Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-02-03
WEAvERvIILE CALIFORNIA. SATURDAY. FEBRUl
A MYTH OF THE MIDDLE AGES

We were at Chester le-Street, q prot
ty little bucolic town in North Durham,
with an ancient odor Of Rome and Had
rain about it. We were, indeed, travers-
ing the beautiful estate of the Earl of
Durham and, as we strobe along, | re-
called for my compamon's edifcation the
" Legend of the Lambton Worm :"
An ancient heir of the castle yonder
situated so beautifully on the velvet
green knoll of the wooded hill, around
which the Wear ghdes like broad rib
bon-was fishing, as was his usual pro-
fame custom, in the river on Sunday
He hooked u small worm, or eft, which
he carelessly threw into a well, and
thought no moro of the incident. The
worm liked its new quarters, ana grew
till the we'll was too small to hold it. Fiji.
ty yards distant flowed the Wear, and
there the worm betook itself, usually ly-
ing part of the day coiled round crag
in the middle o! the stream. 1t also fire.
quented n green mound near tho well,
where it Tapped itself nine times round,
leaving vermicular traces which are 20
be seen until this day. Grown to this
prodigious size, the worm became the
terror of the country, and among other
enormities, it levied contribution OF nine
cows milk daily, which was always
placed for it at the green hill, and, in
default Of the lacteal swill, the creature
devoured man and beast. Young Lamb
ton, meanwhile, had totally repentod
him Of his former life and conversation.
lie had, moreover, purified himself in a
bath Of holy water, taken tho sign of the
cross and joined the Crusaders. On his
return homo he was shocked at witness
ing the effect Of his youthful imprudences,
and Immediately undertook to relieve tho
district of this tyrant monster. After
several severe combats, in which the Cru
sader was foiled by his enemy's power of
selt-union, he found it expediont to add
policy to courage. Not perhaps posses
sing too much of the former quality he
went to witch or wise woman, and by
her advice armed himself in coat Of
mail, studded with razor-blades. Thus
prepared he placed himself on the crag
in the river and awaited the monsters
arrival. The worm came rs usual, and
Immediately wound himself round the
knight with great fury, cutting himself
into sections, which the stream washed
away and thus prevented the possibility
Of reunion.'
"Of course there is still sequel The
witch had promised Lambton success on
ly or condition that he should slay the
first living thing which met his sight af-
ter the victory. To avoid the possibility
of human slaughter, the knight had di-
rected his father that as soon as he heard
him sound three blasts on his bugle horn
in token of success he should release his
lavorite grey hound, which was designa-
ted to be the sacrifice. On hearing his
sons bugle, the old man was so overoy-
ed that he forgot tho injunction, and ran
with open arms to meet the conqueror
Instead of committing parricade, the
knight went to the witch. who pronounc-
ed, as the alternative of disoboying her
original Instructions, the penalty that no
chief of the house OF Lambton should die
in his bed for nine generations. There
appeared nothing very terrible in this to
the martial mind Of the young man, and
the penalty was accepted, and as the his
tory Of the Lambton family, from the
twelfth century proves-seems to have
been mysteriously eXacted. ."-Apptetou'S
for January.