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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
How the Lord Rescued Our Bishop and His Companions from the Sea and from the Hands of the…
While they were crossing the British sea on their return from Gaul with Bishop Wilfrid of blessed memory, and the priests were praising God with psalms and hymns, giving the time to the oarsmen, a violent storm arose in mid-ocean and the winds were contrary, just as they were to the disciples of Jesus on the sea of Galilee. The wind blew hard from the south-east and the foam-crested waves hurled them on to the land of the South Saxons which they did not know. Then the sea left ship and men high and dry, fled from the land, and, laying the shores bare, withdrew into the depth of the abyss. Forthwith a huge army of pagans arrived intending to seize the ship, to divide the money as booty for themselves, carry off the captives whom they vanquished and incontinently put to the sword all who resisted them. The holy bishop spoke to them soothingly and peaceably, and sought to purchase the lives of his companions by the promise of a large sum of money. The enemy however were fierce, and, hardening their hearts like Pharaoh, were unwilling to let the people of God depart, proudly declaring that they treated as their own possessions all that the sea cast upon the land. The chief priest of their idolatrous worship also took up his stand in front of the pagans, on a high mound, and like Balaam, attempted to curse the people of God, and to bind their hands by means of his magical arts. Thereupon one of the companions of our bishop took a stone which had been blessed by all the people of God and hurled it from his sling after the manner of David. It pierced the wizard’s forehead and penetrated to his brain as he stood cursing; death took him unawares as it did Goliath, and his lifeless body fell backwards on to the sand. The pagans then got ready for battle, but in vain did they draw up their array against the people of God. For the Lord fought for the few, even as when Gideon with his 300 warriors at the bidding of the Lord slew 120,000 Midianite warriors at one onslaught. In the same way these companions of our holy bishop being well-armed and brave in heart though but few in number (there were 120 of them, equal in number to the years of the age of Moses), formed a plan and made a compact that none should turn his back upon another in flight, but that they would either win death with honour or life with victory, God being able with equal ease to bring either event to pass. So St Wilfrid the bishop and his clergy on bended knees lifted their hands again to heaven and gained the help of the Lord. For as Moses continually called upon the Lord for help, Hur and Aaron raising his hands, while Joshua the son of Nun was fighting against Amalek with the people of God, so this little band of Christians overthrew the fierce and untamed heathen host, three times putting them to flight with no little slaughter, though, marvellous to relate, only five of the Christians were slain. Then the great bishop prayed to the Lord his God, who straightway bade the tide return before its usual hour and, while the pagans, on the coming of their king, were preparing with all their strength for a fourth battle, the sea came flowing back and covered all the shore, so that the ship was floated and made its way into the deep. They returned thanks to God for the glorious way He had honoured them, and with a south-west wind they prosperously reached a port of safety at Sandwich.