Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln: A Short Story of One of the Makers of Mediaeval EnglandMarson, Charles L. (Charles Latimer)
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Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln: A Short Story of One of the Makers of Mediaeval England
Marson, Charles L. (Charles Latimer)
Hugh, of Lincoln, Saint, 1140-1200
this superfluous humour, if one may use the word of what flowed from the
tree of life? What am I to feel of that humour which used to be poured
from a vase of such blessing because He bare our infirmity? Why, of
course, if I only could, I should diligently gather Him, yes, and drain
Him with my lips, drink Him in with my jaws, and hide just Him in my
inward parts. Those are the really wretched, who fear aught else than to
offend One so sweet. Those are the pitiful who esteem aught else sweet,
or seek aught else than sweetly to cleave to this sweet One and sweetly
obey Him. I do not know what he can feel to be bitter, who with the
inner palate of the heart has learnt by continuous meditation to feed on
the sweetness of this Sweet." Thus inspired, he looked upon the weaker
limbs of Christ, honouring those whom others passed by.
Not only was he bountiful to lepers, but what with the alms asked of him
and given by a hand that often outran the tongue of need, he gave away a
third of all he had in this way alone. Once at Newark he met a leper and
kissed him. There a most learned Canon from Paris, William de Montibus,
a great master and author, an early Cruden, and the Chancellor of the
Diocese, said to him, "Martin's kiss cleansed the leper." The bishop
answered humbly, "Martin kissed the leper and cured his body, but the
leper's kiss has cured my soul."
Of Hugh's courage several instances are cited (but impossible now to
date). He went several times unarmed against threatening bands of men
who flourished naked swords. In Lincoln Church, in Holland as
aforementioned, and in Northampton, he faced angry clerks and laymen,
knights and men at arms, and burgesses with equal vigour, and
excommunicated them. It is not unlikely that the first was in defence of
the Jews, and the third when he stopped the worship of a thief at the
last place. The second may have been when he placed himself among the
enemies of Longchamp.
He was believed, and he believed himself, to be able to cause death to
those whom he excommunicated. This was so firmly acknowledged that it
saved him in many a severe pinch, and shielded him from indifference,
beggary, and defeat. Many instances are given us, in which misfortune
and death followed upon his censures. If any one likes to plead _post
hoc, non ergo propter hoc_, judgment may go by default; but at any rate
the stories show the life of the time most vividly, and the battle for
righteousness which a good bishop had to wage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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