profitable only to themselves, but to be embraced by all succeeding virgins for ever, took a razor, and with it cut off her nose, together with her upper lip unto the teeth, presenting herself a horrible spectacle to those who stood by. Filled with admiration at this admirable deed, the whole assembly followed her maternal example, and severally did the like to themselves. When this was done, together with the morrow's dawn came those most cruel tyrants, to disgrace the holy women devoted to God, and to pillage and burn the monastery; but on beholding the abbess and all the sisters so outrageously mutilated, and stained with their own blood from the sole of their foot unto their head, they retired in haste from the place, thinking it too long to tarry there a moment ; but as they were retiring, their leaders before-mentioned ordered their wicked followers to set fire and burn the monastery, with all its buildings and its holy inmates. Which being done by these workers of iniquity, the holy abbess and all the most holy virgins with her attained the glory of martyrdom. Dseolalion of many monasteries. After these things those most wicked infidels sailed along the coast, and wasted with fire and sword whatever came in their way. In this diabolical persecution the most noble monasteries along the sea-coast are said to have been destroyed ; namely, the monastery of monks at Lindisfarnc, in which was the cathedral see at that time, graced by the sacred presence of the body of the blessed bishop Cuthbert; a monastery of nuns at Tynemouth ; another of monks at Jarrow and Weremouth, in which the presbyter Bede is recorded to have been educated ; another of nuns at Streneshale, founded by the most blessed abbess Hilda, who collected many virgins there. Those relentless chiefs then passed through Yorkshire, burning churches, cities, and villages, and utterly destroying the people of whatever sex or age, together with the spoil and the cattle. Sailing next up the river Humber, they exercised the like rage in those parts ; and advancing thence they destroyed all the monasteries of monks and virgins that were in the marshes, and slew their inmates. The names of these monasteries are Croyland, Thorney, Ramsey, Hamstede, which is now called Peterborough, with the isle of Ely and the monastery of females