A.D. USD.] T11SII0I" HUGH JHJVS THE TITLE OK HAUL. himself and his see, the king's township of Sogesfcld, together with the wapentake and all its appurtenances, and the earldom of Northumberland during his own life ; mid when the king girded on him the sword which entitled him to claim the name of earl, he said to the attendants with a laugh, " I have math; a young earl out of an old bishop." But the bishop \vent still further, for to complete the ridiculousness of the thing, he gave the king ten marks of silver, that he might be made justiciary of England, and not go to the Holy Land : and as a precaution against all gainsayers, 1«; gave a considerable bribe to the apostolic see, which is never backward to meet a person's views, and so obtained a licence to remain. In this manner worldly ambition led him to lay aside the sign of the cross, which, as preachers tell us, ought to be borne by all men, and especially by bishops. By this conduct of the bishop was fulfilled a prophecy of St. (îodric the hermit, who, when the bishop came at the beginning of his promotion, to ask the hermit about his future prospects, and the length of time he should live, used these words to him, "O f your future prospects and the number of years you have to live, you must inquire from the holy upostlcs and others like them, but not from me ; for 1 am here doing penance for my sins, and grieve to say that I am still a wretched sinner: but this I tell you, that for seven years before your death you shall suffer from a most lamentable blindness !" The. bishop left the man of God, revolving in his mind the words which he had heard ; and as he had the most implicit confidence in the hermit, he paid great attention to bis eyes, and consulted several physicians, that he might preserve his sight as long as he. lived. But when many years bad passed away, and be was seized with the sickness of which be died, he asked the physicians with much anxiety what he, had best do, upon which all of them with one voice advised him to think in time of the state of his soul, and the more so, as he would soon be obliged to leave this world. The bishop, hearing these words, said, " Godric deceived me ; he promised me seven years of blindness before my death!" Now, surely we are justified in saying that he was blind, for by bribes lie usurped to himself the empty title of earl and justiciary, mixed himself up with secular affairs, put off his pilgrimage to the Holy G 2