Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-17

|
| i news which came over the cables yester-
day and told of the bombardment OF towns
on the east coast of England, the names
"Whitby" and Scarborough" are suggestive
of interesting events in past ecclesiastical
and literary history.
Shortly after st. Augustine began to teach
| the Christian religion to the Anglo-SaXons,
| Caedmon, who was attached to the monas-
| terry at Whitby, composed the first religious
song In English literature, Chronologically
the "Paraphrase" of Caedmon is the second
Anglo-Saxon epic. The same warlike spirit
that filled the earlier "Beowulf' is seen In
this poem. but instead OF Grendel we have
Satan as the arch-enemy against whom the
battle RACES.
The Venerable Bede, in his famous Eccles-
iastical History, told the story of how the
"Paraphrase" came into being. "Caedmon,
having lived In secular habit until he was
\ well advanced In years, had never learned
anything OF versifying, for which reason, be-
ing sometimes at entertainments where 1t
was agreed for the sake of mlrth that all
present should sing in their turns, when he
saw the instrument come toward him, he rose
up from table and returned home.
Having done so at a certain time and
gone out Of the house where the entertain
ment was to the stable. where he had to take
care OF the horses that night, he there COM
posed himself to rest at the proper time; a
person appeared to him in his sleep, and,
salutIng him by his name said, 'Caedmon,
sing some song to me- He answered, I can
not sing; for that was the reason why left
the entertainment, and retired TO this place.
because / could not sing The other who
talked to him replied However, you shall
sing What shall sing? reJoined he. Sing
the beginning of created beings said the
other. Hereupon he presently began to sing
verses to the praise OF God"
Caedmon remembered the poetry which he
had composed in his dreams and repeated It
in the morning TO the inmates Of the monas-
terry. The gift OF song was divinely given to
him, 1t was believed, and Caedmon was taken
into the monastio order. Thereafter he de-
voted his time to poetry.
The ruins which crown the cliff at Whtby
are not those of the first abbey. II was about
657 that Saint Hilda founded on that site a
Benedictins abbey which. hundred years
after the time OF Caedmon. was destroyed by
the Danes on their plundering expeditions.
In 1918 It was rebuilt. and under the patron
age OF the Percys grew in wealth and fame
From that date the monastery was for men
only. hence the nuns OF Whitby described by
Sir Walter Scott In Marmion are pure fiction.
The ruins present a noble II diapidated
pile. The nave fell after q storm in the 18th
century, and a similar cause threw down the
central tower in 1880. The choir and northern
transept are still standing. extremely beautI-
ful early English work. only fragments Of
other portions OF the abbey remain.
Legends of whitby
Joel Cook, In England, Picturesque and
Descriptive" published by the John G. Win
ston Company, recites one OF the interesting
legends associated with the ancient abbey
sit appears that three gentlemen--De Bruce
De Percy and Alaston-wers hunting boars
on the abbey lands in 1853. and reused a hne
one which their dogs pressed hard ana chased
10 the hermitage. where 1t ran Into the chapel
and dropped dead. The hermit closed the
door against the hounds, and the hunters
coming up, were snFaEed 20 hnd the dogs
baked OF their prey, ana on the hermit's
opening the door they attacked him with
their boar-spears ana mortally wounded him
II was not long before they found that this
was dangerous sport. and they took sane
tuary at Scarborough The Church, however.
did not protect those who had inBuIted il. ana
they were given up % the abbot of Whlsby,
who vas about e make ~ example Of them,
when the dying hermit suinmonsd the abbot
ana the prisoners TO hia bedside ana granted
them their hyes and lands.
sBut Il WAS done upon E peculiar tenure.
upon Ascension Day as sunrise they were %
come 70 the wood on Eskdals-zids, and the
ahb0t's ouieeT waa e deliver 70 each ten
stakes 4 stout stoVera, ana e yetheFs, 70 hs
CUE hy you, 81 sone Of you. win 4 knife u
ona pennF price; tness hey were - take %
lhelr backs 70 Whitbg before o'cIock 81 ~
morning Then said the hermit ff L bs I'm
Sea- goar ieheF ana services shail soasa. and
= toF v7tsr each IS yea ses'l ~ your stakes
p fhs 6rIm cach stake rne tafd fzDu fhs
atfer enf staez laea 81 each a.aa ufff
soar .s ~ aeeh sid a
z z 4 a