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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
Thereupon the messengers left him, bearing this unhappy message, and saw his face no …
Thereupon the messengers left him, bearing this unhappy message, and saw his face no more, but returned to their lord.
Now the divine vengeance did not tarry but, as the prelate of the Apostolic See had prophesied, laid hold upon the king binding him fast by the chains of sickness. Being a prudent man he realized that he had been struck by the Apostolic power, and, moved by penitence, confessed the sin which he had committed against Bishop Wilfrid in defiance of the judgments of the Apostolic See. He said, in witness thereof: “If only he could have somehow come to me at my invitation while I am still alive, I would at once amend my crime.” But nevertheless he made a vow to God and St Peter that if he rose healed from his bed of sickness he would remedy everything in accordance with the desire of St Wilfrid the bishop and the judgment of the Apostolic See. “But if by God’s will I die, in the name of God I bid my heir, whoever it may be who shall succeed me in the kingdom, to make peace and a settlement with Bishop Wilfrid for the good of my soul and his own.”
These words were heard by most faithful witnesses and told to us. Of these, one is the abbess and most prudent virgin Aelffled, who is indeed the daughter of a king, and another is the abbess Aethilberg; and it has been confirmed by many other witnesses. But the king was overcome by his weakness; his power of speech deserted him for many days, and at last he died. After him Eadwulf reigned for a short time. Our holy bishop coming to him from exile with Eadwulf’s own son, sent messengers from Ripon as if to a friend. But the king, persuaded by his counsellors because of their deep-rooted malice, replied harshly and austerely: “By my salvation I swear that if he has not left my kingdom in six days, any of his companions whom I can find shall perish.” After these rough words a conspiracy arose against the king, and he was driven from the kingdom over which he had reigned for two months.
In his place reigned a boy of royal birth whose name was Osred, the son of King Aldfrith, and he became the adopted son of our holy bishop.