Page:Somerset Historical Essays.djvu/27

 G. R.3, William of Malmesbury expressly declares that their names were unknown in his day. Thirdly, the excessive terms of Indulgence granted in the Charter could hardly have suggested themselves to a forger of any time before William of Malmesbury wrote, and may with much more probability be referred to the period of strain through which the abbey passed in the early part of the thirteenth century. We may add to all this that the first positive indication of the existence of the Charter comes .to us from a record of the year 1247.

We go forward again with our analysis (p. 22).

Of St Patrick's decease. St Patrick died in a. d. 472, in the 111th year of his age, and the 47th since his mission to Ireland. For in 361 he was born: in 425 sent to Ireland: in 433 he converted the Irish: after that he dwelt 39 years in the isle of Avalon. ' He rested in the Old Church on the right side of the altar for many ages, even 410 years, until the burning of that church.' He was buried in a stone pyramid, afterwards decked with gold and silver.

A Vision concerning St Patrick. Long afterwards, when dispute arose concerning him, a monk received a vision which proved that he had been monk and abbot there.

Of St Indract and St Bridget. Hence Irish pilgrims came to visit the spot. St Bridget dwelt long in the island of Beokery, and returning home left memorials of wonder-working power. St Indract and his companions were martyred, as elsewhere we have told, and afterwards brought by K. Ina to the church of Glastonbury.

Of St Benignus. In a. d. 460 came St Benignus, the third successor of St Patrick in his Irish bishopric. He found St Patrick still there. There are still memorials of his miracles at Feringemere (Meare), where he rested till his translation to Glastonbury in 1091.

Of St Columkill. In A.D. 504 St Columkill came; but it is uncertain whether he died there. The first three sections are attested by the insertion in G. R.3G. R.3, though with a few variations. In the first section the mention of the fire of 1184 shows that the story has been worked over. The items given under the dates 425 and 433 appear in G. R.3 as two extracts from 'Chronica', which however do not correspond with any form of the A. S. Chron. that we know. The date of St Bridget is an amplification, as also is the statement that she resided in 'the