CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 20
ON Hwaetberht’s return home Bishop Acca was called and, as was customary, confirmed him in the office of abbot with his blessing. Hwaetberht, with youthful diligence, wisely saw to it that a very great number of privileges were restored to the monastery. One which especially delighted and gratified the monks was the faculty to remove the bones of Abbot Eosterwine which had been placed in the porch at the entrance to St Peter’s church, and also those of Abbot Sigfrid, his former master, which were buried in a spot just south of the sanctuary.1 He had both sets of bones placed in one casket, divided by a partition inside, and put them to rest within the church next to the body of Benedict, their blessed father in God. This he carried out on Sigfrith’s birthday, 22 August, and on that very same day by God’s wonderful providence, Witmer, the venerable servant of Christ of whom we have already spoken above, died and was interred in the very same place as the abbots whose disciple he was.