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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
60. [706]
In the first year of King Osred, Berhtwald, Archbishop of the Church of the Kentish people and of nearly all Britain, came from the south, having, in accordance with the precept of the Apostolic See, earnestly to invite the king of the northern regions with all his bishops and abbots and the chief men of his whole kingdom to the place of synod to consider the case of the blessed Bishop Wilfrid; and he carried out the command. The king and his chief men, three of his bishops and their abbots, as well as the blessed abbess Aelffled, always the comforter and best counsellor of the whole province, all gathered together in one place near the river Nidd and on its eastern side. Archbishop Berhtwald also and Bishop Wilfrid arrived together on the same day. The king and the bishops and their chief men took their seats in the place of synod and the archbishop began to speak in these words: “Let us pray our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us concord and peace in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Both I and the blessed Bishop Wilfrid have writings from the Apostolic See, for some have been sent by messengers to my unworthy self, and others likewise have been brought by him. We humbly ask that these may be read in your revered presence.” The venerable lords gave them permission and the documents of both were read before the synod for all to hear from beginning to end.
After the reading all were silent and Berhtfrith, a chief man next in rank to the king, said to the archbishop, “We who need a translation should be glad to hear what the Apostolic authority says.” The archbishop answered him, “The judgments of the Apostolic See are expressed in roundabout and enigmatic language, but nevertheless both documents show the same meaning in the matter. I will explain the bare sense in brief. The Apostolic power to bind and to loose, which was first given to Peter, has decided of its own authority in the matter of the blessed Bishop Wilfrid that, in the presence of myself, though unworthy, and of the whole assembly, the prelates of the churches in this province, leaving the old enmity, for the salvation of their souls, be reconciled for good with the blessed Bishop Wilfrid. For to these my fellow-bishops a choice is offered out of two decrees made by the Apostolic See: let them choose which of the two they will, either to make a complete and perfect peace with Bishop Wilfrid and to restore to him such parts of the churches he formerly ruled as wise counsellors and myself shall settle, or if they are unwilling to take this, the best course, to go all together to the Apostolic See, and there be judged in a greater council. If anyone show his contempt (which God forbid!) and will do neither of these, let him know that, whether he be king or layman, he is excommunicated from the body and blood of Christ: but if he be a bishop or priest who acts thus—which is more horrible still and dreadful to speak of—he is to be degraded from all holy orders. These in brief are the decrees of the Apostolic See.”
The bishops however resisted and said, “Who can anywise alter that which was once decided by our predecessors, Archbishop Theodore who was sent forth from the Apostolic See, and King Ecgfrith; and what we and the bishops of almost the whole of Britain and in your most excellent presence, archbishop, afterwards decreed with King Aldfrith in the place called Eostrefeld?”
Meanwhile the most blessed Aelffled the abbess spoke with holy words: “I tell you truly in Christ the testament of King Aldfrith in the illness which brought his life to a close. He vowed a vow to God and to St Peter saying, ‘If I live, I will fulfil all the decrees of the Apostolic See concerning the blessed Bishop Wilfrid which I once refused to obey. But, if I die, bid my heir, my son, in the name of the Lord, that he fulfil for the good of my soul the Apostolic judgment concerning Bishop Wilfrid.’”
When she had finished her speech, Berhtfrith the aforesaid chief man of the king made answer: “This is the will of the king and of his chief men, that we obey the mandates of the Apostolic See and the commands of King Aldfrith in all things. For when we were besieged in the city called Bamborough and surrounded on every hand by a hostile force and were sheltering in a narrow place in the stony rock, taking counsel amongst ourselves, we vowed that if God granted our royal boy his father’s kingdom, we would fulfil the Apostolic commands concerning Bishop Wilfrid. As soon as our vow was made, the minds of our enemies were changed; with all haste they all plighted their friendship to us with an oath; the gates were opened, we were freed from our narrow quarters, our enemies were put to flight, and the kingdom became ours.”
After these words were finished, the bishops separated from the rest and began to take counsel together; sometimes the archbishop consulted with them and sometimes the prudent virgin Aelffled. The end of this holy council was that all the bishops and the king with his counsellors made a complete peace with Bishop Wilfrid, which they kept until the end of their lives; they returned him the two best monasteries, Ripon and Hexham, with all the revenues belonging to them; and on that day all the bishops kissed and embraced one another and communicated in the breaking of bread. They gave thanks to God for all this holy blessedness, and went to their homes in the peace of Christ.