St. Herbert was particularly distinguished for his friendship to St. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, with whom he was contemporary; and, according to a legendary tale, at the intercession of St. Herbert both these holy men expired on the same day, and in the same hour and minute, which, according to Bede, was in 678 or 687. At Lindisfarne, expecting death, The good St. Cuthbert lay, With wasted frame and feeble breath; And monks were there to pray. The brotherhood had gathered round, His parting words to hear, To see his saintly labours crown'd, And stretch him on the bier. His eyes grew dim; his voice sunk low; The choral song arose; And ere its sounds had ceas'd to flow, His spirit found repose. At that same hour, a holy man, St. Herbert, well renown'd, Gave token that his earthly span Had reach'd its utmost bound. St. Cuthbert, in his early years, Had led him on his way; When the tree falls, the fruit it bears Will surely, too, decay. The monks of Lindisfarne meanwhile, Were gazing on their dead; At that same hour, in Derwent isle, A kindred soul had fled. There is but little information on record respecting St. Herbert, and had it not been for his intimacy with St. Cuthbert, his name probably would not have been handed down to posterity at all. In truth, he did little more than pray and meditate on this spot. It was his wish to live and die unknown. Though one in spirit, St. Cuthbert and the Hermit of Derwentwater were entirely dissimilar in character. St. Cuthbert was bishop of Lindisfarne, an eminent preacher in his day, whose eloquence influenced the will of many, and whose active zeal contributed to the advancement of the then dominant church, of which he was one of the main pillars and rulers. St. Herbert was altogether a man of prayer. He retired from the world to this solitude, and passed his days in devotion. The two saints used to meet once a year for spiritual communion. Which had most influence with the Ruler of heaven we cannot say. The venerable Bede writes thus of the Hermit of Derwentwater:--"There was a certain priest, revered for his uprightness and perfect life and manners, named Herberte, who had a long time been in union with the man of God (St. Cuthbert of Farn Isle), in the bond of spiritual love and friendship. For living a solitary life in the isle of that great and extended lake, from whence proceeds the river of Derwent, he used to visit St. Cuthbert every year, to receive from his lips the doctrine of eternal life. When this holy priest heard of St. Cuthbert's coming to Lugubalia, he came after his usual manner, desiring to be comforted more and more, with the hope of everlasting blisse, by his divine exhortations. As they sate together, and enjoyed the hopes of heaven, among other things the bishop said: