348 MATTHEW OF WE8TMIK8TEB. A.D. 714. mento of hell, forgot all the punishments which he had suffered, in comparison with these greater ones. Then they began to insult the holy man, saying, " Behold, we have power to thrust you down into these punishments, that you may there be punished, everlastingly, for your sins." But he spoke to them thus : " Woe to ye, children of darkness ! If ye have this power, why do you delay ? " And as they are preparing themselves, as if to do so, lo! Saint Bartholomew arrives with immense brightness, and orders the devils to restore the servant of God to his abode, without delay. And they, quicker than thought, fulfilled the commands of the apostle. But, while Guthlac was being borne through the air, a voice was heard as of people playing on the harp—" The saints shall go on from virtue to virtue, and the God of Gods shall appear in Sion." And it happened in the days of Ceoled, king of Mercia, at the time of cock-crow, that the blessed Guthlac appeared to himself to be hearing the outcries of a tumultuous multitude. Then the man of God went forth from his cell, and perceived a multitude, speaking the British language, approaching his house, and presently he saw his house on fire. And as he hastened to come to the protection of his house, he was intercepted by lizards, and borne aloft into the air. Then, when he found that it was a snare of the enemy, he began to chant this verse of the psalm, " The Lord is my helper, and I shall look down upon my enemies." At another time he was occupied with his nightly prayers, when he felt the island tremble with a great noise. And presently he heard noise, as of herds of cattle running. And immediately he beheld figures of various monsters, approaching from all quarters, that is to say, figures of wild beasts, and other animals. And as they all made a terrible uproar around the soldier of Christ, he said, " Most wretched Satan, why dost thou endeavour to imitate a strength which does not belong to you ? In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to desist." And after these words, immediately all the phantoms disappeared. A certain bishop, by name Hebba, came to converse with the holy man, having in his retinue a certain librarian of the name of Wilfrid. He, hearing of his servants talking of the virtues and miracles of the blessed Guthlac, said to some, who were doubting by whose power he did these works, that if he were to see him he should be able to discern whether he were a