Saints' Lives: Lives of ss. Wulfstan, Dunstan, Patrick, Benignus and Indract 0198207093

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William of Malmesbury SAINTS' LIVES LIVES OF SS. vVULFSTAN, DUNSTAN, PATRICK, BENIGNUS AND INDRACT

BY

M. WINTERBOTTOM and

R. M. THOMSON

CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD

OXFORD UNIVERSITY l'RI\SS

Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox 1. 1mstm1 (Oxford, 1923) Rolls Series P. H. Sawyer, . 4ng/o-Saxon Charters (RBS Guides and Handbooks, viii: 1968), cited by document number St D1111sta11: his l,ifi:, Times awl Cult, ed.

ABB RE\ I!\ 'I' LI l 1{1- I I· I{ I "\I< IS

Xll

Si Osmald of' TVorrester

5i't IVulfstan and his World Taylor and Taylor,

.·l11glo-Saxo11 Archilecture Thomson, TVilliam of'

N. Ramsa), .\1. Sparks, and T. Tatton Brown (\Vomlhridgc, lad· to / /) i (below, p. ·202 n. +). 17 ID ii. q. 2. "' .IG prol. (pp. +0-1). _ 12 (

xn

JNTROIHC'l'IO:'s

chaplain. William's description of what he was doing as (efkctivcly) 'translation' 1'1 must be taken with a grain of salt, given the frl'edom \\'ith which he customarily treated wh,lt he pronounced to be verbatim citations of earlier tcxts. 20 Be himself admits that he is going to omit passages of alleged direct speech ('declamatiunculae', which he thought likely to be inaccurate) and of general moralistic reflection ( which he thought irrelevant). 21 He explicitly added a few stories told him by Prior Nicholas, 22 and another about a priest at Bruton (Somerset) of whom he had heard. 21 In ii. r6 he tells a story about Coleman himself: in terms which make it difficult to believe that Coleman was its source. Although he has retained Coleman's division into three books, 24 he announces and explains his resiting of the break between books i and ii. 25 It has recently been suggested that Coleman wrote in a style, employing alliteration and chains of rhythmical doublets, which William felt bound to abbrcviate. 26 On the other

xvii

SOl, RCES

18

" 111. Ep. J-+. On Coleman, sec Bl?FCP, pp. 790-r. 1·1r Ep. +: "I luius ego ut uoluistis insistcns scriptis nichil nubaui de rcrun1 on.line,

1' 1

nichil corrupi Ve lazy mortals think of as a penance, to v;cnullect every dav at each verse of seven psalms, and to do the same :,1 nig-ht in th~ n 8th psalm. 4 4. In the west portirns 5 of the church, \\'here there was an altar of All Saints with a crucifix, he would bar up the entrance, and calling on Christ beat at the door of heaven with his tears and burden the sky with his laments." I le had no feather-bedI :oisil f180 x 691, and still st;.1nding in \\'u1fStan \; time, when it is l..1st n1cntioncd~ and St \Lin\. built bY OS1rnld after ), 123--37. The views reflected in JW ,md /II arc not found Ill the documents or commentary in 1-kmrning's Canubrv: sec N. R. 1'..cr 'lkmming's C;.trtulary', in his Books, Collectors anti Libraries, pp. - )I--66; S. 1'-c\TlCS, '} lemming', in Rllld'111dl /:'}l(ydopacdia, pp. 231--2. On the contrary f fcmminff honc;urcJ E,tldrcd as t;1c main backer of \\'ulfstan's promotion, ,md as a do;,;,,. of pro 1:C,ny to the 1nonks o1 \\ orccstcr: I lcmmgi Chartularzum ii. 395-6, +05---6. l lowcn:r, the sanu.: record represents Abbot :Fthch,ig of hcsham as h,1Ying· ahstr,tctcd no fewer than seven \Vorccstcr manors: lfrmi11gi Clwrtularium i. 272--3, 279 (and sec below, p. 60 n. 8). One wonders \\hcther later Worcester tradition, reflected by Coleman, William, and John of Worcester, sa\\ fit to transfer the sin of a fellow-monk (/fahclwig) to a sccul.tr cleric (Eaklrcd). This might constitute an argument for dating the writing of Coleman's Life as late as possible (i. e. not long before his death in 1113). 1

Simil.trly GI', c. 1 .J9 (p. 280). The twclYc manors arc also mentioned b, I h;d 1 the Ch,111tcr, '/he lli.wny of' !he C/111rd1 11{ \ od-, ed. and trans. C. Johnson, re,:. !\I. Brett,

I. l..j.

LIFE OF \\LLJ'STAN

2

· vills n em ualh· returne(I I1e gave I11m scarce sc,,·en · · , , obstinately_ kL"L"ping hold of the rest for himself. Wulfstan knew _that there was nothing to be done with him by force, but gradually Ins prayers w~irc down the arrogant greed of Ealdrcd, who restored all hut twclYe nlls 1 10 the jurisdiction of the church. When our father won them back, ;1ml the trouble he had to take, will he told later. 2 q. But to return to the story I embarked on: Wulfst'.m in_i1~ediately his elevation as bishop put his mind to works of piety. 1 here was ii(, delay: the dav after his ordination he dedicated a church to the blessed -Bede,-' a~ excellent choice for his first dedication, for Bede, lt;id been the prince of English lcttcrs."1 That day Wulfstan's flow of preaching so watered the people that it was not in doubt that he owed to the I Ioly Spirit his command of an eloquence that had '.mce move_d 1he tongue of Bede. And indeed all his life long, m'.t !ust on t_h1s occasion, the people were so seduced by the report of his prc,~chmg 1hat vou might have seen them flocking in droves wherever 1t was_ rL"poi:ted he was to dedicate a church. 2. For hi~ part, he went out of, his way to collect material that would enable him always to speak_ of ( :hri,;;t: always to put Christ before his hearers, and finall~ t(~ hnng ( :hrist over to his side even (if I may so put it) when Umst was reluctant. For he persevered with such determination in fasts and \ igils, and flung such violent prayers at I leave~, t~at it was" 1:ot \I ithout reason that the I ,ord said of him and his followers: Lhe kingdom of heaven suffereth ,iolcncc, and the violent tak~ it_ by ti,rce.' 5 JIis life kept so fine a balance that he held to both profcss101:s without losing either: he was the bishop without abjuring the monk 111 his 1 eligious ~ practice, ,md the monk while preserving a_ bishop's authority. 6 I le was far removed indeed from the ways of the men

( , 11

( :. N. I,. Brooke, and J\I. Winterhottom (0,\lT, HJ90), pp._2--3. Williams, 'The cunning of the dove' suggests that they were the episcopal manors, of which there were preuse!\_that '

,_

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11. T.

number. , 11 () 1· / i ·1 his dedication to Bede is the only early one known: D. l f. hirmcr'. ll' r on . · 1·,, · t· (()vf·,,,·,I 1,·d ,,dn HJ1)2) '1 ++ OnlY three other dcd1catmns to . Bede, /) l(flfllUlrl' O ,Jll/11 :)'. " , ~ ..., ., , t- • • . . . ,ill much later than this, arc listed in F. Arnold-Forst~r, Studies 111 Church Oed1111t111ns (3 ,ols.: London, 18 99 ), ii. (,o--6, iii . .1+3 (none of them 111 Worcestershire): . " Sec GR J index s. ,,_ 'Bede' for references to similar eulogies by \\ 1lharn. ' i\btt. 11: 12. c • J , \I· d b · · J ' " For c.trlier namplcs of this hagiographical topos, sec N. \\ ng 1t, : trc . utns t 1c ea,es: the / ita pnu111 Sa11lti Ncoti, tclcsi1111s, and JuYenal', in his fl1sto1y L,t'.'l'illll/'(111 /,ale /ntiqnity 1111 ,1 the l:'arl)' Medin-al fJ est (\'ariorurn Collected Studies Ser., dm:

1/lld

,\ldershot, 1995), XY, p ..l• Also i. 2. 3 above.

T IT I II /' J,FS '/'_IX I

I.

q.

2

producunt secula: 1 s1 consuleretur consiliosissimus, s1 rogaretur facillimus; (3) cum aliquid esset impetrandum absolute dclibcrans, ccleriter pronuntians, cum iudicandum, ad iustitiam propensior, nee diuitem palpans pro pecunia nee pauperem pulsans pro pcnuria; nulli adulationi deditus nee sibi adulantibus gratus; timorc principum numquam a iustitia dcccdcns, numquam amori eorum honore aliquo nisi debito assurgcns. Laudatus de bono indulgebat Dei gratiae, non suac arrogantiae. Vituperatus ignosccbat uituperantium errori, conscientiae suae gratulatus: quamquam id raro admodum fucrit, quia, cum ipsc omnem hominem amore caritatis foueret ut sobolem, uicissim omnes cum dilig·ebant ut parcntcm. 4. Cordis alacritatc et hilaritatc fatici supcrna prelibans gaudia, iam caelestis laetitiae fontem spe prcsumcbat, quem nunc re indefitienter haurit et potat. (~1i quanuis scmpcr animo intimis hereret, non tamen cum segnem aut hebetem in extimis homines cxperti sunt. Plures in omni diocesi basilicac per cum inchoatae animose et egregie perfcctae, 2 presertimque episcopalis sedis accclesia, cui a fundamentis ceptac suprcmam imposuit manum, 3 ubi et numcrus monachorum ampliatus et ad normam institutionis reg·ularis compositus.-1 Sed hacc et postmodum facta et cotidie oculis apposita compcndiosam rclationem dcsidcrant. Q_uocirca, ut in campo liberioris materiae nostra decurrat oratio, rcliquarum" rcrum ordincm expcdito proscquamur otio. 5

15. Prctcr alia quibus presulatum ornabat, ctiam hoe habcbat, diocesim sec.Iulo pcragrarc, infantibus quod rcliquum cssct sacramentorumr, supplere, fidem populorum in bonum acucrc. Oratorium quodcurnquc sc uianti obtulisset nulla ucl prccipiti necessitate urgcntc pretcribat insalutatum, 7 quin immo ingrcssus Dco et sancto

i.

I

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I

LIFE OF \\'CLFST\N

53

prod llced in our century. 1 If he _was asked _his adYice, h~. was cxcf. his, mind and arniding human company, he went off into a nearbv wood, and spent night and day there. l~ut the countrv folk wer~ stirred by the shame of the thing to se~zc 111111 and bind him tight. 2 . But soon, taking the op~ortun_iry_ of a moment when his guard was inattentive, and escaping from lus fetters, he went h.ick to the wild. l Ic was so terrifying to the people round about_ that their last idea was to approach anywhere he was known to be, either because he had harmed one of them, or because it is only natural to shun contact with those who have renounced their_ status as m~n. Meanwhile the bishop arrived on the scene, as evenmg was passmg m-cr into night, for he had made slower prog~ess tl~an the hour demanded. As Wulfstan was going to bed, the phght of t_he m,~n was reported by loud complaints from his staff. 3. The _pn~~t d~l~. 1:o~ waste a second, but as ever told everyone to do what piety su~geste~I. pray for the patient and say the Lord's Prayer. For it was his habit,

of

--J' •] 1· .·. I).,· nkrumquc sunt occulta, nunquam tamcn inius_ta' (the opening l / / . U(. H.:1,l C · · · t . " . ~ · d' ~· ' \lords of the sermon). Cf. also , \fir., p. r r+ Imes 85-6 De, occult um 1u 1cm111 .

p.

7+

I I'/ I If C /, I'S T IN I

ii. 6. 3

asciucrat ut, quocurnquc loco, quacurnquc hora excessurn alicuius audicrit uel incornrnodurn, statirn prcsentes moneret orarc uel ut dcfunctus in pace quiesceret ucl egrotus infirmitatcm euaderet. i'vliranda dementia Christi, predicanda gratia uiri! Eadem nocte profi.igus adolesccns exuto mentis stuporc uillam rediit nullo reuocante, eadcrn noctc contuhernio se curialium irnmiscuit; nullumque dcinceps quoad uixit dcmentiae inditium dedit. 7. Villa est episcopatus Kemeseya dicta/ in qua pro necessariorum oportunitatc manehat. Vcncrat co ex Cantia pauper, et inter alios cotidianarn stipern capientes asscdcrat: miser, cui preter egestatis incommodum morhus irrepserat quern regium uocant, 2 et ita lcnta tabe omnes artus infccerat ut non diceres eum ucro uti corpore scd uiuo circumfcrri cadauere. 3 I lorrori erat omnibus cum cernere, qui totus uirulenta stillabat sanie; fastidio sermones eius audire, qui non putaretur loqui sed raucum ululare. Deniquc dispcnsator episcopi Artur,+ cuius testirnonio et hoe et quaedam alia nituntur, sepc ab eo rogatus ne colloquium suum dcspicerct, non semel rcfug·it. 2. Tandem adiurationcrn nominis Dei reueritus substitit, et copiam loquendi fccit. Ille surnmurmurat et uix intellectus anhclat oriundurn sc Cantiae, plenum infanda ualitudinc, ut uiderct, csse. Ter manifesto conuentum somnio ut spe sanitatis uencrahili sc presentaret episcopo; hac gratia uenisse. Vt haec domino insinuaret, per Deum orare. Suggessit minister postulata, sed non grate ah co auditus est qui hum.mac gloriae nollet ohnoxius esse. (~1in imrno non suum essc respondit ullum, prescrtirn tanturn, attemptare miraculum. 3. Abiret ergo et infirmo uictum uestcmque preberet, ut saltim huius compensatione humanitatis consolaretur fatigationem itineris. Ira cassa fuissct suggestio, nisi Eilmeri presbiteri° succcssisset sollicitudo. I Iuic pro uitac reuerentia sanctitatis post \Vlstanum profecto palma ccssisset, 1 1--:empsey (\\'ores.), formerly an independent minster, b)· \Vultstan's time an episcopal est,1te centre, Liter .Ill episcop,d manor: S1 s+; J\\ s.a. 868; D)cr, /,ords 1111d Peasants, pp. 11, 28-30, 36-7, +s; Sims-\Villi,1ms, Rclz~i1111 awl Utcraturc, pp. 170-1, 375--(,. 2 GP. c. 73 (p. q5), and bclo11, iii. 18. r. Sec GN, c. 222 n., for the 1,1rious diseases 11hicl1 11ent under the name of the 'King's Evil'. To the litcr,1tnre cited there, ackl 1--:. 1"1.inchcster and C. Roberts, 'The paLicopathology of leprosy in Britain: ,1 review', 3 C[ GP, c. 276 (p. HO). //(!rid .lrd111 lrish mores, sec GR, cc. 51. 1, +09. 1 anJ 11., and J. Gilling-h,1111, 'The bq_;innings of Enilish impcri,liism', in his '/'he l:'nglislz in the '/JJJc(/i/1 Ceut11tJ', pp. 3- 1 8, at ts.

Li/mmcs (2 ,ols.: (hford. HJ8+), i, no. 520. 2 Cl". the Jerome-inspired stor, in i. 8. 5, 'fidc d,ita'.

·' I's. 25(;6): 8. • :\l.ir\ow (Bucks.).

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Orfi,rd

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I I '/' 1 11 l L F S T I :\ l

Ill.

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mmriam. Eo enim clericalis proccdcbat" intcntio, ut et tune episcopum cepti pigcrct et postmodum consiliis suis acccdcrct. Jam uero multo die, artubus g-clante rigorc prcmortuis, ad diuersorium rcgressus, tum dcmum et suum incommodum et clcrici dclictum aperuit. 3. Prcccpit ctiam ut qucrerctur calccus,1' nullo conuitio in co11tumaccm inucctus scd atrocitatcm facti uultus hilaritatc attcnua11s. Erat cnim domi11us pontifcx magnae tolcrantiac, qua ita mcntcm armaucrat ut nulla cum illusio turharct, nullum incommodum in peccatum concutcrct. Nam plerumque quidam cum uel apcrte obuncabant uerhis uel occulte ucllicabant ludibriis. Scd ipsc aducrsus hacc et (omnia)' cxtrinsccus a scculo ucnicntia sic stabat intrcpidus ut scqucrctur" animo, non tamcn caderct uerbo. Nee c11im ci hanc laudcm arrogarc uolo quam affirmarc 11011 ualco, ut nee animo moueretur. Affcctioncs cnim animi nulla umquam religio delcrc potuit ucl potcrit, quas et si ualct ad horam compcsccrc non uakt in actcrnum aufcrrc. 5. f\lissas cotidie ad minus duas audirc. Ad utramquc ohlationcm suam non negligerc, ipsc tcrtiam cantare. Si quo equitandum cssct, ascenso animali continuo psaltcrium i11cipcrc, nee pausam nisi ad fi.nem faccre. Adiungehantur lctaniac cum collectis pluribus, et uigiliac cum uespcris pro animabus. Tum, si uia protelaretur ad suffi.ticntiam horum, repctcbatur psaltcrium. 1 Adcquit:1bant clcrici et monachi, ucl scricm uersuum exccpturi uel amminiculaturi memoriac, si quando uiderctur titubare: 2. hoe ideo ut dediscerent i11a11es fabulas, quac potissimum sc uiantibus ingcrunt. (~1anto cnim aspcctui knocinantur plura," tanto copiosior loqucndi occurrit materia. C:ubicularius presto habcbat marsupium, quod csset ornnium cgcntium acrarium. Ncmo cnim umquam ingemuit rcpulsam, qui a \Vlstano mcndicauit elcmosinam. Jam ucro uia pcrmensa, cum uentum cssct ad hospitium, non ante, ut supra dixi, 2 quictis intraret camcram quam cum prccibus salutasset accclesiam. Ipsas porro domus totius diuersorii iubcbat lustrari a prcshitero cum aqua bcnedicta et crucis uexillo. Sic fugarcntur aducrsa, sic introduccrcntur sccunda.

'1

" DI!'' (p. ); prcccdcbat CG Perhaps rtad qucrcrctur

h

M-I'"' (p. r much abuse, though it did not shake him, and men of both orders defended their points of view with a good deal of heat. Amidst all this, the whole room suddenly gave way, beams, planks and all, and crashed to the ground. Everyone was dashed down; Dunstan alone made good his escape/ left standing on a single remaining joist. The rest were either killed or permanently disabled. This miracle led to peace for the archbishop from the clerks, and all the English then and thereafter came over to his way of thinking. 5

Meanwhile A~lfthryth, A:). ' \\ illiam apparent!, means that the doors seemed narnm because of the 11urnbcrs

comirn( through them; cf. GP, c. 73 (p. q5): 'tanta criptac la,it,1s, tanta supcrioris acdis c.1paci1as, ut quamlibet confrrtac multitudini uidcatur posse sufliccrc.' \nothcr cro11dcd scrnc is in I II iii. H). 1. ; Prcsumabil· meaning Christ, nut the pope (as it docs at ii. 7. rn); but cf. the 1111 stcrious pas~age in Adclard, lcct. ~ (p. 65), 11hcrc the cherubim and sc1-.1phirn order D~mst.1n 'Paratus csto die S,1hbati nohiscum hinc R1111111111 transirc, quia oportet tc coram summo pontifice nohiscum Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, acternaliter canere'. :\t this point :\dclanl, Oshern, and Eadmcr recorded a reply uf Dunstan's, 11 hich \\'illiam omits: Adcbrd, lcct. ~ (pp. 6-1--5), Osbcrn, c. -11 (p. 121), Eadmcr, c. J7 (p. 218). 0

r

ll.

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dictis angelorum sullata est uisio, et presbitcr excessit somno, tacitumque quod uiderat usquc ad missam tulit, quid tarn manifcsta uisio portenderet quodam stuporc mentis opperiens.

ii. 31. 4

L I FE OF D L N ST.\ N

removed. The priest woke from his sleep, and kept what he had seen hidden till mass, waiting in some confusion of mind to learn what so clear a vision might signifi·-

31. lntcrea proccdit dominus archiepiscopus ad sollcmnia sine ullius

incommodi sensu, sed imminentis transitus, ut post palam foit, haud dubie conscius. Ter ea die infudit populo uerba salutis, primo post euang·clium, quern morcm omncs tcrunt, secundo post bencdictionem cpiscopalcm, 1 tcrtio post pcrccptam cucharistiam, scmper tanta sermonum gratia, tanta uultus clcgantia, ut nichil supra. Procedehat ex ore tanta uerborum copia, ex fatic claritas quanta prius numquam; profecto adcrat ci de cuius aducntu loquebatur Spiritus, ut claritate fatiei nichilo minus quam angclus, a" predicationis uhcrtate nichil minus uidcrctur quam apostolus. 2. Inhiabat populus ucrbis eius, suspirabat uultui/' quasi et ipsc prcsagirct quod cum ulterius uisurus non esset. Yolcbat antistes eis suam gloriam manifestare,2 sed dicturientcm rctrahebat passio, superabat affectus. 1\fagno ergo suo gauclio obstrepebat et aliquantum mcroris nuhilum pretendebat filiorum dcsolatio. lam Yero tertio, ut dixi, scrmonem adorsus, erupit in uocem, uocem qua eis incomparahilcm cffodit dolorem: hahcrent caritatem et dilecti(mem fratcrnam qua sola cum Deo federatur mortalis hominis anima. 3. I lane rcliquisse Domin um Saluatorem in signum sui amoris discipulis; bane sc commendare illis, hoe munus extrcmum:' I lace suac dilectionis esse pignora, quae filiis suis continuo deccssurus contradcrct. Neque enim sc cum illis ulterius commoraturum, sed celcritcr ingrcssurum uiam patrum. I lis dictis surrexit in accclesia ingcns clarnor omnium, 'cheu pater, cheu' domine' clamantium. Itum est in planctum, itum in singultum, protluebantque lacrimac doloris intcrprctes, prccordiorum arhitrac. + Q_uibus itcrum scrmonem eius rogantihus supliciter, uerba quidcm sutlicerc rcspondit; ucruntamen ad multos amplexu mutuo, ad omnes osculi caritate decurrit. Nam et Elfgarus sacerdos uisionis suae iam compos/ cum quae uidcrat tulisset in medium, haud inccrtum dedit inditium pontificem sabbato proximo migraturum. Jlle igitur, omnibus, ut dixi, quoquomodo consolatis, dedit cxtrernac henedictionis g-ratiam et auctoritate sihi tradita peccatorurn absolutionem et remissam. Pr11hahfi, lo ht dc!