Bede's Ecclesiastical History of EnglandBede, the Venerable, Saint
History
Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England
Bede, the Venerable, Saint
England -- Church history -- 449-1066
That same night it pleased Almighty God, by a manifest vision, to make
known her death in another monastery, at a distance from hers, which she
had built that same year, and which is called Hacanos.(706) There was in
that monastery, a certain nun called Begu,(707) who, having dedicated her
virginity to the Lord, had served Him upwards of thirty years in the
monastic life. This nun was resting in the dormitory of the sisters, when
on a sudden she heard in the air the well-known sound of the bell, which
used to awake and call them to prayers, when any one of them was taken out
of this world, and opening her eyes, as she thought, she saw the roof of
the house open, and a light shed from above filling all the place. Looking
earnestly upon that light, she saw the soul of the aforesaid handmaid of
God in that same light, being carried to heaven attended and guided by
angels. Then awaking, and seeing the other sisters lying round about her,
she perceived that what she had seen had been revealed to her either in a
dream or a vision; and rising immediately in great fear, she ran to the
virgin who then presided in the monastery in the place of the abbess,(708)
and whose name was Frigyth, and, with many tears and lamentations, and
heaving deep sighs, told her that the Abbess Hilda, mother of them all,
had departed this life, and had in her sight ascended to the gates of
eternal light, and to the company of the citizens of heaven, with a great
light, and with angels for her guides. Frigyth having heard it, awoke all
the sisters, and calling them to the church, admonished them to give
themselves to prayer and singing of psalms, for the soul of their mother;
which they did earnestly during the remainder of the night; and at break
of day, the brothers came with news of her death, from the place where she
had died. They answered that they knew it before, and then related in
order how and when they had learnt it, by which it appeared that her death
had been revealed to them in a vision that same hour in which the brothers
said that she had died. Thus by a fair harmony of events Heaven ordained,
that when some saw her departure out of this world, the others should have
knowledge of her entrance into the eternal life of souls. These
monasteries are about thirteen miles distant from each other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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