The Irish standard., 1890-08-16
ST. BEDE, THE MARTYR, 7
Description Of His Glorious Death
for His Religion.

for His Religion.
How Once the Executionsrs. from Be
4. tng . Prosecutor, ssccamc Colisasue
fin Truth aud Eat5h--The Place of Exc
cntion Scene of Numerous Miracles.
y The following account is given of the
'martyrdom of st. Bede, who YVES exc
outed on account of his religious belief
on the spot where the transcept Of the
Cathedral at st. Adams, England, now
stands:
"And as he was being led to execu-
ton he came to ariver which runs with
great rapidity between the city wall
and the place of execution. Here he be-
held the small multitude of both sexes
and of all ranks and ages, who were
doubtless secretly inspired by God to
attend the obsequies of the blessed con-
lessor aud martyr. This crowd was SO
great that it blocked up the causeway
TO such an extent that they could not
CROSS before evening, and all the city
being there the judge remained at home
without attendants. Therefore, St.
Beae, who was fred with a most ar
dent ysarning for martyrdom, moved
towards the stream, and, raising his
eyes to nea ven, saw Immediately that
She river bed was dry, and that the
tread.
fThen one of the executioners from
being prosecutor became colleague
In truth and faith, and throwing down
his sword, caused q natural delay or
hesita ton among the executioners.
But Gods holy confessor, accompanied
by the crowd, joyfully assembled to the
place Of martyrdom, q well chosen spot
smiling with rustic beauty, some 500
PAGES distant from the river side. This
place was adorned, or rather clothed,
from base to summit with various wild
flowers, where there appeared nothing
steep, nothing rugged, nothing precipi-
sous, but where, on the contrary,
nature lad smoothed it's slopes far and
near until they rssem bled the swelling
pillows of the ocean, as it by its innate
beauty of form nature itself had pre-
pared it for dedication by a martyrs
blood. Where afterwards, when peace
able Christian times were restored, a
church Of wonderful workmanship and
suitable to his martvrdom, was erected;
in which place there cease not TO this
day to be witnessed the cures of sick
persons and the frequent working Of
wonders"
Not only is the site of the gate easily
traceable but the causeway, 100 yards
aong, is quite perfect, and the dry bed
and the pool formed by the damming
up of the waters Of the Yer distinctly
visible and traceable, running between
tho city walls and the hill as far west
as the hamlet Of St. Michaeps, that is,
about half the length of the site of the
old city. From the nor thern arch of
the causeway up the hill to the south
transept, is just 500 yards, and the
present path, though obviously mod
ern, inasmuch as it CROSSES the debris
of the old conventional buildings, yet
must follow in the exact tract of the
martyr and his executioners. AS for
the scenery: any one can see for him
self, and judge of the justice of Bede's
description. The place of judgment
when the magistrate was left alone was
in all probability close to the present
Church of St. Michael, which stands in
the center of the site Of the ancient
city at the junction of two or three
roads. Here stands g very perfect
Saxon church built by Ulsinus, the sixth
Abbot, in the tenth century. if it is
not actually Romano British. In q
meadow to the east formerly
stood small church dedicated
TO ST.. Germanus but the site,
though the position is known, is
completely obliterated. At the north
ern end OF the causeway to the north Of
the Yer, is small ancient inn, which
formerly went by the name of st. Ger
manus House. A shrine seems to have
existed from the beginning, since Con-
etantius, the friend and biographer of
st. Germanus mentions it in his account
OF St. Germanus' visit to Britain. "Ger-
manus here, bearing with him the rel
ics of all the apostles and Of diver mar
tyrs, made an Grafton, and then ordered
the sepulchre to be opened with the in
tention of storing therein the precious
relios, inasmuch as he considered this
to be fitting, namely, that the relics Of
the Saints collected from different parts
of the world, should rest in one sepnl-
ohere on earth, as they have earned one
reward in heaven. Having then depos-
1ted these relics in the tomb, he did
honor to himself and his colleagues
from the very spot where the blood Of
the blessed martyr had been poured out
For he took away with him q clod Of
earth, which seemed to have been tinged
by the blood of the martyr, which was
thus preserved on the spot where the
enemy had power over him"
! This was written in the fifth cen injury,
and besides Venantius Fortunatus gives
D tolerab1y sccurate account of the
martyrdom. About this time the
church or monument seems to have
been destroyed by the Saxons, for
t3ildas elsewhere complains thai they
prevented the Britons from generating
the scenes Of martyrdom of st. Bede8
and others. They took Bedford, Ayles-
bury. and Dunstabls .. d. 5T, 50 may