52 



S. MODWEN AND " THE DEVILL OF DRAKEI.OWEJ 



S. Modwen. Those were not the rfays of learned criticism. The 

 recovery of Alured or Alfred, son of Ethelwulf, through the 

 agency of S. Modwen, is also quoted by Dugdale from the 

 " Golden History of John of Tinemouth," a MS. in his time in 

 the }5odleian Library : — " This Athulphus also sent his son 

 Alured, languishing of an incurable disease, to S. Modwen, at 

 that time dwelling in Ireland,* from whence, some time after- 

 wards — her own church being devastated — she came to England, 

 where land was given her for the construction of two monasteries ; 

 one in Ardenne, at Pollesworth, which flourishes at this time, and 

 in which the virgins Osith and Athea dwelt together, with Edith, 

 the sister of King Adulphus (Ethelwulf). But Modwen herself 

 abode for some time in another monastery at Streneshale.'t 



This quotation is immediately followed by another extract from 

 an ancient record which in 1640 was preserved at Tamworth 

 Castle, then the property of John Ferrars. In this there is a 

 slight variation. The whole story of the healing is assigned to 

 the preceding reign : instead of Ethelwulph we find Egbert, and 

 instead of Alured or Alfred we read Arnulf. 



" Egbryght the kinge had one son his heir that had the name 

 .'\rnulfe, and a dowghter that had the name of Edith. This 

 .•\rnulfe the son of the kinge was lepur, and taken with many sore 

 syknysse/. that hee himselfe might uneth meve : wherefore the 

 kinge his fadur and his lords made ryght greyt sorrow, and 

 sowghten meddysons all abowyt, and nothynge aveyled. Bott 

 at the last, there came a byshoppe from Irelond towards the 

 king's cowrte, and spake with the Kynge Egbright, and counsyled 

 hym that hee shuld send his son Arnulfe that was taken wiih soe 

 mony sicknysys into Irelond, to a holy lady, a nunc, that was 

 dowgtur of the Kinge of Connoke, and was callyd Modwen, that 

 helyd al maDer of syknysez of folke that to hur came. And the 



• Alfred, youngest son of Ethelwulf, is said to have suffered greatly by 

 an insidious di'case during the most precious years of his life. VVilliam of 

 Malme^bury relates that his health was so had, that he was constantly 

 disquieted either by piles or some disorder of the intestines, 

 t Called Trensale in the Pollesworth legend. 



