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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
7. How He Was Welcomed by King Alhfrith
At that time, St Wilfrid the confessor, after his father the bishop had been buried with due honour, embarked on a vessel with many blessings and with the aid of the holy relics, and when the wind blew as the sailors wished, they made a prosperous voyage towards their own land, to a harbour of safety. When Alhfrith, who was reigning with his father Oswiu, heard that so worthy a servant of God had come from the Apostolic See with his companions, preaching the true Easter rule and thoroughly conversant with the manifold discipline of the Church of St Peter the Apostle which the king greatly loved, he accepted the advice of his faithful friend, Coenwalh, King of the West Saxons, and ordered Wilfrid to come into his presence. St Wilfrid accepted the king’s invitation and gave him a greeting of peace, saying, “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, taught His disciples and their chief the Apostle Peter, saying, ‘Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say “Peace be to this house.”’ The foundations of this peace ought to be first of all laid within us, between body and soul, as the teacher of the Gentiles declared when he said, ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.’ Then Jesus Christ taught that we must keep peace between ourselves and our neighbours, saying, ‘Have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another.’” When he had finished the words of his address, the king humbly prostrated himself before the feet of the chosen servant of God and asked for his blessing, for it seemed to him as though an angel of God were speaking. Then Wilfrid blessed him and they began to converse. The wise king skilfully questioned him about the varied discipline of the Roman Church order. Wilfrid, being well informed, answered in all things clearly and with knowledge. Afterwards the king adjured him, by the Lord and the holy Apostle Peter, to stay with him and preach the word to himself and to all the nation, the music of the Spirit sounding through him. Wilfrid realized the king’s affection for him and consented to remain. Then the soul of each was joined to the other in a wondrous way, even as we read that the soul of David was knit together with the soul of Jonathan.