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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
65. [709]
Then our holy bishop went forward with the peace and blessing of all, both the chief men and subjects of Northumbria, and came to the southern lands, where he found all his abbots rejoicing at his coming. There he repeated the above-mentioned will at length to certain of them and for each of them in due proportion he either increased the livelihood of their monks by gifts of land, or rejoiced their hearts with money, as though, endowed with the spirit of prophecy, he were sharing his inheritance among his heirs before his death. Finally they came to his monastery at Oundle where he once dedicated a church to the Apostle Andrew. Here he was immediately seized by sickness, and knew that the end of his life was at hand. In a few words he urged them to be mindful of all the good words which he had spoken to them before. For he had on a former occasion narrated from memory the whole story of his life to the priest Tatberht his kinsman, on a certain day as they were riding along together, as though he foresaw his death; besides this he recounted all the lands in various localities which he had previously given to abbots or now willed to give; thus he bade that the monastery at Hexham should be given to the priest Acca, who after him by the grace of God was bishop of blessed memory. After speaking a few words he blessed them, just as Jacob blessed his sons; then in peace, without sigh or murmur, he leaned his head upon the pillow and rested. The others sang psalms together day and night without ceasing, mingling their singing with their tears, until they reached the verse in the 103rd Psalm which runs “Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.” Then our holy bishop breathed his last and they were all amazed, for they heard at that hour the sound as it were of birds approaching, as a cloud of witnesses confirm. They then received the abbot who had been appointed, who, for the love of his father our holy bishop, was wont to do many good works. He decided to celebrate a private Mass for him every day, and every week to celebrate Thursday, the day on which he died, as a feast as though it were Sunday. He determined on the anniversary of his death to divide his whole share of the tithes of the herds and flocks among the poor of his people, to the glory of God, all the days of his life, apart from those charities which he always gave every day to God and to the needy, for himself and for the soul of his bishop and always in his name.