The Life & Travels of Saint Cuthwin by Irving Warner

Author:Irving Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pleasure Boat Studio: A Literary Press

I had kept close track of events at Peterborough Monastery and township, natural for me since I was more of Peterborough than Alnwick, my birthplace. And in the years of my business, which was the exchange of information over distances, it was easier for me than others.

I knew my teacher and master at livery, Gilbert, had died years previous, and that most others had too, save a few. And one of these, praise God, was Father Abbot Elsin Himself. Years before he had gratefully withdrawn to the life of an ordinary cenobite. Citing infirmities, he resigned as Abbot, retired to private quarters in advancing age, and resumed the contemplations dear to him.

But the fact he was a venerated and influential counselor throughout western Christendom pursued him everywhere.

It was fourteen years since Cwenburh and I set eyes on our native fens. By this time one would think, Eadrig, Matilda, and Elesa had grown weary of our stories there, but they claimed not, in fact urging us in the telling.

We had become quite the jongleurs. But now that everyone saw the real country of our youth, they seemed to be satisfied with our strengths as storytellers.

Our trip across the fens was only a few days past the Festival of The Annunciation.36 And though spring arrived several weeks before, it was a wet time to travel. The road, never good, was troubled with streams overflowing, and bridges half-submerged by spring waters.

For all of us in train it was imperative to reach York for St. George’s Week festival. We could not take long at Peterborough.

We were not more than half-a-day in Peterborough than Cwenburh, via the quick network of gossip, was an authority on events, which of late had turned intense between Old Father Abbot and the new Abbot Leofric. The King had been consulting often with the Venerable Elsin about the current great troubles, and the aged man wanted little of this.

Hence, when spring arrived, Venerable Elsin took to his beloved fens to live simply upon a raised-reed house with one attendant. It was early for his move, for those wise to the fens knew high waters were still at hand and the ancient sage might float out to sea. Also there were few comforts—but he told all he was closest to God and his Son, Our Savior, only more in veneration to St. Guthlac, to whom he prayed thrice daily, and whose Festival Day was close at hand.37

Some would assume, most tellingly the King, he cleverly designed distance from matters of the court.

When the King’s messenger found Old Abbot Elsin retired to the fens, he ordered Abbot Leofric to command the Venerable Elsin to return ‘where people who loved and cared for him could look to his needs.’

And here the conflict warmed, especially in the telling of it—for the old man was dear to the folk of Peterborough. Father Abbot would never order Venerable Elsin to do anything, his love for him was such. Lastly, and perhaps most significantly, the saintly man was leather-headed, and would not have obeyed anyway.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.