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22 SCOTTISH ANNALS
651
BEDE, HISTOBIA ECCLESIASTICA, IV, 27 ;
VOL. I, PP. 168-269. 1
was ever
. . . From his earliest boyhood [Cuthbert]
2
fired with zeal for the religious life but from the ;
beginning
of his youth he assumed both the name and the habit of a
monk.
Now he entered first the monastery of Melrose, 3 which is
placed on the banks of the river Tweed, and which was then
ruled by its abbot Eata, the most meek and simple of all
men. 4 And [Eata] was afterwards made bishop of the church
of Hexham or Lindisfarne, as we have mentioned above. 5
And at this time his prior was Boisil, a priest 6 of great virtuesand
of a prophetic spirit. Into [Boisil's] discipleship Cuthbert
humbly entered, and gained from him both knowledge
of the Scriptures and examples of good works.
1 Cf. A.S. Vers., i, 360-362. Bede, V.S.C., VI ; E.H.S. ed., ii, 59-60.
Anon. Life of St. C., 8, ibid., 262-263. Ann. of Lind., in M.G.H., SS., xix,
504. His. de S.C., in S. of D., i, 196, ff. S. of D., H.D.E., i, 21-23.
2 In his boyhood, Cuthbert excelled at sports ;
an infant of three for taking part in childish games.
but he was rebuked by
"
Why," said he, " doest
thou these things, at variance with thy nature and rank, Cuthbert, most holy
bishop and priest ? To play among children becomes thee not, whom the
Lord has consecrated as teacher of virtue even to the elders." Bede, V.S.C.,
I ; in E.H.S. ed., ii, 51. (Cf. Metr. Life, ibid., ii, 5 ; Anon, Life, ibid., ii,
261.) Bede attributes this story to bishop Trumwin (cf. infra, s.a. 681),
who got it from Cuthbert himself ; Anon. Life, ibid., ii. 261 ; V.S.C., ibid.,
ii, 50.
Anon. Life, 20, in E.H.S. Bede, ii, 269-270: "At the same time
[661 x 664] the holy man of God, [Cuthbert,] was invited by a certain woman
who is called Kenswith [in the text " Kenspid "] ; a widow and nun, still
living, who had brought him up from his eighth year to adult age, when he
undertook the service of God. He therefore called her '
mother,' and often
visited her. He came on a certain day to the vill in which she dwelt, which
is called . . Hruringaham. ." His prayers extinguished a fire which threat-
"
ened to destroy the village ; probably Wrangholm, Bleau's Wrangumm,
between the rivers Leader and Tweed " ; Stevenson, ibid., 270, note.
Cf. Bede, V.S.C., XIV, ibid., ii, 75-76 ; Metr. Life, XII, ibid., 17.
3
Cf. Fl. of W., i, 20 ; S. of D., i, 21-23, 129.
P" Bede, H.E., V, 12, i, 304:" ... the monastery of Melrose, which is
enclosed for the most part by a loop of the river Tweed." (A.S. Vers., i,
424.) Such is the situation of Old Melrose.
4
Cf. R. of H., D.H.E., in Raine's Hexh., i, 24 :
" Now this Eata was
a man of great sanctity and religion, and abbot of the monastery of Melrose ;
and he was held in great reverence and authority both by the servants of
God and by the powerful of the world. There were also in the brotherhood
over which he ruled very many holy men ; but outstanding among the rest
of the brethren was Boisil, who held below him the office of prior, excelling
in the highest virtues and in the spirit of prophecy." Cf. the Life of Eata,
in Raine's Hexh., i, 212-213.
5 H.E., III, 26; i, 190.
Sacerdo8. The A.S. Vers. has "mass-priest"; while Elfric calls
Boisil a bishop : Horn., ii, 148. Cf. Plummer, Bede, ii., 268, 55.