Ely Cathedral | Page 4

remains were translated, with much reverence and ceremony, to the
church she had founded. The account of this translation might interest
some of our readers, but is too long for insertion here.
[Footnote 2: Bentham's History, i. 45, &c.]
[Footnote 3: Ibid. i. 59.]
The following lines, written at an early date, picture the fen country as
a series of lakes and water-courses, (as it was until drained six centuries
after,) studded with islands, on one of which the monastery of Ely
stood, and the music of its 'nones' or 'vespers' sounding soft and sweet
over the solitude.
Sweetly sang the Monks at Ely, Knüt, the king, row'd nigh: "Listen
how the winds be bringing From yon church a holy singing! Row, men,
nearer by."
Newborn sunbeams kiss the turrets Of the minster high, All the
beauties of the morning,-- Grey at first, then golden dreaming,-- Deck
the vernal sky.

Loudly sang the Monks of Ely On that Thursday morn: 'Twas the Feast
of "God Ascended"-- Of the wond'rous drama ended;-- God for sinners
born!
Hark! "I will not leave you orphans, I will not leave you long," Grand
the minster music sounded And the fen-land air resounded With the
holy song!
Sweetly sang the Monks at Ely Knüt, the king, row'd nigh: "Listen to
the angels bringing Holy thoughts that seem like singing! Row yet
nearer by."
We will now continue our narrative, briefly taking in review the history
of the monastery as it is handed down to us. About A.D. 673
Etheldreda commenced the foundation of a monastery for both sexes,
and was installed the first abbess; she gave the whole Isle of Ely to the
monastery as an endowment, and died A.D. 679. She was succeeded by
her elder sister Sexburga, then a widow, who died A.D. 699, and was
buried beside her sister in the church of the monastery. Erminilda,
daughter of Sexburga, and widow of Wulfure, king of Mercia, next
succeeded; and the fourth abbess was Werburga, daughter of Erminilda,
the time of whose death is not known. Although St. Etheldreda's
monastery continued to enjoy a regular succession of abbesses for
nearly two centuries, not a single name of its superiors is preserved;
protected by its situation in the midst of waters, it was little molested
by external troubles until A.D. 870, when it was destroyed--like that of
Peterborough--by the Danes, the monastery burnt, and the inhabitants
put to the sword.
After the destruction of the monastery a century elapsed before steps
were taken for its restoration. At length Ethelwold, then Bishop of
Winchester, who is spoken of as "a great builder of churches and of
various other works," re-founded the monastery in the year 970, by the
direction of Edgar "the peaceful," who then sat on the throne of
England. After some time Ethelwold arranged with the king for the
surrender of the whole district of the Isle of Ely, by way of purchase
and exchange, for the use of the monastery. The king, for certain
considerations, gave his royal charter[4] restoring the revenues, rights,

and privileges to the monastery for ever. This charter (which was
afterwards confirmed by king Edward the Confessor,) formed the base
of that temporal power given to the church and monastery of Ely by St.
Etheldreda, and exercised (with some interruption) by the abbots and
bishops down to the year 1836, when it was discontinued by an Act of
Parliament.
[Footnote 4: This Charter is given at length in the Saxon language, with
an English translation, in the Appendix to Bentham's History.]
On the re-foundation of the monastery it was placed under the
Benedictine rule, which required the separation of the sexes, whereas
under the previous order both men and women had resided in the same
establishment. Brithnoth, prior of Winchester, was instituted as the first
abbot of the restored monastery, by Ethelwold, and appears to have
been zealous in his duty; he governed the house eleven years, but in the
year 981 he met an untimely death at the instigation of Elfrida, queen
dowager of king Edgar. He was succeeded by Elsin, Leofric, Leofsin,
Wilfric, Thurstan, (the last Saxon abbot, who surrendered the
monastery to the Conqueror in 1071,) Theodwin, Godfrey, (a monk, as
Administrator ad interim,) and Simeon, the ninth abbot, who was a
relative of king William, and prior of Winchester; he recovered for his
monastery some of the lands which had been given to the Normans
during the siege of the fen district. This was the "Camp of Refuge" for
all the English who refused submission to the arbitrary rule of the
foreigners, and thus it was the last strong hold of the Saxons, and cost
the Norman king much loss of time, blood, and treasure, before he
obtained possession, which was, however, at last effected by