The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-01-25
A Curious Book.

Dr. Henry Holden, Of Durham, England.
recently lecured al Newcastle upon ,St.
Cuthbeyt's Gospels This work is also
called The Durham Book and ''Thc Lin.
di,farnc Gospels" The lecturer said:
This book is preserved in the British
Museum, where it is shown to the public as
one Of the greatest curoSiies. and also ono
Of the most valuable Mss. i'll this or any
other country This book is onc thousand
ono hundred and sixty years old, and he
must take them back to the Saxon era in
order to relate its history. On iiudislarne
there once stood Il famous Benedctiuc mo.
mastery, founded by Oswald, King Of Noy.
thumbria, who sent to Iona for missionaries
TO convert his subjects to ChristlanDy..-
Aidan came about TO \. y. rs the first Dish
OPP, and he received from the King the Isle
of Iindisfarnc, from that circumstance call
e | Holy Island. IN GSj ST. Cuthbcrt was
taken from his seclusion and austcrity in the
farnc Island 10 become one Of Aiduu's sue
cessors. At the death of ST. Cuthbcrt, his
successor, Eg'rtb, in G9s, determined to
show some singular respect TO the memory
of his distinguished predecessor; aud lAi.
he did by writing out the gospel-a work
which would occupy he Bishop many a long
year; and the Ms. which was the result of
Of his labors may vie in respect of the del.
icacy of the penmanship and the beauty Of
lis general execution with any that eau be
produced in our own or all other countries.
at is written in large. bold, uniform
hand, the ink retains all its depth of color,
and the unvarying equality of the thickness
of letters is so remarkable that it seems
hardly possible to have been written with
common quill. 1t is written in the Latin
| language, and contains two hundred and if.
| tyeight double column folio pages, thirteen
and half inches by nine and half inches.
| 1t is written throughout in uncial or mi
| tial letters on carefully glazed yellum. -
.Ethelwald, who succeeded Egfvith, clothed
the book with binding Of gold and silver.
and inlaid it with precious stones. The
initial letters of each gospel are most re
markabe; each of them is of gigantic d..
mansions, most elegantly ornamented with
an endless variety of patterns; and most
astounding was the quality and permanence
of the inks and colors. The history of this
wonderful book became the history of the
Lindisfarne Brethren. About fifty years
after the time which had been mentioned
the Danes began to appear on the coast,
and they burned down the monastery and
| murdered many Of the eccIesiastcs, Thus
| compelled to fly, the monks carrying with
them the bones Of St. Cuthbcrt and other
saints together with their precious volume.
| wandered about, until at last they settled at
| Durham.
CATER awhile st. Cuthbert's gospels were
| translated into Saxon, the Dane Saxon, or
common language of the day. the Translation
| being beautifully written between the lines
of the Latin and this was done about the year
$50. From this period some six centuries
clapse before any further account of st.
Cuthber's book appears. When it again
came before them it was despoied of its
noble cover, which ha! probably been stolen
! at the time of the dissolution Of the mon
asteries, for the sake Of its gold and Jewels
| 1t was then found in the hands Of Robert
Bowyer, clerk of Parliament under James
| l., aud afterwards in the library of Sir
Robert Cotton, at Westminster, who bought
| it, and il was afterwards transferred to the
| British Museum by Sir John Cotton, along
with the remaindcr of his library. A few
years ago the authorities of the Museum
suggested the idea Of reminding the book in
something like its original style and the
honor Of doing so fell into the hands Ct Ed
ward Maltby, the Bishop Of Durham, who
| spent G101 on the work, -
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