ats Value to the Archeologist. 343 
absurd legends of miracles are often most valuable to the archeologist 
in illustrating folk-lore and the current of thought prevailing at 
the time. 
After describing how Egwin, Bishop of Worcester, in consequence 
of a vision, went with all haste to Doulting, and transported the 
corpse of Bishop Aldhelm thence to Malmesbury Abbey for honourable 
: 
burial, placing stone crosses at every seven miles in the whole dis- 
tance of fifty miles from Doulting to Malmesbury, the writer goes 
on to say: “ All these crosses remain, nor has any one of them felt 
the injury of age: and they are called Biscepstane, i.e., Lapides 
Episcopi, and one of them is in full sight in the monk’s cloister, 
and this admonishes that I should not pass over in silence what fame 
currently reports concerning ‘ Bascepestrune.’ There is a village in 
a valley to which he is said to have come to fulfil his desire of 
preaching. That while he was discoursing to the people he had by 
chance fixed in the earth the ashen staff upon which he was wont to 
lean; that the staff in the meantime, by the power of God, grew 
up to a wonderful size, enlivened with sap, clothed with bark, put- 
ting forth tender leaves and beautiful boughs. That the Bishop, 
who was intent upon the word, being admonished by the shout of 
the people, looked behind him, and having adored the miracle of 
God, left the staff there as a gift. That from the stock of the first 
tree many ash trees sprang, so that, as I have said, that village is 
commonly called, Ad Episcopi Arbores, Bishop’s Trees. These things 
I have not asserted for certain, but I have not omitted them, lest I 
_ should be found fault with for having passed them over.” 
So far William of Malmesbury, who flourished A.D. 1140. Not- 
withstanding the marvel mixed up with the narrative, it seems clear 
that Bishop Aldhelm came on a missionary errand to the place after- 
wards called Bishopstrow, which was then in his diocese. The see 
of Salisbury was not constituted till many years afterwards. It 
Was very natural that he should stick his long ashen walking-staff 
in the ground while preaching, and possibly a tree may have been 
planted to commemorate the spot, and other trees may have been 
derived from it by propagation. Or the stick may be altogether a 
myth, and it seems quite as probable that a tree or trees already 
