434 MATTHEW 0Ï WESTMUTSTEB. A.D. 883. redeem Cuthred, the son of Hardecnute, whom the Danes had sold as a slave to a certain widow at $Blinttgtt)am, and when he was redeemed, to make him their king ; and when this had been done, in the thirteenth year of the reign of king Alfred, Cuthred was crowned as king, and the episcopal see, which had formerly been in the ieland of Lindisfarne, was transferred to Chester, which was anciently called Cunegecestria. For the same holy man had also sent and commanded, by the beforementioned abbot, that whoever, being in a crisis of, the greatest distress, fled to his body, should have peace for a month ; and both king Alfred and king Cuthred determined that this condition should be observed for ever. And besides this, for the advancement of the former seat of the bishopric, these two kings granted the whole country between the rivers Cpne and C»*e to Saint Cuthbert, to be possessed by him in perpetual ownership, and they devoted the violators of that decree of theirs to infernal punishment. About the same time, the bishopric of the church at Hagustald was vacant, through the violence of the pagans. A.D. 883. Marinas was appointed to the Roman See, and ruled it for one year and five months. He, at the intercession of king Alfred, released the English school at Rome from the payment of the tribute. He also sent many presents to this king; and, among other things, gave him no small portion of that salvation-bringing cross on which the Son of God hung for the salvation of àie world. The same year, Aseer/bishop of Sherborne, died, and was succeeded by Suithelm. He carried the alms of king Alfred into India, to the Holy Apostle Thomas, and returning successfully from that country, brought back many precious stones to the king. â The same year, there came into England the Master John, a Scot by nation, a man of piercing genius and of singular elouence. He, having left his country some time before, went into îe land of the Gauls, and visited Charles the Bald, and having been received by him with great honour and dignity, became his inseparable companion, both at his board and in his bed. The greatness of this man's genius and knowledge, and the proofs of bis great wit, remain to this day. For one day he was sitting at table, opposite to the king, and when they had finished their meals and the wine-cup was going round, Charles became more cheerful in his countenance ; and presently, when the king saw that Master John had done something which