Sickness of Wulfstan.
Easter, 1094.
He dines with "good men." the stars, and Wulfstan Bishop of Worcester died!"[1] The health of the good old man had been for some time ailing; we have seen that he had latterly been unable to show himself in assemblies and ceremonies. At the Easter of the year before his death, while the King was in Normandy, he told his steward that on the day of the feast he meant to dine in state with "good men." The steward, mistaking the meaning of a phrase which is ambiguous in several languages and which was specially so in the English of his day,[2] got together many of the rich men of the neighbourhood—we are not told whether the Sheriff Urse was among them. The day came; the Bishop entered the hall with a large company of the poor, and ordered seats to be set for them among the other guests. The steward was displeased;[3] but Wulfstan explained that those whom he brought with him were the men who had the true riches; he had rather sit down with such a company than sit down, as he had often done, with the King of the English.[4] For Rufus, we are told, always receivedmigravit ad Dominum." Sigebert's Chronicle (Pertz, vi. 367) has some curious physical details.]*
- ↑ So say the Margam Annals, 1095; "Commotio fuit stellarum, et obiit Wlstanus Wigorniensis episcopus." But unluckily it appears from Florence that the stars did not shoot till April 4. Still it is edifying to mark the different results of the death of a saintly and of a worldly bishop. The next entry is, "Moritur Willelmus episcopus Dunelmensis, et hic commotio hominum." According to Hugh of Flavigny (Pertz, viii. 474) the stars paid regard to the death of an abbot who in no way concerns us; "Stellæ de cœlo cadere visæ sunt, et eadem nocte Gyraldus abbas Silvæ majoris [in the diocese of Bourdeaux
- ↑ See above, p. 297.
- ↑ The story is told by William of Malmesbury, Vit. Wlst. Angl. Sacr. ii. 266. "Præmonuerat ministros velle se ad illud pascha convivari accuratis epulis cum bonis hominibus." He then brings the poor people into the hall and "præcepit inter eos sedili locato epulas sibi apponi."
- ↑ The steward's doctrine is "competentius esse, ut episcopus convivaretur cum paucis divitibus quam cum multis pauperibus." The bishop makes his scriptural quotation, and adds, "illis debere serviri, qui non haberent unde redderent." He then winds up, "Lætius se videre istum consessum, quam si,
