The History of the Worthies of England, Part 2 · County 14 · Section 7 – Section 9
Saints.
Saint HELEN was born at Colchester in this County, daughter to Coel King thereof, as all our British Authors unanimously doe report. She was Mother of Constantine the first Christian Emperour, and is famous to all ages for finding out Christ's Cross on Mount Calvary. Hence it is, that in memoriall hereof, the City of Colchester giveth for its Arms a *Camden in Ess…x.Cross enragled between four Crowns. A scandal is raised on her name that she was Stabularia, A Stableress, whereof *Ric. V…tus Basing. ad lib. 5. …. B…t. …. 26.one rendreth this witty r…ason, because her Father was Comes Stabuli (an high office, equivalent to the Constable in France) unto the Emperour. Others (more truly) make her so nick named by Pagan malice, for her officious devotion in finding out the Stable of Christs Nativity.
Heathen pens have much aspersed her, calling her foreign, whose tongues are no slander, seeing the Disciple is not above his Master. More was I moved, when first finding thispassage in Paulinus the pious Bishop of Nola,
| Paulin. Epist. 11. ad Severum | This englished ad verbum. |
| Prompto filii Imperatoris adsensu mater Augusta, patefactis ad opera sancta thesauris, toto abusa fisco est. | She being Mother Emperess, the treasuries being set open to pious works, by the ready consent of her Son the Emperor, she wholly abused the exchequer. |
I wondred to see Paulinus charging such abuses upon her, being a person so prodigiously charitable, that he is said to have sold himself to redeem a widows son from captivity; but consulting the best of *See Nizolius in Obs. on Tully, on the word abuti.Orators, I find abuti sometimes fixing no fault, and importing no more then †Thus Saint …erome, Apostolicis stolic… testimoniis abu… quae jam … ia g…ntibusdivulgata.uti; so that abusing the Exchequer, signifieth no more then a full & free usage thereof. She died at Rome being eighty years of age, Anno Domini 337.
Saint CONSTANTINE son to the aforesaid Saint Helen, was born also at Colchester, one sufficiently known to all posterity by the meer mentioning of him. My pen shall now do penance with its silence, to expiate its tediousness in describing his character in our Ecclesiasticall History. He died Anno Domini 339.
| Saint Ethelburgh | Hildetha | Theorithoid | Edilburge | Wolfhild |
| Sister to Erkenwald Bishop of London was by him appointed first Abbess of the Nunnery of Barking in this County, by him built and endowed. Here she led a very austere life, and obtained the veneration of a Saint after her death, which happened 676. | Sister to St. Ethelburgh aforesaid, succeeded her in the government of the said Nunnery for the term of four and twenty years, so that she died very aged with the reputation of a Saint. Anno 700. | (The first of whose name soundeth Greek, the second Saxon,) was in this respect inferior to the two former, because no Abbess but onelyonly a Nun of Barking. Yet did she equall them in some sort in the holiness of her life, and her memory may go a breast with them in the Classis of Sts. She died 678. | Wife to Ina K. of the West-Saxons, by the consent of her husband (who went a Pilgrim to Rome) became a Nun at Barking, & after her death Anno 740. room was made for her memory amongst the rank of Saints. Afterwards Barking - Nunnery destroyed by the Danes, was rebuilt by King Edgar. | Daughter to Wulfhelme E. of the WestSaxons, (born after the 18. year of her Mothers barrenness) was by King Edgar made Abbess of Barking, which was the first Nunnery of England, the richest (valued at above 1000l. of year rent at the dissolution) and the fruit fullest of Saints as by this parallel doth appear. St. Wolfhild died Anno 989. |
Saint OSITH. She was daughter to the King of the East-Angles, and wife to Suthred last King of East-Saxons; by whose consent forsaking the world, she was veiled, and at last became Abbess of a Monastery of her own founding at Chich in this County; untill the Danes infesting these fea-coasts, cut off her head in hatred of Religion.
Yet this her head, after it was cut off was carried by Saint Osith [oh wonder! oh lie!] three *EnglishMartyrolog. on Octob. 7. pag. 272.furlongs, and then she fell down and died. The same mutatis mutandis is told of Saint Dionys in France, Saint Winefride in Wales and others, such being the barrenness of Monkish invention, that unable to furnish their severall Saints with variety of fictions, their tired fancie is fain to make the same miracle serve many Saints. She was martyred about the year of our Lord 870.
Saint NEOTS (why Sir-named Adulphius I know not) was born (saith *De script. Brit. Cent. 2. Num. 23.Bale,) either in Essex or Kent, but †De Ang. script. in Anno 883.Pitz. who wrote sixty years after him, saith positively he was born in Essex. It seemeth he met with some evidence to sway down the even beam to preponderate on the side of this County. Waving the pleasures of the world, he lived long an E…emite in Cornwell, and then leaving his solitary life, he became a painfull and profitable Preacher of the Gospell. He was a Zacheus for his Stature, and with him tall in Piety and Charity. He moved King Alfred to found (or restore) the University of Oxford, on which account his memory is sacred to all posterity. He died Anno Dom. 883. whose body was buried by one Barry his Scholar in Eynsebury, (since St. Neots) in Huntington-shire, and some say was afterwards removed to the Abby of Crouland.
Martyrs.
Of the forty four Martyrs in this Shire, Three were most Remarkable.
1. JOHN LAURENCE who at the Stake was permitted a *These as the following observables are taken out of Mr. Foxes Acts and Mon. in their respective Martyrdomes.Posture peculiar to himself; For being so infeebled with long durance and hard usage, that he could not stand; he had a Chair allowed him, and had the painfull ease to sit therein. Nor must we forget, how little Children being about the fire, C…ied unto him, God strengthen you, God strengthen you, which was beheld as a product of his providence, who out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings ordained Strength, as also it evidenced their Pious Education. To say Hosanna is as soon learnt by children, as go up thou Bald head, if it be as surely taught unto them.
2. THOMAS HAWKES Gentleman, first brought into trouble for refusing to Christen his Child after the Popish fashion. This man going to the Stake promised his friends to give them some solemn token of the clearness and comfort of his Conscience. In performance where of, whilst his body was burning he raised up himself; and though having the sence, having no fear of the Fire, joyfully clapp'd his hands over his head, to the admiration of all the beholders.
3. ROSE ALLIN a Virgin, who being in her Calling, (fetching Beer for her Bedrid Mother,) was intercepted by Justice, or rather un-justice Tyrrell, who with a Candle most cruelly burnt her wrists, which her Fire-proof patience most constantly endured: What was said of the Roman scaevola, when he burnt his hand before Porcenna, is more appliable to this Maid, Manum amisit, sed Palmam retinuit▪ Tyrrell did this meerly by the Law of his List; otherwise no statute (except written on the back-side of the book) did authorize him for so Tyrannicall an act: Some days after, the fire which here took Livery and seisin of her hand, brought her whole body into the possession thereof.
Confessors.
RICHARD GEORGE Labourer, of West-Barfold, is most eminent amongst the many Confessors in this Shire. For he had successively three wives, whereof *F…x Acts & Mon. p. …two were burnt, and the third imprisoned for Religion, viz.
1. Agnes George, burnt at Stratford-Bow, June 27. 1556.
2. Christian George, burnt at Colchester, May 26. 1558.
3. ........... George, imprisoned in Colchester, and escap'd by Queen Maries death Novemb. 17. 1558.
Some who consult the dates of his wives deaths, will condemn him for over-speedy marriage; and the appetite to a new wife is not comely, before the grief for the former be well digested. Such consider not, that their glorious death in so good a cause, was the subject rather of his joy then grief, and that being necessitated (for his children sake) to marry, he was carefull, as it appears, to marry in the Lord. Nor did he thrust his wives into the fire, and shrink back from the flames himself, who being imprisoned *Fox Acts and Mon. p. 2037.in Colchester, had followed his two first, and gone along with his last to the Stake, had not Divine Providence by Queen Maries death prevented it.