ON ST. WISTAN, OF THE ROYAL STOCK OF THE MERCIANS IN ENGLAND.
THE YEAR 849.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY. Concerning his birth, slaying, miracles, cult.
Wistan, of the royal stock of the Mercians in England (S.)
BY THE AUTHOR G. H.
Of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy among the Britons, one most extensive kingdom of Mercia, embracing very many provinces, where among the last King Witlasius, constituted in the year 826, presided until the year 839; His grandfather King Witlasius, then died, and was buried in the monastery of Ripadium, commonly Rependon and contractedly Repton, in the province of Derby. He had had a son Wimund, but, having died of dysentery, his father Wimund born, he had already before buried him. From this son he had a grandson S. Wistan, of whom we treat here, and who, the Danish irruption growing strong, on account of the defect of his age, could not preside over the kingdom. Meanwhile, by the testimony of Ingulph in his history, Witlasius was succeeded in the kingdom by Bertulphus his brother, and reigned likewise thirteen years, a tributary of Athelwulf King of Wessex, namely until the year 852, when by Ethelwulf, King of the Western Saxons, there was substituted to him, on account of his military skill, Burhred, the last King of the Mercians. Meanwhile under the reign of Bertulphus, in the year 849, Berfertus his son, as the said Ingulph writes, on the holy vigil of Pentecost, with the consent of his father Bertulphus, slain by a kinsman: cruelly and impiously killed his kinsman S. Wistan, son of Wimund, son of Witlasius and of Alfleda daughter of Ceolulphus formerly King (with such great ambition was he borne to reign). William of Malmesbury, both in the Deeds of the Kings and of the Pontiffs of the English, thus describes this slaying. Nor shall our pages lack your praise, happy boy Wistan, son of Wimund, son of Withlasius King of the Mercians, and of Elfleda daughter of Celuulfus, who was the paternal uncle of Kenelm. You, I say, I will not pass over in silence, whom Berfertus your kinsman nefariously destroyed: and let posterity know, if any shall deem these letters worthy of knowledge, that nothing in the world is more glorious than the nobility of your nature, honored by a column of light: by which the hostile robber, irritated, put you to death; nothing in God more innocent than your purity, by which the internal judge, invited, honored you. For a luciferous column let down from heaven, and breaking the mantles of the dense night, uncovered the crime of the deep pit, convicted the wickedness of the executioner. The writer of Westminster, the said year 849 the slaying being described, adds: From his martyrdom miracles did not fail. For from the place where he was innocently killed, a column of light stretched even to heaven, stood conspicuous to all the inhabitants of that place for thirty days. These things the writer of Westminster, whom John Bromton copies in the Chronicle, and Cardinal Baronius in the Annals in the said year no. 19.
[2] buried at Ripadium, Concerning the burial and translation of the body thus Ingulph: The body of the most innocent Martyr, then brought to Ripadium, buried beside Withlasius his grandfather, in later years, through the devotion of the faithful, was translated to Evesham. Which Malmesbury thus explains: The venerable Relics, raised by the office of his parents, were placed at Rapendon; at that time a famous monastery, is translated to Evesham. now it is a village of the Earl of Chester: whose glory, on account of the situation of antiquity grown obsolete, you now inhabit Evesham, worthy that you, serene, should indulge the vows of those favoring you.
[3] These things being foretasted, we will more securely lead the Reader to some Acts of S. Wistan, The Acts are given from Capgrave. published by Capgrave in the Legend of the Saints, which can be deemed more certain, inasmuch as they are also touched by the aforecited Authors, and there are more fully explained. But he is called in those Acts King Wistan, on account of the right of reigning due to him, although in fact he did not obtain the kingdom. There followed, on these Kalends of June, the said Legend, Richard Whitford, in the Martyrology printed in English at London about the year 1505, which, translated into Latin, sounds thus: In England at Evesham the feast of S. Wistan, The Elogium from the Martyrology of Whitford. King of the same kingdom and Martyr, who was killed by a certain tyrant with a sword. Which tyrant against all laws wished to lead the mother of the slain man to himself as wife, by this reasoning wishing to thrust him from the throne. Moreover this tyrant became more savage, after he killed his King, of whose sanctity it was publicly established, as one who, in the likeness of a most beautiful column, stretched himself from the very place of his martyrdom even to heaven, and appeared in that form for altogether thirty days…. Many other miracles too our Lord works in His Saint. These things there, not without faults, as appears from what has been said.
[4] Another elogium is in the second edition of the English Martyrology of Wilson on these Kalends of June, which in the first edition had been placed on the day before; and Ferrari had followed it, who however again reported Wistan on this day. But below he is said to have suffered on the Kalends of June, and that (as we reported from Ingulph, the writer of Westminster, and others) on the vigil of Pentecost: The time of the slaying. therefore in the year 849, in which by the Cycle of the Sun 18, of the Moon 14, with the Dominical letter F, Easter was celebrated on 14 April, and the feast of Pentecost on the second of June.
THE LIFE From the Legend of John Capgrave.
Wistan, of the royal stock of the Mercians in England (S.)
BHL Number: 8978
[1] The most holy and excellent Martyr of Christ a Wistan was sprung from the royal stock of the Mercians, begotten of King b Wimund and Queen Elfleda as parents. He, while set in boyhood, of how good a disposition he was, Piously educated and with how great signs of piety he flourished, when he reached the years of puberty, he proved by good acts. But when his father c died, he succeeded into his kingdom: preferring however to become heir of the heavenly inheritance, than to cling to a perishable inheritance; following the example of the Lord, he spurned earthly empires; and exchanging them for the heavenly inheritance, to his mother d the Queen and to the Nobles of the kingdom he committed the reins of the kingdom. Now there was a certain Prince, named e Brithfardus, who, that he might be substituted to his Lord in the kingdom either while living or might succeed when dead, whether justly or unjustly, began to give every effort. Inflamed therefore with the desire of reigning, he is kindled with a blind love of the Queen; that if he could attain to her marriage, having through her obtained the helm of the kingdom, he might more easily achieve the name of King. And when he had sent messengers to the Queen, she, ignorant of his fraud, he dissuades his widowed mother from marriage with Brithfardus: deferred a response until she had held counsel concerning these things with her son and the Nobles. Blessed Wistan therefore, being consulted about these things, taught by the grace of the Holy Spirit, is said to have given to his mother such a response of consultation: My dearest mother, Brithfardus my kinsman and your fellow-godparent, who, receiving me from the sacred font of baptism, regenerated me unto the heavenly kingdom, seeks you as wife: but acquiesce to my counsels, and I will hand over to you a spouse who shall not die. For whoever marry Christ, receiving him as spouse, are dowered with a perpetual dowry in the kingdom of heaven. And she said, If it is so, let the word be fulfilled which you have spoken, that I may not marry Brithfardus or any other who shall die. Wistan therefore, having conceived a most certain hope of his mother's continence, revealed to the aforesaid messengers the impediments of the marriage. Which heard, Brithfardus tried to plot concerning the death of Wistan: that, he being removed from the midst, he might bring his wicked purpose to its most nefarious end.
[2] Inflamed therefore with tyrannical fury, not fearing to incur the crime of high treason, he invited his Lord with peaceful words, but with fraudulent thoughts, to a meeting of a suppliant, invited by him to a meeting, that he might deceitfully destroy him. The King acquiescing, when he had come to the meeting, they met at a place which even [now] is called Wistanostowe: and Brithfardus was thinking how he might by fraud hold his Lord apart from the crowd and kill him: which indeed he had not well dared to attempt on account of the fear of the people, who had come with the King. He kept reconsidering, however, that if he had first struck the Prince, he would not fear the soldiers as headless: for Brithfardus, and those who were with him, had come secretly armed against the unarmed. When therefore they had come together into one, he invited his Lord, as a little son, to the kiss of peace, saying apart: Come, and in holy peace give me a kiss, my little son. But he, the lover of peace, approaching to him, said: he is killed amid the kisses. In the name of holy peace, which is God, I kiss you, that in the name of the same I may be kissed by you. But Brithfardus, neither sparing his earthly Lord, nor fearing the heavenly one, while kissing him drew out the sword, which he had secretly under his side: and shaking the head of his Lord, fixed a deadly wound with the hilt into his crown f; but a certain other of the bystanders pierced the body of the King with a sword-point. But the aforesaid messengers, namely Jubaldus Man and Edulphus (because, after the truth was acknowledged, they had always cleaved to the blessed Martyr, The slayer punished with madness. the asserter of truth, as imitators of the truth, as to a true Lord) the detestable servants of the same Brithfardus slew with the sword. Nor was there delay: the same Brithfardus, struck by the divine judgment, immediately was made mad: and was permitted by the Lord neither to attain to the Queen's marriage, nor to be raised to the Royal dignity.
[3] But he suffered on the Kalends of June, and, leaving his precious body to the earth, bore his glorious soul to heaven. But concerning the place his body honored by a column of light, in which he was innocently killed, a column of light stretched even to heaven, appearing to all the inhabitants of that place, stood clear for thirty days. But the body of the Martyr was carried, by those who were then present, to the monastery of Rependon; and in the mausoleum of his grandfather Wiglaf g with fitting honor and the highest reverence was buried. deposited at Rependon Nor much after was the special son and Martyr of the heavenly King, to the special daughter of the Roman Church, namely the h church of Evesham, by the disposing of divine grace translated: that the place, which King Kenred by royal power gave to royal liberty, the kinsman of the same King, B. Wistan, then at Evesham as in a certain way another substituted Patron, might protect by royal power, and sanctify by the presence of the Martyr.
[4] But when B. Wistan was crowned with martyrdom, as is set forth; where his scattered hairs are reborn yearly. every year for one hour of that day, on which he fell beneath the swords of the wicked, in the same place where the column of light appeared, hairs, such as are seen on the heads of men i, arise; so that through the hairs torn from the head of the same youth, poured out and dispersed in the same place, which could not be gathered by the faithful then present there, yet still remaining there and yearly growing, the truthful sentence of the Savior may be approved, by which it is said, that a hair of your head shall not perish. Luke 21:18. And whereas many Martyrs completed their martyrdom by the cutting off of the head; this one, with his head not cut off, but only the crown of the head struck, fell as victor in the manner of a crown. For when k Baldwin Archbishop of Canterbury wished to be certified concerning the aforesaid things, with the birthday of the same Martyr at hand; he sent thither religious and trustworthy men, who, coming thither, during the space of one hour of the day of his passion, in the same place around the chapel which is situated there, among the green grass deserved to see hairs as it were of a man, which they handled with their hands and kissed with their mouth: and again after a little they perceived nothing in the same place except grass alone.
[5] For when l Walter the Abbot, who first of the Franks presided over the Church of Evesham, The Relics remain unharmed by fire. had found many Relics of the Saints, he decided to prove them by fire. The Relics also of B. Wistan, about whose sanctity he doubted, he put into a copious fire. But the Lord so preserved them unharmed, that, the flames being divided, they remained untouched, and the color in the bones was not changed. Whence the Abbot, terrified, with trembling hands, when he was carrying the skull of the glorious Martyr from the fire to its former place, suddenly it fell from his hands to the ground, and emitted as great a stream of sweat as any of men could emit from himself by any accident. Which seen, all praising the great works of God lift their voices to the stars, and place the head with the other members honorably back in the bier.