silent footstep, and stood within the illuminated -aperture. What was his amazement cannot be told at beholding the scene -before him. The opening gave entrance to a lofty and spacious cavern, -its walls glittering with crystals and spars, whilst from the roof -depended a profusion of stalactites, glistening and scintillating with -hues of spectroscopic brilliancy. The light which was diffused around -seemed to be something supernatural; it was not that of the sun, nor -that of the moon, nor was it our modern electric light; but seemed to -be an intensity of phosphoric radiance--soft, mild, and provocative -of slumber--which came not from any lamp or other visible source, -but appeared to be self-evolved from the atmosphere. In the centre -of the cave, upon a rocky table or couch, lay the figure of a kingly -personage, resting his head on his right hand, after the fashion of the -recumbent effigies in our mediaeval churches. He was clad in resplendent -armour and a superb over-cloak, with a golden crown, studded with -precious stones, encircling his head. By his side was a circular shield -emblazoned with arms, which would have told Peter, had he been versed -in heraldry, that the owner was the famous King Arthur; whilst close -by, suspended from the wall, were a diamond-hilted sword in a chased -golden scabbard, and a highly ornamented horn, such as were used by -military leaders for collecting their scattered troops. Around the King -lay his twelve Knights of the Round Table, some prostrate on the floor, -others reposing on fragments and projections of the rocks, each one -handsome in figure and reclining in unstudied natural grace, presenting -a study for a painter. They all lay as still as death save that their -heaving chests and audible breathing showed that they were wrapped in -profound slumber. Peter gazed upon them for a while with wondering -eyes, keeping within the doorway, so as to have the road clear behind -him for escape, in case of any hostile demonstration on the part of the -knights. As they still slumbered on, without any sign of awakening, he -plucked up courage enough to go amongst them; and, attracted by the -splendour of the sword, he took it down to examine it more closely; -then took it by the handle, and half drew it from its sheath. The -moment he had done so, the sleepers around him gave symptoms of -awakening, turned themselves, and seemed to be preparing to rise; but -the spell of disenchantment was not complete. Peter, terribly alarmed -at what he saw, pushed back the sword into the scabbard, threw it -on the floor, and hurried with all speed to the doorway; whilst the -half-awakened slumberers sank back again into deep sleep. Peter, not -noticing this, rushed through the opening, thinking the knights were -following him to inflict some terrible punishment on him--perhaps that -of death--for his presumptuous intrusion. It was but a few moments, -and he reached the boulder which defended the entrance, and which was -much more difficult to scale from that side. He was endeavouring to -find projections to enable him to clamber up, when he heard a hollow -sepulchral voice exclaim from the cave:-- - - "Potter, Potter Thompson, - If thou had'st either drawn - The sword or blown the horn, - Thoud'st been the luckiest man - That ever yet was born." - -With teeth chattering, hair on end, and a cold perspiration suffusing -his forehead, he made a desperate effort, scrambled somehow or other -over the stone, and running with fleet footstep, regardless of the -rough roadway, gained the open air without any other damage than a few -bruises and a terrible fright. He went home, and had to encounter a -fearful scolding for remaining out so long and neglecting his work. -He told his wife the tale of his adventures, but she only laughed it -to scorn, saying, "You old fool! and so you have fallen asleep on the -hillside and want to persuade me that your dream was a reality. It's -a pretty thing that you should leave your wheel and go mooning about -in this way, leaving your faithful wife to suffer the effects of your -idleness." - -Many a time since then did Peter seek for the ravine but could never -find it; but it is confidently assumed that Arthur and his knights are -still slumbering under the Castle hill. - - - - -The Doomed City. - - -Through the valley of Wensleydale, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, -flows the river Yore or Ure, passing onward to Boroughbridge, below -which town it receives an insignificant affluent--the Ouse--when it -assumes that name, under which appellation it washes the walls of York, -and proceeds hence to unite with the Trent in forming the estuary of -the Humber; but although it loses its name of Yore before reaching -York, the capital city of the county is indebted to it for the name it -bears. The river in passing through Wensleydale reflects on its surface -some of the most romantic and charming landscape scenery of Yorkshire, -and that is saying a great deal, for no other county can equal it in -the variety, loveliness, and wild grandeur of its natural features. - -"In this district, Wensleydale, otherwise Yorevale or Yorevalle," says -Barker, "a variety of scenery exists, unsurpassed in beauty by any -in England. Mountains clothed at their summits with purple heather, -interspersed with huge crags, and at their bases with luxuriant -herbage, bound the view on either hand. Down the valley's centre -flows the winding Yore, one of the most serpentine rivers our island -boasts--now boiling and foaming, in a narrow channel, over sheets of -limestone--now forming cascades only equalled by the cataracts of the -Nile--and anon spreading out into a broad, smooth stream, as calm and -placid as a lowland lake. On the banks lie rich pastures, occasionally -relieved, at the eastern extremity of the valley, by cornfields. -There are several smaller dales branching out of Wensleydale--of -which they may, indeed, be accounted part. Of these the principal are -Bishopdale and Raydale, or Roedale--the valley of the Roe--which last -contains Lake Semerwater, a sheet of water covering a hundred and five -acres, and about forty-five feet deep. Besides this lake, the natural -objects of interest in the district best known are Aysgarth Force, -Hardraw-scaur, Mill Gill, and Leyburn Shall--the last a lofty natural -terrace from which the eye may range from the Cleveland Hills at the -mouth of the Tees to those bordering upon Westmoreland." - -The valley is exceedingly rich in historic memories and noble monuments -of the architectural past--"castles and halls inseparably united with -English story, and abbeys whose names, whilst our national records -shall be written, must for ever remain on the scroll; with fortresses -which have been the palaces and prisons of kings. Of these, Bolton -Castle, the home of the Scropes, and one of the prisons of Mary, Queen -of Scots, and Middleham Castle, where dwelt the great Nevill, the -king-maker, and the frequent and favourite residence of the Duke of -Gloucester, afterwards King Richard III., and the venerable remains of -Yorevale, or Jervaux, and of Coverham Abbeys, are alone sufficient to -immortalise a district of country." - -In former times the dale was covered by a dense forest, the home of -countless herds of deer, wild boars, wolves, and other wild animals. -There were no roads, but glades and trackways, intricate and winding, -very difficult and puzzling to traverse, so that travellers often -became benighted, without being able to find other shelter than that -afforded by trees and bushes. At the village of Bainbridge there -is still preserved the "forest horn," which was blown every night -at ten o'clock from Holyrood to Shrovetide, to guide wanderers who -had lost their way to shelter and safety from the prowling beasts of -prey. A bell also was rung at Chantry, and a gun fired at Camhouse -with the same object. In the first century of the Christian era there -existed in the valley of Roedale a large and for that time splendid -city, inhabited by the Brigantian Celts. It nestled in a deep hollow, -surrounded by picturesque hills and uplands, and was environed by the -majestic trees of the forest, where the Druids performed the mystical -rites and ceremonials of their religion. The houses were built of mud -and wattles, and thatched with straw or reeds, and the city was a -mere assemblage of such private residences, without any of the public -buildings, such as churches, chapels, town houses, assembly rooms, -baths, or literary institutions, such as now-a-days appertain to every -small market town; yet it was spoken of as a "magnificent city," and -such it perhaps might be as compared with other and smaller towns and -villages. - -It was about the time when Flavius Vespasian annexed Britain to -the Roman Empire, and the Brigantes had been partially subdued by -Octavius Scapula, the Roman Governor of Britain, but before York had -become Eboracum--the Altera Roma of Britain--and the influence of the -conquerors of the world had not penetrated to this remote and secluded -spot in the forest of Wensleydale, so that the people of the city still -retained their old religion, customs, and habits of life; still stained -their bodies with woad, clothed themselves with the skins of animals, -and still fabricated their weapons and implements of bronze. Joseph of -Arimathea had planted the cross on Glastonbury Hill, but the people of -this city had never even heard of the new religion that had sprung up -in Judea, and went on sacrificing human beings to their bloodthirsty -god, cutting the sacred mistletoe from the oaks of their forest, and -drawing the beaver from the water, emblematic of the salvation of Noah -and his family at the deluge, of which they had a dim tradition. - -The angels of heaven took great interest in the efforts of the apostles -who, in obedience to their Master's command, went forth from Judea to -preach the gospel of glad tidings and the doctrine of the cross to -all mankind, and had especially noted the erection of the Christian -standard on Glastonbury Hill, in the barbarous and benighted island -of the Atlantic. One of the heavenly host, indeed, became so much -interested in the conversion of the natives of this isle--which -he foresaw would, in the distant centuries, become a great centre -of evangelical truth, and, by means of missionaries, the foremost -promulgator of religious light to other benighted peoples of the -earth--that he determined to descend thither, and, under the guise of -a human form, go about amongst the people, and in some measure prepare -them for the reception of the teachings of the companions of St. Joseph. - -Midwinter had come, the period when the sun seemed to the Britons to be -farthest away from the earth, and when, according to the experience of -the past, he would commence his return with his vivifying rays; and the -Druids were holding joyous ceremonial in celebration of this annually -recurring event. The sun was viewed as a superhuman beneficent being -who journeyed across the heavens daily to dispense heat and life, and -to cause the fruits and flowers and cereals to bloom and fructify, and -give forth food for men and animals, who in summer approached near to -the earth, and in winter retired to a distance from it--for what end or -purpose they knew not. Nevertheless they deemed it wise to propitiate -him by two great ceremonials of worship--the one at midsummer, attended -by blazing "Baal-fires" on the hills (a custom which still survives -in some parts of Yorkshire, where, on Midsummer-eve, "beal-fires" are -lighted), a festival of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the ripening -crops and fruits; the other at midwinter, which partook more of the -character of a supplicating worship, imploring him, now that he was far -distant, not to withdraw himself entirely from the earth, but return -as he had been wont to do, and again cheer the world with his beams of -brightness and warmth. On the occasion of this particular festival, -the weather was stormy and cold; the pools were frozen over, and the -ground covered with snow, whilst a chilling sleet, driven by a biting -north-eastern wind, beat upon those who were exposed to its influence -in the open air. The festival was proceeding in a cleared space of the -forest circled round by lofty trees, which was the open-air natural -temple of the Druids; its walls built by the hand of their god, and -its dome-like roof the floor of the habitation where he dwelt. Whilst -the Druids were engaged in offering up prayers, the bards in singing -anthems of praise, and the vates investigating the entrails of slain -animals, to read therein forecasts of the future and the will of the -gods, especially of the Sun God, in whose honour the festival was -held, the venerable figure of an aged man might be seen descending the -hill and approaching the city. He seemed to be bowed down with the -infirmities of age, and to breast with difficulty the forcible rushing -of the wind. His white flowing beard, which reached almost to his -waist, was glittering with incrustations of ice; and his legs trembled -as he came along, leaning on his staff, with feeble and uncertain -footsteps. He was clad in a long gabardine, which he wrapped tightly -round him, to protect his frame as much as possible from the inclemency -of the weather; his head was covered by a hat with broad flapping brim; -and his feet were sandalled, to shield them from the roughness of the -road. - -He came amongst the cottages and passed from door to door, asking -for shelter and food, but everywhere was repulsed, and at times with -contumely and opprobrious epithets. No one would take him in beneath -their roof; no one had charity enough to give him a crust or a cup -of metheglin, and onward he went until he came to the spot where the -festival was progressing under the direction of the Arch-Druid, a man -of extreme age, but of commanding stature and majestic port. - -The appearance of the angel (for he it was, in the guise of infirm -and poverty-stricken humanity) caused some sensation, chiefly in -consequence of his peculiar and outlandish dress, and all eyes were -directed upon him as he walked boldly and unhesitatingly, but with -halting step, to the centre of the circle where the hierarchs were -grouped. - -The angel, addressing himself to the Arch-Druid, inquired, "Whom is it -that you worship in this fashion?" - -"Who are you," replied the Druid, "that you know not that our midwinter -festival is in honour of the great and gloriously shining God, who -reveals himself to us in his daily march across the sky?" - -"Then you worship the creature instead of the creator?" - -"How the creature? He whom we worship was never created, but has -existed from all eternity." - -"Alas! blind mortals, you labour under a Satanic delusion. Know that -what you, in your ignorance, worship is but an atom in the great and -resplendent universe of worlds and suns, called into existence by the -fiat of Him whom I serve, who alone is self-existent, immortal, and the -Creator of all men and all things." - -"You speak in parables, stranger, and in an impious strain. Mean you -to say that the god-sun is not great and powerful, he who causes the -herbage to grow and the trees to give forth fruit? Can he do this if he -be not a god?" - -"He is merely the instrument of the one Almighty God, whose Son, on the -anniversary of this day, became incarnate on earth, and died on the -cross in a land far distant from this, that man might not be subjected -to the penalty for disobedience to His laws, thus dying in his stead, -to satisfy the ends of justice." - -"And you say that he, a mere man, who died in the distant land you -speak of, was the son of one who created the sun?" - -"Most certainly." - -"Then I must say that you speak rank blasphemy." - -And the priests and other officials re-echoed the shout, "Blasphemy! -blasphemy!" and the people around took it up, and the cry of -"Blasphemy!" rose up from a thousand tongues. - -"Slay him! stone him!" was then cried by the excited people, and they -began to take up stones and hurl them at the old man, who, shaking the -snow of the city from his sandals, and saying "Woe be unto you," passed -through the surrounding crowd, and disappeared amongst the forest trees. - -The dusky shades of evening, or rather afternoon, were drawing in as -the angel passed through the wood; and as, in his incarnate form, he -was subject to all the sufferings and discomforts humanity is liable -to, he feared that he would have to pass the night, with all its -inclemency of weather, with no other shelter than that afforded by a -tree trunk or the branches of a bramble bush, but after wandering some -time he came upon a cleared space, where he found some sheep huddling -together on the lee side of a rising ground, and judging that where -sheep were men would not be far distant, he passed up the hillside -and gladly hailed a gleam of light issuing from a cottage window. He -approached and knocked at the door, which was opened by a comely, -middle-aged dame, whilst, by the fire of peat, sat a man whom he -presumed to be her husband, occupied in eating his evening meal, with a -shepherd dog by his side, eagerly looking out for the bones and chance -pieces of meat which his master might think proper to throw him. - -"Good dame," said he to the woman, "have you charity enough to give -me shelter from the storm, a crust of bread to allay the cravings of -hunger, and permission to imbibe warmth from your fire into my aged and -frozen limbs?" - -"Yes, that indeed we have, venerable father," replied she. "Come in and -seat you by the fire, and we will see what the cottage can supply in -the way of victuals." - -He stepped in, and was welcomed with equal kindness by the husband, -who placed for him a seat near the fire, took off his coat, which he -suspended before the fire to dry, and gave him a sheepskin to throw -over his shoulders; whilst the dame bustled about in the way of cooking -some slices of mutton and bringing out some of her best bread, with a -wooden drinking vessel filled with home-made barley liquor, not unlike -the ale of after days. - -He was then invited to seat himself at the table, a board resting -on two trestles, and ate heartily of the viands before him. After -the meal, and when he was thoroughly warmed and made comfortable, he -entered into conversation with the worthy couple, and ascertained that -the man was a shepherd, and made a fairly comfortable living out of -his small flock of sheep, which supplied him and his wife with raiment -and flesh meat for food, besides a small surplus for barter to procure -other necessaries. He told them that he was a wanderer on the face of -the earth, not a Briton, but allied to people who lived in the far east -near the sun rising, and that he had come hither to tell the Britons -of the true God, and that they whom they worshipped were not gods at -all; to all which they listened with wonderment and awe, but displayed -none of the bigotry and hostility to adverse faiths which had been so -practically shown in the city. With eloquent tongue he explained to -them the mysteries of the Christian religion, but they comprehended -him not, such matters being entirely beyond the capacities of their -understandings. Nevertheless they were much interested in some of -the narratives, such as the nativity and the visit of the Magi; the -miraculous cures of the sick; the crucifixion, the resurrection, and -the ascension, all which were told with great graphic power, and -listened to with rapt ears; and they sat on late into the night in this -converse, and then a bed of several layers of straw was made for the -stranger in a warm corner of the cottage, and a couple of sheep skins -given him for coverlets. - -The following morning broke bright and cheerful, a complete contrast -to the preceding day. The sun came out with a radiance as brilliant as -it was possible for a midwinter sun to do, and lighted up the hills, -on which the snow crystals glistened, and the roofs of the houses in -the valley below, with a splendour seldom beheld at that period of the -year, and the people of the city hailed the sight as a response to -their festival prayers, that the God of Day would still continue to -shower his blessings upon them, and bring forth their crops and fruits -in due course. The guest at the shepherd's cottage, wearied with his -wanderings and the buffeting of the storm, slept long after the sun -had risen; but his hosts had been up betimes, the shepherd having -gone to look after his sheep, and his wife to prepare a warm breakfast -for him on his return. When this was ready, and the shepherd had come -home, their guest was awakened, and partook with them of their meal of -sheep's flesh, brown bread, and ewe's milk. He had performed certain -devotions on rising, such as his entertainers understood not, but which -they assumed to be acts of adoration and thanksgiving to his God. - -Resuming his cloak, now thoroughly dried, his flapped hat, and his -long walking staff, he went out to pursue his journey. With his hosts -he stood on the elevated ground on which the cottage was situated, and -looked down upon the city in the valley below, from which there rose up -the busy hum of voices of men going about their vocations for the day, -with them the first of their new-born year. - -The stranger looked down upon the city for some moments in silence; -then stretching forth his arms towards it, he exclaimed, "Oh city! thou -art fair to look upon, but thou art the habitation of hard, unfeeling, -and uncharitable men, who regard themselves alone, and neither respect -age nor sympathise with poverty and infirmity! Thou art the abode -of those who worship false gods, and shut their ears to, nay, more, -maltreat those who would point out their errors and lead them into the -path of truth; therefore, oh city! it is fitting that thou shouldst -cease to cumber the earth; that thou shouldst be swept away as were -Sodom and Gomorrah. As for you," he added, turning to the shepherd and -his wife, "you took the stranger in under your roof, sheltered him -from the storm, fed him when ahungered, and comforted him as far as -your means permitted. For this accept my thanks and benison, and know -that my benison is worth the acceptance, for I am not what I seem--a -frail mortal--but one of those who stand round the throne of the God -I told you of last evening, which is in the midst of the stars of the -firmament. May your flocks increase, and your crops never fail; may you -live to advanced age, and see your children and children's children -grow up around you, wealthy in this world's wealth, honoured, and -respected." Turning again towards the city, and again stretching forth -his arms over it, the mysterious stranger cried out in a voice that -might be heard in the streets below:-- - - "Semerwater, rise; Semerwater, sink; - And swallow all the town, save this lile - House, where they gave me meat and drink." - -Immediately a loud noise was heard, as of the bursting up of a hundred -fountains from the earth, and the water rushed upward from every part -of the city like the vomiting of volcanoes; the inhabitants cried out -with terror-fraught shouts, and attempted to escape up the hills, but -were swept back by the surging flood, which waved and dashed like -the waves of the tempestuous sea. Higher and higher rose the water; -overwhelmed the houses and advanced up the sides of the hill, engulfing -everything and destroying every vestige of life, and eventually it -settled down into the vast lake as it may now be seen. - -It may be thought that this was a cruel act of revenge on the part of -the angel, but we have the authority of Milton, that the angelic mind -was susceptible of the human weakness of ambition; why, therefore, -should it not be actuated by that other human passion of revenge? - -The shepherd and his wife gazed on the spectacle of the destruction -of the city with awe-stricken countenances, when another spectacle -filled them with equal amazement. They turned their eyes upon their -guest, who still stood by them, but who was undergoing a wonderful -transformation. From an aged and infirm man he was becoming youthful -in appearance, of noble figure, with lineaments of celestial beauty, -and an aureola of golden light flashing round his head. His tattered -and way-worn garments seemed to be melting into thin air and passing -away, and in their place appeared a long white robe, as if woven of the -snow crystals of the surrounding hills; whilst from his shoulders there -streamed forth a pair of pinions, which he now expanded, and waving an -adieu to his late entertainers, he rose up into the air, and in a few -minutes had passed beyond their sight. - -The shepherd's flocks soon began to multiply wonderfully, and he -speedily became one of the richest men of the countryside. His sons -grew up and prospered as their father had, and their descendants -flourished for many generations in their several branches as some -of the most important and wealthy families of the district. The old -man and his wife abandoned the old Druidical religion, and prayed to -the unknown God of whom their guest spoke on the memorable evening -preceding the destruction of the city; and when the Apostles of -Christianity came hither, were among the first converts. There may be -sceptics who may doubt the truth of this legend, but there the Lake of -Semerwater still remains, and what can be a more convincing proof of -its truth, as old Willet was wont to say, when pointing to the block -of wood at the door of his inn at Chigwell, as a triumphant proof -of the truth of the story he had been narrating. The rustics of the -neighbourhood also assert that they have seen, fathoms deep in the -lake, the chimneys and church spires of the engulfed city; but as there -were neither churches nor chimneys when that city was in existence, we -are inclined to believe that this is an optical delusion. - - - - -The "Worm" of Nunnington. - - -A charming pastoral scene might have been witnessed in the picturesque -valley of Ryedale, northward of Malton, and not far distant from the -spot where, in after ages, sprung up the towers of Byland Abbey, one -fair midsummer eve in the earlier half of the sixth century--a scene -that would have gladdened the heart of a painter, and made him eager -to transfer it to canvas, to display it on the walls of the next Royal -Academy Exhibition, had painters and Royal Academy Exhibitions been -then in vogue. It was in a village near the banks of the Rye--the -precursor of what is now called Nunnington; what was its Celtic name we -are informed not, but it was a Celtic village, and inhabited by Celtic -people, who had been Christianised, and taught the usages and habits -of civilized life during the supremacy of the Romans in the island, -who had now departed to defend the capital of the world against the -incursions of the hordes of barbarians who were thundering at its -gates, leaving the Britons, enervated by civilisation and its attendant -luxuries, a prey to the Picts and Scots and the Teutonic pirates who -infested the surrounding seas. - -It was an age of chivalry and romance; the half real, half mythical -Arthur ruled over the land, and made head against the Scots and the -Teutons, defeating both in several battles. He instituted the chivalric -Order of Knights of the Round Table--whose members were patterns of -valour and exemplars in religion, and who went forth as knights-errant -to correct abuses, protect the fairer and weaker sex, chastise -oppressors, release those who were under spells of enchantment, and -do battle with giants, ogres, malicious dwarfs, and enchanters, also -with dragons, hippogriffs, wyverns, serpents, and other similarly -obnoxious creatures. Who hath not read of their marvellous adventures -and valorous exploits in the quest of the Sang-real, the histories -of Sir Launcelot and Sir Tristram, La Morte d'Arthur, and the Idylls -of the King? Witches and warlocks, sorcerers and ogres, tyrants and -oppressors, then abounded in the land, and beauteous damsels, the -victims of their cruelty and lust, so that there was plenty of work, -to say nothing of the reptiles of the forests, for the entire army of -valiant knights who went forth from Caerleon on the Usk in quest of -adventures, inspired by the approving smile of Queen Guinevere and -of the fair ladies in whose honour they placed lance in rest, and -whose supremacy of beauty they vowed to maintain in many a joust and -tournament. - -The village lay in a spot where nature had spread out some of her -loveliest features of valley, upland, and meandering river of silvery -sheen running through the midst; whilst trees of luxuriant foliage, in -groups and thickets of forest land, enshrined the whole as a fitting -framework for the sylvan picture. Farmsteads were scattered about, and -a cluster of humbler cottages, the habitations of the serf class of -farm labourers constituted the village. - -As we have seen, it was Midsummer Eve, a day of festival and -rejoicing which had been observed from time immemorial, for now the -sun approached the nearest to the zenith with its fructifying beams, -and in celebration of the event a huge bonfire had been built up on -an eminence outside the village; whilst around it, hand in hand, -danced the youths and maidens with much glee and merriment, with -boisterous mirth, and many a joke and song, and moreover with no lack -of flirtation between the lads and lasses, who footed it merrily, and -became more and more vigorous in the dances as the flames mounted -higher and higher. Although they knew it not, this village carnival -was a survival of the paganism of the past, when the remote ancestors -of the existing generation worshipped Baal, the great Sun God. It -had come down through centuries of homage to the creature instead of -the Creator, and having been regarded as a great holiday, did not -suffer extinction at the advent of Christianity, but was permitted -to be retained in that capacity, without any reference to religious -ceremonial, which in course of time was entirely forgotten. And it is -a remarkable instance of the vitality of ancient customs to observe -that in some parts of Yorkshire, in Holderness to wit, "Beal fires" are -lighted on Midsummer Eve, even to the present day. - -The elders of the village were seated about in groups on the turf, -watching the upblazing of the fire, casting approving smiles on the -joyous gambols and incipient match-making of their progeny, and -talking of their own juvenile days, when they were equally happy -partners in the circling dance. The blue sky overhead was cloudless, -and in the western horizon the setting sun shot forth beams of golden -light; and all was hilarity and happiness. A queen of the festival had -been chosen--the most beautiful maiden of the village, a sweet girl of -eighteen, with brilliant complexion, melting blue eyes, and flowing -curls of flaxen hue. A platform of boughs had been improvised upon -which to carry her on the shoulders of a half-dozen young bachelors -back to the village with songs of triumph, and the procession had -just been arranged, when a loud hissing sound was heard to issue from -the neighbouring forest, a sound which in these days would have been -attributed to a passing railway train; but which then sounded strange -and unearthly, and spread consternation among the merrymakers, who -turned and looked with panic-stricken countenances in the direction -from whence the sound came. - -The first impulse of the crowd was to fly to their homes, from the -unknown object of dread, but curiosity prompted a counter-impulse, -a desire to see what gave rise to the fear-inspiring sound. Nor had -they long to wait, for a few minutes after a monstrous reptile, with -the body of a serpent and the head of a dragon, its mouth seeming, to -their excited imaginations, to breathe out flame, issued from the wood -and came across the open space with fearful but graceful undulations -towards the terrified villagers. The air appeared to become charged, -too, with a pestiferous influence, issuing from the nostrils of the -monster, which increased in intensity the nearer it came. With shrieks -and wild cries, those who had been dancing so merrily but a few -minutes before took to their heels to find refuge in their cottages, -exclaiming, "Oh, that Sir Peter Loschi were here to deliver us from -the monster!" All reached their habitations and barred their doors; -all save one, the beautiful young queen of the festival, the pride of -the village--the beloved of every one--who, fascinated like a bird -by the eyes of the reptile, had stood gazing upon it so long that -she was quite in the rear of the fugitives, and was overtaken by the -serpent, who immediately coiled the foremost part of its body round -her, and in this fashion carried her back into the forest. As she did -not reappear, it was concluded that she had been devoured; and day -after day one young damsel after another disappeared after going to -the spring for water, or on other open-air errands, all of whom, it -was doubted not, had furnished meals for the monster. Indeed, at times -he was seen carrying them off as he had done the poor little queen, -until at length the village seemed to be becoming depopulated of its -maidenhood. The men at times went armed with bludgeons to attack the -serpent in his cave on the hill side, but were ever driven back by the -poisonous exhalations of the animal's breath, which seemed to render -them faint and powerless; and two or three of the bolder spirits who -approached the nearest to the den died under its influence. And the -people continued to cry, "Oh, Sir Peter Loschi, why do you tarry?"--for -in him lay all their hope of deliverance. - -This Sir Peter Loschi, whose aid was so frequently and fervently -invoked, was the owner of a castle and certain broad acres in the -vicinity. He was a Celt of unadulterated blood, although his name has -nothing Celtic about it. Single names were then only used, with the -exception of an addition of some personal characteristic or locality, -for distinction sake when there were two persons bearing the same, -and we may suppose that the two names of Peter and Loschi originally -formed one word, which has become altered and corrupted in passing from -generation to generation, in a similar manner to that of George Zavier, -which became transmuted through Georgy Zavier, etc., to eventually -Corky Shaver. Be that as it may, he was the last male of a long line -of ancient British knights and warriors, and was himself not inferior -to any of his ancestors in military skill and almost reckless daring, -having fought with distinction against the wild hordes of Picts and -Scots, who came down from their desolate northern mountains to make -raids on the more fertile lands of the Britons south of the Border, -and against the piratical Saxons and Angles who were endeavouring to -get a foothold on the island. He was one of King Arthur's Knights of -the Round Table, and was often at the Court of Queen Guinevere at -Caerleon, consorting with his brother knights in the mutual recital of -their adventures, in friendly tilting matches, and in dallying with the -fair ladies of the Court, one of whom he had chosen as the mistress of -his heart, and whose favour he wore in front of his helmet at many -a passage of arms in the courtyard of a castle or in the field of a -tournament. Occasionally he went forth for periods of six or twelve -months as a knight-errant, for the purpose of redressing wrongs, -slaying enchanters, etc., and was known as the Knight of the Sable -Plume, from that ornamental appendage of his casque. The cognisance -that he bore on his shield was a chevron arg. between three plumes -sable, on ground or; and many a doughty deed had he performed, young as -he still was, under this cognisance. - -He did not spend much time at his ancestral home in Ryedale, being -so much occupied at Court and in the quest of adventures as a -knight-errant, only going there occasionally to regulate matters -relating to his household and estates, look after his vassals and -retainers, and make arrangements for the well-being of the villagers. -He had now been absent about three years, having, at the instance of -his ladye-love at Caerleon, donned his armour, taken his lance in -hand, and gone for that space of time to protect the impotent, redress -the injured and oppressed, and slay giants and sorcerers, as a test -of his valour, at the end of which said period, if he had acquitted -himself as a preux-chevalier, she might possibly consent to become the -mistress of Ryedale Castle. The period was now drawing to a close, and -he had performed many a valorous deed; he had slain a gigantic Saxon in -single combat; he had recovered the standard of King Arthur from some -half-dozen Picts, who had seized it after killing the bearer of it; he -had rescued a damsel from the hands of an enchanter; another from the -fangs and claws of a lion, and a third from a giant who was dragging -her along by the hair of her head; he had killed a dragon, a griffin, -and a hippogriff, had done many another wondrous and valorous deed, -and was now going back to Caerleon to claim the hand of the lady at -whose behest he had performed all these marvellous achievements, little -dreaming all the time that his own people in Ryedale were in sore need -of his stalwart arm and trusty sword. - -As the knight had been northward, it was necessary to pass through -what is now Yorkshire on his way to Caerleon, and he deemed it -expedient to call at his Ryedale Castle to see how matters had been -going on there during his long absence. It was about a month after -the first appearance of the "worm," when the villagers were beginning -to experience the truth of the saying that "hope deferred maketh the -heart sick," having lost many members of their community through the -propensity of the serpent for human flesh, and no Sir Peter coming -to deliver them from the ravages of the monster, when the figure of -a horseman, with a nodding black plume, was seen "pricking o'er the -plain," who was immediately recognised as the veritable Sir Peter -Loschi, which gave rise to an exhilarating shout of welcome from the -villagers, who cried, "Now shall we be delivered from the ravenous -worm." Sir Peter rode on to his castle, where the first being to -welcome him was a favourite mastiff, who came gambolling about him -with the most affectionate demonstrations of rejoicing at seeing his -master once more. The following morning a deputation of the villagers -waited upon him, explained their troubles in respect to the worm, and -prayed for his assistance in ridding them of the monster. He inquired -into the particulars, and having been accustomed in his travels to -several encounters with noxious animals of this character, he readily -understood what he would have to deal with, and promised his aid, but -added that as some preparations would be necessary, the enemy being -of an exceptional description, he would not be able to undertake it -within a month, and that they must endure it the best they could in the -interval. - -Sir Peter got a sight of the serpent, and a formidable monster he -appeared to be, more terrible than any he had previously met with; -and he saw that it behoved him to make special provision for the -combat. He pondered the matter over for a few days, and then mounted -his steed and rode to Sheffield, where he employed certain cunning -artificers to make him a complete suit of armour studded with razor -blades. Although razors are alluded to by Homer, and have been used -by the Chinese for unknown centuries, it is doubtful whether they -were a staple manufacture on the banks of the Sheaf and the Rivelin -in the sixth century. It is true that Chaucer speaks of a "Sheffield -whittle," but this was eight centuries afterwards, and it is equally to -be doubted whether Sheffield, even as a village, existed at that time; -but anachronisms are of small moment in legends, and we are required -to accept it as a fact, that the knight had his novel suit of armour -fabricated in the valley of the Sheaf. - -When it was completed, he returned with it to Ryedale, and gladly was -he welcomed by the villagers, as the serpent had been committing more -ravages amongst the population. He had a sword, a Damascus blade of -wonderful keenness, which possessed certain magical properties, similar -to those of King Arthur's famous Excaliber; and one morning, after -donning his armour, he took the sword in his hand and went forth to the -combat. His dog accompanied him, and it was with difficulty that he was -prevented from leaping up in caressing gambols against the sharp razor -blades. - -The serpent had its den in the side of a wooded eminence near East -Newton, by Stonegrave, which has since then gone by the name of Loschy -Hill, in memory of the great fight between the Knight and the Dragon. -Sir Peter, who was on foot, strode along boldly towards the hill, -followed by his dog, which seemed to be perfectly aware that some -exciting sport was before them, as he rushed about hither and thither, -sniffing the air, as if his keen scent gave him intimation that game of -an unusual character was not far off, and he barked and growled, as -if in defiance of the foe; whilst the villagers stood afar off, with -eager countenances, to watch the progress of the combat. As the knight -came nearer, he became aware of a pestiferous odour that seemed to -contaminate the air; and the dog scented and sniffed, and gave vent to -more prolonged growlings and louder barking, and seemed to tremble with -excitement in anticipation of the coming fray. - -The serpent had not yet breakfasted, and seeing the man and dog -approach, darted from his den and made for the dog, with which he -thought to stay his appetite as a first mouthful, but the dog was too -nimble and eluded his attack, leaping upon one of the curves of its -body and biting it with mad excitement; whilst the knight struck it a -blow with his sword which almost cut off its head, but the wound healed -up instantly, and the serpent coiled itself round his body, in order -to crush the life out of him, and then devour him at its leisure. It -had not, in doing so, taken into account the razor blades, which cut -its body in a multitude of gashes, and caused the blood to stream down -on the earth; but this was not of much consequence, as it immediately -uncoiled and rolled itself on the earth, when all the wounds closed -up. Foiled in this attack, the monster then began to vomit out a -poisonous vapour, so horrible and overcoming that the knight seemed -ready to sink under its influence, but rallying his energies, he aimed -a blow which cut the serpent in two, but the severed parts joined -again immediately. All this time the monster was hissing in a fearful -manner, and breathing out poison, and the knight began to fear he must -succumb and become its prey; but determined not to give in so long as -he could continue the fight, he aimed another blow with his sword and -severed a portion of the tail end, although feeling persuaded that it -would become reunited as before; but his dog, evidently a sagacious -animal, having witnessed the former reunion, seized it in its teeth -and ran off with it to a neighbouring hill, then returned and carried -away other portions as they were cut off successively. The serpent -writhed with pain, but afraid, or seeing the uselessness of attacking -the razor-armed man, made many attempts to seize the dog, but in vain, -as he was too agile to be caught; therefore he depended more on the -venom of his breath at this juncture, which he continued to pour forth, -and which he knew must eventually overpower his enemy. The dog had -returned from his third or fourth journey and came up to his master, -wagging his tail in seeming congratulation of the cleverness with which -they were gradually accomplishing the destruction of the foe, when the -serpent made a spring upon him, but at the same instant the knight's -magic sword descended upon his neck and severed the head from the body, -which the dog at once seized and carried off to a distance, placing it -on a hill near where Nunnington Church now stands. - -The monster was now dead which had caused so much terror and -desolation, and the villagers shouted with joy as they saw the head -carried past by the dog. Meanwhile the knight stood by the remaining -portion of the body as it lay prone on the earth, quivering with the -remains of its vitality. He was exhausted with his exertions, but more -by the poisonous exhalation which the body still gave forth, but in -rapidly diminishing volume. He was recovering from its effects and -was waiting awhile to gain sufficient energy to leave the scene of -his triumph, when the dog returned, but apparently in a very languid -condition; still, however, evincing marks of satisfaction and pleasure -at the conquest he and his master had achieved. The knight stooped down -to pat caressingly his faithful companion, who, in return, reached up -and licked his face. Unfortunately, in carrying away the head, the -seat of the venom, the dog had imbibed the poison, and in licking his -master's face had imparted the virus to him, and a few minutes were -sufficient to produce its fatal effects, the knight and his dog falling -to the earth together, and when the villagers came up they found both -dead. - -Although the villagers were rejoiced at the death of the serpent, their -lamentations were equally great over the fate of the knight, who had -sacrificed his life for their deliverance; and for many a month and -year did they cherish his memory and mourn his death. - -In Nunnington Church there is a monument of a knight, a recumbent -effigy, with a dog crouching at his feet; and this, tradition says, is -the tomb of the valorous Sir Peter Loschi and his equally valorous dog, -who were buried together, and the monument erected in grateful memory -of their achievement. - - - - -The Devil's Arrows. - - -One of the most interesting localities in broad Yorkshire, rich in -historic lore and fruitful in legend, is that which comprehends within -its limits the twin towns of Aldborough and Boroughbridge, on the river -Ure. Their history extends back to the Celtic and Roman times, when -Aldborough or Iseur, the Isurium of the Romans, was the capital of the -Brigantian Celts, and near by ran northward from York a great Roman -road, which crossed the Ure by a ford, which was supplanted after the -Conquest by a wooden bridge, which gave rise to a great convergence of -roads at this point, and the growth of a town, which obtained the name -of Boroughbridge, _i.e._, the borough by the bridge. - -This spot, says Dr. Stukeley, was in the British time "the scene of -the great Panegyre of the Druids, the midsummer meeting of all the -country round, to celebrate the great quarterly sacrifice, accompanied -with sports, games, races, and all kinds of exercises, with universal -festivity. This was like the Olympian and Nemean meetings and games -among the Grecians." - -Between the two towns there stands protruding from the earth three -rough-hewn and weather-worn obelisks of rag-stone or mill-stone grit, -which could not have been brought from a distance of less than seven -miles, and gave rise to a sense of wonder how such stupendous masses -could have been brought hither and placed upright in position by the -Celts with their utter lack of mechanical appliances. The northernmost -rises eighteen feet, the southernmost twenty-two and a half feet, -and the centre one also twenty-two and a half feet above the ground, -and from an excavation made under the latter, it was found to have -an entire length of thirty feet six inches. The estimated weight of -the northernmost is thirty-six tons, and of the other two thirty tons -each. Originally there were four stones, which were seen by Leland in -Henry VIII.'s time; but one of them fell or was removed for the sake of -the materials--useful for road repairing--in the seventeenth century. -Camden imagined them to be factitious compositions of sand, lime, -and small pebbles cemented together; but there is no doubt they were -quarried at Plumpton, the rock there corresponding exactly with their -grit. The Romans made use of them as metae, the turning point in their -chariot races. There have been varying and differing conjectures by -antiquaries as to their origin and purpose, but all agree as to their -remote antiquity, dating back certainly 1800 years, the most probable -conjecture as to their purpose being that they were connected in -some way with Druidical worship. They go by the name of "The Devil's -Arrows," and tradition gives an account of their origin altogether -different from antiquarian conjectures, and much more in accordance -with their popular designation. Thus runs the legend:-- - -It was soon after the Crucifixion that certain Apostles of the -Cross, headed by Joseph of Arimathea, found their way from Palestine -to the remote and benighted isle of Britain, in obedience to the -Divine command to go forth and preach the Gospel to every creature. -After their disembarkation they proceeded inland until they came to -Glastonbury; and ascending the hill there, Joseph struck his walking -staff in the earth and proclaimed that there should be established -the first Christian church of Britain, and in confirmation thereof his -staff miraculously took root, put forth branches, and although it was -midwinter--Christmas Day--budded and blossomed into a rose, as its -successors here continued to do on every successive Christmas Day. -The Apostles preached to the barbarian people, made some converts, -and erected a temporary wooden church for the performance of divine -service, which was the precursor of the magnificent Abbey that -afterwards rose on the site, and flourished in great prosperity until -its extinction under the sacrilegious hand of Henry the Eighth. - -When the new faith had taken root at Glastonbury, the Apostles divided -themselves into bands of two or three, and departed north, south, east, -and west, to proclaim the glad tidings in other parts of the island. -One of these bands, going northwards, preached to the Cornabii and the -Coritani of Mid-Britain, and then passed onward to the Brigantes, the -greatest and most warlike of the kingdoms of Britain. They travelled -on foot, staff in hand, and subsisted on the charity of the people; -but had often to endure great hardships, having often to pass through -scantily peopled districts, where wild fruits were their only food, the -water of the wayside brooks their drink, and their sleeping couches the -heather of the moor or the turf under the canopy of a forest tree. But -all these discomforts they endured with cheerfulness, besides perils -from wolves, wild boars, and other denizens of the woodlands, feeling -assured that their Master would reward them a thousand-fold for their -sufferings in His service. - -On entering the Brigantian kingdom they learned that the capital city -was Iseur, some considerable distance northward, and thither they bent -their way in the hope of enlightening the King in spiritual matters -as a means of facilitating the conversion of his people. With wearied -steps they passed from village to village, through forests and swamps, -and over black moorlands, fording the rivers where practicable, or -where they were too deep for so doing going along the bank until they -met with a fisherman or villager to ferry them across in his coracle; -and in due course, after many days of toilsome journeying, came to the -city of Iseur. - -The city stood in a forest clearing, surrounded by a stockade of -felled trees, with an entrenchment for protection against enemies, -and for the security of their flocks and herds against the attacks -of wild beasts. In the centre stood the King's Palace, a tolerably -spacious edifice built of unhewn blocks of stone, placed in cyclopean -fashion without mortar; and scattered around were the mud-built and -straw-thatched dwellings of the people. There was no temple of their -deity, the gods of the Britons disdaining mortal-built places of -worship. But adjacent was a separate forest clearing, with a circling -of huge forest oaks, on which grew the sacred mistletoe, which -constituted a temple not built with hands; and in which was a pool of -water, indispensable in the ceremonials of their religion, where the -beaver abounded, and was used as an emblem of the flood, of which the -Britons had a tradition; and here were constructed the wickerwork forms -of gigantic human beings, which at certain seasons were filled with -men, women, and children, and burnt to propitiate the wrath of their -god. - -They proceeded to the palace of the King and asked for an audience, -which was granted them after some demur; the King feeling uncertain, -from the description his attendants gave of their foreign aspect, -outlandish dresses, and imperfect utterance of the British language, -whether they might not be enemies, assassins, or sorcerers come hither -to take his life or subject him to some other evil. He received them -seated on a sort of throne, clad in a white, coarsely woven tunic of -wool reaching half way down his thighs, and leaving the lower limbs -altogether uncovered, and over his shoulders a wolf-skin mantle, -whilst he supported his dignity by holding in his right hand a long -bronze-headed spear, with a richly-carved shaft. By his side sat his -Queen, and at his feet gambolled three or four children, whilst around -him stood representatives of the Druidical hierarchy--the Druids proper -or high priests, the Eubates or soothsayers, and the Bards who chanted -anthems to the glory of their god and recited odes in praise of the -warriors and great men of their race. - -The King inquired of the strangers who they were and what was their -purpose in thus coming to his court. The Apostles replied that they -were people of a far distant land, near the sunrising, and had come -hither to show them their errors in worshipping false gods, and point -out to them the true object of worship, the one only God, the Maker -of heaven and earth, and the awarder of happiness or misery in the -future life beyond the grave. A murmur of dissatisfaction arose at this -announcement amongst the Druids, who whispered amongst themselves that -it was fitting such blasphemers should be offered up as sacrifices to -their god. - -"Truly," said the King, "you have come on a strange errand; we are -firm believers in and devout worshippers of the one Supreme God, as -you pretend to be. Do we not yearly offer up on His altars hundreds of -human victims to propitiate His good-will? What more would you have? -We believe what you do, and a great deal more, for we have a host of -minor deities whom we pay adoration to. Methinks you had better return -to your own country and not trouble us with your hallucinations, so as -to cause a schism in the faith. We are content with our own belief, -which teaches us that when we die the souls of those who have done -justly will pass gradually into a higher and higher sphere, until at -length, when perfectly purified, it will become absorbed in the essence -of the Deity, or become an inferior god; whilst those of the wicked -will be transformed to the bodies of inferior and unclean animals, and -eventually be annihilated." - -The Apostles upon this explained briefly the principles of the -Christian religion, the fall of man and his loss of the divine favour, -his necessary condemnation to temporal and eternal death, and the -redemptorial scheme, in which God himself, or rather his Son, who -was identical with himself, suffered death on the cross, taking upon -himself, in lieu of man, the threatened penalty. - -"Is your God dead, then?" inquired the King; "or is it possible for God -to die. If so, our faith is better than yours, for our God is immortal." - -The Apostles then entered into an elaborate disquisition on the -subtleties of the necessity and nature of the Divine scheme for the -salvation of the human race, but the reasonings were too abstruse -for the King's comprehension, as, indeed, were they for the more -cultured minds of the Druids; therefore the King declined any further -discourse on the subject, adding that he was perfectly willing that -they should be courteously treated and have fair play, as they had -come so far with the intent, as it seemed to them, of doing him and -his people a service; therefore he would appoint a day on which they -should have a full and fair discussion with the Druids on the merits of -the respective faiths, and in the meantime they should be hospitably -entertained at his cost, and with this the audience terminated. - -It happened that at this time the Father of Evil was prowling about -Britain, with the object of thwarting the efforts of St. Joseph and his -band of missionaries for the evangelisation of the land. He employed -himself chiefly about Glastonbury and its neighbourhood, the primitive -and central seat of British Christianity, and centuries elapsed before -he relaxed his persistent attempt to eradicate the faith, hostile to -himself, which had taken root there. Nine hundred years afterwards we -find that he was a perpetual annoyance to the holy St. Dunstan in his -Glastonbury cell, continually intruding upon him when engaged in his -studies, and offering to him the most seductive temptations, until, on -one occasion, he made his appearance before him when he was engaged on -some blacksmith work, and commenced tempting him to sell his soul to -him for unbounded wealth and the highest temporal distinction. The -saint, however, was proof against his temptations, and resolved to free -himself once for all from his importunities, took his red-hot tongs -from the fire, and seized him by the nose. The devil roared out lustily -with the pain, although one would fancy, from fire being his natural -element, that it would not incommode him greatly; nevertheless, he -prayed abjectly to be released from the tongs, but the saint would not -release him until he promised to give him no further annoyance. - -He had followed in the footsteps of the three Apostles on the northern -mission, and was present, although invisible, at the interview with the -King of the Brigantes; and when the conference between the Apostles -and the Druids was arranged by the King, he determined upon presenting -himself at the meeting in a more tangible and palpable form, to -overthrow the arguments of the former by the power of his eloquence and -logical force of reasoning, feeling exceedingly loth to run the risk -of losing so cherished a section of his dominions, which would ensue -in case the King should be convinced by the preaching and the powerful -arguments of the Apostles. - -The conference was appointed to come off on the slopes of the Hambleton -Hills, at the foot of Roulston Crag and there, on the auspicious -morning, might be seen a large assemblage gathered together, presenting -a very animated and picturesque grouping. The King, as president of -the assembly, took his seat on an improvised throne. He was clothed -in the most splendid of his regal vestments, and held in his hand -his bronze-headed spear, as an emblem of his Royal authority. On his -right stood a group of Druids, clad in long white linen robes, with -circlets of oak leaves round their heads, and on his left the three -Christian Apostles, in their weather-stained Oriental garments, whilst -scattered around, was a considerable number of Brigantian warriors, -courtiers, agriculturists, and serfs more or less garmented in coarse -woollen fabrics or skins of animals, or without clothing of any kind, -but with painted or tattooed skins, on which were depicted figures of -the sun, the moon, and sundry animals. The King opened the proceedings -by stating the object of the meeting, and calling upon the Apostles -to explain what they wished to inculcate, promising them a fair and -candid hearing, and assuring them that if what they said appeared at -all consonant with reason, it should have due consideration. In all -respects the meeting was very similar to that which was convened nearly -600 years afterwards by Eadwine, King of Northumbria, for a discussion -of the merits of Christianity, between St. Paulinus, the apostle of -Rome, and Coiffi, the High Priest of Woden, which resulted in the -second establishment of Christianity in the district, which constitutes -the modern Yorkshire. Just as one of the Apostles was commencing to -speak, a venerable Druid, with a beard reaching half-way down to -his waist, and attired in the official long white robe, entered the -assembly, and made his obeisance to the King, who inquired who he was -and whither he had come. "I am the High Priest, oh King," he replied, -"of the great and famous forest temple of Llyn yr a vanc" (on the site -of the modern Beverley). "A report came thither that certain strangers -had come to the Court of Iseur from some distant land, to promulgate a -foreign and damnable heresy; and I, as being well versed in the truths -of our faith, and gifted with an eloquent tongue, have been deputed -by my brethren to attend this conference, and aid, to the best of my -ability, in discomfiting these foreign heretics, whose object is to -uproot our holy religion and substitute a false theological creed." - -"You are welcome!" said the King. "Take your place among your brother -Druids on my right. Give heed to what the strangers have to say, and -reply to their arguments as your reason and lengthened experience may -dictate." - -The stranger took the place indicated, and the King bade the Apostles -tell what they had to say on the object of their mission, upon which -the eldest looking of the three, stretching forth his arms as Raphael -depicted Paul when preaching at Athens, commenced his harangue by -giving an outline of the history of man as recorded in the Scriptures, -his fall from innocence and perfection, by the seductions of the -enemy of mankind, who for his rebellious ambition had been banished -from heaven and cast down into hell, and who since then had been -going to and fro in the earth tempting man to sin against his Maker, -in which he had been so successful that God repented of having made -man, and had caused all mankind to perish save one family, and then -explained that afterwards, when the earth had again become populated, -he compassionated man's fallen estate, and had sent his Son to take -on himself the penalty due to man's transgression, that all, through -him, might be placed in a state of salvation from that death eternal -which they inherited from the transgression of their first ancestor; -and wound up by imploring the King and all present to abandon their -impotent and bloodthirsty gods, believe in the God of Mercy whom they -proclaimed, and accept the salvation offered through the merits of Him -who was crucified. - -The Druid, who had come afar, then rose and craved permission to -reply, which was granted, and he stood forth on a mass of rock, with -a majestic presence and dignified air. He laughed to scorn the fables -which they had listened to, which were only fit to delude the ears -of silly old women, and could not be accepted for a moment by men -endowed with the faculty of reasoning. "We are told," said he, "that -man was made perfect, and was at the same time fallible; that God is -immutable, and yet repented; that a creature, the work of His hands, -has become His rival, and from what we hear has become even more potent -than his Maker; has set up a rival kingdom, and is able to wrest from -the hands of God three-fourths of the beings whom He creates, a God -who is asserted to be omnipotent; with many such subtle questions, -inquiring--Can these be compatible with reason, and can you, as men of -sense, believe them?" He then descanted on the superior merits of the -Druidical religion, contrasting its "simple truth" with the "absurd -fables told us by these foreigners;" concluding with a forcible and -eloquent appeal to those who listened to him not to abandon the gods -of their fathers, and go hankering after strange gods, especially such -as were recommended by such baseless arguments and improbable tales as -they had just heard. - -When he concluded a murmur of applause agitated the assembly like a -rustling of leaves in the forest, and the King said, "Venerable father, -thou speakest well; thy words are those of truth; and it only remains -to bid these strangers depart from our shores and return to the land -from whence they have come, bearing with them our thanks for having -come so far to teach us what they conceive to be the truth, but which -we are unable to accept as consonant with reason." - -In the vehemence of his oratorical action, the Druid had caught up -the skirt of his robe, and the apostle had spied protruding therefrom -a cloven foot, and moreover that the heat issuing therefrom had caused -the upper part of the rock on which it was placed to become partially -liquefied, or rather gelatinised, so that it adhered to the foot. -Suspecting, therefore, whom he had to deal with, he cried out on -receiving the order to depart, "Hearken, oh King, I have told you of -the arch-enemy of God and mankind, who tempted the first man to sin, -and still goes about luring men to perdition; behold he--even he--is -present in this assembly, and has been addressing you in advocacy of -the false religion, which you, in your ignorance, maintain. Him will -I unmask;" and addressing himself to the Druid, he cried in a stern -and commanding voice, "Satan, I defy thee! in the name of the Saviour -of mankind, I command thee to display thyself in thy proper person, -and depart hence to the hell from whence thou comest." In an instant, -at that adjuration, the Druid's robe and the venerable beard fell -from him, and he stood revealed in all his hideous deformity, with a -malignant scowl on his countenance, and springing up, he took flight, -impregnating the air with a sulphurous perfume, carrying with him a -mass of rock, weighing several tons, which adhered to his foot. - -At this unanswerable demonstration of truth of the religion proclaimed -by the Apostles, the King, and even the Druids, became converted, and -underwent the ceremony of baptism; and the Apostles were empowered to -go throughout Brigantium and preach the Gospel, which resulted in the -conversion of multitudes, and the Brigantes became a Christian people. - -Satan, however, although foiled so signally, set his wits to work to -be avenged on the King for deserting his standard. He recollected -the piece of rock which he had brought from Roulston and dropped in -his flight some seven or eight miles from Iseur, the King's capital -city, and this he resolved upon making use of to destroy that city. -Accordingly he winged his way thither, and splitting up the rock -fashioned it into four huge obelisk-like forms, and standing upon -How-hill, he hurled them at Iseur, crying out:-- - - "Borobrig, keep out of the way, - For Auldboro town - I will ding down." - -It may be observed _en passant_ that there is a slight anachronism -here, as Aldborough was not so called until the Saxon age, and -Boroughbridge did not come into existence until after the Conquest. But -that is a matter of not much consequence in a legend. - -The stones which were thus intended to "ding down" the King's city -were miraculously intercepted in their flight, falling and fixing -themselves firmly in the earth between the city and the fords over the -Ure (Boroughbridge), where three of them, still called "The Devil's -Arrows," may be seen at this day. - - - - -The Giant Road-Maker of Mulgrave. - - -The stately Castle of Mulgrave, now the home of the Phipps -family--Marquises of Normanby--was built by Peter de Malo-lacu or de -Mauley, in the reign of King John. Cox says, "he built a castle here -for his defence, which, from its beauty and the grace it was to this -place, he named it Moultgrace, but because it proved afterwards a -great grievance to the neighbours thereabouts, the people, who will in -such cases take a liberty to nickname places and things by changing -one letter for another--c for v--called it Moultgrave, by which name -alone for many ages it hath been and is now everywhere known, though -the reason thereof is by few understood." A previous castle, with the -barony, had been held by the de Turnhams, and the last male heir, -Robert, having died without issue male, the barony and castle were -inherited by his only daughter, Isabel, who, as was then the law -respecting heiresses, became a ward of the Crown, and her hand at the -disposal of the King. This Peter de Malo-lacu, or Peter of the Evil -Eye, was a Poictevin of brutal and ferocious character, who was made -use of by King John as the instrument for the murder of his nephew -Arthur, for which piece of service he rewarded the murderer with the -hand of the fair Isabel, with her inheritance. - -But long before the de Mauleys and the de Turnhams, a noble Saxon -family were lords of the surrounding domain, and dwelt in a castle -on an eminence here, about three or four miles from the seashore at -Whitby. Leland says (_temp._ Hen. 8), "Mongrave Castel standeth on a -craggy hille, and on eche side of it is a hille far higher than that -whereon the castel standeth. The north hille on the topp of it hath -certain stones, commonly caul'd Wadda's grave, whom the people there -say to have bene a gigant and owner of Mongrave." And Camden, "Hard -by upon a steep hill near the sea (which yet is between two that are -much higher) a castle of Wade, a Saxon Duke, is said to have stood; -who, in the confused anarchy of the Northumbrians, so fatal to the -petty Princes, having combined with those that murdered King Ethered, -gave battel to King Ardulph at Whalley, in Lancashire, but with -such ill-sucess that his army was routed and himself forced to fly. -Afterwards he fell into a distemper, which killed him, and was interred -on a hill here between two solid rocks, about seven foot high, which -being at twelve foot distance from one another, occasions a current -opinion that he was of gyant-like stature." - -It is with this Duke Wada that we are concerned. He appears to have -been a Saxon, or rather an Anglian noble of considerable consequence -in the kingdom of Northumbria, and to have taken a conspicuous part -in the political movements of that troublous period, when, as Speed -narrates, "the Northumbrians were sore molested with many intruders -or rather tyrants that banded for the soueraintie for the space of -thirtie years." He was a man of gigantic stature and a champion of -redoubtable energy in war, dealing death around him and cumbering the -field with the bodies of those who had fallen beneath the blows of his -ponderous mace. He was indeed a true son of Woden in all respects, -excepting that he had relinquished the hope of banqueting in the halls -of the Walhalia, and appropriating the skulls of his enemies as -drinking vessels; for through the influence of St. Hilda's Abbey of -Streoneshalh, in the immediate vicinity, he had adopted the tenets of, -if he did not regulate his life altogether according to, the principles -of Christianity. - -Now Wada was a married man, and had a helpmate of stature and -proportions corresponding with his own. They were a well-matched -couple, and seemed to have lived together in a state of ordinary -connubial happiness, there being but one thing to disturb the even -tenor of their lives, and that was that the lady had to go in all sorts -of weather across a moor to milk her cows--a long and dreary journey -even in summer, along the rough and stone strewn trackway, but more -especially in winter, when the snow was frequently knee deep, and the -bitter blasts of the north-east wind came careering over the sea and -sweeping with relentless fury across the bleak and shelterless moorland. - -Wada's Castle was a massive structure of stone, with round-headed -unglazed windows, and a turret which commanded a fine outlook over the -sea on one side, and the moorlands and Cleveland hills on the other. -The rooms were of large size, as befitted the abode of a giant, but -presented few of the appliances of comfort that are deemed commonplace -essentials now-a-days. The walls were of bare stone, without drapery -of any kind, and no ornamentation excepting some zigzag mouldings; -the roofs were vaulted, and in those of large size supported at the -intersections by one or more stunted round pillars; the windows were -small, without glass, and furnished with wooden shutters to exclude the -wind and rain in the inclement seasons of the year; and the furniture -consisted of rough-hewn deal or oaken tables, and shapeless benches -or stools, with an oaken coffer to hold valuables, and side shelves -to hold wooden platters and vessels of earthenware. The fire in cold -weather was made on the floor, of logs of wood or cuttings of peat, the -smoke escaping as it could through the doorways or windows. - -It was in such a room as this that Wada and his wife sat at breakfast, -one rainy and boisterous morning. After devouring an enormous quantity -of beef and swine's flesh, with manchets of oaten bread, washed down by -repeated draughts of ale, Wada, wiping his mouth with the back of his -hand, rose and went to look forth at the weather. - -Wada was not a ferocious giant, dragging along half-a-dozen damsels, -with one hand, by their hair, to immure them in his dungeons, and grind -their bones to make his bread, as was the wont of the Cornish giants of -old; nor was he, like them, stupid and weak-minded, so as to be easily -outwitted and destroyed by the immortal Jack. On the contrary, although -valiant in war, he abused not his great strength by tyrannising and -oppressing his vassals, lived on good terms with his neighbours, and -was gentle and tender in all his domestic relations. Hence, when he -looked through his window and saw the sea foaming with wrath, and a -few fisher-boats tossed about by the waves in their endeavour to gain -shelter in Whitby Bay, and saw the sleet driving across the moor, he -heaved a sigh, saying, "Methinks, sweetheart, thou wilt have a rough -passage over the moor this morning; would to Heaven that it were not -necessary for thee so to do." "I care not much," she replied, "for -the falling rain and the boisterous wind, rough as they may be, but -experience more inconvenience and suffering from the roughness of the -road I have to traverse daily, so bestrewn is it with obstacles and -stumbling-blocks, and so many bog-holes and quagmires have I to pass -through." - -Now it chanced that a short while before this Wada, in one of his -wanderings, came upon the road constructed by the Romans, from -Eboracum, by way of Malton to the Bay of Filey, and was struck by the -facilities it gave for travelling, as compared with the more modern -Saxon roads, if roads they could be called, which were mere trackways, -formed and trodden down by the feet of men and animals. When his wife -made the above reply, this recurred to his memory, and after a few -minutes musing, the thought struck him--Why should not he make a road -on this pattern for the benefit of his wife, whom he loved so dearly, -and whose toil and labours he would be glad to lessen at any cost to -himself? - -After turning the matter over in his mind as to the practicability -of the project, he came to the conclusion that it was perfectly -feasible. There was plenty of material close at hand, in the shingle -on the beach, and he had sufficient strength and energy to level -the inequalities and fill up the boggy places, so as to make a firm -foundation, and to spread over the whole a layer of the stones -gathered from the sea shore. Yes; it was perfectly practicable, and -could be accomplished at the mere expense of a little labour. He -explained the project to his wife, who was delighted with it, and -undertook to bring up the stones whilst he placed them in position -after forming the foundation. - -They lost no time in commencing the work; he with his spade in the -levelling and bog-filling operations, and she carrying up the shingle -in her apron; and it went on apace day after day and week after week, -soon presenting the appearance of a newly macadamised road of modern -times, and was duly appreciated by Lady Wada in her daily tramps across -the moor. - -It chanced that when the road was nearly completed, in one of her -journeys from the beach, laden with shingle, her apron strings gave -way and her load fell to the earth, and there it was left (some twenty -cart-loads), and remained until recent times as a monument of her -industry and strength, and an incontestable evidence of the truth of -the narrative. It was after this that Wada joined in the insurrection -against Ethelred, the son of Moll, who, after his restoration from -exile, put to death the Princes Alfus and Alwin, sons of King Alfwald, -who were the rightful heirs to the crown, and repudiated his wife to -marry Elfled, the daughter of Offa, King of Mercia, "which things," -says Speed, "sate so neere the hearts of his subjects that they -rebelliously rose in arms, and at Cobre miserably slew him, the 18th -day of April, the yeare of Christ Jesus, 794." After which Wada and -his confederates were defeated in battle by Duke Ardulph, one of the -aspirants to the Crown, and fled to his castle, where he died of a -terrible disorder, and was buried, as stated, between two huge stones. - -The road leading from Dunsley Bay towards Malton still exists, and goes -by the name of "Wada's Causeway," and one of the ribs of Wada's wife -is preserved in the present Mulgrave Castle, but the present age is so -incredulous in respect to the chronicles of the past that there are -sceptics who assert that it is nothing more than the bone of a whale. - -Wada was the ancestor of the widely ramified family of Wade, one of -whom, at least--Marshal Wade--inherited the road-making skill of his -ancestor. After the rebellion of 1715 he was sent into the Highlands as -military governor, with the object of thoroughly subduing the country -and rendering it less available as a place of refuge for rebels. With -this view he constructed a series of military roads, where there had -previously been only trackways, with which the people were so delighted -that they set up a stone near Fort Augustus, with the inscription:-- - - "If you had seen these roads before they were made, - You would lift up your hands and bless General Wade." - - - - -The Virgin's Head of Halifax. - - -In the romantic and somewhat sterile region of south-western Yorkshire, -verging on the county of Lancaster, lies a valley, or rather what -has the aspect of a valley, from its nestling under the shadows of -some hills of considerable height. On the slope of an aclivity stands -the modern town of Halifax, with its forest of lofty chimneys, its -pretty park, and its many palatial structures, devoted to charitable -and philanthropic purposes, due chiefly to the benevolence of the -Crossleys, who, from a humble origin, have, within the memory of living -persons, become manufacturing princes of the locality, and who, in -consideration of their mercantile enterprise and the philanthropic use -of the wealth they have acquired, have been honoured with a baronetcy. -It is one of the most flourishing, or what Leland would term "quick," -towns of the Yorkshire clothing district, and in recent times has -increased rapidly in population, wealth, and importance. It is not -even mentioned in Domesday-Book, nor does its name appear in any record -until the twelfth century, when Earl Warren made a grant of the church -to the priory of Lewes, in Sussex. About the middle of the fifteenth -century it consisted of but thirteen houses, which during the following -hundred years increased to 520. In 1764, the parish, which, however, is -very extensive, being seventeen miles in length by an average width of -eleven, contained 8,244 families; and in 1811 the population numbered -73,815, that of the town being 9,159, since which period of eighty -years it has been more than nontupled, the census of 1891 giving the -population at 82,900. - -The town of Halifax owes its prosperity to its mineral wealth. It is -certainly not the place for the agriculturist or the cattle breeder. -In an Act passed _temp._ Philip and Mary, it is recited, "whereas the -parish of Halifax, being planted in waste and moors, where the ground -is not apt to bring forth any corn or good grass, but in rare places -and by exceeding and great industry of the inhabitants; and the same -inhabitants altogether do live by cloth making, and the greatest -part of them neither getteth corn nor is able to keepe horse to carry -wools, etc.;" and Camden, in 1574, observes that there are 12,000 men -in the parish, who outnumber the sheep, whereas in other parts we -find thousands of sheep and but few men, "but of all others, nothing -is so admirable in this town as the industry of the inhabitants, who, -notwithstanding an unprofitable, barren soil, not fit to live upon, -have so flourished in the cloth trade, which within these seventy -years they first fell to, that they are both very rich and have gained -a reputation for it above their neighbours, which confirms the truth -of the old observation that a barren country is a great whet to the -industry of the natives." - -For the first three or four centuries after the Conquest, England was a -great wool-growing but not a wool-manufacturing country. Sheep-breeding -was a great source of income to the Cistercians, who, with all the -private wool-growers, exported their produce to the spinners and -weavers of the Low Countries. It was not until King Edward III., with -great sagacity, foreseeing that England might manufacture as well as -produce the raw material, and thus share in the profits arising out of -that industry, invited over a number of Flemish artisans and settled -them in Norfolk and Yorkshire, prohibiting the exportation of wool -excepting under a tax of 50s. per pack. This was the foundation of the -clothing industry of the West Riding, which has since then expanded -so enormously; and Halifax was one of the first places to apply -itself to the spinning and weaving of wool. As stated above, although -poverty-stricken in an agricultural point of view, it possessed great -mineral wealth in the shape of almost limitless deposits of coal, which -was a valuable essential even in those primitive times, but which has -become an absolute essential since the introduction of steam-power -looms. - -It is supposed that the manufacture was introduced into Halifax about -the year 1414; but it was then on a very limited scale, and it was -not until the beginning of the eighteenth century that the first -great advance took place, by the erection of looms for the weaving -of shalloons, everlastings, moreens, shags, etc., since which time -damasks, and more recently still, carpets, have taken prominent -places in the industries of the town; indeed, Halifax has absorbed -a considerable portion of the trade which belongs legitimately to -Kidderminster. - -Although the town of Halifax is of comparatively modern origin, the -name is unmistakably Saxon, indicating that previously to the Conquest -there was a village or hamlet of some description to which that -appellation was given. One tradition asserts that there was a hermitage -dedicated to St. John the Baptist, in the valley, and that within it -was preserved the face of the saint, which attracted vast numbers of -pilgrims, and caused the name of the place of resort to be called -Hali-fax, or Holy-face; and there may possibly be some substratum of -truth in this, as the parish church is dedicated to the same saint. -Dr. Whitaker partially adopts this theory, but his etymologies are -frequently rather fanciful. He refers to this hermitage of St. John, -"whose imagined sanctity attracted a great concourse of people in every -direction, to accommodate whom there were four separate roads from -different points of the compass, which converged in the valley, and -hence the name Halifax, which is half Saxon and half Norman, signifying -the Holy-ways, fax in Norman-French being an old plural noun, denoting -highways." - -Camden gives a brief outline of the legend given below, which he -heard from the people of the vicinity, adding--"and thus the little -village of Horton, or as it was sometimes called, 'The Chapel in the -Grove,' grew up to a large town, assuming the new name of Halig-fax, -or Halifax, which signifies holy hair, for fax is used by the English -on the other side Trent to signify hair, and that the noble family of -Fairfax in these parts are so named from their fair hair." - -That the valley was esteemed a place of peculiar sanctity in the -early ages is a matter of which there can be little doubt, and this -is sufficiently evidenced by one fact alone. Within its precincts was -born, about the end of the twelfth or beginning of the thirteenth -century, John, the foremost mathematician of the age, author of -"Tractatus de Sphaeri Mundi," "De Computo Ecclesiastes," and "De -Algorismo," who was honoured with a public funeral at the expense of -the University of Paris, who assumed the name of Johannes de Sancto -Bosco, or John of the Holy Wood. And here it may be incidentally -noticed that the Holy Wood has since then produced other men upon -whom the mantle of Johannes seems to have fallen. Here was born, in -1556, Henry Briggs, the eminent mathematician; Gresham, Professor of -Geometry, Savilian Professor at Oxford, and author of "Arithmetica -Logarithmica," an improvement on Napier, containing logarithms of -30,000 natural numbers; Jesse Ramsden, the famous optician, and -improver of the Hadley quadrant, who died A.D. 1800; and at Horton, -seven miles distant, Abraham Sharpe, one of the best mathematicians and -astronomers of his time, who died in 1742. - -The shadows of evening were falling upon the valley, and the outlines -of the rugged, verdureless hills were gradually becoming more and more -indistinct, as Father Aelred, having passed out of his little chapel of -St. John the Baptist, where he had been performing the vesper service, -proceeded to his lonely habitation, and after a simple meal of wild -fruits and a draught of water from the little streamlet trickling down -the hillside, sat him down to read for the hundredth time a transcript -of a portion of Caedmon's Scriptural poems, after which he spent some -time in prayer and self-communion, and then cast himself upon his -sackcloth, which was spread over a layer of rough gravel, to slumber -for a short time, in this mortifying and penitential fashion, to rise -again at midnight for other devotional exercises. - -Father Aelred was a man of thirty or thirty-five years of age, of pale -countenance and emaciated frame, with sunken eyes and hollow voice, -the result of rigorous fasting, long vigils, mortification of the -flesh, and severe penitential exercises. In his boyhood he had been -regarded, from his gravity of aspect, love of learning, and incipient -piety, as one who was destined to become a light of the church of the -coming generation, and was sent for his education to the famous School -of Streoneshalh, established by the Lady Hilda, and at that time under -the superintendence of her successor, the Princess Elfleda, where he -imbibed Scriptural instruction from the lips of the then venerable -Caedmon, a monk of the house. He became a novice of the house, passed -the requisite examinations satisfactorily, and was in due course -admitted as a fully accredited member of the fraternity. The strictness -of his piety was such that he shortly found the life of a monk not to -answer his longings for a higher life of holiness and a position where -he could be of service to the souls of his fellowmen. He therefore -left the shelter of Whitby, and wandered about for some weeks, until -he came into the wild and barren-looking mountainous district of the -west, and finding there a secluded valley, shut in by towering hills -and frowning rocks--a spot with a very sparse and scattered population, -and removed far away from the noise and turmoil of the world--he -resolved to make it his home, and to settle down in it as a hermit, -shutting out all intercourse with his fellowmen and women, save in the -way of imparting spiritual teaching and consolation to the few simple -unsophisticated rustics who dwelt in the valley. He found a cavern in -the hillside, which he enlarged and fashioned into a habitation wherein -to live; fitting the entrance with a door, to shelter him from the cold -winter winds and prevent the intrusion of wild animals, above which -he made an orifice for the admission of light, which he glazed with a -thinly scraped sheet of horn, such as King Alfred's lanterns were made -of, and furnished the interior with two sections of a tree trunk, the -larger to serve as a table, the smaller as a seat; a shelf on which he -kept his eatables, with a knife, an earthen platter, and a drinking -horn, a piece of rough sackcloth for his bed, and over it, fixed to -the rock, a roughly-shapen cross, the emblem of his faith, beside which -hung a knotted rope for the purpose of penitential flagellation. At -a few rods distance he erected with his own hands, from timber cut -by himself, a small chapel--a temple of God, sufficiently rude and -unpretentious in point of architecture, but answering every purpose for -which it was intended, that of a place of assembly for the simple and -unlettered people of the valley, where they might join in the worship -of God; and here Aelred every evening performed divine service and -catechised the small flock of which he had constituted himself the -pastor, and on Sundays performed three full services, with a sermon and -the administration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. And thus he -came to be looked upon in the district as a most holy man, as indeed -he was, and but little below a saint, who might be expected any day to -commence the working of miracles, in the cure of the sick and afflicted. - -There was one peculiarity about Aelred's character, which amounted -almost to a monomania. He entertained a shrinking horror of -fair-featured, beautiful women--not that there were many such in his -solitary valley, they being, as a rule, embrowned by exposure to the -sun, and their features corrugated by marks of rough toil and the -troubles of life even from girlhood, and as such they experienced his -sympathy and Christian charity; and the little children were always -treated by him with tenderness and love, in imitation of his Divine -Master, who had said "for of such is the kingdom of Heaven." But -for the vain and frivolous of the sex, who seemed to deem nothing -of supreme importance save the adornment of their persons, he felt -profound scorn and contempt, mixed with a modicum of pity, and -marvelled why they were sent into the world at all, unless, it might -be, to test the virtue of man by the temptation of their fascinating -allurements. - -It happened, however, that not far distant a benevolent and wealthy -lady had established a religious home for females. It was not exactly a -nunnery, although it possessed many of the features of one, the inmates -not being debarred from matrimony, although absolute chastity was an -essential while resident there; nor were they garbed in unbecoming -costumes, nor compelled to sacrifice that pride and ornament of -woman, her hair; besides which they were allowed a certain amount of -liberty in the way of visiting their friends, which was not accorded -to a regular nun. The ladies of this establishment were wont to go to -Father Aelred to confess their little peccadilloes, to which he saw no -reasonable objection, as they were generally very homely, ill-favoured -specimens of the sex, as is usually the case with the inmates of -nunneries, and thus were in no way perilous to his chaste soul and holy -communings. Had they been otherwise, it is probable that he might have -declined the office of father confessor to them, and closed the door of -St. John's Chapel against their intrusion. - -It is a well-known psychological fact that the body and the mind act -and re-act upon each other to their respective well-being or detriment, -and that if the one is neglected or abused the other suffers in -proportion; and this fact was evidenced in the case of Father Aelred. -As we have observed, he was a man of intense and fervid piety, the -whole of his thoughts being concentrated on one sole object--the -salvation of his own soul and that of his fellow-creatures. Hence he -fasted for prolonged periods, denied himself a sufficient measure -of sleep, such as nature demanded, subjected himself to severe -self-flagellations, and in other ways outraged nature, fancying that -by these mortifications of the flesh he was promoting the health of -his soul. But the laws of nature are never broken with impunity, and -he had to pay the penalty; instead of invigorating he impaired the -powers of the spiritual portion of his dual entity, which, although -distinct from, is essentially interwoven with the material half. At -first he merely experienced lassitude, depression of spirits, and a -harassing dread that after all his religious aspirations and rigid -observance of the duties of the Church, he might find himself cast -into the bottomless pit at last. These were followed by distressing -dreams and visions of the Judgment Day, the frown and sentence of the -arbiter of his eternal destiny, and the jeering scoffs of the enemy -of souls, as he passed into the region of everlasting weeping and -wailing. Deeming these to be proofs of the weakness of his faith and -the languor of his religious life, he was led to redouble the rigour -of his asceticism, the natural result being to intensify the malady he -sought to cure. From seeing fearful visions in his dreams at night, he -began to see horrible figures of demons by day, who crowded about him, -with scoffing grimaces and leering looks, sometimes, as it seemed to -his ears, as if uttering threats and sarcastic allusions to his assumed -piety, or anon indulging in demoniac yells of laughter. Of course he -attributed all these to the machinations of the devil, and prayed for -deliverance from them; but he was haunted by them day and night, with -increasing persistency, until at length the sanity of his mind gave -way, and he became in fact a maniac, not, however, so pronounced as to -render it evident to others, or prevent his performance of his priestly -offices, nor did he relax his private devotional exercises. - -On the evening above mentioned, when the holy father returned home -from the chapel and sat down to the perusal of the transcript of -Caedmon, which he had brought from Whitby, he was particularly disturbed -in mind, and could not concentrate his thoughts upon what he was -reading, which perpetually recurred at the evening service in the -chapel and the advent of a new member of his congregation; besides -which an imp had squatted himself on the table opposite him, and sat -there grinning at him in a most diabolical fashion. It was the usual -custom of the sisterhood of the religious house of which mention -has been made to attend his evening service; and on this occasion a -new member of the sisterhood was present for the first time. She had -been just admitted as a novice, and was young and beautiful, with the -fair, clear complexion, blue eyes, and long flaxen hair of the Anglian -race, a striking contrast to the elderly, homely featured spinsters -whom she accompanied. The moment he caught sight of her face, Aelred -experienced a species of fascination, similar to that of the bird in -the presence of the serpent, and although he battled with the feeling, -he could not shake it off. To his eyes, she seemed like an angel come -down from heaven, and the more he struggled to avert his thoughts from -contemplating her celestial beauty, the more he felt impelled to turn -his eyes again and again to where she sat. He felt it was wrong, so -he brought the service to an abrupt close and hastened home to purify -his soul, by prayer, from what he deemed the lust of the eye. But the -vision was ever present in his mind's eye, so much so that he scarcely -heeded or was conscious of the grinning imp on the table. He had -retired to his sackcloth couch, after a wholesome application of the -knotted rope and a prolonged prayer before the cross, and eventually -fell asleep, but his dreams were all of the fair vision he had seen in -the chapel, and for that night he was not haunted by his usual demon -visitants. - -A few days afterwards the Mother Superior of the little convent came -to the chapel for confession, and brought with her her new daughter, -to whom she introduced Aelred as her future father confessor, and it -was with a strange unusual throbbing of his heart that he looked upon -her fair form, as she bowed herself beneath his paternal greeting; -but when he listened to her soft, silvery accents as she told him in -confession her little sins of thought, his heart softened as it had -never done before to any woman. These feelings, however, involuntary as -they were, caused him much alarm, and he strove to banish them as being -perilous to his soul, but it was impossible to drive the fair, and as -he thought, angelic, image from his mind. A week passed by, to him a -week of sad spiritual tribulation, for when in prayer his mind wandered -away; nor was he able to fix his thoughts in contemplation, the angelic -vision ever rising up to distract and perplex him. - -One day when she came to confess she said to him--"Holy father, I -have fallen into grievous sin; I have made the probationary vow of -abstraction from the world and of devotion to the sole service of -God." "That is well, my daughter," said Aelred; "persevere in that -resolution, and God will bless you both now and for ever." "But, -father," she continued, "I have suffered a fearful lapse; I have looked -back upon the world, and have almost regretted having taken the vows." -"Backsliding," said Aelred in reply, "is, as you term it, a grievous -sin; but it is remediable by prayer, penitence, and fasting. But tell -me more in detail the evil thoughts which have assailed your soul." -"I almost fear to tell you," she answered. "Then can I not advise -you in the matter excepting in general terms. Confide in me; it is -but speaking to God through me, and he will inspire me with words of -remedial comfort; otherwise I cannot grant absolution." - -Thus urged, she stated that previously to entering the convent she -scarcely knew what the passion of love meant, but since then it had -sprung up in her heart with a vehemence that it seemed to be impossible -to suppress. She had seen one since she came into the valley, a pious -and godly man, who had at the first sight animated her breast with the -passion in so intense a degree that it glowed and raged within her -like a furnace. The holy man at once concluded that he himself was the -person she referred to, and he felt his heart beating wildly with an -hitherto unexperienced emotion, and at the same time his brow became -bedewed with perspiration, caused by an apprehensive terror of the -dangerous position in which he found himself placed. He stood silent -and almost paralysed, looking down upon her with fearful forebodings as -to what she would confess further, when she, wondering at his silence, -cast a furtive glance upward from her hitherto downcast eyes. Everyone -knows that there is wondrous eloquence in the glance of a female -eye, and as her's met his, he felt at once that it meant impassioned -love--lawless love, and it stirred up within his disordered mind -all the narrow bigotry of his sentiments in respect to sexual love. -He still stood silently gazing upon her, when all at once a fearful -idea flashed across his mind, which caused him to pass at once from a -person of slightly distempered intellect into a perfect madman. The -idea was that the girl before him was none other than Satan himself, -who, not having been able to tempt him to sin by means of his imps in -their repulsive demoniac forms, had assumed the semblance of a lovely -virgin to allure him to carnal sin. Rising up to his full height, with -eyeballs glaring and features distorted with indignant rage, he cried, -"Satan, I know thee, and I defy thee; but no more shalt thou tempt man -in that shape at least," and with that he dealt her a violent blow, and -she fell senseless on the floor. "Ah!" cried he, "thou hast found thy -match in me, but my work is not yet completed; thy head shall be placed -aloft as a warning to others," and with that he procured a knife and -severed her head from her body, which he then took out and fixed on the -trunk of a yew tree, just where it begins to ramify, and when that was -completed he rushed up the mountain with wild shouts of triumph and -maniacal gesticulations. - -The young novice not returning to the convent, search was made for -her, and her headless body was discovered in the chapel, lying in a -pool of blood, but it was not until the following day that the head -was found fixed in the yew tree. On attempting to remove it, it was -found that the long hair had taken root in the tree trunk, and was -spreading downwards in thin filaments, and as this was looked on as a -miracle, it was left there. Suspicion of the murder attached itself to -the hermit-priest, and as he had been seen going up the mountain in a -distraught state of mind, search was made for him in that direction, -and his body was found at the foot of a precipice down which he had -fallen, but whether through accident or for the purpose of suicide -could never be known. - -Camden says--"Her head was hung upon an ew-tree, where it was reputed -holy by the vulgar, till quite rotten, and was visited in pilgrimage by -them, every one picking off a branch of the tree as a holy relique. By -this means the tree became at last a mere trunk, but still retained its -reputation of sanctity among the people, who believed that those little -veins, which are spread out like hair in the rind between the bark and -the body of the tree, were indeed the very hair of the virgin. This -occasioned such resort of pilgrims to it that Horton, from a little -village grew up to a large town, assuming the name of Halig-fax, or -Halifax, which signifies holy hair." - - - - -The Dead Arm of St. Oswald the King. - - -The Anglian kingdom of Northumbria, of which York was the capital, -presented in the seventh century one almost continuous series of -battles and murders, massacres of the people, and desolation of the -land. Ethelfrid, grandson of Ida, founder of the kingdom of Bernicia, -and Eadwine, son of Aella, founder of that of Deira, succeeded their -fathers in their respective kingdoms about the same time; but -the former, who had married Acca, Eadwine's sister, usurped his -brother-in-law's throne and drove him into exile, who afterwards, by -the assistance of Redwald, King of the East Angles, in the year 617, -defeated and slew Ethelfrid in battle, and became King of Northumbria -and eighth Bretwalda, or paramount monarch of Britain. He was converted -to Christianity, and Penda, the pagan King of Mercia, in order to -extirpate the heretical religion, invaded Northumbria, and defeated -Eadwine at Hethfield, who was slain in the fight. This happened in -633, and Penda then went into East Anglia on the same mission, leaving -Cadwalla, a Welsh Prince, his ally, although a Christian, as Governor -of Northumbria, who made York his headquarters, and ruled the people, -especially those who had embraced Christianity and were the most -devoted adherents of the family of Eadwine, with the most ruthless -barbarity. On the death of Ethelfrid, his sons, Eanfrid and Oswald, -fled into Scotland along with Osric, son of Aelfrid, King Eadwine's -uncle, where they had been converted to Christianity under the teaching -of the monks of Iona, or, as Speed puts it, "had bin secured in -Scotland all his (Eadwine's) reigne, and among the Red-shanks liued as -banished men, where they learned the true Religion of Christ, and had -receiued the lauer of Baptisme." On hearing of the death of Eadwine, -they returned to Northumbria, were welcomed by the people, and assumed -the crowns--Osric of Deira, and Eanfrid of Bernicia. Cadwalla was -still, however, potent in Northumbria, holding York and tyrannising -over the people, and they were scarcely seated on their thrones when he -slew Osric in battle, and caused Eanfrid to be put to death when he -came before him to sue for peace. Seeing that Christianity was almost -extinct in the land, the people having reverted to the old faith, -they both deemed it expedient to renounce Christianity and restore -the worship of Woden, respecting which Bede says, "To this day that -year (the year during which they reigned) is looked upon as unhappy -and hateful to all good men; as well on account of the apostasy of -the English Kings, who had renounced the faith, as of the outrageous -tyranny of the British King. Hence it has been agreed by all who have -written about the reigns of the Kings to abolish the memory of these -perfidious Monarchs, and to assign that year to the reign of the -following King, Oswald, a man beloved of God." - -Oswald was an altogether different man from his brother Eanfrid, a man -of genuine faith, who had imbibed the true principles of Christianity, -sincere in his devotions, and prepared to undergo any suffering, even -death itself, rather than apostatise from what he was fully convinced -was the truth. On the death of his brother he collected around him -a small army of devoted followers, and with these advanced to meet -Cadwalla, relying on the justice of his cause, the bravery of his -handful of men, and the assistance of God. He set up his standard, -a cross, emblematic of his faith, at Denisbourne, near Hagulstad -(Hexham), "and this done," says Bede, "raising his voice, he cried -to his army, 'Let us all kneel and jointly beseech the true and -living God Almighty, in his mercy, to defend us, from the haughty and -fierce enemy, for he knows that we have undertaken a just war for the -safety of our nation.' All did as he had commanded, and accordingly, -advancing towards the enemy with the first dawn of day, they obtained -the victory, as their faith deserved." He adds, "In that place of -prayer very many miraculous cures have been performed, as a token and -memorial of the King's faith, for even to this day many are wont to cut -off small chips from the wood of the holy Cross, which being put into -water, men or cattle drinking thereof or sprinkled with that water are -immediately restored to health." He then gives some instances, one of -Bothelme, a brother of the church of Hagulstad, which was afterwards -built on the spot, who broke his arm by falling on the ice, causing "a -most raging pain," when he was given a portion of moss from the then -old cross, which he placed in his bosom, and went to bed forgetting -that he had it, but "awaking in the middle of the night, he felt -something cold lying by his side, and putting his hand to feel what it -was, he found his arm and hand as sound as if he had never felt any -such pain." - -Cadwalla was utterly defeated and slain, and his vast army (vast -as compared with Oswald's small band of heroes) cut to pieces and -dispersed. Having thus freed his country from the one disturbing -element, he applied himself to its regeneration and restoration from -anarchy and desolation to peace and good order. First and foremost, -his object was the re-conversion of his people from the paganism into -which they had lapsed, to Christianity, and to light afresh the lamp -of truth, which had been almost altogether extinguished through the -vigorous zeal of Penda on behalf of his ancestral gods of the north. -With this object in view he sent to Iona for missionaries, to preach -and teach throughout Northumbria, and Aidan was sent at the head -of a body of monks, whose headquarters were fixed on the island of -Lindisfarne, as resembling that of Iona, from whence they came, hoping -to make it, like the latter, a centre of evangelical light to the -mainland of Northumbria. Here they lived under the rule of Columba, the -founder of Iona, in monastic seclusion, when at home, which was but -seldom, as they were constantly on foot, staff in hand, tramping about -through forests and moors and wild places of Oswald's kingdom. The -King created a bishopric, to comprehend the whole of his territories, -and constituted Aidan the first Bishop, who, it is said--such was the -zeal of his subaltern monkish priests--baptised 15,000 converts in -seven days. Besides this, the King caused churches and monasteries to -be erected in various parts of his realm, and completed the church -which King Eadwine had commenced at York, the forerunner of the -magnificent fane which now adorns that city and is one of the most -glorious specimens of Gothic architecture in England. Nor was Oswald -less active in civil and secular matters, and in promoting the welfare -of his people. He governed his kingdom with great wisdom and prudence, -and under his peaceful sceptre the land was rapidly recovering from the -effects of Cadwalla's desolating hand. He was the fifth King of Deira, -ninth of Bernicia, third of Northumbria, and the ninth Bretwalda or -Supreme King of the island, "at which times the whole Iland flourished -both with peace and plenty, and acknowledged their subjection vnto -King Oswald. For, as Bede reporteth, all the nations of Britannie -which spake foure languages, that is to say, Britaines, Red-shankes, -Scots, and Englishmen, became subject vnto him. And yet being aduanced -to so Royall Majesty, he was notwithstanding (which is maruellous to -be reported), lowly to all; gracious to the poore, and bountifull to -strangers." - -It was a cold spring day; the sun shone brightly, but imparted little -warmth; the trees were leafless, and the early flowers looked sickly -and languid, the effect of a long continuance of north-easterly -winds, which on this particular day came coursing over the ocean, -and were roystering with boisterous glee and in fearful gusts round -the towers of Bamborough Castle, and through the openings in the -walls which served the purpose of the glazed windows of after-times. -It was Easter-tide, and here King Oswald had come from York, where -he had kept his Court, to celebrate this important festival of the -Church in the ancestral castle of his race. The feast was laid in the -banqueting-room, a tolerably large but gloomy and, to nineteenth -century eyes, a wretchedly appointed apartment, with but few of the -appliances of modern comfort. A fire of wood burnt on the hearth, the -smoke at times passing up the wide chimney, at others driven inward -by a down-current of the wind, and sent in curling wreaths along the -vaulted roof. The room was lighted by means of narrow recessed openings -and arrow slits, useful in times of siege, but inconveniently narrow -for the admission of light, yet wide enough to afford free entrance to -the chilling wind. The walls were of bare stones, and the furniture a -table of rough planks running down the centre, with a smaller cross -table, on a sort of dais. At the latter table were seated King Oswald, -with his Queen Kineburga, daughter of Kingils, the sixth monarch and -first Christian King of the West Saxons, on the one hand, and Bishop -Aidan on the other. Along the other table sat some nobles and thegns, -three or four of the monks of Lindisfarne, and below these the house -carles and outdoor retainers of the King's household. On the cross -table was placed a large silver dish filled with venison, wild boar's -flesh, and other dainties; and distributed down the long table were -earthen dishes containing meat of various kinds, wooden platters and -knives, with drinking horns, and small loaves of barley bread; and on -the table stood flagons of ale that had been brewed specially for the -festival. - -At the King's request the Bishop pronounced benediction on the food, -with special reference to Him in whose memory the festival was -celebrated, and who alone could administer the bread of life. He had -scarcely finished, and the guests were beginning to handle their knives -preparatory to an attack on the smoking viands, which gave forth a most -appetising odour, when a sound as of a multitude of persons outside -attracted their notice, and immediately after voices were heard: "In -the name of Him who rose from the tomb this blessed morning, give us -whereof to eat, that we starve not and die by the wayside." The King -sent one of his house carles out to inquire who and what they were, -who presently returned, saying that they were a band of some dozen -mendicants, formerly well-to-do husbandmen, and their families, whose -homes and crops had been destroyed by Cadwalla's followers, and that -they were utterly destitute, deprived of the means of living, and -dependent on charity for food until they could find means to replace -themselves on their farms. - -"Unfortunate creatures," exclaimed the King; "a fearful retribution -awaits that so-called Christian prince in that world to which his -crimes have sent him through our instrumentality by God's providence;" -and, taking up the large silver dish, continued, "It is better that -we celebrate not this festival, than that the poor of our realm die -of starvation. Take this, Wilfrid, and portion out its contents among -the famishing crowd, and when they have eaten, cut up the dish and -distribute the fragments, that they may have the wherewithal to procure -food on the morrow." Aidan, the Bishop, who was afterwards canonised, -was struck with admiration at the pious and charitable act of the King, -which he warmly applauded; and taking hold of his right arm, prayed -that that arm and hand which had passed forth the dish might never -become corrupt, but for ever remain fresh, in token and remembrance of -this pious act of self-abnegation; and instead of feasting, this Easter -day was spent by Oswald, his Queen, and the Bishop in fasting and -prayer. - -Penda, the pagan King of Mercia, was still living, and still as -inveterately hostile to the new heresy as when he had made his raid -on Northumbria, and trampled it out by the defeat and death of the -Royal convert of Paulinus; and now, when Oswald had been eight years -on the throne; had brought his kingdom, by wisdom and good government, -into a condition of peace and prosperity; and had re-established -Christianity on a sure and firm basis, he heard with some dismay that -the heathen King was muttering threats against him, and gathering his -forces together for another invasion, and a second suppression of the -religion that sought the dethronement of Woden as the god of heaven. -Yet although he heard these tidings with dismay, he felt assured of the -Divine protection, remembering how signally he had defeated Cadwalla -by fighting under the standard of the Cross, despite the disparity -of numbers. He remembered, too, what miseries were inflicted on the -Northumbrians by the marching of hostile bands to and fro, leaving, -as they usually did, a desert behind them strewn with the corpses of -men, women, and children; and he determined that, rather than allow -his people to be subjected again to these sufferings, he would be -beforehand with the enemy and carry the war, with its resultant -ravages, into his own land. He therefore hastily assembled his fighting -men, and again uplifting the standard of the Cross marched into Mercia, -his troops, like those of Cromwell a thousand years afterwards, singing -psalms and anthems as they passed along. - -Penda had collected together a large army, and the rival hosts met at -Masserfield, in the modern Shropshire. They rushed towards each other -in mortal conflict, the one with shouts of "Hallelujah!" the other -with cries of "Aid us, great Woden, thou mighty god of battle!" The -fight was long and obstinately contested, and victory seemed to waver -from one side to the other until towards evening, when an arrow struck -Oswald and he fell to the ground, although not mortally wounded; but a -cry arose amongst his followers that he was slain, and, thinking that -their God had deserted them, they were stricken with panic, threw down -their arms, and fled in every direction, hotly pursued by the Mercians, -who mercilessly killed all the fugitives whom they overtook. - -Although stricken down and faint from loss of blood, Oswald still -lived, and witnessed with anguish of mind the cowardly and ignominious -flight of his army. The Mercians came over the field, killing those of -the fallen who were merely wounded; but when they came to Oswald they -spared him, whom they had recognised, and brought him, with staggering -steps and downcast heart, into the presence of their chief. - -"Thou art he, then," said Penda, addressing him, "who darest to -invade my dominions--the dominions of a descendant of Woden--thou, a -worshipper of false gods!" - -"It is even I," replied Oswald, in a weak voice; "I, Oswald, King -of the Northumbrians, successor to the sainted Eadwine, who is now -standing by the throne of the one true God, Jehovah, the God whom -I worship, on whose arm I put my trust, and who, if He, in His -inscrutable providence, hath delivered me up to thy cruel behests, -will save my soul, that portion of me, my real self, which thou cannot -touch, and bring me to dwell with Him for ever, in that heaven which -thou canst never reach, unless thou repentest and abandonest thy false -demon-gods, who can only conduct thee to the flames of hell." - -"Blaspheming heretic," cried Penda, "I care not for the heaven thou -speakest of; sufficient for me will be the Halls of Walhalla, where, -amid everlasting banqueting, I will use thy skull as my drinking-cup. -Still, I will give thee one chance of life. Renounce thy false god; -restore the worship of Woden in Northumbria, and thou shalt be replaced -on thy throne as my tributary, whilst I, as monarch of Mercia, -Northumbria, and East Anglia, extending from the Thames to the Forth, -and from sea to sea, shall become the Bretwalda of Britain." - -"Never, O King," replied Oswald "will I prove recreant to the truth. -Thou mayest rend my sceptre from my grasp; thou mayest slay my kindred -and massacre my people; thou mayest torture me, and put an end to my -temporal existence; but never will I renounce that faith which affords -me a secure hope of everlasting blessedness, whilst thou, if thou -continuest the instrument of false gods, shalt be weeping and gnashing -thy teeth in the torments of the bottomless pit." - -"Then," roared out Penda, "thy death be on thy own head. Soldiers, -hew the blasphemer to pieces!" And immediately he was stricken by -half-a-dozen swords, and fell exclaiming, "Lord Jesus, into thy hands -I commend my soul." - -The ferocious pagan, kicking the body with his foot as the last insult, -gave directions for it to be cut into fragments, and scattered abroad -to be devoured by birds of prey and the wild beasts of the forest; and -his behests were at once carried into execution. And the birds and the -beasts gathered together to the horrible carnival, and soon there was -nothing left but the bare bones, saving one arm, which none of them -would touch, and it remained entire and perfect as in life. - -Some time after the battle of Masserfield the arm of the King was -found, fresh and undecayed, and was conveyed to Northumbria and -deposited in a magnificent shrine, where it remained uncorrupted -for nine centuries, at first in the chapel of St. Peter, Bamborough -Castle, and afterwards, when the Danes began to ravage the coast, in -the monastery of Peterborough, whither it was removed, as Ingulphus -informs us, for safety. The scattered bones were afterwards collected, -by the pious care of Offryd, Oswald's niece, the daughter of Oswy, the -illegitimate half-brother of Oswald, his successor on the throne of -Northumbria, and slayer of Penda in battle. She had become Queen of -Mercia by her marriage with Ethelred, son and successor of Penda, who, -after his father's death, had embraced Christianity. She placed the -relics in the monastery of Bardney, in Lincolnshire, and his "standard -of gold and purple over the shrine;" but when the Danes became -troublesome in Lindsey they were removed to Gloucester, "and there, -in the north side of the vpper end of the quire of the cathedrall -church, continueth a faire monument of him, with a chappell set betwixt -two pillers in the same church." At all these places--Masserfield, -afterwards called Oswestry, after the martyr; at the place of burial of -the relics; and at the shrines of the uncorrupted arm--throughout those -nine hundred years some most wonderful miracles were performed, which -are duly recorded in the pages of Bede and other writers; even a few -grains of the dust which settled on the shrine of the arm, when mixed -with water and drunk, were a sovereign specific for almost any disease. - -Winwick, in Lancashire, disputes with Oswestry the claim of having -been the place of St. Oswald's death, as there is St. Oswald's Well -there; and from an inscription in the church it appears to have been -anciently called Masserfelte; moreover there is a tradition that he -had a palace there, which was within his dominions, although his usual -places of residence were Bamborough and occasionally York. - -The village of Oswaldkirk, near Helmsley, derives its name from him, -and there are several churches in Yorkshire and elsewhere dedicated to -him. - - - - -The Translation of St. Hilda. - - -St. Hilda was the nursing-mother of the infant Saxon Church; the -instructress of Bishops; the preceptrix of scholars and learned men; -and the patroness of Caedmon, the first Saxon Christian poet--the Milton -of his age. The Abbey over which she ruled with so much piety and -prudence was, during her life and afterwards, one of the great centres -of civilization and Christian light of the kingdom of Northumbria, and -diffused its rays, beaming with celestial radiance, even beyond the -bounds of that great northern monarchy. - -She was a scion of the royal race of Aella, the founder of the kingdom -of Deira, or Southern Northumbria; the daughter of Hererick (nephew -of Eadwine, King of Northumbria), by his wife the Lady Breguswith; -was born in the year 614, and died in 680. She was converted to -Christianity by the preaching of Paulinus, and was baptised along -with her great-uncle and his court, in 627. Six years afterwards -Eadwine was slain in battle by Penda, the heathen King of Mercia, and -the nascent religion of Christianity stamped out, Paulinus flying for -shelter with the widowed Queen and her children, to the court of her -brother, the King of Kent. What became of Hilda during this period of -anarchy we know not; but it seems evident that the afflictions and -persecutions she underwent served only to deepen her faith and cause -her to cling more closely to the Cross of Christ. - -In 647, when she was thirty-three years of age, she resolved upon -devoting her life entirely to the service of God, and with that view -journeyed into East Anglia, where her nephew Heresuid reigned as King, -and where her cousin, the pious Anne, resided. Her intention was to -proceed hence to Chelles, in France, to join her sister, St. Herewide, -who had retired to a nunnery there; but for some reason or other she -lingered for twelve months in East Anglia. At the end of this period -she was granted a plot of land on the Wear, upon which she erected -a small house and resided there, in modest seclusion, for the space -of a year, when the fame of her piety having spread abroad, she was -appointed Abbess of Hartlepool, a nunnery founded by Hein, the first -woman who assumed the nun's habit in Northumbria, and who had now -retired to the nunnery of Calcaceaster (Tadcaster). In her new capacity -she set about her work with devoted zeal, regulating the discipline, -reforming abuses, promulgating new and wholesome rules, and enforcing -a strict attention to religious duties, in which she was aided by -the counsels of her friend Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who, at the -instance of King Oswald, had come from Iona to re-convert his subjects -to the faith which had been trampled out by Penda. - -In the year 642, Oswald, the second founder of Christianity in -Northumbria, fell, like his predecessor Eadwine, under the ferocious -sword of Penda, and was succeeded by Oswy in Bernicia, and Oswine in -Deira; but in 650, Oswy caused the king of Deira to be murdered, and -assumed the sceptre of Northumbria, north and south. Five years after -this, Penda, with unabated zeal for his god--Woden--again made an -inroad into Northumbria, with the intent of slaying the third Christian -king of that realm. At first Oswy attempted to buy him off by bribes, -but the Mercian potentate refused his offers, declaring that nothing -would content him but the death of the King, and the utter extirpation -of Christianity. "Then," said Oswy, "if the pagan will not accept -our gifts, we will offer them to one who will--the Lord our God;" -and he prepared for battle, making a vow that if God would vouchsafe -him the victory he would erect a monastery, endow it with twelve -farms, and dedicate his newly-born daughter to holy virginity and His -service. With a comparatively small force, he marched against Penda, -"confiding in the conduct of Christ," met him near Leeds, and, as the -Saxon chronicle says, "Slew King Penda, with thirty men of the Royal -race with him, and some of them were kings, among whom was Ethelhere, -brother of Anne, King of the East Angles; and the Mercians became -Christians." - -This great and decisive victory, the last conflict in England between -heathendom and Christianity, was the turning-point in Hilda's career -of eminence. Had Penda again been the victor, Northumbria would again -perhaps have lapsed into paganism, and the future saint never have been -heard of beyond the vicinity of Hartlepool. - -As it was, King Oswy, mindful of his vow, erected a monastery at -Streoneshalh, on the bank of the Esk, where it falls into the sea in -Whitby Bay. It was placed on a lofty headland, with a steep ascent from -the little fishing hamlet at its foot and a precipitous escarpment -to the sea. It was formed for both male and female recluses, and -the fame of Hilda for piety and judicious government was such that -she was selected by the King as the most fitting for the government -of the establishment. Under her rule Streoneshalh became not only a -model monastic house, but a great school of secular and theological -learning. During her superintendence, not less than five of her -scholars attained the mitre, all of them illustrious prelates of the -Saxon Church--St. John, of Beverley; St. Wilfrid, of Ripon; and Bosa, -Archbishops of York; Hedda, Bishop of Dorchester; and Oftfor, Bishop -of Worcester. "Thus," says Bede, "this servant of Christ, 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 fame was brought of her industry and virtue." -Fuller observes, "I behold her as the most learned female before -the Conquest, and may call her the she-Gamaliel at whose feet many -learned men had their education." During her Abbacy, the famous Synod, -convened by King Oswy, was held within the walls of Streoneshalh, to -settle the vexed questions of the time for the celebration of Easter, -and of the tonsure, which were subjects of warm dispute between the -ancient British Church and that of Rome, the Northumbrians adhering -to the former, as inculcated by the missionary monks of Iona, who -had been brought hither by Oswald, and who now occupied the sees of -York and Lindisfarne. The King, who had been educated in Scotland, -and consequently held to the British modes, presided, whilst his son, -Prince Alfred, who had been in Rome, supported the Romanist views. - -On the British side were ranged the Abbess Hilda, Colman, Bishop of -Lindisfarne, and the venerable Cedd, Bishop of the East Saxons; on -the Romanist, Agilbert, Bishop of the West Saxons, Wilfrid of Ripon, -then a priest, Romanus, and James the Deacon. The dispute was settled -in favour of the Romish rule, chiefly through the eloquence and force -of argument of Wilfrid, who afterwards made so conspicuous a figure -in the Northumbrian Church; and Colman, with his British clergy -returned to Iona. The Abbess was as famous for miracles as for her -other qualities. On the coast of Whitby are found great numbers of -specimens of the petrified Cornu Ammonis, commonly called snake stones, -resembling as they do coiled-up snakes, without heads. This is how -their origin is accounted for. When the Abbey was first built, the -neighbourhood was infested by snakes, which were a great annoyance to -the brethren and sisters of the monastery, and the Abbess, by means of -prayer, caused them all to be changed into stone. - - "And how, of thousand snakes, each one - Was changed into a coil of stone - When holy Hilda prayed: - Themselves, within their holy bound, - Their stony folds had often found, - They told how sea fowls' pinions fail, - As over Whitby's towers they sail, - And, sinking down, with flutterings faint, - They do their homage to the saint." - -The Abbess founded some cells in divers places dependant on the Abbey, -one of which was at Hackness, near Scarborough, which she made use of -as a retreat from the bustle and cares of Streoneshalh, where she -could, undisturbed, devote her time more strictly to the exercises -of fasting, prayer, and meditation, returning to her duties at the -Abbey refreshed and invigorated spiritually, and the better enabled -to undergo the distractions incident to her position as head of a -community of differing and often perplexing temperaments. To these -cells also she frequently sent her nuns, to give them an opportunity -for cultivating closer communion with God, for their spiritual -edification. - -For the last six years of her life the Abbess suffered greatly from -severe indisposition, which frequently laid her prostrate for weeks -together, "Yet during all this time she never failed to return thanks -to her Maker, or publicly and privately to instruct the flock committed -to her charge, admonishing them to serve God in health, and thank Him -for adversity or bodily infirmity." - -Among the nuns under her care was one from Ireland named Bega, who was -most exemplary in her attention to the duties of her religious calling, -eminently endowed with spiritual grace, and conspicuous for her -humility, self-abnegation, and all the virtues which adorn a Christian -life; which qualities endeared her to the venerable Abbess, and they -came to regard each other as mother and daughter rather than as Lady -Superior and ordinary nun of a religious establishment. - -During the long illness of the Abbess, Bega was her constant attendant -and nurse, and accompanied her in her occasional retreats at Hackness. -One afternoon they were seated together in the Abbess's private room, -when the invalid seemed to be rallying in health and entering upon -one of her alternate periods of comparative convalescence. Bega had -been reading to her a new paraphrase of a portion of the Bible, the -composition of Caedmon, the cow-boy poet of Streoneshalh. She laid down -the manuscript at the conclusion, expressing a hope that the Abbess -had not been wearied by her imperfect reading, and that in spite of -defective knowledge of the characters on the part of the reader, she -had been enabled to follow the sense and appreciate the beauty of the -rendering. - -"Nothing from the pen of Caedmon," said the Abbess, "ever wearies me; -on the contrary, his compositions are so redolent of spiritual beauty -that they seem to refresh my soul, and invigorate my body as well. -Indeed, at this moment I feel so much better in health that if no -relapse occurs in the interval, I propose on the morrow relieving our -good Prioress from the duties which I have delegated upon her during my -sickness." - -"Happy am I," replied Bega at hearing this, "and I trust that God, -if he sees fit, may preserve you for many years to come, in the -superintendence and guidance of this holy house. But, mother dear, your -restoration of bodily strength emboldens me to solicit a boon." - -"What is it my dear child? Anything that I can grant shall be yours. I -promise this without knowing what you wish, feeling assured that you -will solicit nothing that is inconsistent either with your maidenly -character or with your altar-made vows." - -"I pray for nothing unbeseeming my character in such respects; -but, holy mother, of late I fear I have experienced some spiritual -declension, and that I have become more carnally minded than becomes -one whose thoughts should be centred on Christ alone, and I pray you, -mother dear, to permit me to retire into more entire seclusion from the -world, that I may by abstinence, prayer, and close communion with God, -be restored to a more wholesome frame of soul." - -"Your boon is granted, my child, gladly; repair at once to Hackness, -and may God shed his blessing upon your pious aspiration for a higher -life of holiness." - -The following day Bega was escorted to the cell, where the Abbess, -with an almost Cistercian eye for sylvan beauty, had planted it, that -in the midst of a natural Paradise it might bloom as a spiritual Eden, -and there she at once commenced a season of wholesome asceticism and -religious exercises. - -A week passed away, and Bega, absorbed in her devotional exercises, -had become emaciated by the rigour of her fasting without heeding it; -and as is usual in such cases, her spirit had become more etherealised -and more susceptible of supernatural influences. After vespers one -evening she returned to her lonely sleeping apartment, a bare and -scantily furnished room, and lay down on her bed, consisting of a thin -layer of straw on a hard, wooden pallet, with nothing more than a -coarse rug for her coverlet. She slept for a short space, then awoke -and rose to repeat the nocturnes, kneeling on the rough flooring -stones. She then lay down again and composed herself to sleep, and -was in the half-conscious state between sleeping and waking when she -was aroused by hearing a passing-bell boom forth, which sounded like -that of Streoneshalh, which was miles beyond earshot, and was the more -remarkable as the bell of Hackness was much smaller and altogether -different in tone. She listened with soul-thrilling awe, and thought, -"Can it be that the holy mother is departing at this moment to her -heavenly rest, and that the sound of the passing-bell is miraculously -brought to mine ears?" Scarcely had the thought flashed across her -mind, when, looking upward, the vaulted roof seemed to be melting away, -like a mist under the influence of the morning sun. In a very short -space of time it disappeared altogether, and there was presented to -the eye of the gazer the expanse of sky studded with stars, sparkling -like clusters of diamonds. Presently the knell of the passing-bell -ceased. And there broke upon her ear the sound of distant vocal music. -As it came nearer, it seemed different from any music she had ever -heard; unearthly; heavenly; so ravishingly sweet was the melody. The -words she was unable to comprehend, but there was something about them -which seemed to declare them of celestial origin. With raptured ears -she listened as the choir, which appeared to be floating in the air, -came on and on until it sounded as if immediately overhead. All this -while, too, a constantly increasing effulgence of supernatural light -was diffusing itself over the firmament, and when the music came into -close proximity to the cell, there burst upon her sight a vision, the -glory of which she could have hitherto formed no conception of. It was -that of a convoy of angels, fairer and more lovely in form and feature -than anything ever conceived by artist or poet, or than ever trod the -earth. It was they who were chanting the divine melody as they floated -along overhead with an upward tendency; and in their midst was the -beautified soul of the sainted mother of Streoneshalh, which they were -escorting to the everlasting realms of purity and peace; of eternal -rest, and an endless duration of unalloyed happiness. The rapt eyes of -Bega were not allowed to rest long on this celestial vision; the group -ascended higher and higher; the voices became fainter and fainter, -until they were altogether lost; and Bega overcome with emotion, fell -into an ecstatic trance, and when she awoke from it there was nothing -to be seen but the glimmer of the moonshine on the walls and roof of -her cell. - -The next day a messenger arrived announcing the death of the Abbess, -which he stated occurred immediately after nocturnes on the preceding -night. - -Bega remained a little while at Streoneshalh, and then went into -Cumberland, and provided a religious house, called after her, St. Bees, -where she spent the remainder of a most holy life. - - - - -A Miracle of St. John. - - -Two thousand years ago, what is now the East Riding of Yorkshire was -chiefly forest land, with the exception of the Wold uplands, which -were pastures, almost destitute of trees, having some semblance to the -swelling and rolling waves of the ocean, where the Brigantes fed their -flocks and herds, where they dwelt in scattered hamlets, and where they -now sleep in their multitudinous tumuli. In the lowlands at the foot, -the forest was very dense, and was the home of wolves, boars, deer, -and other wild animals, which were hunted by the natives, who fed upon -their flesh and clothed themselves with their skins. This was called -the forest of Deira, and in one spot by the river Hull, a few miles -distant from the Humber, was a cleared space, with an eminence in the -midst, and at its foot, extending westward, a pool of water, afterwards -a marsh or moor, and since drained, forming now a portion of the town -of Beverley, its former condition being indicated by two parallel -streets--Minster-moorgate, the place of the moor by the Minster; and -Keldgate, the place of springs. This was a Druidical open air temple, -where the mystical rites of Druidism were performed. - -When the primitive Christian religion was introduced into Britain, it -is presumed that a Christian church was established here, on the rising -ground by the lake, as the early Christians built their churches, where -practicable, on spots held sacred by the people, which supposition -seems to be confirmed by the express statement that St. John rebuilt, -not built, the church in Deira Wood. This early church, doubtless a -very rude affair of timber and thatch, was destroyed or allowed to fall -into ruin when the Saxons and Angles overspread the land and replaced -the religion of Christ by that of Odin. It might possibly be repaired -during the short period after the second introduction of Christianity -by Paulinus and the conversion of King Eadwine, but, if so, would be -again destroyed a few years after, under the desolating hands of Penda -of Mercia, and Cadwalla, as it lay in ruins until the beginning of -the eighth century, when it was restored on a grander scale by John, -Archbishop of York. - -St. John, the learned and pious prelate, one of the brightest -luminaries of the Saxon Church, was a member of a noble Saxon family, a -native of Harpham on the Wolds. He was born in the year 640, studied in -the famous Theological School of St. Hilda at Streoneshalh, and became -successively Bishop of Hagulstat (Hexham) and Archbishop of York, which -latter see he held, with unblemished reputation and great usefulness, -for a period of more than thirty-three years. - -He was almost incessantly employed in going about his vast diocese, -rectifying abuses, regulating disordered affairs, exhorting the lax, -and commending the faithful. In one of these visitations he came to -the place in the forest of Deira which had been, half a millennium -previously, the Llyn-yr-Avanc of the Celts, and, according to some -antiquaries, the Peturia of the Romans, a conjecture which is supported -by the discovery of a tesselated pavement and other Roman remains, -where he found the ruins of the old primeval British Church. The beauty -and seclusion of the spot struck him as being eminently fitted for the -establishment of a monastery, and probably the thought flashed across -his mind that hither he would like to retire, in his declining years, -to finish his life, after the cares and anxieties of his prelateship, -in the calm of cloistered existence and in the company of a pious -brotherhood. - -He did not allow the idea to pass away from his thoughts, but soon -after made arrangements for carrying it out. He rebuilt the choir of -the old church, founded a monastery of Black Monks, of the order of St. -Columba, and an oratory for nuns, south of the church, which afterwards -was converted into the parish church of St. Martin; erected the church -of St. Nicholas, in the manor of Riding; placed seven secular priests -and other ministers of the altar in the head church, and appointed -Brithunus the first Abbot of the monastery, with superintendence over -the other establishments. In 717, he resigned his see, being then -feeble and oppressed by the infirmities of age, and retired to his -monastery, where he died in 721, and was buried in the porch at the -eastern end of the church. - -After St. John, the next greatest benefactor to the church and town -of Beverley was Athelstan the Great, King of Saxon England. Indeed, -he may be considered the founder of the secular, as St. John was of -the ecclesiastical, town. The town and church had been destroyed by -the Danes in 867, but a few years after the dispersed canons and monks -returned, and repaired, as far as they could, their ruined buildings, -so as to be able to continue the celebration of the services; but -they remained in a dilapidated state for nearly half a century, -when Athelstan laid the foundations of the future grandeur of the -church, and of the commercial importance of the town. He had heard -of the sanctity of St. John, and the wonderful series of miracles he -had performed, both during his life and after his death, and having -occasion to chastise Constantine, King of Scotland, for abetting -the Danish Anlaf of Northumbria in an invasion of that portion of -his dominions--for he had by conquest added northern England to his -government, and was in truth the first King of England, rather than -Egbert--he visited Beverley on his march to Scotland, and implored the -aid of the Saint, leaving his dagger on the altar as a pledge that, if -successful, he would bestow princely benefactions on the church and -town. By the assistance of St. John, who appeared to him in a vision, -he was the victor in the decisive battle of Brunnanburgh, and nobly he -kept his word. He made the church a college of secular canons; endowed -it with four thraves of corn from every plough in the East Riding; and -made it a place of sanctuary, as a refuge for criminals, with a stone -frid-stool, still in the Minster. He granted a charter to the town, -constituting it the capital of the East Riding, with many privileges -and extraordinary rights; in consequence of which opulent merchants -flocked to the town, and it soon began to flourish mightily, and -became one of the wealthiest and most important of the trading towns -of the realm. He also assigned the manor to the Archbishops of York, -who built a palace there on the south of the church; vied with each -other in their patronage of the town, and in adding to and endowing the -collegiate church. - -In the beginning of the eleventh century Archbishop Puttock added -a chancellor, a precentor, and a sacrist to the establishment, and -erected a costly shrine for the relics of St. John, to which they -were translated with great pomp in 1037. Archbishop Kinsius erected a -western tower to the church, and Aldred, who held the see at the time -of the Conquest, rebuilt the choir, and ornamented it with paintings -and other decorative work, completed the refectory and dormitory of -the monastery, and increased the number of canons from seven to eight, -changing them at the same time from canons to prebendaries. - -At this time--the period of the Conquest and of the legend--we may -assume from the usual characteristics of the church architecture of -the time, that the church was an oblong building of two stories, -divided into a nave and chancel, with a low tower at the western end. -There would probably be a lower and an upper range of circular-headed -windows, with doorways of the same character, decorated with zigzag -mouldings, and in the interior would be a double row of massive stunted -columns, supporting semi-circular arches, and at the eastern end, -in the chancel, the superb shrine of St. John, which was attracting -pilgrims from all parts, and was beginning to be encrusted with the -silver and the gold and the gems, bestowed for that purpose by the -pilgrims in grateful remembrance of wonderful cures effected upon them -by the miracle working of the saint. Such would most probably be the -church in which occurred the incidents narrated in our legend. - -When the Norman Duke William had won the battle of Hastings, and -subdued southern and mid England, and had been crowned King in the -place of the slain Harold, he discovered that he was not really King -of England, but of a part only--that portion north of the Humber, -forming the old Saxon kingdom of Northumbria of the Heptarchy, and one -of the Vice-Royal Earldoms of Saxon England, continuing to maintain -its independence with stubborn tenacity; and it was not until after -much bloodshed that he overcame the sturdy Northumbrians of a mixed -Anglian and Danish race, and garrisoned York, the capital, with a -Norman garrison to keep the province in subjection. No sooner, however, -was his back turned than the people, under Gospatric, Waltheof, and -other Danish and Saxon leaders, broke out afresh in insurrection, -massacred the Norman garrison at York, and vowed to drive that people -and their Duke, the usurper of Harold's throne, from Northumbria at -least, if not from England altogether. It was after one of the most -formidable risings that the Conqueror swore that "by the splendour of -God" he would utterly destroy and exterminate the Northumbrians, so -that no more rebellions should rise to trouble him in that quarter of -his dominions; and with this view he marched northwards, crossed the -Humber--probably at Brough--and encamped at a spot some seven miles -westward of Beverley, purposing to proceed henceward to York on the -morrow. - -On his road from the Humber to his encampment he had burnt the villages -and crops, and slain the villagers who came in his way, but the -majority, taking the alarm, fled to Beverley, hoping to find safety -within the limits of the League of Sanctuary, thinking that even -so merciless a soldier as Duke William would respect its hallowed -precincts. But he, godly in a sense, and superstitious as he was, -entertained no such scruples, and he had no sooner seen his army -encamped than he despatched Thurstinus, one of the captains, with a -body of Norman soldiers to ravage and plunder the town. - -The people of Beverley and the fugitives who had fled thither -deemed themselves safe under the protection of their patron saint; -nevertheless they felt some alarm when the news was brought that the -ruthless Conqueror lay so near them, and still more when they heard -that a detachment was marching upon the town with hostile intentions. -The church was filled with devotees, who prostrated themselves before -the saint's shrine, imploring him not to abandon his church and town -in this extremity. The day had been gloomy and downcast, but when they -were thus supplicating the holy saint the sun came shining through -one of the windows directly upon the shrine, and lighted it up with -a brilliance that seemed supernatural, which was looked upon as a -favourable response to the prayers of the supplicants. - -Thurstinus and his followers had by this time entered the town, but -had, so far, done no injury to either person or property. As they -approached the church, they perceived before them a venerable figure, -clad in canonical raiment, with gold bracelets on his arms, moving -across the churchyard, towards the western porch. The sight of the -golden bracelets excited the cupidity of one of the subalterns of the -corps, who darted after him, sword in hand, and overtook him just as -he was passing through the portal. The soldier had but placed his foot -within the church, when the aged man turned towards him and exclaimed, -"Vain and presumptuous man! darest thou enter my church, the sacred -temple of Christ, sword in hand, with bloodthirsty intent? This shall -be the last time that thine hand shall draw the sword," and instantly -the sword fell from his grasp, and he sank down on the ground, stricken -by a deadly paralysis. Thurstinus, not witting what had happened to his -officer, came riding up, with drawn sword, with the intent of passing -into the church to despoil it of its valuables; but on entering the -doorway he was confronted by the aged man with the bracelets, who -stretched forth his arm, and said to him, "No further, sacrilegious -man; wouldst thou desolate my church? Know that it is guarded by -superhuman power, and thou must pay the penalty of thy impious -temerity!" and immediately he fell from his horse to the pavement -with a broken neck, his face turned backward, and his feet and hands -distorted "like a misshapen monster." At this manifest interposition -of Heaven the Normans fled back to the encampment with terror-stricken -countenances, and the people in the church looked round for their -deliverer, but he had vanished, and they then knew that it was St. -John himself, who had come down from heaven to protect his town and -church from the insult and ravages of Norman ferocity. - -When the soldiers reached the camp they reported to their superior -officer the result of their expedition and the horrible death of -their leader, which they could not attribute to anything less than -supernatural power. The report in due course reached the King, who -summoned the soldiers into his presence, and listened to their -narrative with superstitious awe. "Truly," said he, "this John must be -a potent saint, and it were well not to meddle with what appertains to -him, lest worse evil befal us. He may possibly use his influence in -thwarting our designs against the rebels of this barbarous northern -region. Let not his town and the lands pertaining to his church be -injured, or subject to the chastisement and just vengeance we intend -against those who have dared to raise the standard of revolt against -our divinely ordained authority; but rather let them be protected, for -it were bootless and perilous to fight against Heaven. Onward then -to York, and when we have, by such severity as the case warrants, -effectually crushed the spirit of revolt, we will consider what -further can be done to propitiate this saint, whom it were well to -conciliate by gifts, so that he may be led in gratitude to recompense -us by assisting in the consolidation of our power, which is not yet -established on sufficiently firm foundations." - -He found no difficulty in suppressing the insurrection when he reached -York, putting to the sword those of the insurgents who remained there -after their leaders had fled towards Scotland. In order to prevent any -future rising, with any possible chance of success or gleam of hope, he -then meditated and carried out a cold-blooded scheme, which might have -been deemed a measure of policy, but which for ferocity equalled any -act of cruelty perpetrated by the most atrocious tyrant of pagan ages. -He sent forth his men with swords and torches, to the north, the west, -and the east, and for an extent of sixty miles, from York to Durham, -by several miles in breadth, laid the country desolate. Villages, -churches, monasteries, and castles, with the granaries of corn and -the standing crops, were all destroyed by fire, and every person, -man, woman, child, or priest, met with was slaughtered without mercy; -and when the work had been accomplished, this vast extent of country -bore the aspect of a Western American prairie after it had been swept -by fire, leaving only the charred stumps of the trees standing, with -this difference, however, that there only the half-burnt bodies of -animals, such as were not able to escape by flight, are found; whilst -here, scattered profusely on the wood-side, and round their once -cheerful and happy homesteads, lay the rotting and putrefying corpses -of human beings, on which the wolves and birds of prey were battening -and gorging themselves; and it took many and many a year before this -region recovered itself and became again a country of farmsteads and -villages, of crops and fruit trees, and of an industrious population. -William of Malmesbury says that not less than 100,000 persons perished -in this fearful act of vengeance; and Alured of Beverley, a monkish -writer, and treasurer of St. John's Church, states that "The Conqueror -destroyed men, women, and children, from York even to the western sea, -except those who fled to the church of the glorious confessor, the -most blessed John, Archbishop, at Beverley, as the only asylum." An -indisputable proof of the desolation wrought on the lands appears in -the Domesday Book, which in most places in Yorkshire is described as -waste or partially waste, and which is represented as of no value or -of much less value than in King Edward's time; whilst in Beverley and -the lands of St. John there is scarcely any waste mentioned, and the -value is given as the same or nearly the same as in the reign of the -Confessor. Under Bevreli we read, "Value in King Edward's time, to the -Archbishop 24 pounds, to the Canons 20 pounds, the same as at present." - -The King not only exempted the town and demesne from devastation, but -became a notable benefactor thereto. He added to the possession of -the church certain lands at Sigglesthorne, and granted the following -confirmatory charter:--"William the King greets friendly all my Thanes -in Yorkshire, French and English. Know ye that I have given St. John -at Beverley sac and soc over all the lands which were given in King -Edward's days to St. John's Minster, and also over the lands which -Ealdred, the Archbishop, hath since obtained in my days, whether in -this Thorp or in Campland. It shall all be free from me and all other -men, excepting the Bishop and the Minster priests; and no man shall -slay deer, nor violate what I have given to Christ and St. John. And -I will that there shall be, for ever, monastic life and canonical -congregation so long as any man liveth. God's blessing be with all -Christian men who assist at this holy worship. Amen." - -And from this time the town flourished greatly, and grew rapidly in -population and wealth. As to the church, it became more than ever the -resort of pilgrims, who left rich presents on the shrine of St. John. -In the year 1188 the old Saxon church was destroyed by fire, which may -be deemed a fortunate occurrence, as men were stimulated at this, the -best period of Gothic architecture, to erect over the relics of St. -John a structure worthy of his eminence and fame; and the outcome of -this impulse was the uprising of the existing magnificent church, which -is now the great architectural glory of the East Riding. - - - - -The Beatified Sisters of Beverley. - - -In the south aisle of the nave of Beverley Minster may be seen an -uninscribed canopied altar tomb. It is a very fine specimen of the -Early Decorated style, manifestly dating from the period of Edward -II. or the earlier portion of the reign of his successor. It is -covered with a massive slab of Purbeck marble, rising above which is -an exquisitely proportioned pointed arch or canopy, with pinnacles -and turrets, crocketted work and finials, all elaborately chiselled -and carefully finished. History records not whose mortal remains are -deposited in the tomb: there it stands like the Sphynx on the sands -of Egypt, maintaining a mysterious silence as to its origin, "a thing -of beauty," displaying its elegance of form and the charms of its -sculptured features to all beholders; but seeming to say--"Admire the -perfection of my symmetry if you will, but inquire not whose relics I -enshrine, whether of noble or saint. Unlike my more gorgeous sister -tomb, in the choir, near the altar, which blazons forth the glory of -the Percys, I choose, with Christian humility, and recognising the fact -that death renders all equal, and that in the sight of the Almighty -Judge a Percy is no better for all his glories than the pauper--to draw -a veil over the earthly greatness of the family to which I belong." - -Although history is thus silent in respect to the origin of the tomb, -tradition is less reticent, and from its oral records we learn, not -perhaps all that can be desired, but a narrative that probably has a -basis of truth. - -About a mile westward of Beverley Westwood, on the road to York, lies -the pretty picturesque village of Bishop Burton, with its church on an -eminence commanding an extensive view of the Wold lands on one hand, -and of the country sloping down to the Humber on the other. It is -environed by groups of patriarchal trees, including a noble specimen of -the witch elm on the village green, with a trunk forty-eight feet in -circumference, and which is held in great veneration by the villagers; -and in the valley below is a small lake, which doubtless supplied fish -to the household of the Archbishops of York when they had a palace -here. It is a very ancient village, dating from the Celtic period, -when it formed a burial place of the Druids and British chieftains. -One of the numerous tumuli was opened in 1826. It was seventy yards in -circumference, and was found to contain several skeletons of our remote -forefathers of that race. From some tesselated pavements which have -been discovered, it appears also to have been occupied afterwards by -the Romans. - -At the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century, the -Lordship of South Burton, as it was then called, was held by Earl Puch, -a Saxon noble. Its name was changed, after the Conquest, to Bishop -Burton, from the circumstance that it belonged to the Archbishops of -York, and their having a palace in the village, where Archbishop John -le Romayne died in 1295. At this time South Burton formed a sort of -oasis in a vast wilderness of forest, extending for miles in every -direction, including the now open breezy upland of Beverley Westwood, -then infested by wolves, through which ran trackways to Beverlega, -where stood the recently founded church and monastery of St. John, -northward of which, at the foot of the Wolds, lay another extent of -forest land, called Northwood, perpetuated to this day in the name of -the street--Norwood. Earl Puch's mansion was an erection of timber, -with few of the appliances of modern domestic life, with a large hall, -wherein he dined with his family and guests at the upper end of a long -table, and his retainers and domestics at the lower end. More in the -interior were the Lady Puch's bower and other private and sleeping -apartments of the family; with inferior rooms for the household -servants, the swineherds, cowherds, huntsmen, and other outdoor menials -sleeping in the outhouses, with the animals of which they had charge. - -Earl Puch had built a church in the village, a very primitive specimen -of architecture, consisting of nave and chancel, of timber and wattles, -with round-headed doors and windows, and rude zigzag ornamentation. It -had neither tower nor transept, lacked bells, and its pulpit, altar, -and font were fashioned of rough-hewn wood. Yet was it sufficient for -the wants of the age, and served the purpose of worship, the heart -being rightly tuned, as the most gorgeous cathedral of after ages. - -St. John had now resigned the Archbishopric of York, and had retired -to his monastery at Beverlega, to spend the remnant of his life in -prayer, devotional exercises, and the seclusion of the cloister. The -Earl, a pious man, was on very friendly terms with the ex-Archbishop, -and invited him to come and consecrate his church, just finished, to -which John readily assented, and, despite his years and infirmities, on -the appointed day took up his walking staff and went on foot through -Westwood to South Burton, meditating by the way on his past life, -on his ancestral home at Harpham-on-the-Wolds, his student's life -under St. Hilda at the Abbey of Streoneshalh, his episcopal career -at Hagulstadt, his experience on the Archiepiscopal Throne of York, -and his retirement to the Abbey of Beverlega, acknowledging, with -grateful thanksgiving, the Providential hand that had sustained him -through his varied course of life. On the arrival of the ex-Prelate -at South Burton, he found the family in great grief in consequence of -the illness of the Lady Puch, who had been stricken down by a severe -attack of fever, which threatened to terminate her life. She was an -exceedingly devout woman, assiduous in her attention to the duties -of religion, charitable to the poor, and a great blessing to the -poor and destitute of the village. A great portion of her time was -spent in the educational training of her two lovely daughters, now -approaching womanhood, and who much resembled her in the piety of their -lives. She had now lain in bed a month, suffering agonies of torment, -and expecting every day would be her last. Her husband wished to -postpone the consecration of the church in consequence of her critical -condition, but she would not listen to it. "Why," said she, "should -the poor people be deprived of the privilege of hearing the service of -God performed in a consecrated edifice because I, a poor insignificant -mortal like themselves, am labouring under this affliction? Let the -consecration take place the same as if I were well and able to take -part in the ceremony; the thought of what is taking place will be more -beneficial to me than all the doctor's medicine that shall be given -me;" and it was determined that the ceremony should be proceeded with -as if there were no impediment in the way. - -Brithunus, a disciple of St. John, and the first abbot of his -monastery, had also come over to assist in the ceremony, and to him -we are indebted for a narrative of the miracle which accompanied -it, as well as of many another notable miracle performed by St. -John, which he communicated to Bede, who interwove them into his -Ecclesiastical History. The consecration was duly performed according -to the Anglo-Saxon style, with singing, prayers, the sprinkling of holy -water, and a proclamation from the Archbishop that the edifice was now -rendered sacred, and become a temple of the Living God, concluding with -a benediction. "Then," says Brithunus, "the Earl desired him to dine -at his house, but the Bishop declined, saying he must return to the -monastery. The Earl pressing him more earnestly, vowed he would give -alms to the poor if the Bishop would break his fast that day in his -house. I joined my entreaties to his, promising in like manner to give -alms for the relief of the poor if he would go and dine at the Earl's -house and give his blessing. Having at length, with great difficulty, -prevailed, we went in to dine." - -The banquet was served with the profusion and splendour of the time, -consisting chiefly of boar's flesh, venison, fish, and birds, eaten -from platters of wood, with an ample supply of wine, which was -passed round in flagons of silver. In the course of the repast, the -conversation was confined almost exclusively to two topics--the new -church and the hopes that were entertained of its becoming a blessing -to the neighbourhood, and the illness of the Earl's wife, with which -the Bishop sympathised with much kindly feeling. - -"Can nothing be done," inquired the Earl, "by means of the church -to alleviate her sufferings, if not to restore her to health? The -physicians are at their wit's end; they know nothing of the nature -of the disease, and the remedies they give seem rather to aggravate -than cure it. Peradventure the blessing of a holy man might have a -beneficial effect." - -"The issues of life and death," replied the Bishop, "are in the hands -of God alone. Sometimes it is even impious to attempt to overrule -His ordinations, which, although often inscrutable and productive of -affliction and suffering, are intended for some ultimate good." - -At this moment one of the lady's handmaidens entered the -banqueting-room with a message from her mistress to the effect that -her pains had materially lessened since the consecration had taken -place, and that she desired a draught of the holy water that had been -used, feeling an inward conviction that it, accompanied by the Bishop's -blessing, would be of great service. "The Bishop then," continues -Brithunus, "sent to the woman that lay sick some of the holy water -which he had blessed for the consecration of the church, by one of -the brothers that went along with me, ordering him to give her some -to drink, and wash the place where her greatest pain was with some of -the same. This being done, the woman immediately got up in health, -and perceiving that she had not only been delivered from her tedious -distemper, but at the same time recovered the strength which she had -lost, she presented the cup to the Bishop and me, and continued serving -us with drink, as she had begun, till dinner was over, following the -example of Peter's mother-in-law, who, having been sick of a fever, -arose at the touch of our Lord, and having at once received health and -strength, ministered to them." - -The two young daughters of the Earl, on witnessing the miraculous -restoration to health of their beloved mother, had retired together -to their chamber to offer up their heartfelt thanksgivings to God -for her recovery, and before the Bishop's departure came down to -the banqueting-hall and received his blessing. They were exceedingly -lovely both in form and feature, and when they entered the hall, with -modest downcast eyes, it seemed to those present as if two angelic -beings from the celestial sphere had deigned to visit them. "Come -hither, my children," said their mother, "and thank the good Bishop -for interceding with heaven on my behalf, and who has thus been -instrumental in delivering me from the terrible disease under which -I have been labouring for so long a period." In response, the young -maidens went to the Bishop, and kneeling at his feet, expressed their -gratitude to him for what he had done, and implored his blessing. -Placing his hands on their heads, he said, "My dear daughters in -Christ, attribute not to me, a sinful mortal, that which is due alone -to our Merciful Father in Heaven, who has seen fit first to afflict -your mother with grievous trials for some wise purpose, and then -suddenly to restore her to health, that her soul may be purified so -as to enable her to pass through this lower world, untainted by the -grosser sins, but, like all fallible mortals, to be still open to -lesser temptations, that in the end she may be rendered meet to enter -that higher sphere of existence which is reserved for those who live -holy lives here below. May God bless you, my dear daughters, tread in -the footsteps of your saintly mother, that you also may be made meet -for the same inheritance of light." So saying, the Bishop took up his -staff, and bidding farewell to the Earl and his family, wended his way, -accompanied by Brithunus and the monks, through Westwood to his home at -Beverlega. - -From this time the two young ladies continued to grow in stature and -loveliness of person, as well as in fervent piety and the grace of God. -They had sprung up into young womanhood, and many were the suitors -for their hands who came fluttering about South Burton, knowing well -that, as the Earl had no son, nor was likely to have one, they must, -if they survived him, become his co-heiresses. But they refused to -listen to the flatteries and protestations of everlasting love of these -young fellows, not so much because they saw through the hollowness -and feigned nature of their professions of love, but because they had -determined to live lives of celibacy, devoted solely to the service -of God. St. John made repeated visits to South Burton, and nothing -afforded them greater spiritual comfort and holy pleasure than -lengthened converse with him on the things that pertain to everlasting -life. But a couple of years after the consecration of the church he -passed away to his rest and reward, "with his memory overshadowed by -the benedictions of mankind," and was buried in the portico of the -church of Beverlega, which he had founded. - -A few years after this the two maidens, with the full consent of their -parents, entered the convent of St. John, at Beverlega, to spend the -remainder of their lives in the holy seclusion of the cloister. The -Earl was an extensive landed proprietor, with possessions in and about -South Burton, and others on the banks of the Hull, near Grovehill, a -landing-place of the Romans, and now a suburb of Beverley, with some -extensive manufacturing works. When his daughters entered the convent -he bestowed upon it the manor of Walkington, lying southward of South -Burton and abutting on Beverley Westwood. At the same time he made a -grant to the people of Beverlega of a tract of swampy land on the banks -of the Hull, to serve as a common pasturage for their cattle. This -tract of land, now called Swinemoor, is still held by the burgesses -of Beverley, forming one of the four valuable pastures, containing, in -the aggregate, nearly 1,200 acres, the property of the freemen of the -borough. - -There are reasons for believing that a Christian Church existed on the -shores of the Beaver Lake, in the wood of Deira, the site of the modern -Beverley, in the time of the Ancient British Apostolic Christianity, -which had formerly been the scene of the Druidical religion, which -was destroyed by the pagan Saxons, and re-edified by St. John the -Archbishop. In one of his progresses through his diocese, he came -to this clearing in the wood of Deira, with its sacred beaver-lake, -formerly called Llyn yr Avanc, now Inder-a-wood, and was struck by its -sylvan beauty and its quiet seclusion. He found there a very small -wooden church, thatched with reeds, which he determined to restore and -enlarge, and founded, in connection with it, a religious house for both -sexes--a monastery for men and a nunnery for women. He added to it a -choir, and appointed seven priests to officiate at the altar; built the -monastery, and endowed it with lands for its support. Hither he retired -when enfeebled by age, and here he was buried in the porch of his -church in the year 721. - -It was to this nunnery that the Sisters Agnes and Agatha went, and -after a period of probation, were despoiled of their hair, and assumed -the veil of the sisterhood. The religious houses of the Saxons were -not the luxurious abodes that they became in after years. The life -led there was one of ascetic severity, with bare walls, hard pallets, -scanty food of the simplest description, a continuous series of prayers -and religious exercises, accompanied by frequent fastings, penances, -and fleshly mortification, to all which the two sisters submitted with -cheerfulness, as conducive to the spiritual health of their souls. -They were never found sleeping when the summons for divine service was -sounded forth, and they were ever willing to perform the most menial -duties as tending to keep within them a spirit of Christian humility. -Their profound piety and rigorous attention to disciplinary matters -excited the admiration of the Mother Superior, but never would they -lend ear to praises from her lips, lest it should engender spiritual -pride, the aim of their lives being to rank as the lowest servants -of the servants of Christ. And thus the years passed along in one -monotonous but ever-blessed sameness, ever dwelling within the walls -and precincts of the nunnery, save on two occasions, when they went to -South Burton to attend the funerals of their parents. - -It was the eve of the Nativity, a bright starlight night, as that over -Bethlehem when the three wise men of the East came thither guided by -the wandering star. The nuns were assembled in their chapel for an -early service, amongst whom were the two sisters apparently absorbed in -divine meditation. The nuns then retired for their evening refection -and silent contemplation in their cells until midnight, when the bell -summoned them again to the chapel for midnight Mass, which was to usher -in the holy day. At this service there was a strange and unwonted -omission; the two sisters were absent. "Where are the Sisters Agnes and -Agatha?" inquired the Abbess; "surely something has befallen them, else -they would not be absent, especially on such an occasion as this. Go -and search diligently for them." Every corner of the building and the -grounds outside were searched, but in vain; not a vestige of them could -be found; and at length, as the hour of midnight was close at hand, -the Mass was proceeded with. The following day, that of the Nativity, -was devoted to the usual festal, religious duties; but a heaviness of -heart pervaded the assembly, as the sisters had not re-appeared, and no -tidings of them could be heard. - -Days, weeks, and months passed away, and no clue to their mysterious -disappearance presented itself until the eve of St. John, their patron -saint. The vespers had been sung, with special reference to the coming -day, and the nuns had gone out to breathe the air of the summer -evening, whilst the Abbess, taking the key of the tower, unlocked -the door and went up the stone stairs to the top, a place not much -frequented, where she thought to offer up her prayers beneath the open -dome of heaven, without any intervening walls. She had just placed her -foot on the topmost stair when she was startled at beholding the two -sisters lying locked in each other's arms and with upward turned eyes. -At the first glance she supposed them to be dead, but a moment after -was undeceived by their rising, and saying, "Mother, dear! it will soon -be time for the midnight Mass; but how is this? We lay down an hour -ago, under the sky of a winter night, but now we have awakened under -the setting sun of a summer eve." - -"An hour ago! my children," replied the Abbess, "it is now months -since you disappeared on the eve of the Nativity, and months since the -midnight Mass of the birth of our Saviour was sung. Can it be you have -been sleeping here all through the interval?" - -"Mother, dear," they replied, after some further questionings and -explanations, "we have not been sleeping, we have been transported -to heaven, and have seen sights inconceivable to the human eye, and -heard music such as has never been listened to in this lower world. -The heaven that we have visited is no mere localised spot, but extends -throughout infinite space. It possesses no land or water; no mountains -and valleys; no rivers, or lakes, or trees, or material objects of any -kind; but has picturesque scenery, impalpable and cloudlike, of the -most ravishing beauty. It is peopled by myriads of angelic beings and -beatified mortals, unsubstantial and etherealised, all of exquisitely -symmetrical figures, and with gloriously radiant features, beaming with -happiness and smiling with serenity. Unlike the popular opinion, it is -not a place of idle lounging and repose, but of intense activity, all -being engaged in employments which afford an intensity of pleasurable -emotions. The Almighty Father and Creator of all this realm of beauty -and of all these glorified creatures it was not possible for us to see -with our mortal eyes, but we were perfectly cognisant of His influence -and presence everywhere throughout the infinitude of space. But oh! the -music! here, on earth, it is termed divine, but our sweetest melodies -are but a jarring discord of sounds compared with that of heaven; -mortal ear cannot form the faintest conception of its sublime grandeur -and unutterable loveliness." - -Thus spake they to the astonished Abbess, who at once recognised -the fact of their miraculous transportation to the realms of light -for a temporary sojourn there, that on their return to earth they -might be the means of comforting and encouraging those who by holy -lives of asceticism, self-denial, and prayer, were wending their way -thitherwards; and she conducted them down to their sister nuns, to whom -again they had to narrate the visions that had been vouchsafed to them. - - "There is joy in the convent of Beverley, - Now these saintly maidens are found, - And to hear their story right wonderingly - The nuns have gathered around; - The long-lost maidens, to whom was given - To live so long the life of heaven." - -The Sisters further stated that the first spirit they met was the -holy St. John, the founder of their convent, whom they immediately -recognised, although he had cast off his earthly integuments, and -appeared in a glorified form, but in semblance as when he performed the -miracle at South Burton. - -He welcomed them with affectionate warmth, and told them that their -parents were now enjoying the reward of their virtuous and pious lives, -but that they could not be permitted to see them until they themselves -had finally passed away from earthly life. He further told them that he -kept a watchful eye over his town and monastery in Inder-a-wood, with -affectionate love, which should be seen in after ages, in the promotion -of their prosperity. - -The next day the festival of St. John was celebrated in the monastery -and church, with more than usual interest and devotion. Towards the -close of it-- - - "The maidens have risen, with noiseless tread - They glide o'er the marble floor; - They seek the Abbess with bended head: - 'Thy blessing we would implore, - Dear mother! for e'er the coming day - Shall blush into light, we must hence away.' - The Abbess hath lifted her gentle hands, - And the words of peace hath said, - 'O vade in pacem;' aghast she stands, - 'Have their innocent spirits fled?' - Yes, side by side lie these maidens fair, - Like two wreaths of snow in the moonlight there." - -At the same time the church became lighted up with a supernatural -roseate hue, and sounds of celestial music ravished the ears of the -assembly. The Sisters were laid side by side by tender and reverent -hands in a tomb near the altar of the church, and now-- - - "Fifty summers have come and passed away, - But their loveliness knoweth no decay; - And many a chaplet of flowers is hung, - And many a bead told there; - And many a hymn of praise is sung, - And many a low-breathed prayer; - And many a pilgrim bends the knee - At the shrine of the Sisters of Beverley." - -The tomb of the Sisters was destroyed in the great fire of 1188, which -destroyed not only St. John's Church and monastery, but the whole -town besides. They were afterwards rebuilt--the Minster in the superb -style which it now presents--and it was in remembrance of these sainted -Sisters that the uninscribed tomb was placed in the new church. - -This legend has formed the subject of an exquisite poem, which appeared -in the pages of the _Literary Gazette_, and has been attributed to the -pen of Alaric A. Watts, which, however, is open to doubt. - - - - -The Dragon of Wantley. - - -Once on a time--as the old storytellers were wont to commence their -tales of love, chivalry, and romance--there dwelt in the most wild and -rugged part of Wharncliffe Chase, near Rotherham, a fearful dragon, -with iron teeth and claws. How he came there no one knew, or where -he came from; but he proved to be a most pestilent neighbour to the -villagers of Wortley--blighting the crops by the poisonous stench of -his breath, devouring the cattle of the fields, making no scruple of -seizing upon a plump child or a tender young virgin to serve as a -_bonne-bouche_ for his breakfast table, and even crunching up houses -and churches to satisfy his ravenous appetite. - -Wortley, is situated in the parish of Penistone, and belongs now, as it -has done for centuries, to the Wortley family. Before the dissolution -of monasteries, the Rectory of Penistone belonged to the Abbey of St. -Stephen, Westminster, and was granted, when the Abbey was dissolved, -to Thomas Howard, third Duke of Norfolk, who out of the proceeds -established in Sheffield a set of almshouses. The impropriation of -the great tithes were let to the Wortley family, who, by measures of -oppression and extortion, contrived to get a great deal more than -they were entitled to, and Nicholas Wortley insisted on taking the -tithes in kind, but was opposed by Francis Bosville, who obtained a -decree (17th Elizabeth) against him; but Sir Francis Wortley, in the -succeeding reign, again attempted to enforce payment in kind, with so -much disregard to the suffering he inflicted upon the poor that they -determined upon finding out some champion who would dare to attack this -redoubtable dragon in his den at Wantley, so as to put an end, once and -for all, to the destruction of their crops, the loss of their cattle, -and the desolation of their ruined homes. Foremost in this movement -was one Lyonel Rowlestone, who married the widow of Francis Bosville; -and the parishioners entered into an agreement to unite in opposition -to the claims of the Wortleys. The parchment on which it is written -is dated 1st James I., and bristles with the names and seals of the -people of Penistone of that time, and is still extant. - -In the neighbourhood, on a moor not far from Bradfield, stood a mansion -called More or Moor Hall, and was inhabited by a family who had -resided there from the time of Henry II., but of whom little is known, -excepting the wonderful achievement of one member of the family, "More -of More Hall," who slew the Dragon of Wantley. - -The family had for their crest a green dragon, and there was formerly -in Bradfield Church a stone dragon, five feet in length, which had some -connection with the family. To this worthy, who, it is supposed, may -have been an attorney or counsellor, the parishioners of Penistone, -having decided upon appealing to the law courts, applied to undertake -their case, and make battle on the terrible dragon in his den among -the rocks of the forest of Wharncliffe. He readily complied with their -wish, and with great boldness and valour prepared for the conflict -by going to Sheffield and ordering a suit of armour, studded with -spikes--that is, arming himself with the panoply of law, and then -went forth and made the attack. The fight is said, in the ballad -narrative, to have lasted two days and nights, probably the duration -of the lawsuit, and in the end he killed the dragon, or won his suit, -thus relieving the people of Penistone from any further annoyance or -unjust exaction from that quarter. Sir Francis Wortley persuaded his -cousin Wordsworth, the freehold lord of the manor (ancestor, lineal or -collateral, of the Poet Wordsworth), to stand aloof in the matter, and -now the Wortley and the Wordsworth are the only estates in the parish -that pay tithes. - -To commemorate the event an exceedingly humorous and cleverly satirical -ballad was written, which, being also a lively burlesque on the -ballad romances of chivalry, served the same purpose towards them -that Cervantes' "Don Quixote" did for the prose fictions of the same -character. Thus opens the ballad-- - - "Old stories tell how Hercules - A dragon slew at Gerna, - With seven heads and fourteen eyes - To see and well discerna; - But he had a club, this dragon to drub, - Or he had ne'er I warrant ye; - But More of More Hall with nothing at all, - He slew the dragon of Wantley. - - "This dragon had two furious wings, - Each one upon each shoulder; - With a sting in his tail, as long as a flail, - Which made him bolder and bolder. - He had long claws, and in his jaws - Four and forty teeth of iron; - With a hide as tough as any buff, - Which did him round environ." - -It then goes on to describe how "he ate three children at one sup, as -one would eat an apple." Also all sorts of cattle and trees, the forest -beginning to diminish very perceptibly, and "houses and churches," -which to him were geese and turkeys, "leaving none behind." - - "But some stones, dear Jack, that he could not crack, - Which on the hills you will finda." - -These stones are supposed to be a reference to the Lyonel Rowlestone, -who was the leader of the opposition. There are many local allusions -of a similar character, which would no doubt add much to the keenness -of the satire and the humour, but which are lost to us through our -ignorance of the circumstances and persons alluded to. - -"In Yorkshire, near fair Rotherham," was his den, and at Wantley a well -from which he drank. - - "Some say this dragon was a witch, - Some say he was a devil; - For from his nose a smoke arose - And with it burning snivel." - -"Hard by a furious knight there dwelt," who could "wrestle, play at -quarter-staff, kick, cuff, and huff; and with his hands twain could -swing a horse till he was dead, and eat him all up but his head." To -this wonderful athlete came "men, women, girls, and boys, sighing and -sobbing, and made a hideous noise--O! save us all, More of More Hall, -thou peerless knight of these woods; do but slay this dragon, who won't -leave us a rag on, we'll give thee all our goods." The Knight replied-- - - "Tut, tut," quoth he, "no goods I want; - But I want, I want, in sooth, - A fair maid of sixteen, that's brisk and keen, - With smiles about her mouth; - Hair black as sloe, skin white as snow, - With blushes her cheeks adorning; - To anoint me o'er night, e'er I go to the fight, - And to dress me in the morning." - -This being agreed to, he hied to Sheffield, and had a suit of armour, -covered with spikes five or six inches long, made, which, when he -donned it, caused the people to take him for "an Egyptian porcupig," -and the cattle for "some strange, outlandish hedgehog." When he rose -in the morning, - - "To make him strong and mighty - He drank, by the tale, six pots of ale - And a quart of _aqua vitae_." - -Thus equipped and with his valour braced up, he went to Wantley, -concealing himself in the well, and when the dragon came to drink, he -shouted "Boh," and struck the monster a blow on the mouth. The knight -then came out of the well, and they commenced fighting, for some time -without advantage on either side--without either receiving a wound. At -length, however, after fighting two days and a night, the dragon gave -him a blow which made him reel and the earth to quake. "But More of -More Hall, like a valiant son of Mars," returned the compliment with -such vigour that-- - - "Oh! quoth the dragon, with a deep sigh, - And turned six times together; - Sobbing and tearing, cursing and swearing - Out of his throat of leather; - More of More Hall! O, thou rascal! - Would I had seen thee never; - With the thing on thy foot, thou has pricked my gut - And I'm quite undone for ever. - - "Murder! murder! the dragon cry'd. - Alack! alack! for grief; - Had you but mist that place, you could - Have done me no mischief. - Then his head he shaked, trembled and quaked, - And down he laid and cry'd, - First on one knee, then on back tumbled he: - So groan'd, kick't, and dy'd." - -Henry Carey, in 1738, brought out an opera on the subject, entitled -"The Dragon of Wantley," abounding in humour, and a fine burlesque on -the Italian operas of the period, then the rage of fashion. And in -1873, Poynter exhibited at the Royal Academy a picture of "More of More -Hall and the Dragon." - - - - -The Miracles and Ghost of Watton. - - -In a sweetly sequestered spot, environed by patriarchal trees of -luxuriant foliage, between the towns of Driffield and Beverley, nestles -a Tudoresque building, which goes by the name of Watton Abbey, although -it never was an abbey, but a Gilbertine Priory. It is now a private -residence, and was occupied for many years as a school, the existing -buildings apparently having been erected since the dissolution, and -there are but few remains of the original convent, saving a portion of -the nunnery, now converted into stables, a hollow square indicating the -site of the kitchen and the moat which originally surrounded the entire -enclosure. A couple of centuries ago there were extensive remains of -the old priory, but they were removed for the purpose of repairing -Beverley Minster. Moreover, the abbey has a haunted room, which, -however, has no connection with the monastic times, although the ghost -that haunts it is usually designated "The Headless Nun of Watton," but -belongs to the civil war period of the seventeenth century. The fact -is that story tellers of the legend confound two altogether different -narratives--the one of a trangressing nun of the twelfth century, and -the other of a murdered lady of the seventeenth, combining their two -histories into one story, as if their persons were identical. - -A nunnery was established here in a very early period of Anglo-Saxon -Christianity, probably soon after its re-introduction into Northumbria -by King Oswald, as we find St. John of Beverley performing a miracle -there, which would be about the year 720, after he had resigned his -Bishopric and retired to Beverley. It appears that he was an intimate -friend of the Lady Prioress--Heribury--and made frequent visits to -Watton to administer spiritual advice and ghostly consolation to the -inmates under her charge. On one occasion when he went thither, he -found the Prioress's daughter suffering great agony from a diseased and -swollen arm, the result of unskilful bleeding, and was solicited to go -to her chamber and give her his blessing, which might be the means of -alleviating the pain. He inquired when she had been bled, and was told -on the fourth day of the moon, which he said was a very inauspicious -day, quoting Archbishop Theodore as his authority, and he feared his -prayers would be of no avail. Nevertheless he went to her room, prayed -for her restoration to health, gave her his blessing, and went down to -dinner. They had, however, scarcely seated themselves when a servant -came in, stating that all her pain had gone, her swollen arm had been -reduced to its natural size, and that she was perfectly restored to -health, and was dressing to come down and dine with them. - -The nunnery was destroyed, it is presumed, by the Danes at the same -time that the Monastery of Beverley perished at their hands, in the -ninth century, and it lay waste and desolate until the twelfth century, -although we find from the Domesday survey that there were then a church -and priest in the village. - -In 1148-9, Eustace Fitz John, Lord of Knaresborough, and a favourite of -King Henry I., at the instance of Murdac, Archbishop of York, refounded -the convent, in atonement for certain crimes he had committed. It -was established for thirteen canons and thirty-six nuns of the new -Gilbertine order, who were to live in the same block of buildings, -but with a party wall for the separation of the sexes; the canons "to -serve the nuns perpetually in terrene as well as in divine matters." He -endowed it with the Lordship of Watton, with all its appurtenances in -pure and perpetual alms for the salvation of his soul, and those of his -wife, his father and mother, brothers and sisters, friends and servants. - -Archbishop Murdac was at the time resident at Beverley, the gates of -York having been shut against him; and it may be that the fact of his -predecessor, St. John, the patron-saint of the town where he dwelt, -having performed a great miracle there, was what influenced him in his -desire to see a resuscitation of the monastery. He was a remarkable -man, and had led a somewhat adventurous life. Archbishop Thurstan was -his patron, and gave him some preferments in the church of York, which -he resigned at the pressing invitation of St. Bernard, founder of the -Cistercians, to become a monk at Clervaux. Soon after he was sent by -his superior to found a Cistercian house at Vauclair, of which he was -appointed the first abbot, in 1131, where he remained until 1143, -when, at the recommendation of St. Bernard, he was elected Abbot of -Fountains. Under his judicious and able government the abbey prospered -and threw off not less than seven offshoots--those of Kirkstall, Lix, -Meaux, Vaudy, and Woburn. - -On the death of Archbishop Thurstan, King Stephen desired the canons -to elect William Fitzherbert, his nephew and their treasurer, in his -place, which they were willing to do, but the Cistercians, headed -by Murdac, suspecting that undue influence had been made use of, -vehemently opposed his election, and Pope Eugenius, on the appeal of -St. Bernard, suspended Fitzherbert. - -Fitzherbert, out of revenge, went with his friends to Fountains, broke -open the door, searched ineffectually for Murdac, then fired the abbey, -and retired. This act caused a great sensation, and the Archbishop -was deprived in 1147. The same year an assembly met at Richmond, and -elected Murdac as Archbishop, who immediately went to Rome and obtained -his pall from Pope Eugenius; but on his return found York barred -against his entrance, upon which he retired to Beverley. Stephen, the -King, refused to recognise him, sequestering the stalls of York, and -fining the town of Beverley for harbouring him. It was at this time -that he promoted the re-establishment of Watton, and placed within -its walls a child of four years of age to be educated, with a view of -taking the veil. - -In retaliation, he excommunicated Puisnet, Treasurer of York, and laid -the city under an interdict. Puisnet was afterwards elected Bishop of -Durham, upon which Murdac excommunicated the Prior and Archdeacon, who -came to Beverley to implore pardon, and could only obtain absolution on -acknowledging their fault and submitting to scourging at the entrance -to Beverley Minster. He died at Beverley in the same year (1153), and -was buried in York Cathedral. - -Elfleda, the child whom Murdac had placed in the convent, was a merry, -vivacious little creature; and whilst but a child was a source of -amusement to the sisterhood, who, although prim and demure in bearing, -and some of them sour-tempered and acid in their tempers, were wont to -smile at her youthful frolics and ringing laugh; but as she grew older, -her outbursts of merriment, and the sallies of wit that began to -animate her conversation, were checked, as being inconsistent with the -character of a young lady who was now enrolled as novice, preparatory -to taking the veil. As she advanced towards womanhood her form -gradually developed into a most symmetrical figure; and her features -became the perfection of beauty, set off with a transparent delicacy -of complexion, such as would have rendered her a centre of attraction -even among the beauties of a Royal Court. This excited the jealousy of -the sisters, who were chiefly elderly and middle-aged spinsters, whose -homely and somewhat coarse features had proved detrimental to their -hopes of obtaining husbands. They began to treat her with scornful -looks, chilling neglect, and petty persecutions; but when she, later -on, evinced a manifest repugnance to convent life, ridiculed the ways -of the holy sisters, and even satirised them, they charged her with -entertaining rebellious and ungodly sentiments, and subjected her -to penances and other modes of wholesome correction, such as they -considered would subdue her worldly spirit. - -Sprightly and light-hearted as she was, Elfleda was not happy, immured -as she was within these detested walls, and condemned to assist in -wearisome services, such as she thought might perhaps be congenial -to the souls of her elder sisters, whose hopes of worldly happiness -and conjugal endearment had been blighted, but which were altogether -unsuited for one so beautiful (for she knew that she was fair, and was -vain of her looks) and so cheerful-minded as herself; and she longed -with intense desire to make her escape, mingle with the outer world, -and have free intercourse with the other sex. - -According to the charter of endowment, the lay brethren of the -monastery were entrusted with the management of the secular affairs of -the nunnery, which necessitated their admission within its portals on -certain occasions for conference with the prioress. On these occasions -Elfleda would cast furtive and very un-nunlike glances upon their -persons. She was particularly attracted by one of them, a young man -of prepossessing mien and seductive style of speech, and she felt her -heart beat wildly whenever he came with the other visitors. He noticed -her surreptitious glances, and saw that she was exceedingly beautiful, -and his heart responded to the sentiment he felt that he had inspired -in hers. They maintained this silent but eloquent language of love for -some time, and soon found means of having stolen interviews under the -darkness of night, when vows of everlasting love were interchanged, and -led, eventually, to consequences which at the outset were not dreamt of -by the erring pair. - -Suspicion having been excited by her altered form, she was summoned -before her superiors on a charge of "transgressing the conventual -rules and violating one of the most stringent laws of monastic life," -and as concealment was impossible, she boldly confessed her fault, -adding that she had no vocation for a convent life, and desired to be -banished from the community. This request could not be listened to for -a moment. The culprit had brought a scandal and indelible stain upon -the fair fame of the house, which must, at any cost, be concealed from -the world; and her open avowal of her guilt raised in the breasts of -the pious sisterhood a perfect fury of indignation, and a determination -to inflict immediate and condign punishment on her. It was variously -suggested that she should be burnt to death, that she should be walled -up alive, that she should be flayed, that her flesh should be torn -from her bones with red-hot pincers, that she should be roasted to -death before a fire, etc.; but the more prudent and aged averted these -extreme measures, and suggested some milder forms of punishment, which -were at once carried out. The miserable object of their vengeance was -stripped of her clothing, stretched on the floor, and scourged with -rods until the blood trickled down profusely from her lacerated back. -She was then cast into a noisome dungeon, without light, fettered by -iron chains to the floor, and supplied with only bread and water, -"which was administered with bitter taunts and reproaches." - -Meanwhile the young man, her paramour, had left the monastery, and as -the nuns were desirous of inflicting some terrible punishment upon him -for his horrible crime, they extorted from Elfleda, under promise that -she should be released and given up to him, the confession that he was -still in the neighbourhood in disguise, and that not knowing of the -discovery that had been made, he would come to visit her, and make the -usual signal of throwing a stone on the roof over her sleeping cell. -The Prioress made this known to the brethren of the monastery, and -arranged with them for his capture. The following night he came, looked -cautiously round, and then threw the stone, when the monks rushed -out of ambush, cudgelled him soundly, and then took him a prisoner -into the house. "The younger part of the nuns, inflamed with a pious -zeal, demanded the custody of the prisoner, on pretence of gaining -further information. Their request was granted, and taking him to an -unfrequented part of the convent, they committed on his person such -brutal atrocities as cannot be translated without polluting the page -on which they are written; and, to increase the horror, the lady was -brought forth to be witness of the abominable scene." Whilst lying in -her dungeon, Elfleda became penitent, and conscious of having committed -a gross crime, and one night whilst sleeping in her fetters, Archbishop -Murdac appeared to her and charged her with having cursed him. She -replied that she certainly had cursed him for having placed her in so -uncongenial a sphere. "Rather curse yourself," said he, "for having -given way to temptation." "So I do," she answered, "and I regret having -imputed the blame to you." He then exhorted her to repentance and the -daily repetition of certain psalms, and then vanished,--a vision which -afforded her much consolation. - -The holy sisters were now much troubled on the question of what should -be done with the infant which was expected daily, and preparations -were made for its reception; when Elfleda was again visited by the -Archbishop, accompanied by two women who, "with the holy aid of the -Archbishop, safely delivered her of the infant, which they bore away -in their arms, covered with a fair linen cloth." When the nuns came -the next morning they found her in perfect health and restored to her -youthful appearance, without any signs of the accouchement, and charged -her with murdering the infant,--a very improbable idea, seeing that she -was still chained to the floor. She narrated what had occurred, but was -not believed. The next night all her fetters were miraculously removed, -and when her cell was entered the following morning she was found -standing free, and the chains not to be found. - -The Father Superior of the convent was then called in, and he invited -Alured, Abbot of Rievaulx, to assist him in the investigation of the -case, who decided that it was a miraculous intervention, and the Abbot -departed, saying, "What God hath cleansed call not thou common or -unclean, and whom He hath loosed thou mayest not bind." - -What afterwards became of Elfleda is not stated, but we may presume -that after these miraculous events she would be admitted as a thrice -holy member of the sisterhood, despite her little peccadillo. - -Alured of Rievaulx, the monkish chronicler, narrates the substance of -the above circumstances, and vouches for their truth. "Let no one," -says he, "doubt the truth of this account, for I was an eye-witness -to many of the facts, and the remainder were related to me by persons -of such mature age and distinguished piety, that I cannot doubt the -accuracy of the statement." - -This is the story of the frail and unfortunate nun; the other, which is -usually dovetailed on the former, is of much more recent date. In the -present house there is a chamber wainscoted throughout with panelled -oak, one of the panels forming a door, so accurately fitted that it -cannot be distinguished from the other panels. It is opened by a secret -spring, and communicates with a stone stair that goes down to the moat; -it may be that the room was a hiding-place for the Jesuits or priests -of the Catholic Church when they were so ruthlessly hunted down and -barbarously executed in the Elizabethan and Jacobean reigns. The room -is reputed to be haunted by the ghost of a headless lady with an infant -in her arms, who comes, or came thither formerly, to sleep nightly, the -bed-clothes being found the following morning in a disordered state, as -they would be after a person had been sleeping in them. If by chance -any person had daring enough to occupy the room, the ghost would come, -minus the head, dressed in blood-stained garments, with her infant -in her arms, and would stand motionless at the foot of the bed for a -while, and then vanish. A visitor on one occasion, who knew nothing of -the legend, was put to sleep in the chamber, who in the morning stated -that his slumbers had been disturbed by a spectral visitant, in the -form of a lady with bloody raiment and an infant, and that her features -bore a strange resemblance to those of a lady whose portrait hung in -the room; from which it would appear that on that special occasion she -had donned her head. - -According to the legend, a lady of distinction who then occupied the -house was a devoted Royalist in the great civil war which resulted in -the death of King Charles. It was after the battle of Marston Moor, -which was a death-blow to the Royalists north of the Humber, and when -the Parliamentarians dominated the broad lands of Yorkshire, that a -party of fanatical Roundheads came into the neighbourhood of Watton, -"breathing out threatenings and slaughter" against the "malignants," -and especially against such as still clung to the "vile rags of the -whore of Babylon," vowing to put all such to the sword. The Lady of -Watton, who was a devout Catholic, heard of this band of Puritan -soldiers, who were "rampaging" over the Wolds, and of the barbarous -murders of which they had been guilty. Her husband was away fighting -in the ranks of the King down Oxford way, and she was left without -any protector excepting a handful of servants, male and female, who -would be of no use against a band of armed soldiers, and it was with -great fear and trembling that she heard of their arrival at Driffield, -some three or four miles distant, where they had been plundering -and maltreating "the Philistines;" fearing more for her infant than -herself, as she believed the prevalent exaggerated rumour, that it was -a favourite amusement with them to toss babies up in the air and catch -them on the points of their pikes. - -At length news was brought that the marauders were on the march to -Watton, for the purpose of plundering it, as the home of a malignant, -and the lady, for better security, shut herself, with her child and -her jewels, in the wainscoted room, hoping in case of extremity to -escape by means of a secret stair, and in the meanwhile committed -herself and child to the care of the Virgin Mother. It was not long ere -the band of soldiers arrived and hammered at the door, calling aloud -for admittance, but met with no response. They were about breaking -down the door, and went in search of implements for the purpose, when -they caught sight of a low archway opening upon the moat, which they -guessed to be a side entrance to the house, and crossing the moat, they -found the stair, which they ascended and came to the panel, which they -concluded was a disguised door. A few blows sufficed to dash it open, -and they came into the presence of the lady, who was prostrate before -a crucifix. Rising up, she demanded what they wanted, and wherefore -this rude intrusion. They replied that they had come to despoil the -"Egyptian" who owned the mansion, and if he had been present, to smite -him to death as a worshipper of idols and an abomination in the eyes of -God. - -An angry altercation ensued, the lady, who possessed a high spirit, -making a free use of her tongue in upbraidings and reproaches for their -dastardly conduct on the Wolds, of which she had heard, to which they -listened very impatiently, and replied in coarse language not fit for a -lady's ears, at the same time demanding the plate and other valuables -of the house. She scornfully refused to give them up, and told them -that if they wanted them they must find them for themselves, and at -length so provoked them by her taunts that they cried, "Hew down with -the sword the woman of Belial and the spawn of the malignant," and -suiting the action to the word, they caught her child from her arms, -dashed its brains out against the wall, and then cut her down and -"hewed" off her head, after which they plundered the house and departed -with their spoil. - -It must not be supposed that these ruffians were a fair specimen of the -brave, God-fearing men who fought under Fairfax, and put Newcastle -and Rupert to flight at Marston Moor, who fought with the sword in -one hand and the Bible in the other, who laid the axe at the root of -Royal abitrary prerogative, and were the real authors of the civil and -religious liberty which we now enjoy. But, as in all times of civil -commotion, there were evil-minded wretches who, for purpose of plunder, -assumed the garb and adopted the phraseology of the noble-minded -soldiers of Fairfax and Hampden, and the Ironsides of Cromwell, -out-Puritaned them in their hypocritical cant, bringing disgrace and -scandal upon the armies with which they associated themselves. And such -were the villains who despoiled Watton, and slew so barbarously the -poor lady and her infant; and from that time the ghost of the lady has -haunted the room in which the deed was perpetrated. - -In the year 1780, Mr. Bethell, the then occupier of the house, was -giving a dinner-party in the dining-room, which adjoined the haunted -apartment. When they were seated over their wine the host related the -story of the ghost, and had scarcely finished it when an unearthly -sound issued from the floor beneath their feet. Consternation seized -on the party. They concluded that it was the ghost, and to their -imagination the candles began to emit a blue, ghostly light. It seemed -to be a confirmation of the truth of the story; but they summoned up -courage enough to make an examination, and although it was approaching -the "witching hour of night," they sent for a carpenter, who took up -some planks of the floor, and found--not the ghost, but the nest of an -otter from the moat, who had made there a home for her progeny, whose -cries had alarmed them; and thus was dissipated what might otherwise -have been deemed a veritable supernatural visitation. - - - - -The Murdered Hermit of Eskdale. - - -Sir Richard de Veron was a distinguished knight of the North Riding, -who held a considerable estate by knight's service of the De Brus -family in Cleveland. He was one of the heroes of the Battle of the -Standard, in 1138, who went forth at the behest of Archbishop Thurstan -to oppose the invasion of David of Scotland, and who signally defeated -that monarch. A few years after, he joined the forces of the Empress -Maud, whose pretensions to the throne of England he considered to -be more legitimate than those of Stephen, and fought on her side at -Lincoln, in 1141, when the King was defeated and taken prisoner, -continuing to uphold her cause until she was compelled to retire from -England. The war being thus brought to an end, and the adherents of -the Empress generally declining to take service under a King whom they -deemed a usurper, and by whom they were looked upon with suspicion, -De Veron sheathed his sword and retired to his family and home in -Cleveland. He had a wife, whom he dearly loved, and two children, a -boy--his heir, and a sweet little daughter for whom he entertained -the most tender affection; indeed, although he delighted in the clash -of arms and the exciting revelry of war, he was never so truly happy -as when in the midst of his family, teaching his young son to ride, -practice at the target, and follow his hounds in pursuit of the wild -animals of the chase; or listening to the prattle of his little -daughter, when taking lessons from her mother in reading, music, or -embroidery work. Thus happily passed a few months after his return -from his martial pursuits, when one morning, news was brought that a -case of plague had occurred in the village, causing, as it always did, -great consternation not only amongst the villagers, but in the knight's -mansion, which stood half a mile away from the village. It was hoped -that it might be an isolated case, and such rude remedial measures as -were then known were adopted to prevent the spread of the infection, -but within a week another case was reported, and another and another in -rapid succession, after which it spread with fearful speed, until half -the population succumbed to it, and were hastily buried without the -usual funeral rites. In a month the disease appeared to be dying out, -the deaths were fewer and fewer day by day, and it was fondly hoped -that the terrible infliction was passing away, but it was not until -three-fourths of the people had fallen victims to its pestilential fury. - -Although Sir Richard hesitated not to go down to the village and -employ himself in administering food, medicine, and consolation to -the afflicted, he took every known precaution against coming into too -close contact with the infected; he kept his family closely shut up at -home, and occupied a separate set of apartments himself, not allowing -them to come into his presence; but notwithstanding all his preventive -measures he was at last stricken down. He gave positive orders that he -should be left alone, and if it was God's will that he should die, he -declared his resolution that he would die alone, and with affectionate -earnestness sent a message to his wife, entreating her to remain apart -from him, and not imperil her dear life by coming to his bedside. But -she, true wife as she was, heeded not the risk to her own life, so long -as she could afford comfort and spiritual consolation to him, in what -might very probably be his last few moments on earth, and regardless of -the injunction, hastened, on receiving the message, to the room where -he lay. He reproached her gently for exposing herself to the risk of -infection, but was met by assurances that it was not possible for her -to remain away whilst he was lying there requiring careful tendence, -with all the servants standing aloof panic-stricken, or flying from the -house. He implored her to retire, but she replied that she might or -might not take the infection; that was as God pleased, and if she did -she might or might not fall a victim, but most assuredly if she left -him alone and shut herself up away from him she would die of anxiety, -or, in case of his death, of a broken heart. Finding remonstrance -useless, he was fain to submit to her nursing, and happily during the -night the malady passed its crisis, his strong, healthy constitution -enabling him to battle successfully with the disease, and he gradually -became convalescent. - -Happiness again seemed to be dawning over the household, but it was not -destined to last long. The faithful wife, who had watched so tenderly -over his sick bed, regardless of the risk she ran, maintained her -health so long as her services were needed, but in her ministrations -she had imbibed the seed of the fatal malady, and now, when her husband -was restored to health, the terrible plague spot made its appearance, -and so rapidly did the disease develop itself that, within twenty-four -hours, she fell a victim to its remorseless energy. It was a fearful -blow to Sir Richard, but this was not all the suffering he had to -undergo. Scarcely had he returned from the obsequies of his wife, when -his two children caught the infection, and in another four-and-twenty -hours they were both carried off, leaving him bereft of all the -best-beloved of his soul, and sunk in the depths of desolation and -despair. - -For some months he remained in his silent and cheerless home in -a state of profound apathy, taking no interest in the avocations -devolving on him as the lord of an extensive estate. It is true he -befriended, pecuniarily, the numerous widows and orphans left in the -village by the ruthless pestilence that had swept over it, and he -contributed large sums of money to the Church for prayers and masses -for the souls of the departed, not only of his own family, but of his -vassals and dependants. Nothing seemed capable of rousing him from the -despondency into which he had fallen; the sports of the field were -altogether neglected; the cheerful companionship of friends presented -no attractions for him, and he sat at home hour after hour through the -live-long day, plunged in moody melancholy and repining meditation on -his irreparable loss, and the utter extinction of all that was worth -living for. And thus passed week after week and month after month, -Time, the great mollifier of grief, seeming to impart no balm to his -sorrow-stricken soul. - -The only person whom he admitted as a visitor, besides those who -came on imperative business matters, was Father Anselm, a pious and -devout man, the priest of the village church. It was in his company -only, and in listening to his spiritual converse, that he felt any -relief from the grief that oppressed him, and gradually, after many -interviews, he began to look upon his affliction as a providential -dispensation, intended for some wise purpose. Gradually also he became -more weaned from earthly and secular things, and his soul to become -more spiritualised, and he began to experience a feeling of attraction -to the cloister. One day he mentioned this to his spiritual adviser, -and Father Anselm, rejoicing thereat, warmly applauded the feeling, -urging that such self-devotion would be most acceptable to God, and -that it was only in religious meditation and prayer that he would be -vouchsafed that true consolation which religion alone could give. The -holy father perhaps was not altogether single-minded in thus fostering -the idea of assuming the cowl, for he was a true Churchman, considering -that the promotion of the temporal aggrandisement of the Church was an -essential part of the duty of a Christian, a sentiment then universally -prevalent, and not unusual now. He knew that Sir Richard was the owner -of broad acres, and that now he had no heir to inherit them, and -he often made delicate and incidental allusions to the fact, which -seemed to produce an impression on the mind of the knight. At last an -opportunity offered itself of speaking out more openly. With a profound -sigh, Sir Richard one day said, when the conversation had turned upon -his estates and possessions, "Alas! why should I trouble or concern -myself about these lands and the improvements that might be made on -them? I shall never more be able to derive pleasure from the possession -of them, and I have no heir to bequeath them to. What is the good of -riches if they do not afford happiness? A crust and water from the -wayside brook with happiness is better than untold wealth accompanied -with sorrow and anguish of heart." - -Father Anselm saw his opportunity, and pertinently asked, "Since you -have no heir, why not make the holy Church of Christ your heir? By -doing so you would garner up for yourself riches in heaven--an eternity -of inconceivable happiness compared with which in duration your present -suffering is but as the pang of a moment." - -Sir Richard sat musing for the space of a quarter of an hour, and then -said, "Holy Father, what you say seems good, fitting, and worthy of -consideration. Give me a week to think it over, and at the expiration -of that period I will commune with you further on the subject," and -Father Anselm took his departure. - -At the week's end, when they met again, Sir Richard opened the subject -by saying, "Venerable Father, I have since our last meeting given -deep consideration to your counsels, and have come to the resolution -of doing as you advise me. I have determined on assuming the monkish -habit; spending the remainder of my life in pious communion with some -holy brotherhood; and on resigning my possessions into the hands of the -Church of God." - -"It is good," replied Father Anselm. "Have you thought of any specific -house on which to bestow your donation?" - -"It occurred to me," continued Sir Richard, "to become a canon of the -Augustinian house recently founded by my feudal Lord, Robert de Brus, -at Guisborough, and to add my lands to its further endowment." - -"Permit me to counsel you otherwise," said the Father, "Guisborough, -as an Augustinian house, is not so strict in its discipline as other -monastic houses, and is already very fairly endowed. But there is -another, of the Benedictine order, where you would have an opportunity -of cultivating a more strictly religious and less secular frame of -mind--I mean Whitby, a holy spot, once sanctified by the presence of -the blessed St. Hilda. It was founded by King Oswy in 687, was laid in -ruins by the sacrilegious Danes in 867, and so remained for another -couple of hundred years, when God moved the heart of Will de Percy to -refound it as a Priory. Within the last few years it has again been -converted into an Abbey; but it lacks endowment for the due maintenance -of its superior dignity. Let me advise you, therefore, to cast in your -lot with these Benedictines, and win the approval of God by bestowing -your wealth in his service, where it is much needed." - -Sir Richard assented to this suggestion, caused a deed of gift to be -drawn, in which he conveyed his lands to the Abbot and convent of -Whitby, and entered the house as a novice; and in due time, at the -expiration of his novitiate, was admitted as a monk. - -Brother Jerome (to use his monastic appellation) soon attracted notice -by the fervour of his piety, his asceticism, and a strict and sincere -observance of the conventual rules; as well as by his humility and -obedience to the ordinances of his superiors. It chanced that after he -had been in the house a few years, the Prior, whose position was that -of sub-Abbot in the house, sickened and died; and, at a meeting of the -chapter to elect his successor, Brother Jerome was suggested as the -most fitting, by his manifest piety and abilities, for the office; but -he resolutely declined taking it upon himself, preferring, as he said, -to be rather a hewer of wood or drawer of water--the servant of the -brotherhood--than to hold any superior office. - -In the course of his meditations he was wont to cast a retrospective -glance on his past life, and to grieve over his career as a soldier -and a shedder of blood; especially did he mourn over the excesses of -barbarous cruelty into which he had been drawn in emulation of the -ferocity of his fellow-soldiers, when marching under the banner of -the Empress, remembering with tears of bitter remorse, the burning -villages, the homeless people, the corpse-strewn fields, and the widows -and orphans they left in their rear. The more he thought of these -past phases of his life, the more intense became his self-reproaches -and the compunction excited by a sense of guilt and sin. He sought by -mortification and maceration of the flesh to make atonement for these -blood-stained deeds, but despite these self-inflicted punishments, he -was not able to find rest for his soul. For ever, when prostrate in -prayer, would they rise up before him, and the enemy of mankind would -whisper in his ear, "Thou fool! what is the good of praying and fasting -and weeping? Thy sins are too heinous for pardon; thou hast given -up thy possessions to secure a heritage in heaven, but thy guilt is -so damning that thou wilt assuredly find its gate shut against thee. -Instead of leading a miserable and wretched life here in the cloister, -return to the world and enjoy life while it lasts, for in either case -there is nothing to hope for in the future." - -Jerome took counsel of the Abbot, an old, wise, and experienced -Christian, who at once detected the cloven hoof in the temptation, and -was successful in convincing the tempted one of the fact, advising him -to go on in the course he was pursuing, assuring him that there was -mercy for the vilest of sinners if penitent, which afforded him great -consolation. - -Nevertheless the remorse-stricken sinner considered that his -misdeeds had been such that he could scarcely do sufficient in the -way of mortification to obliterate the guilt of the past, and he -determined upon withdrawing himself entirely from communion with his -fellow-creatures, even from the Holy Brotherhood of Whitby, and devote -the remainder of his life to meditation and prayer altogether apart -from the world. - -Connected with the Abbey there was, in a solitary place of the forest -which fringed the banks of the Esk, a chapel where the monks were wont -to retire at certain seasons for the purpose of devotion, away from the -bustle and distraction inevitable in a large community; and in close -proximity to this chapel, Jerome built for himself a wooden hut in -which to pass his remaining years as a hermit, secluded from society, -living on wild fruit and roots, quenching his thirst from the streamlet -which trickled past, and spending his days and nights in prayer, -flagellation, and abstinence. - -Resident in the neighbourhood of Whitby were two landed -proprietors--Ralph de Perci, Lord of Sneton, and William de Brus, -Lord of Ugglebarnby, who were great lovers of hunting and other field -sports, and near them lived one Allatson, a gentleman and freeholder. -The three were boon companions, and constantly meeting in the pursuance -of country sports, and at each other's houses for the purpose of -carousing together. One night when they were thus assembled together -they arranged to go boar-hunting on the following day, which was -the 16th of October, 5th Henry II., in the forest of Eskdale; and -soon after dinner they met, attired in their hunting garbs, with -boar-staves in their hands, and accompanied by a pack of boar-hounds, -yelping and barking, and as eager for the sport as their masters. - -A boar was soon started, which plunged into the recesses of the forest, -followed by the hounds in full cry, and by the hunters, shouting to -encourage them. Onward they rushed, through brake and briar, the huge -animal clearing a pathway through the tangled underwood, which enabled -his pursuers to follow without much impediment. Onward they went in -hot speed, the hounds sometimes overtaking the boar, and tearing him -with their fangs, and the hunters beating him with their staves, -maddening him with rage, and causing him to turn upon his pursuers, -and rend the dogs with his fangs, as he would also the hunters, could -he have escaped the environment of the dogs; and then he would dash -onward again, evidently becoming more and more exhausted from wounds -and bruises and loss of blood, until at length they came in sight -of the chapel and hermitage; from which point we cannot do better -than continue the narrative in the words of Burton, as given in his -"Monasticon Ebor." - -"The boar," says he, "being very sore and very hotly pursued, and dead -run, took in at the chapel door and there died, whereof the hermit -shut the hounds out of the chapel and kept himself within at his -meditations, the hounds standing at bay without. - -"The gentlemen called to the hermit (Brother Jerome), who opened the -door. They found the boar dead, for which they, in very great fury -(because their hounds were put from their game) did, most violently and -cruelly, run at the hermit with their boar staves, whereby he died soon -after." - -Fearful of the consequences of their crime, they fled to Scarborough, -and took sanctuary in the church; but the Abbot of Whitby, who was a -friend of the King, was authorised to take them out, "whereby they came -in danger of the law, and not to be privileged, but likely to have the -severity of the law, which was death." - -The hermit, who had been brought to Whitby Abbey, lay at the point of -death when the prisoners were brought thither; and hearing of their -arrival, he besought the Abbot that they might be brought into his -presence; and when they made their appearance said to them, "I am sure -to die of these wounds you gave me." "Aye," quoth the Abbot, "and they -shall surely die for the same." "Not so," continued the dying man, "for -I will freely forgive them my death if they will be contented to be -enjoined this penance for the safeguard of their souls." "Enjoin what -penance you will," replied the culprits, "so that you save our lives." -Then Brother Jerome explained the nature of the penance:--"You and -yours shall hold your lands of the Abbot of Whitby and his successors -in this manner. That upon Ascension Eve, you, or some of you, shall -come to the woods of Strayheads, which is in Eskdale, the same day at -sunrising, and there shall the abbot's officer blow his horn, to the -intent that you may know how to find him; and he shall deliver unto -you, William de Brus, ten stakes, eleven strutstowers, and eleven -yethers, to be cut by you, or some of you, with a knife of one penny -price; and you, Ralph de Perci, shall take twenty and one of each sort, -to be cut in the same manner; and you, Allatson, shall take nine of -each sort to be cut as aforesaid, and to be taken on your backs and -carried to the town of Whitby, and to be there before nine of the clock -the same day before mentioned. If at the same hour of nine of the -clock it be full sea, your labour or service shall cease; but if it -be not full sea, each of you shall set your stakes at the brim and so -yether them, on each side of your yethers, and so stake on each side -with your strowers, that they may stand three tides, without removing -by the force thereof. Each of you shall make and execute the said -service at that very hour, every year, except it shall be full sea at -that hour; but when it shall so fall out, this service shall cease.... -You shall faithfully do this, in remembrance that you did most cruelly -slay me; and that you may the better call to God for mercy, repent -unfeignedly for your sins, and do good works. The officer of Eskdale -side shall blow--'Out on you! out on you! out on you!' for this heinous -crime. If you, or your successors, shall refuse this service, so long -as it shall not be full sea, at the aforesaid hour, you, or yours, -shall forfeit your lands to the Abbot of Whitby, or his successors. -This I entreat, and earnestly beg that you may have lives and goods -preserved for this service; and I request of you to promise, by your -parts in Heaven, that it shall be done by you and your successors as -it is aforesaid requested, and I will confirm it by the faith of an -honest man." Then the hermit said, "My soul longeth for the Lord; and -I do freely forgive these men my death, as Christ forgave the thief -upon the cross," and in the presence of the Abbot and the rest, he -said, moreover, these words, "In manas tuas, domine, commendo spiritum, -meum, avinculis enim mortis redemisti me Domine veritatis. Amen." So -he yielded up the ghost the 8th day of December, A.D. 1160, upon whose -soul God have mercy. Amen. - -In 1753, the service was rendered by the last of the Allatsons, the -Lords of Sneton and Ugglebarnby having, it is supposed, bought off -their share of the penance. He held a piece of land, of L10 a year, at -Fylingdales, for which he brought five stakes, eight yethers, and six -strutstowers, and whilst Mr. Cholmley's bailiff, on an antique bugle -horn, blew "out on you," he made a slight edge of them a little way -into the shallow of the river. - -Burton, writing in 1757, adds, "This little farm is now out of the -Allatson family, but the present owner performed the service last -Ascension Eve, A.D. 1756." - -The horn garth or yether hedge, as the fence was called, was -constructed yearly on the east side of the Esk for the purpose of -keeping cattle from the landing places. - -Charlton, in his history of Whitby, discredits this tradition, saying -that there were no such persons as those mentioned, and no chapel, -only a hermitage in the forest; that the making of the horn garth is -of much older date than that indicated, and that there is no record in -the annals of the abbey of its ever having been made by way of penance; -concluding that it is altogether a monkish invention. - - - - -The Calverley Ghost. - - -A little northward of the road from Bradford to Leeds, four miles -distant from the former and seven from the latter, lies the village -of Calverley, the seat of a knightly family of that name for some -600 years. They occupied a stately mansion, which was converted into -workmen's tenements early in the present century, and the chapel -transformed into a wheelwright's shop. - -Near by is a lane, a weird and lonesome road a couple of centuries ago, -overshadowed as it was by trees, which cast a ghostly gloom over it -after the setting of the sun. It was not much frequented excepting in -broad daylight, and even then only by the bolder and more stout-hearted -of the village rustics, whilst the majority would as soon have dared -to sleep in the charnel-house under the church as have passed down it -by night, or even in the gloaming. Instances were known of strangers -having unwittingly gone through it, all of whom, however, came forth -with trembling limbs and scared faces, their hair erect on their -heads, and the perspiration streaming down from their foreheads. -When questioned as to what they had seen, the reply was always the -same, a cloudlike apparition, thin, transparent, and unsubstantial, -bearing the semblance of a human figure, with no seeming clothing, but -simply a misty, impalpable shape; the features frenzied with rage and -madness, and in the right hand the appearance of a bloody dagger. The -apparition, they averred, seemed to consolidate into form out of a -mist which environed them soon after entering the lane, and continued -to accompany them, but without sound, sign, or motion, save that of -gliding along, accommodating itself to the pace of the terrified -passenger, which was usually that of a full run, until the other end of -the lane was reached, when it melted again into a mere shapeless mass -of vapour. - -The apparition was that of the disquieted soul of a certain Walter -Calverley, which was denied the calm repose of death, and condemned -to flit about this lane, as a penance for a great and unnatural crime -of which he had been guilty. Various attempts were made to exorcise -the restless spirit, but all were ineffectual until some very potent -spiritual agencies were employed, which were successful in "laying -the ghost," but only for a time, as they operate only so long as a -certain holly tree, planted by the hand of the delinquent, continues to -flourish, when that decays the ghost may again be looked for. - -The Calverleys (originally Scott) were a family of distinction in -Yorkshire from the time of Henry I. to the period of the great Civil -War, intermarrying with some of the best families, and producing a -succession of notable men. - -John Scott was steward to Maud, daughter of Malcolm Canmore, King of -Scotland, and niece of Edgar the Atheling, the last scion of the Saxon -race of English Kings; he accompanied her to England on the occasion -of her alliance with King Henry I., and married Larderina, daughter of -Alphonsus Gospatrick, Lord of Calverley and other Yorkshire manors, -who was descended from Gospatrick, Earl of Northumbria, who so stoutly -supported the claims of Edgar the Atheling to the crown of England in -opposition to that of the usurping conqueror, William the Norman. By -this marriage, John Scott became _j.u._ Lord of Calverley. - -William, his grandson, gave the vicarage of Calverley to the chantry of -the Blessed Virgin, York Cathedral, _temp._ Henry III. - -John, his descendant, in the fourteenth century, assumed the name of de -Calverley in lieu of Scott. - -Sir John, Knight, his son, had issue three sons and a daughter, Isabel, -who became Prioress of Esholt. - -John, his son, was one of the squires to Anne, Queen of Richard II. He -fought in the French wars, was captured there, and beheaded for some -"horrible crime, the particulars of which are not known," and dying -_cael_, was succeeded by his brother, Walter, whose second son, Sir -Walter, was instrumental in the rebuilding of the church of Calverley, -and caused his arms--six owls--to be carved on the woodwork. - -Sir John, Knight, his son, was created a Knight-Banneret, and slain at -Shrewsbury, 1403, fighting under the banner of Henry IV. against the -Percies. Dying _s.p._, his brother Walter succeeded, whose second son, -Thomas, was ancestor, by his wife, Agnes Scargill, of the Calverleys -of Morley and of county Cumberland. - -Sir William, his grandson, was created a Knight-Banneret for valour in -the Scottish wars, by the Earl of Surrey; his grandson, Sir William -Knight, was Sheriff of Yorkshire, and died 1571; Thomas, his second -son, was ancestor of the Calverleys of county Durham. Sir Walter, his -son, had issue three sons, of whom Edmund, the third, was ancestor of -the Calverleys of counties Sussex and Surrey. - -William, the eldest son of Sir Walter, whose portrait was exhibited -at York in 1868, married Catherine, daughter of Sir John Thornholm, -Knight, of Haysthorpe, near Bridlington. This lady was a devoted -Catholic, and suffered much persecution for adhering to her faith and -giving refuge to proscribed priests, the estates being sequestered and -some manors sold to pay the fine for recusancy. They had issue Walter, -the subject of this tradition. - -Walter Calverley was born in the reign of Elizabeth, and in his youth -witnessed the relentless persecutions which his family, being adherents -of the old faith, had to endure from the ascendant Protestantism, which -held the reins of government. Those of the reformed religion were wont -to style Mary the "Bloody Queen," for the number of executions and -barbarities which, in the name of religion, stained the annals of her -reign; but it was a notable instance of the pot-and-kettle style of -vituperation, as the burning and hanging and quartering and pressing -to death of Jesuits and seminary priests, and of lay men and women who -afforded them refuge, went on as merrily during the reigns of her two -following successors, as did the roasting of heretics at Smithfield and -elsewhere under Bonner and Gardiner. He was witness, when a boy, of the -barbarous treatment to which his mother was subjected for worshipping -God according to the dictates of her conscience and for daring to -shelter priests of her persuasion. - -Walter was a lad of strong passions and vehement spirit, and the sight -of the sufferings endured by the friends and co-religionists of his -family drove him almost to madness. He would stamp his foot, clench -his fist, and vow vengeance upon the perpetrators, and it is highly -probable that he consorted and plotted with Guy Fawkes and others -of the gunpowder conspirators at Scotton, near Knaresborough, and -might have had a hand in the great plot itself, which culminated and -collapsed in the same year that he committed the crime which cost him -his life. - -He married Philippa, daughter of the Hon. Henry Brooke, fifth son of -George, fourth Baron Cobham, and sister of John, first Baron of the -second creation, and by her had issue three sons, the third of whom, -Henry, succeeded to the estates, whose son, Sir Walter, was a great -sufferer in person and estate for his loyalty during the Civil War, -and who was father of Sir Walter, who was created a baronet by Queen -Anne in 1711, the title becoming extinct in 1777, on the death, without -surviving issue, of his son, Sir Walter Calverley-Blackett. - -For a few years the newly-married couple lived in tolerable harmony -and happiness, such as falls to the lot of most married people. They -looked forward to giving an heir to the family estates who should -perpetuate the name in lineal descent; but the months and years passed -by, and they began to experience the truth that "hope deferred maketh -the heart sick," as no heir made his appearance, which was an especial -disappointment to the Lord of the Calverley domain, and gave rise to -the idea that he had married one who was barren, and incapable of -giving him an heir. Brooding over this impediment to his hopes, he -grew moody and discontented; treated his wife not only with neglect, -but upbraided her with opprobrious epithets, treated her with cold and -cruel disfavour, and in his occasional violent outbursts of passion -would wish her dead, that he might marry again to a more fruitful wife. -Moreover he gave way to over-indulgence in deep potations of ale, sack, -and "distilled waters," which added fire and force to his naturally -fierce temperament, and rendered him almost maniacal in his acts. He -was profuse in his hospitality to his neighbours, frequently giving -dinner parties to his roystering friends, with whom he would sit until -late in the night, or rather until early in the morning carousing over -their cups. - -Amongst the friends who thus visited him was a certain country squire -of the name of Leventhorpe, a young fellow of handsome figure and -insinuating address, who would drink his bottle with the veriest -toper, and yet would conduct himself in the company of ladies with the -utmost decorum and most fascinating demeanour, would converse with -them on flowers and birds and tapestry work, and quote with admirable -accentuation and feeling passages from the writings of the popular -poets, or recite with pathos and humour the novelettes of the Italian -romancists, which then were the delight of every lady's boudoir. He -was introduced by Calverley to his wife, and she being naturally of a -lively, vivacious disposition, and, like ladies of the present age, -a passionate admirer of works of fiction and imagination, she took -great pleasure in his society, as, indeed, he did in hers, and he was -consequently a constant visitor at Calverley Hall, whether invited or -not, and whether the lady's husband was at home or not; but always -was he gladly welcome, and in pure innocence and without any idea -of impropriety, by the lady. On his side, too, he went to the house -as a man might do to that of a sister, without any sentiment save -that of friendship, or, at the utmost, a feeling of platonic love. -Not so, however, the lady's husband. He began to feel annoyed and -disquieted at witnessing their growing intimacy, but hitherto saw no -reason to doubt the fidelity of his wife. Some twelve months after -the introduction of Leventhorpe to the Hall, symptoms became evident -of the probable birth of a child, and Calverley at first hailed the -prospect with satisfaction, praying and hoping that it might prove to -be the long-wished-for son and heir. In due course the child was born, -and of the desired sex, and great were the rejoicings and splendid the -banqueting at the christening. The next year a second son made his -appearance, and then dark thoughts and suspicions began to flit across -Calverley's mind. He considered it strange that no child should have -been born during the early years of his marriage, but that immediately -after Leventhorpe's introduction to the house his wife began to prove -fruitful, and had borne two children, with the prospect of a third. -He brooded over these dark thoughts by night and day until they -ripened into positive jealousy and the belief that the children were -Leventhorpe's, and not his own. - -Influenced by these sentiments, he drank still more deeply, and -was frequently subjected to _delirium tremens_ and maniacal fits -of passion, which rendered him the terror of all by whom he was -surrounded. He could not openly accuse Leventhorpe of a breach of the -seventh commandment, of which he believed him guilty, as he had no -basis of fact upon which to ground the charge; but he found means -to quarrel with him on some frivolous point, and made use of such -expressions of vituperation as he thought would impel him to demand -satisfaction at the sword's point; but Leventhorpe was a quiet, -peaceable man, who swallowed the affront, attributing it to the -deranged state of his friend's mind, induced by too free application to -the bottle; and he simply abstained from visiting the house. - -"He is a coward as well as a knave," said Calverley to himself. "No -gentleman would listen to such language as I have used and submit to it -patiently like a beaten cur, without resenting it with his sword, and -this circumstance proves his guilt, and the certainty of my suspicions; -but I will be amply revenged on both him and his paramour and their -progeny;" and he drank and drank day after day, and more and more -deeply, until he at length brought himself to a state fitting him for a -madhouse and personal restraint. Many a time he sought for Leventhorpe, -with the hope of provoking him to fight, but was not able to accomplish -his purpose, as circumstances had called Leventhorpe to London, where -he remained some months. - -In the meantime the third child was born, and as the mother's health -was delicate, it was sent out to nurse at a farm-house some two or -three miles distant, and it was then that Calverley charged his wife, -to her face, with adultery, adding that he felt positively assured -that the children were Leventhorpe's. She indignantly repelled the -charge, assuring him, with an appeal to the Virgin Mary as to the -truth of what she was saying, that the children were his and nobody -else's; but he would not listen to her denials--called her tears, -which were flowing profusely, the hypocritical tears of a strumpet, -and cursed and swore at her, threatening a dire vengeance on her and -her seducer, and finally left her in a fit of hysterics in the hands -of her women, who had rushed in on hearing her screams. He then went -downstairs to his dining room and sat down to dinner, but could not -eat much, each mouthful as he swallowed it seeming as if it would -choke him. "Take these things away," he exclaimed in a furious tone -to his servants, "and bring me sack, and plenty of it." The terrified -menials saw that he was in one of his maniacal moods, and knew that -it would be aggravated by drinking, but dared not disobey him. The -sack was placed on the table, and he dismissed the attendants with a -curse. Flagon after flagon he poured out and drank in rapid succession, -which soon produced its natural effect. "Ah, demon!" said he, "have -you come again to torment me? Why sit you there, opposite me, grinning -and gesticulating? You are an ugly devil, sure enough, with your fiery -eyes, your pointed horns, and your barbed tail. You tell me that it -were but just to murder my wife, Leventhorpe, and their brats, and I -don't know but what the advice is good. Aye, twirl your tail as a dog -does when he is pleased; you think you have got another recruit for -your nether kingdom, and you are right. I live here a hell upon earth, -and I do not see that I shall be much the worse off with you below; -besides I shall have the satisfaction of vengeance, and that will repay -me amply for any after-death punishment. Aye, grin on, but leave me now -to finish this bottle in quietness, for I cannot drink with comfort -whilst you are grimacing and jibing at me there." He spoke this in a -loud tone of voice, to which the scared servants were listening at the -door, after which he continued to drain goblet after goblet, giving -forth utterances more and more incoherent, until at length he fell -from his chair with a heavy thump on the floor. Hearing this, the -servants entered, and found him, as they had often found him before, in -a state of senseless intoxication, and carried him up to bed. - -Having slept off his debauch, he awoke late the following morning with -a raging thirst, which he endeavoured to assuage by deep draughts of -ale. Breakfast he could eat none, but continued drinking until his -familiar demon again made his appearance, and seemed to incite him -to the fulfilment of his vow of revenge. Leventhorpe was out of his -reach, but the other destined victims were at hand, and what more -fitting time than the present for the execution of his purpose? He -selected a dagger from his store of weapons, and carefully sharpened -it to a fine point; then gave directions to have his horse saddled -and brought to the door of the hall to await his pleasure. As he had -three or four men-servants, who might hinder him in his intent, he sent -them on several errands about the estate, and when they had departed, -leaving only the female domestics in the house, he went, dagger in -hand, into the hall, where he found his eldest son playing. Seizing -him by the hair of his head, he stabbed him in three or four places, -and, taking him in his arms, carried him bleeding to his mother's -apartment. "There," said he, throwing the body down, "is one of the -fruits of your illicit intercourse, and the others must share the same -fate." So saying, he laid hold of his second son, who was in the room, -and stabbed him to the heart. The mother, shrieking with terror and -agony, rushed forward to save the child, but was too late, and herself -received three or four blows from the dagger, and fell senseless to the -floor, but more from horror and fright than from her wounds, which were -but slight, thanks to a steel stomacher which she wore. Imagining that -he had killed her as well as the children, he mounted his horse and -rode towards the village, where his youngest child was at nurse, with -the intention of killing it also, but on the road he was thrown from -his horse, and before he could re-mount was secured by his servants, -who had gone in pursuit of him. - -He was taken before the nearest magistrate--Sir John Bland, of -Kippax--and in the course of his examination stated that he had -meditated the deed for four years, and that he was fully convinced that -the children were not his. He was committed to York Castle and brought -to trial, but refusing to plead, was subjected to _peine forte et -dure_. He was taken to the press-yard, stripped to his shirt, and laid -on a board with a stone under his back; his arms were stretched out and -secured by cords; another board was placed over his body, upon which -were laid heavy weights one by one, he being asked in the intervals if -he still refused. He bore the agony with firmness and endurance, even -when the great pressure broke his ribs and caused them to protrude from -the sides. As weight after weight was added, nothing could be extorted -from him save groans caused by the intensity of the pain, which at -length ceased and the weights were removed, revealing a mere mass of -crushed bloody flesh and mangled bones. - -The two children died, and the third lived to succeed to the estates. -The mother also recovered, and married for her second husband Sir -Thomas Burton, Knight. - -"Two Most Unnatural and Bloodie Murthers, by Master Calverley, a -Yorkshire gentleman, upon his wife and two children, 1605." Edited by -J. Payne Collier, 1863. - -"A Yorkshire Tragedy, not so new as lamentable, by Mr. Shakespeare; -acted at the Globe, 1608. London 1619. With a portrait of the brat at -nurse." Attributed to Shakespeare (without proof) by Stevens and others. - -"The Fatal Extravagance. By Joseph Mitchell, 1720." A play based on the -same subject, and performed at the Lincoln's Inn Theatre. - -The incident is also introduced by Harrison Ainsworth in his romance of -"Rookwood." - - - - -The Bewitched House of Wakefield. - - -In the earlier half of the seventeenth century, and during the -Commonwealth, there dwelt in a mud-walled and thatched cottage, in -the environs of Wakefield, a "wise woman," as she was styled, named -Jennet Benton, with her son, George Benton. He had been a soldier in -the Parliamentarian army, but, since its disbandment, had loafed about -Wakefield without any ostensible occupation, living, as it appeared, -on his mother's earnings in her profession. As a "wise woman," she -was resorted to by great numbers of people--by persons who had lost -property, to gain a clue to the discovery of the pilferers--by men -to learn the most propitious times for harvesting, sheepshearing, -etc.--by matrons to obtain charms for winning back their dissipated -or unfaithful husbands to domestic life, as it existed the first few -months after marriage--and by young men and maidens for consultation -with her on matters of love; and, as no advice was given without its -equivalent in the coin of the realm, she made a very fair living, and -was enabled to maintain her son in idleness, who was wont to spend a -great part of his time in pot houses, with other quondam troopers, -their chief topics of discourse being disputed points of controversy -between the Independents and Presbyterians, and revilings of the -Popish whore of Babylon and her progeny, the Church of England. -Although not imbued with much of the spirit of piety, Benton, in his -campaigning career, had imbibed much of the fanaticism, superstition, -and phraseology of the lower class of the Puritans, such of them as -assumed the hypocritical garb of Puritanism to curry favour with their -superiors, who were, as a rule, men of sincere piety, and, in so doing, -somewhat overdid the part by altogether out-Puritaning them in the -extravagance of their outbursts of zeal, and in the almost blasphemous -use of Scriptural expressions. Such was Benton amongst his companions, -and he passed for a fairly godly man. With his mother, however, he cast -off all this assumption of religion and the use of Bible phrases, for -she was a woman who despised all religions alike, and sneered equally -at the "snivelling cant" of the Puritans, the proud arrogance of the -Bishops of the Church, and the "absurd drivellings" of the Separatists; -but these ideas she was sufficiently wise to keep to herself, or -confide them to her son alone. She even went occasionally to church and -conventicle, that she might stand well with her customers, who were of -all sects. She had, besides, a voluble tongue, and was not deficient -in intelligence, so that she was able to converse with all, each one -according to his doctrinal bias, so as to leave an impression that she -was not opposed but rather inclined to the particular theological dogma -then under discussion. - -There was, however, a vague idea prevalent in Wakefield that Mother -Benton was a witch, had intercourse with the Devil, and was a dangerous -person to deal with otherwise than on friendly terms. She was old, -wrinkled, and ungainly in features; unmistakable characteristics of the -sisterhood. She was possessed of wisdom in occult matters seemingly -superhuman, which could only be derived from a compact with Satan. -She had a huge black cat, presumably an imp, her familiar, who would -bristle up his hair and spit viciously at the old woman's visitors -until restrained by her command. On one occasion, however, a handsome -young man came from her cottage followed by the cat, which was observed -to purr and rub himself affectionately against his legs, who, it was -assumed, could be none other than the Father of Evil himself, who had -assumed that guise to pay a friendly visit to his servant and disciple. -She was also sometimes away from her cottage for a night, and the -inquiry arose--for what purpose, excepting to attend a Sabbath of the -witches. It is true she had never been seen passing through the air -astride of her broom, but it was noticed that whenever she was absent -on such occasions her broom, which usually stood outside her cottage -door, disappeared also, and was found in its place again on her return. - -At this time the belief in witchcraft was universally prevalent, as -we find in the narrative of the witches of Fuystone, in the forest of -Knaresborough, who played such pranks in the family of Edward Fairfax, -the translator of Tasso, about the same time. Indeed it was considered -as impious then to doubt their existence as it is now-a-days of their -master and instigator, for is there not a Scriptural precept--"Thou -shalt not suffer a witch to live?" and was there not a witch of Endor -who summoned the spirit of Samuel? Besides, had not many decrepit -half-witted old women, when subjected to torture, confessed that -they had entered into compact with the Devil, bargaining their souls -for length of years and the power of inflicting mischief on their -neighbours? It is quite certain that the evidences of Mother Benton -being one of the sisterhood of Satan were so palpable that had she not -been so useful in Wakefield in her vocation of a "wise woman" she would -have been subjected to the usual ordeal, by way of testing whether she -were a witch or not. This ordeal consisted of stripping the accused, -tying her thumbs to her great toes and throwing her into a pond: if -she floated, it was a proof that she, having rejected the baptismal -water of regeneration, the water rejected her, and she was hauled out -and burnt at the stake as an undoubted witch, but if she sank and were -drowned she was declared innocent; so that, were she guilty or innocent -of the foul crime, the result was pretty much the same, excepting in -the mode of terminating her existence. - -At this time one Richard Jackson held a farm called Bunny Hall, under a -Mr. Stringer, of Sharlston, which lay near to Jennet Benton's cottage. -Over one of Jackson's fields was a pathway, really for the use of the -tenant of the farm, but which was used on sufferance by others, Jennet -and her son frequently having occasion to pass along it. Jackson, -however, in consequence of the damage done to his crops by passengers, -disputed the right of the public, and issued a public notice that after -a certain date it would be closed. The people of Wakefield, in reply to -the notice, asserted that it was an ancient footpath that had belonged -to the public time out of mind, and that they intended to continue the -use of it in spite of Jackson's prohibition. Jennet and her son were -the ringleaders of this opposition, and after the closure of the path, -passed over the railings placed across the entrance, and were going -along as they had been wont to do, when they were met by Daniel Craven, -one of Jackson's servants, who told them that they could not be allowed -to cross the field as it was private property. An angry altercation -ensued, in the course of which George Benton took up a piece of flint -and threw it with great force at Craven, "wherewith he cut his overlipp -and broake two teeth out of his chaps," and thus having overcome their -opponent they went onward and out at the other end. An action for -trespass was then laid against George Benton by Farmer Jackson, who -appears to have won his cause, as Benton "submitted to it, and indevors -were used to end the difference, which was composed and satisfaction -given unto the said Craven;" satisfaction of a pecuniary nature, no -doubt. - -A few days after the judicial termination of the case, "Jackson _v._ -Benton," the farmer was riding home from Wakefield market. He had to -pass Jennet's cottage on his road, and he thought to accost her in -a conciliatory style, as he did not wish to be at variance with his -neighbours, especially with one who had the reputation of being "a wise -woman," whose services he might require in cases of pilfering, sheep -stealing, and the like; in cases of sickness amongst his children, -or a murrain amongst his cattle; or in other cases beyond the ken of -ordinary mortals; hence he considered it politic to remain on good -terms with her, although he had felt it his duty to maintain the action -for trespass. - -As he approached the cottage, the old woman was seated outside her -door, watching a cauldron suspended from cross sticks, in which was -simmering a decoction of herbs, to eventuate in a love philtre -probably for some love-sick maiden. By her side was seated her black -cat, who bridled up and spat viciously at the farmer as he came up. - -"Ah, mother Benton," said he, reining up, "busy as usual, I see, -preparing something for the benefit of one of your clients." - -"It is no business of yours what I am preparing," she replied. "I sent -not for you, nor do I want your conversation or interference in my -concerns. Go your way, or it may be the worse for you." - -"Nay, good dame, be not angry, I came not to interfere with your -concerns; I merely stopped on my road home to say 'good even' to -you, and to see if I could be of any service to you, for I desire to -cultivate the good-will of my neighbours." - -"And a pretty way you have of doing so by prosecuting them in law -courts for maintaining the rights of themselves and their ancestors for -generations past." - -"That I was compelled to do, good Jennet, for the maintenance of my own -rights. It was a necessity forced upon me, but I bear no ill-will to -either you or your son. And see, as a proof thereof, I have brought -you a new kirtle from Wakefield," at the same time drawing from his -saddlebags a flaming scarlet garment of that kind, which he threw into -her lap. - -"Farmer Jackson," said she, "come not here with your honied lips and -deceitful expressions of friendship. I want none of your gifts," and -taking up the kirtle, she rent it into a dozen pieces, and thrust them -into the fire under the cauldron. - -"Listen to me one moment," commenced Jackson, but the old beldame, -rising up into a majestic attitude, interrupted him with, "I will -listen no more to your hypocritical palaver. You have done me a -grievous wrong in citing my son before your law courts, it is an -unpardonable offence, and soon shall you know what it is to incur -the wrath of Jennet Benton, the wise woman of Wakefield. Within a -twelvemonth and a day, Farmer Jackson, shall you find at what cost -you set the myrmidons of the law upon me and my belongings, and from -that time to your life's end shall you rue that day's work. It is I, -the wise woman of Wakefield, who say it, and see if I am not a true -soothsayer, and merit the appellation I bear. That is all I have -got to say," and she passed into her cottage, whilst the farmer rode -homeward, not without a foreboding of impending evil. - -We have many narratives on record of houses that have been the scenes -of remarkable disturbances and strange apparitions, of furniture -moved from place to place without apparent agency, of domestic -utensils thrown about by no perceptible impelling power, and of noises -attributable to no human cause, problems that in many cases have never -been solved, but which have usually been ascribed to some mischievous -goblin, or to the ghost of some unhappy person who has come by death -unfairly and by foul means. - -Farmer Jackson's house and homestead from this time, for the period -of a year and a day, became haunted in this fashion, but here there -could be no doubt as to the cause. It was the spell cast over it by -the machinations of the witch, Jennet Benton, and it was in fact not a -haunted but a bewitched house. - -As Jackson rode home he thought of the curse laid upon him by the -witch, but being a strong-minded man he did not entertain the current -superstition as to the superhuman diabolic power said to be possessed -by such persons, and he felt little or no apprehension on that score; -yet he inclined so far to the popular belief as to fear that by some -means she might cast incantations over his cattle and crops, so as to -cause the former to sicken and die, and the latter to wither and come -to naught. - -On reaching his home he stabled his horse, and going indoors he -accosted his wife with some cursory remark, but she made no reply, and -he thought to himself, "She is sullen to-night--in one of her tantrums; -what's the matter, I wonder." He then sat down to supper, with his -children about him, and a couple of maid-servants employed in some -domestic duty, when his wife inquired, "Why are you all so silent; are -you all dumb; have you got anything to tell me about the doings at -the market, husband, goodman?" "What on earth do you mean?" inquired -Jackson; "I spoke to you when I came in, and there has been noise -enough among the children since then to waken the Seven Sleepers." -Mrs. Jackson still stood staring, with a vacant countenance, and said, -after a pause, "Why don't you reply? It seems as if one were in the -charnel-house of the church, surrounded by the dead." It then occurred -to Jackson that his wife must have suddenly become stone deaf, and -by means of signs and such writing as the family had at command, he -ascertained that such was the fact; but he dreamt not that it was the -beginning of the witch's spell. - -A night or two after, one of the children was stricken by an epileptic -fit, throwing itself about with great violence and twisting its body -with strange contortions, with convulsive writhings, and requiring to -be held down by three or four persons to prevent its doing itself an -injury. - -One morning the swineherd of the farm came into the room where Jackson -was sitting at breakfast, and with a scared countenance told him that -a herd of swine that had been shut up in a barn the previous night -"had broake thorrow two barn dores," and had fled no one knew whither. -A search was immediately instituted, but it was not until after two -or three days that a portion of the herd was found at a considerable -distance from the farm, the remainder being lost altogether. - -On another occasion Jackson himself, "although helthfull of body, was -suddenly taken without any probable reason to be given or naturall -cause appearing, being sometimes in such extremity that he conceived -himselfe drawne in pieces at the hart, backe, and shoulders." During -the first fit he heard the sound of music and dancing, as if in the -room where he lay. He partially recovered the following day, but at -twelve o'clock the next night he had another fit, and during its -continuance he heard a loud ringing of bells, accompanied by sounds -of singing and dancing. He inquired of his wife, who appears by this -time to have recovered her sense of hearing, what the bell-ringing and -singing meant; but she replied that she heard nothing of it, as also -did his man. "He asked them againe and againe if they heard it not. -At last he and his wife and servant heard it (what?) give three hevie -groones. At that instant doggs did howle and yell at the windows as -though they would heve puld them in pieces." - -Jackson now became fully convinced that he was enduring all these -trials and sufferings from the curse of the witch Jennet, and he -expressed this opinion to his friends who came to condole with him. -They, with neighbourly feeling, proposed to put the question to the -test by submitting the old woman to the usual ordeal of the horse -pond; but he would not hear of this, not even yet, with such probable -evidence, believing that Satan could be authorised to endow old women -with such mischievous powers. By the counsel of his friends, however, -he sanctioned the sending a deputation to Jennet to investigate the -matter. The deputation went to her cottage and told her their errand, -but she only laughed at them. "It is true," said she, "that I called -down the wrath of Heaven upon him and his belongings for his cruel -persecution of a helpless widow and her orphan son; and if God has -listened to my supplication, and sent calamity upon him, it is intended -as a warning to him that, for the future, he may be more merciful to -the poor and unprotected. If he chooses to blame any one, he must -attribute his punishment to a much higher power than a feeble mortal -such as I am." - -During all this time Jackson's house was rendered almost uninhabitable -by noises and apparitions, so that the servants fled from it -panic-stricken, and others could not be found to take their places. -The commencement of the disturbances was some six months after the -utterance of the curse. The family were seated at supper when a -tremendous crash was heard in the next room, as if some heavy metal -vessel had been flung violently on the floor. Supposing it to be -something that had fallen from a shelf or a hook in the ceiling, they -went into the room, but found nothing to account for the noise. At -other times it would seem as if all the doors of the house were being -slammed to, or the windows shaken as by a storm of wind, although there -was not the slightest agitation in the atmosphere. Then would occur -shrieks as of persons in distress, groans as of sufferers in agonies of -pain, and bursts of demoniac laughter, with a flapping of huge bat-like -wings. "Apparitions like blacke dogges and catts were also scene," -which darted out from under the furniture and usually passed out up the -chimney, it being immaterial whether or not a fire was blazing in the -grate. Along with all these disturbances in the house and unaccountable -illnesses of the various members of the household, the horses and -cattle of the farm were subjected to similar inflictions, much to the -detriment of Jackson's material prosperity. Week after week news came -in of the death of horses, cows, and sheep: and in his deposition at -York, Jackson said that "since the time the said Jennet and George -Benton threatened him he hath lost eighteen horses and meares, and he -conceives he hath had all this loss by the use of some witchcraft or -sorcerie by the said Jennet and George Benton." - -For a twelvemonth and a day these disturbances, sufferings, and losses -continued, rendering Jackson almost bankrupt, and then they all at once -ceased. - -Being fully convinced that these troubles had been caused by the -diabolical incantations of the witch Jennet, he brought a charge -against her and her son, at York, of practising witchcraft against -him, and they were tried at the assizes on the 7th June, 1656. The -depositions of the trial are printed in a volume published by the -Surtees Society in 1861, entitled "Depositions from the Castle of York -relating to offences committed in the northern counties during the -seventeenth century. Edited by J. Raine." - - - - -_ELEGANTLY BOUND IN CLOTH GILT, DEMY 8vo., 6s._ - -YORKSHIRE FAMILY ROMANCE. - -By FREDERICK ROSS, F.R.H.S. - -AUTHOR OF "THE RUINED ABBEYS OF ENGLAND," "CELEBRITIES OF YORKSHIRE -WOLDS," "BIOGRAPHIA EBORACENSIS," "THE PROGRESS OF CIVILISATION," ETC. - - -Amongst Yorkshire Authors Mr. FREDERICK ROSS occupies a leading place. -For over sixty years he has been a close student of the history of -his native county, and perhaps no author has written so much and -well respecting it. His residence in London has enabled him to take -advantage of the important stores of unpublished information contained -in the British Museum, the Public Record Office, and in other places. -He has also frequently visited Yorkshire to collect materials for his -works. His new book is one of the most readable and instructive he -has written. It will be observed from the following list of subjects -that the work is of wide and varied interest, and makes a permanent -contribution to Yorkshire literature. - - - CONTENTS: - - The Synod of Streoneshalh. - The Doomed Heir of Osmotherley. - St. Eadwine, the Royal Martyr. - The Viceroy Siward. - Phases in the Life of a Political Martyr. - The Murderer's Bride. - The Earldom of Wiltes. - Blackfaced Clifford. - The Shepherd Lord. - The Felons of Ilkley. - The Ingilby Boar's Head. - The Eland Tragedy. - The Plumpton Marriage. - The Topcliffe Insurrection. - Burning of Cottingham Castle. - The Alum Workers. - The Maiden of Marblehead. - Rise of the House of Phipps. - The Traitor Governor of Hull. - - - IMPORTANT NOTICE.--The Edition is limited to 500 copies, and the - greater part are sold. The book will advance in price in course of - time. - - -HULL: WILLIAM ANDREWS & CO., THE HULL PRESS. -London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co., Ltd. - - - - -_Elegantly bound in cloth gilt, demy 8vo., price 6s._ - -Old Church Lore. - -By WILLIAM ANDREWS, F.R.H.S., - -_Author of "Curiosities of the Church," "Old-Time Punishments," -"Historic Romance," etc._ - - - CONTENTS. - - The Right of Sanctuary--The Romance of Trial--A Fight between the - Mayor of Hull and the Archbishop of York--Chapels on Bridges--Charter - Horns--The Old English Sunday--The Easter Sepulchre--St. Paul's - Cross--Cheapside Cross--The Biddenden Maids Charity--Plagues and - Pestilences--A King Curing an Abbot of Indigestion--The Services - and Customs of Royal Oak Day--Marrying in a White Sheet--Marrying - under the Gallows--Kissing the Bride--Hot Ale at Weddings--Marrying - Children--The Passing Bell--Concerning Coffins--The Curfew - Bell--Curious Symbols of the Saints--Acrobats on Steeples--A - carefully-prepared Index. - -ILLUSTRATED. - - -PRESS OPINIONS. - - "A worthy work on a deeply interesting subject.... We commend this - book strongly."--_European Mail._ - - "An interesting volume."--_The Scotsman._ - - "Contains much that will interest and instruct."--_Glasgow Herald._ - - "Mr. Andrews' book does not contain a dull page.... Deserves to meet - with a very warm welcome."--_Yorkshire Post._ - - "Mr. Andrews, in 'Old Church Lore,' makes the musty parchments and - records he has consulted redolent with life and actuality, and has - added to his works a most interesting volume, which, written in a - light and easy narrative style, is anything but of the 'dry-as-dust' - order. The book is handsomely got up, being both bound and printed in - an artistic fashion."--_Northern Daily News._ - - -HULL: WILLIAM ANDREWS & CO., THE HULL PRESS. -London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co., Ltd. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. 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