224 REPORT OF THE MEETINGS FOR 1900 



The visitors discovered much to interest them. The ruins 

 of the priory afforded a special attraction, and Canon 

 Greenwell's observations regarding them were listened to 

 with exceptional delight. No one knows more of the stirring 

 history of Lindisfarne than the reverend gentleman. His 

 quotation from Sir Walter Scott's " Marmion " formed a 

 fitting preface to that which followed: — 



" For with the flow and ebb, its style 

 Varies from continent to isle. 

 Dry shod, o'er sands, twice every day, 

 The pilgrims to the shrine find way. 

 Twice every day the waves efPace 

 Of staves and sandall'd feet the trace." 



This visit, Canon Greenwell said, was the third so far as 

 his Society was concerned. From Holy Island, he explained, 

 the whole of the northern part of England was Christianised. 

 King Oswald brought from lona, where he himself had 

 attained Christianity, the great man Aidan, who established 

 a bishopric at Lindisfarne. It formed a branch of the Celtic 

 Church, and differed from the Christianity which came from 

 Rome. The island seemed a very unlikely spot on which 

 to settle missionaries who were going to Christianise a 

 very large district round about. But there were more 

 reasons than one why that was done. The defensive position 

 of the place was one reason. It was practically an island. 

 A still greater reason was its close proximity to Bamburgh, 

 the royal residence ; and perhaps a yet greater reason than 

 all was its resemblance to lona. Colman was the last 

 Celtic bishop, and he occupied the position from 661 to 664. 

 In the latter year a synod took place at Whitby under 

 Osway, King of Northumbria, and some very important 

 matters were determined. The two principal things were 

 the time of keeping Easter and the position of the 

 tonsure. The Celtic practice was to shave the front of 

 tlie head, while the Roman practice was to shave the 

 top. But there was no doubt whatever that what was 

 really at the bottom of all the dispute was a desire to 

 bring the Celtic Church into complete obedience and union 

 with the great patriarchal Church of the west, namely, Rome. 



