THE MARRIAGE OF ST. CUTHBURGA. 183 



whole congregation of sisters being gathered round her, she is said thus 

 to have exhorted them, " See, dearest sisters, see your calling, how ye 

 should walk circumspectly, with fear and trembling working out your 

 own salvation, redeeming the time since the days are evil. Consider 

 how deceitful is the world which ye have left in body and in dress, and 

 yet ye wish me to return to that Egypt from which in heart ye have 

 come out. But guard your heart with every guard since from that 

 proceedeth life. Mark ye whose ye are, to what spouse ye are con- 

 secrated and sanctified. Surely ye are betrothed to Him whom the 

 angels serve, at whose nod all things tremble, both things which are 

 in heaven and things which are on the earth. If, therefore, ye desire to 

 please so great a spouse, it is necessary that ye keep carefully His law 

 and commandments, and with all diligence are on your guard against 

 what He hates and forbids. Him, then, your Lord and spouse, love 

 beyond all things, be kindly affectioned one to another with mutual 

 love, in honour preferring one another, aspire unceasingly to the 

 rewards of eternal bliss. But as for me, I have desired to depart and 

 to be with Christ ; but now I feel that the fulfilment of my desire is at 

 hand, for I rejoice to pay the debt of death that I may live thereafter 

 for ever with my most sweet spouse. But ye whom I leave behind, 

 my survivors in this present life, strive to imitate me in all things, and 

 what ye have seen in me this do, and the God of peace will be with 

 you." When they heard this the nuns from the least to the greatest 

 began to be vehemently overcome with grief, to sob aloud, and to 

 moisten their faces with streams of tears. But to console them the 

 blessed Cuthburga speaks thus : " Do not, dearest sisters, do not 

 weep for my departure, nor make my death more difficult by your 

 groanings ; for I shall not die but live, for I shall pass now from 

 corruption to immortality ; I go from misery to glory ; from a pilgrim- 

 age I return to my fatherland. Therefore, if ye love me rejoice in my 

 success, and commend my passing to the Lord with psalms and spiritual 

 songs, and pay to my vile body the rites due to humanity." So she 

 spake, fortified on every side by the sign of the Lord's passion, and 

 having partaken of the most sacred Communion of the Body and 

 Blood of the Lord, she departed to the Lord on the last day of August, 

 the Lord whom from her very childhood she had served devotedly and 

 unweariedly. She was buried with fitting honour in the same church 

 which she had built to the holy mother of God, where by her merits 

 very many miracles were wrought and many benefits were bestowed 

 on the sick ; the power of walking was restored to the lame, hearing 

 to the deaf, sight to the blind, through the tender mercy of Jesus our 

 Christ, whose majesty and sway remain for ever and ever. Amen. 



Here ends concerning Saint Cuthburga, virgin and queen. 



