Celtic Scotland : $b A history of ancient Alban. Volume 2 (of 3), Church and cultureSkene, W. F. (William Forbes)
History
Celtic Scotland : $b A history of ancient Alban. Volume 2 (of 3), Church and culture
Skene, W. F. (William Forbes)
Celts -- Scotland; Civilization, Celtic; Scotland -- Antiquities, Celtic; Scotland -- History -- To 1603
Jocelyn, after describing Kentigern’s mode of life and how he spread the
faith of Christ in his diocese, tells us that, ‘a considerable time
having elapsed, a certain tyrant, by name Morken, had ascended the
throne of the Cumbrian kingdom,’ who ‘scorned and despised the life and
doctrine of the man of God in much slandering, in public resisting him
from time to time, putting down his miraculous power to magical
illusion, and esteeming as nothing all that he did.’ But after a time
Morken dies and is buried in the royal town, which from him was called
Thorp Morken. ‘After this,’ says Jocelyn, ‘for many days he enjoyed
great peace and quiet, living in his own city of Glasgow, and going
through his diocese;’ but, ‘when some time had passed, certain sons of
Belial, a generation of vipers of the kin of the aforenamed King Morken,
excited by the sting of intense hatred and infected with the poison of
the devil, took counsel together how they might lay hold of Kentigern by
craft and put him to death.’ In consequence of this Kentigern resolved
to leave the north and proceed to Menevia in South Wales, now Saint
David’s, where St. David then ruled as bishop. The Morken here mentioned
is probably one of the kings termed Morcant by Nennius; and it is quite
in accordance with the history of the period that the increasing power
of the pagan party in the northern districts of Cumbria should have
driven Kentigern from Glasgow and forced him to take refuge in Wales.
Jocelyn describes him as proceeding by Carlisle, and says that, ‘having
heard that many among the mountains were given to idolatry or ignorant
of the divine law, he turned aside, and, God helping him and confirming
the word by signs following, converted to the Christian religion many
from a strange belief, and others who were erroneous in the faith.’ ‘He
remained some time in a certain thickly-planted place, to confirm and
comfort in the faith the men that dwelt there, where he erected a cross
as the sign of the faith, whence it took the name of, in English,
Crossfeld, that is, _Crucis Novale_, in which very locality a basilica,
recently erected, is dedicated to the name of the blessed Kentigern.’
Jocelyn then tells us that, ‘turning aside from thence, the saint
directed his steps by the sea-shore, and through all his journey
scattering the seed of the Divine Word, gathered in a plentiful and
fertile harvest unto the Lord. At length safe and sound he reached Saint
Dewi.’
[Sidenote: Kentigern founds the monastery of Llanelwy in Wales.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account