Evening star., 1909-06-01

Church. which was destroyed by fire. it
the fictitious history built up by the Glas-
tonburE monks to secure a recognition of
their precedence by reason of the priority
of their ChristianiZation.
This claim was publicly accepted the
councils of Pisa and Constance. when
the English bishops took precedence of
all others on the ground Of the establish
ment OF their church by Joseph of Arima-
thea in the earliest days.
''Whatever may be said of King Arthur
the cultured hero of the English middle
ages as he is sometimes called, the 10
calities named after him and his exploits
are SO numerous and so ancient in this
neighborhood, and the folk lore concern
ing him is generally accepted. that it
is difficult to deny his existence. but the
story of King Arthur and the Round Ia
bic involves the story Of Joseph Of Ari-
mathea.
Arthur. the great defender of his coun-
try against the Saxon. Cedric, and the
hero of the Holy Grail. mortally
wounded at camlan in o4.. fighting
against his nephew, Modred He died at
Glastonbury and there his body was
buried in strict secrecy by the monks for
fear of the Saxons. who were everywhere
gaining ground.
'Guineyere, his queen, entered nunnery
at A1mesbury and was buried at Glaston
bury. Her corpse was wrapped in ccre
cloth and web of lead and placed in
marble coffin. The grave was undisturb-
ed for $40 wears
In 1l91, at the suggestion of Henry il,
search was made for relics. Geraldus
Cambrensis, an eyewitness. states that
at depth of seven feet a fiat stone was
found with an incised cross-sha ped lead
en- plate inscribed Hi jacet sepultus in
clytus Rex -Arthurus in incuia cum GUM
evera uxore sa sccunda. rHere lies buried
in the Isle Of Avalona the renowned
King Arthur. etc.D
Two feet below, followed oak coffin
dith two cavities. the former containing
the bones of man of gigantic size and
the other those of Il woman of much
| smaller stature, were found.
The relics We're removed to the church
and Henry de Swansey. the abbot. caused
saw:
HE jacet Arturcs fios Regum gloria
iRegini-quem nores probetes-commenda
laude pereuni versus Henrioi Swansey alb
| bates Glastonbury.
! AS We trace the story Of the Holy
| Grail we find its origin not in England.
but in Brittany. and that is what history
would lead us to expect. for. after the
death Of Arthur, the savage Saxons swept
| over the land and the monks of Glaston-
bury fed to Brittany with all their
| records and histories. There wass no
| chance for the preservation Of these
| among the victorious Saxons.
| And this. like many clues toward the
4
seph of Arimathea story, is but sug-
sestion. How arc we TO account for the
| story in German folk lore?
"One of the most enthusiastic friends
and munificent patrons of Glastonbury
was Aldhelm. first Bishop of Sherbourn.
who died in the year 7H, 1t was this Aid
helm who secured from King Ina the
charter through which the greater part
| of the original wealth of the abbey came.
"Aldhelm had pupil. Wilfrid OF
| Devonshire. who in later life carried the
gospel of Christ to the Germans and be-
came known as the apostle of the Ger
mans, under the familiar name of Boni-
| face. What more natural than that Will
frid of Devonshire. in carrying the mes
sage of Christ to the Germans, should
have told his converts the story of his
childhood's home. of King Arthur and
his Round Table. and of Joseph of Arima-
thea. that it became embodied in Ger
man folk lore.
For us in Washington" said DR..
Rratenahl "the story of Joseph of Ari-
mathea and his journey to England. what
ever we may think of it's historic accur-
acy. will always have peculiar interest,
because of the vine in the cathedral
close.