60 Durham Cathedral, by Rev. William Greenwell. 



large part of Europe, tkroughout the seventh, eighth, and ninth 

 centuries. It was also the country whence art at that time was 

 widely diffused. The art which we are accustomed to call Anglo- 

 Saxon, and which is sometimes known as Eunic, is purely Irish. 

 Almost all the art ornamentation in use at that time in our own 

 country upon stone and metal, and in books, came from thence. 

 Into the principles of this art time will not permit me now to 

 enter fully. It has nothing in common with Classical or Oriental 

 Art, and does not appear to have been known anywhere except 

 in the United Kingdom, and to a trifling extent in some parts of 

 South Germany. In Ireland, however, this special art orna- 

 mentation reached its highest excellency. The power of design 

 and of execution, as shewn in the manuscripts, is truly most re- 

 markable. This principle of art is in the main based on a spiral 

 reversing itself, which becomes joined on to an elaborate inter- 

 lacing pattern, probably originating in late Eoman work. This 

 union produced that wonderful system of art ornamentation 

 which is found so beautifully developed in many of the early 

 books, written both in Ireland and our own country, and in none 

 more exquisitely than in the Lindisfarne Gospels, which, once at 

 Durham, is now in the British Museum. We have also in the 

 Library here another very fine example, consisting of a frag- 

 mentary copy of the Gospels, equally beautiful with the Lindis- 

 farne Gospels. 



When Oswald placed Aidan at Lindisfarne (now called Holy 

 Island) or more probably when Aidan selected that spot for a 

 religious settlement, he found it singularly like the place from 

 whence he had come. It is a small low-lying, sandy, and un- 

 fertile island, not far distant from the mainland. Both Lindis- 

 farne and lona are exposed to the storms from the ocean, and to 

 those of the opposite highlands, and in many respects are much 

 alike, and I cannot but think that Aidan was induced to settle at 

 Lindisfarne from a sentiment of affection, because of this like- 

 ness to the island where he had received his education, and 

 where he became so deeply imbued with a true Christian spirit. 

 The religious body established at Lindisfarne by Aidan was 

 fostered by that great and most virtuous of kings — Oswald — and 

 there the monks remained for several years. But before I bring 

 you away from Lindisfarne, to Chester-le-Street and Durham, 

 there is one figure which rises before us — the figure of the great 



