bade all his monks who dwelt in the monastery,
that they should all go in procession to church,
and with hymns praise the merits of the saint,
and so magnify God, because of the great saint,
as often as any sick man should be healed.
Then forthwith they did so, and sang the Te Deum,
until they all loathed to arise so often,
sometimes three, and sometimes four times in a night,
to sing the Te Deum, when they wanted to sleep ;
and at last they all left off the chanting,
because the bishop was busy with the king,
and knew not but that they sang the Te Deum continually.
Behold then, the holy Swithhun himself came in a vision,
wondrously adorned, to a certain good man, and said,
'Go now to the Old Minster, and say to the monks,
that God greatly misliketh their murmuring and sloth,
in that they daily see God's wonders amongst them,
and yet they will not praise Christ with chanting
even as the bishop bade the brethren do;
and say, "if they will not perform the hymn,
straightway the miracles shall soon cease;
and if they will sing the Te Deum at the miracles,
as often as sick men shall there be made whole,
then shall so many miracles be done amongst them,
that no man shall be able to remember in his lifetime
that anyone hath seen such miracles anywhere." '
Then the man awoke out of that winsome sleep,
and greatly lamented that he could not see,
nor any longer enjoy the bright light
which he had seen around Swithhun.
He arose nevertheless, and very quickly went
to bishop AEthelwold, and told him all this;
AEthelwold thereupon sent immediately to the monks,
from the king's court, and bade that they should
sing the Te Deum, even as he had appointed,'
