CHAPTER 27: How he saw in spirit, though absent from the scene, the destruction of King Ecgfrith, as he had predicted
CHAPTER 27
How he saw in spirit, though absent from the scene, the destruction of King Ecgfrith, as he had predicted
WHEN King Ecgfrith led his army against the Picts and devastated their lands with brutal and ferocious cruelty – an extremely rash move – then Cuthbert knew that his prophecy to Aelfflaed was nearing fulfilment. He set off therefore to Carlisle, to speak with the queen, who had arranged to stay there in her sister’s convent to await the outcome of the war. The day after his arrival the citizens conducted him round the city walls to see a remarkable Roman fountain that was built into them. He was suddenly disturbed in spirit. He leaned heavily on his staff, turned his face dolefully to the wall, then straightening himself and looking up to the sky he sighed deeply and said almost in a whisper: ‘Perhaps at this moment the battle is being decided.’
A priest who was standing by realized what he was referring to, and burst out imprudently with: ‘How do you know?’
‘Do you not see how strangely disturbed the air is? Who can fathom the judgements of God?’
He hurried straight back to the queen and spoke to her in secret. ‘Tomorrow being Sunday you cannot travel. Monday morning at daybreak leave in your chariot for the royal city. Enter quickly for perhaps the king has been slain. Tomorrow I have been invited to a neighbouring monastery to dedicate the chapel, but as soon as the dedication is over I shall follow you.’
On the Sunday morning at the end of his sermon, as the congregation were expressing their approval, he took up this prophetic theme again:
‘Brethren, I beseech you to watch as the apostle warns you. Stand firm in the faith, play the man, lest sudden temptation find you unprepared. Be mindful rather of the Lord’s command: “Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation.”’ (Now there had recently been a devastating pestilence in the area which had carried off numbers of people in a great wave of destruction. They thought he meant the plague would return.) He continued: ‘One day, when I was living alone on the Farne Island, some of the monks came over to see me on Christmas Day to persuade me to leave my abode and pass so sacred and so joyful a feast in their company. I gave way to their earnest requests and came out. We sat down outside and banqueted. In the middle of the meal I said to them: “Brethren, I implore you, let us act prudently and be on our guard lest through taking neither care nor heed we be seduced by temptation.”
‘“For goodness’ sake,” they replied, “let us enjoy ourselves today – it is Christmas, the birthday of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
‘“Very well, let us,” I replied. As things went on and we were enjoying our dinner, feeling convivial and telling stories, I broke in again to warn them to be earnest in prayer and vigils and to be ready against all temptation.
‘“Well said,” they answered. “You give excellent advice but there are plenty of fast days, plenty of time for vigils and prayers. Today we are rejoicing in the Lord. This is the day the angels announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds, giving them glad tidings of great joy, a joy to be celebrated by them and all mankind.”
‘To which I answered: “Very well, let us do so.” When however, while we were still feasting and passing the day merrily, I repeated the self-same words of warning a third time, they realized I was not anxious without good reason and they began to be afraid:
‘“Let us do as you say. It does indeed behove us to be ever on the watch, our loins ever girt against the snares of the devil and all temptations.”
‘I must confess I knew as little as they did whether some new temptation would attack us or no, but I felt an instinctive warning that one should be on constant guard against sudden storms of temptation. The following morning they left for Lindisfarne and returned to find one of their brethren dead of the plague. The disease raged for month after month, lasted a whole year and carried off almost that whole renowned company of spiritual fathers and brothers. So now brethren, persevere in prayer so that, should tribulation befall you it will not find you unprepared.’
Because of this story they naturally thought he was warning them against the plague. Next day a fugitive from the battle arrived, whose tale of woe threw light on Cuthbert’s dark hints. The same day, nay, the very same hour that Cuthbert received the message as he stood by the fountain, the king and all his bodyguards had been slaughtered by the enemy.