ON SAINT WILFRID THE SECOND,
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK IN ENGLAND.
ABOUT THE YEAR 744.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.
Wilfrid the Younger, Archbishop of York in England (St.)
By G. H.
Two men of the same family and name, of the splendor of learning and virtues, illustrated England, both called Wilfrid and Archbishops of York, both, after a life holily passed, buried in the monastery of Ripon, situated on the borders of the Northern and Western Ridings of Yorkshire. The elder Wilfrid seems to have died in the year 710 on April 24, under whom the younger Wilfrid, of whom we here treat, seems to have been instructed in holy morals, and then commended to Saint John of Beverley, later Archbishop of York. Furthermore, as Thomas Stubbs relates, in the Acts of the Archbishops of York, "when John was still conducting his school, he had had many disciples of great holiness and learning: Instructed by Saint John of Beverley, of these, afterwards taken up to the Pontificate, he consigned the most choice to the sacred orders, and promoted as worthy cooperators to God the reverend ministry of the sacred altar." Of whom are enumerated the Doctor of the English Bede, Herebaldus, and Brithunus, and then is added: "Among them also flourished Wilfrid the younger of venerable memory, and for him, while still alive, he was ordained Archbishop of York, who so grew in the merit of holiness, that Blessed John chose him above the others, and while still living ordained him for himself Archbishop of the Church of York. For when Blessed John had most gloriously ruled the Church of York up to extreme old age, and was less sufficient for administering the Episcopacy, with Wilfrid his Chaplain and Priest chosen and ordained for him, with the unanimity of the entire Clergy and people, for the See of the Church of York; he himself withdrew to his monastery which he had founded at Beverley; and there, living four years in angelic conversation, conspicuous for the glory of miracles, on the Nones of May he happily ended his life in the year 721." Thus Thomas Stubbs: which in the Venerable Bede, book 5 of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, toward the end of chapter 7, are thus read: "John remained in the Episcopacy thirty-three years, and thus ascending to the heavenly realms, was buried in the porch of Saint Peter in his monastery, which is called 'in the wood of the Deiri,' in the year from the Lord's Incarnation 721. For when, from greater old age, he was less sufficient for administering the Episcopacy, his Priest Wilfrid being ordained Bishop of the Church of York, he withdrew to the aforesaid monastery, and there with a conversation worthy of God he completed his life." Afterwards the same Bede in the last chapter of his history enumerates the Bishops, who in the year 731 were still alive, and among other things writes the following: "But in the province of the Northumbrians, over which King Ceolwulf presides, he was still alive in the year 731, four Bishops now hold the Office: Wilfrid in the Church of York, Æthilwald in Lindisfarne, Acca in Hexham, Plechthelm in that which is called Candida Casa (Whithorn)."
[2] Jean Mabillon in the Appendix to part 2 of the 3rd Benedictine century has a fragment concerning the Archbishops of York, written in heroic verse in the 8th Christian century, Encomium of his life written in the 8th century, from which we excerpt the following concerning Saint Wilfrid:
"The distinguished priest Wilfrid succeeded John by right, A most worthy heir to the kind father Who previously had been Vice-lord and Abbot of York: But afterwards, relying on the great height of his merits, He worthily took up the honor of highest Bishop, And adorned his rank with merits and kindly morals. For many adornments with beautiful titles he added To the holy Church, who fitting vessels of silver For the sacred ministries rightly with ruddy beauty the temples adorned: Made, and with silver laminae covered the altar and Crosses With gilding: and being unwilling to hide treasures, The prudent Bishop spent them for divine honor. These things the pious Bishop did in the city of York, And adorned other Churches with rich gifts. Nor less did he bear care from his pious heart, To multiply the flocks, following the Lord's precepts, the people instructed, With counsels of doctrine and shining examples. He nourished these with the feasts of the mind, but those of the flesh: These he warms with heavenly things, those he increases with carnal, Lavish with his mouth and hand alike of gifts, to both Performing the work of piety, Rector with a double rule, To all pleasing, venerable, honest, beloved. But when the good Pastor had completed his deeds In the Churches, he sought special enclosures, That he might serve God, now with his whole mind at leisure: Giving himself through all things to the contemplative life, the contemplative life taken up, He left behind the various empty cares of the world. And although he resided in his body on earth, Yet with every mind he already remained in heaven, Watchful, expecting the rewards of the heavenly life: Which at a certain time, his present life being completed, He took up, carried into heaven in Angelic arms. Here when he had laid down the burdens of Pastoral care, Egbert succeeded, He handed over to Egbert the rights of the venerable Cathedral, Whom he made to succeed him as highest Bishop… He ruled the Church thirty-four years."
[3] The same Egbert is said by Symeon of Durham in his History of the Kings of the English, in the year 734. and by Roger of Hoveden in part 1 of his Annals, to have rested in the peace of Christ in the year 766, on the 13th of the Kalends of December, in the 34th year of his Episcopate, which therefore he had taken up in the year 734. The same Durham and Hoveden, however, write the following concerning the taking up of the Episcopate by Egbert: "In the year 735 Egbert, the first Bishop of York after Paulinus, having received the pallium from the Apostolic See, was confirmed as Archbishop for the nation of the Northumbrians. Bede the Doctor died in Jarrow." But Saint Wilfrid could have laid aside the burdens of Pastoral care and handed over the rights of his Cathedral to Egbert the brother of the King in the year 734, who only received his Confirmation in the following year 735, in which also the Venerable Bede died on May 26, as will be said more fully on the said day. William of Malmesbury in book 3 of the Deeds of the Bishops of England asserts that Wilfrid exceeded the times of Bede. He survived after the death of Saint Bede, In the same way the Westminster writer observes that after Bede's death Wilfrid survived as Bishop in York. Luc d'Achery in volume 10 of the Spicilegium published in second place under this title the Martyrology which Bede composed in heroic verse. But because the said Wilfrid is set forth among the few holy Patrons of Northumbria, Bede could have had a similar design, indeed to have begun such a Martyrology, which another completed leaving the name of Bede, inscribed on April 29 in an ancient metric Martyrology: in the way in which we have elsewhere indicated that another Martyrology of Bede was published by later generations under his name. But grant it that another completed it, this metric Martyrology is plainly ancient, which is taken from the copy of the monastery of Saint Remigius of Reims, written out by the hand of Bertigarius the monk under Ebbo the Archbishop, therefore at least before the year 841, in which Ebbo was driven from his See. Now in the said Martyrology for the month of April only four Saints are named, namely Saints George, Egbert, and both Wilfrids: from which one may conclude that this second Wilfrid was, from his death, famous for various miracles, so that shortly he was had among the chief Saints. The day of his death is assigned to the 3rd of the Kalends of May or April 29, and is expressed in these verses:
"Wilfrid on the thrice-threes penetrated into the heavenly court, Later in time, not second in the flower of morals."
The same day, April 29, Florence of Worcester assigns in the year 744, in which he hands down that he departed from the living, and to other authors, as if he had died in the year 744. and thus after laying down his Episcopate would have led the contemplative life for so long. Symeon of Durham also and Roger of Hoveden in the following year 745 and April 29 assert that the death of Saint Wilfrid is referred by some, and they seem to indicate Worcester and his followers. Richard Whitford in his Martyrology printed at London in 1506 in the English idiom on the same April 29 has the following: "The birthday also of Saint Wilfrid the Younger, who was also Archbishop of the Church of York." Edward Matthew in the Anglo-Benedictine Fasti celebrates the birthday of this Saint Wilfrid on May 9, with no reason given for his doing so: whom meanwhile Jean Mabillon follows in the Notes to the aforesaid poem on the Archbishops of York. But the same Edward in the Indices and in the Addenda refers the same man to this April 29, and thus tacitly recalls what he had written before.
[4] Concerning the bodies of this Saint Wilfrid and several Abbots
invention and translation, the body in the monastery of Ripon discovered by Saint Oswald, the following is related in number 15 of the Life of Saint Oswald Archbishop of York, illustrated by us on the last day of February: "Oswald, traversing his diocese at opportune times, whatever he could detect in the morals of his people that offended the eyes of the highest God, he strove to rebuke and correct by paternal chastisement. While he was doing these things, on a certain occasion he happened to come to Ripon, where Blessed Wilfrid of old, having built a noble monastery, merited to be buried. The place however, once in large part torn down by the barbarians, was then a fitting lair for wild beasts. For there, watching by night, assiduous in prayers, he learned by divine revelation that the bodies of Saints were deposited in that very place; which, investigating, he undoubtedly found with the names of each. In the morning, when they dug up the earth, the bodies of Saints were found with a tablet containing this: 'Here rests Saint Wilfrid Bishop of York, from whom the Translation to Worcester was made, and the reverend Abbots Tilbert, Botwin, Albert, Signed, and Wilden.' The relics found he placed for the time in a suitable place. But afterwards he enshrined the body of Saint Wilfrid in a reliquary fitly adorned with reverence; inasmuch as he knew him to be joined by consanguinity to the Great Wilfrid, founder of that place. For the body of the elder Wilfrid had long before been translated by Saint Odo Archbishop of Canterbury. Therefore, having placed the relics in the reliquary, he sent them to Worcester with great honor." So it reads there.
[5] The memory of the translation of Saint Wilfrid the younger is inscribed in the English Martyrology of Wilson on February 10. Mentioned February 10. But the commemoration of Blessed Wilfrid the second of this name, Bishop of York in England, is inscribed on May 9 in the Benedictine Martyrologies of Menard and Bucelinus. And May 9. The five Abbots, whose bodies were found together, seem to have presided in the Ripon monastery itself: of whom Botwin, in the Durham writer Botuune, Whether the 5 Abbots are to be reckoned among the Saints? died in the year 786, and Albert in the year 787, whom then Signed (in the Durham writer Sigred) succeeded. The names of these five Abbots Edward Maihew in the Anglo-Benedictine Fasti on May 13 inscribed in the Addenda, and calls them Blessed Abbots. Menard and Bucelinus call them Holy Abbots, and above they are only called "reverend Abbots": by which title also Botuune (the Durham writer) and Hoveden honor them. In the meantime, Saint Oswald learned by divine revelation that the bodies of Saints were deposited in that very place.