Departing thence he came to the sea, but was refused passage. The reason, if I am not mistaken, was that some difference had arisen between the chief pontiff and the king of England: for the king suspected in that good man I know not what evil, if he should cross the sea;[841] for neither did he allow other bishops to cross.[842] That obstacle, though contrary to the will of Malachy, was not contrary to the object of his wish. He grieved that the attainment of his desire should be postponed, not knowing that by this it would be the rather fulfilled. For if he had immediately passed over the sea he would have been obliged to pass by Clairvaux in order to follow the chief Pontiff. For by that time he had left it and was at or near Rome.[843] But now through this delay it was brought about that he crossed later, and so, as was fitting, he came to the place of his most holy death, and at the hour of its approach. [Sidenote: 1148, Oct. 13 or 14] [Sidenote: 1148, Oct. 18] 70. (37). And he was received by us, though he came from the west, as the true _day-spring[844] from on high visiting us_.[845] O, how greatly did that radiant sun fill our Clairvaux with added glory! How pleasant was the festal day that dawned upon us at his coming! _This was the day which the Lord had made, we rejoiced and were glad in it._[846] As for me, with what rapid and bounding step, though trembling and weak,[847] did I soon _run_ to meet him! With what joy I _kissed him_! With what joyful arms I _embraced_[848] this grace sent to me from heaven! With what eager face and mind, my father, _I brought thee into my mother's house and into the chamber of her that conceived me_![849] What festive days I spent with thee then, though few! But how did he in his turn greet us? In truth our pilgrim showed himself cheerful and kindly to all, to all incredibly gracious. _How good and how pleasant_[850] a part he played among us as our guest, whom, forsooth, _he had come from the uttermost parts of the earth_ to see, not that he should _hear_, but that he should show us, a _Solomon_! In fact we _heard_ his _wisdom_,[851] we had his presence, and we have it still. Already four or five days of this our festival had passed, when lo, on the feast day of Blessed Luke the Evangelist,[852] when he had celebrated Mass in the convent[853] with that holy devotion of his, he was taken with a fever and lay down in his bed: and all of us were [sick] with him. _The end of our mirth is sorrow_,[854] but moderate sorrow, because for a time the fever seemed to be slight. You should see the brothers running about, eager to give, or to receive. To whom was it not sweet to see him? To whom was it not sweeter to minister to him? Both were pleasant and both salutary. It was an act of kindness to do him service, and it was repaid also to each one of them, by the gift of grace. All assisted, all were busied _with much serving_,[855] searching for medicines, applying poultices, urging him often to eat.