SOME SAXON SAINTS OF WIMBORNE. 203 



written by Rudolf of Fulda in 836, or about 60 years after 

 the death of that holy woman. " In Britain,"* so runs the 

 story, " is a certain place called in the language of that nation 

 Winbrunn, which in Latin may be described as Vini fons, or 

 Fountain of wine, so named from the great clearness and 

 special purity of its water. Here were two monasteries of 

 Royal foundation, surrounded by strong and lofty walls, 

 the one for men (Clericorum, i.e., monachorum) and the other 

 for women." From the time when they were first founded no 

 woman had ever been allowed to enter the men's church, nor 

 had any man been permitted to penetrate into the women's 

 quarters, excepting only those priests whose work it was to 

 celebrate the Holy Communion in the Women's Church, and 

 who, when the solemn services were at an end, immediately 

 retired. When once a woman had renounced the world and 

 by her own will had joined the community, she must remain 

 there for life, unless it was thought well for her to leave the 

 monastery for some good reason or for a position of great 

 usefulness. Any business that had to be done with the out- 

 side world was attended to by the mother, and that through 

 a small window. Tetta at this time was Abbess, and she ruled 

 both monasteries with great discretion. She showed what 

 was fitting by her actions as well as by her words. And so 

 strictly did she uphold the discipline of the establishment 

 that even Bishops were not allowed to set foot in the Women's 

 monastery. 



There were five hundred nuns at Wimborne, we are told 

 by the biographer of St. Lioba, who were all present at the 

 night offices. They were sisters whose lives were consecrated 

 to the service of God, and yet they were women with the fail- 

 ings of the sex. It would not always be an easy task to ru'e 

 over so large a number of women, many of them with the high 

 spirits of youth, and all of them sprung from a race which 

 had not long been converted to Christianity. Consequently 



* Acta Sanctorum, Ord. S. Bened : Ssec. III. Pt. 2, pp. 246-7. 



