On hearing this, our holy bishop approached the king and the archbishop, asking what might be the cause why without his having committed any crime they defrauded him, like robbers, of the substance which kings had given for God. They replied to our bishop before all the people in these memorable words, “We do not ascribe to thee any fault of having injured any man, but for all that we will not change the doom which we have uttered concerning thee.” But our bishop, not contented with such a deceitful doom, chose rather, with the advice of his fellow bishops, the decision of the Apostolic See, as the Apostle Paul, unjustly condemned by the Jews, appealed to Cæsar. Then our holy bishop turned from the royal judgment-seat and said to the courtiers who were laughing gaily, “On the anniversary of this day ye, who now laugh at my condemnation, which is caused by envy, shall weep bitterly at your own confusion.” And so, according to the prophecy of the saint, it fell out. For on the anniversary of that day the body of King Ælfwin, who had been slain, was brought to York, and all the people, weeping bitterly, tore their garments and their hair; and his surviving brother reigned till his death without gaining a single victory. THE STORY OF CÆDMON (680). =Source.=—Bede, _Eccl. Hist._, iv. 24. A.D. 731. Translated by J. A. Giles. Bohn’s Library. There was in this abbess’s monastery [of Whitby] a certain brother, particularly remarkable for the grace of God, who was wont to make pious and religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of Scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much sweetness and humility, in English, which was his native language. By his verses the minds of many were often excited to despise the world, and to aspire to heaven. Others after him attempted, in the English nation, to compose religious poems, but none could ever compare with him, for he did not learn the art of poetry from men, but from God; for which reason he never could compose any trivial or vain poem, but only those which relate to religion suited his religious tongue; for having lived in a secular habit till he was well advanced in years, he had never learned anything of versifying; for which reason being sometimes at entertainments, when it was agreed for the sake of mirth that all present should sing in their turns, when he saw the instrument come towards him, he rose up from table and returned home.