Legends Of Saints Research Articles

The Book of the Nativity of St. Cuthbert

The close relations existing at times between two great types of medieval fiction, the romance and the saint's legend, have been pointed out by a number of scholars. Studies have been made of the development of individual saints' legends into romances or near romances, of the borrowing by legends of romantic material. One peculiar type of legend has romantic embellishments attached only to the origin or childhood of the saint, leaving to the rest of the narrative the character of sober history with probably some contamination from non-romantic folk-beliefs. Of this one of the most interesting and conspicuous examples is the story of the Syrian princess who was said to have become the mother of St. Thomas of Canterbury. Less well known, indeed largely ignored, is the confused tale of the romantic origin of St. Cuthbert as found in the Libellus de ortu (vel nativitate) Sancii Cuthberti, which is the acknowledged source of the first part of the Northern English Metrical Life of St. Cuthbert. It is the purpose of the present paper to examine the contents of this little book, to point out some of its resemblances to the Horn-Saga and other romances, and to throw some light on the methods of composition of the medieval hagiographer.

IX. Description of the Engravings on a German suit of Armour, made for King Henry VIII., in the Tower of London; by Samuel Rush Meyrick, Esq. LL.D. and F.S.A. in a Letter to Henry Ellis, Esq. F.R.S. Secretary

In the new arrangement of the Horse-armoury at the Tower, which the Master-General and the Honourable Board of Ordnance were pleased to confide to my directions, I deemed it proper that several of the horses should be barded, instead of allowing the armour for that purpose to remain indiscriminately mixed with other pieces on the walls. Having, therefore, ordered all of such description to be brought to me, that I might put together those of a suit, I found some covered with black paint, which, on holding to the light, appeared to me to contain a faint resemblance of engraving. On removing a portion of this coating my conjectures were not only confirmed, but I instantly saw that these were the horse-armour for the suit, hitherto considered as having been made for Henry VII., and which has the characteristic contour of the close of his reign. On the whole being sent to Enfield to be cleaned, I requested Mr. Lovell, the superintendant of the small armoury department there, whom I knew to be very skilful, to take accurate tracings of whatever was worthy of remark. The result has proved the suit to have belonged to Henry VIII. and exhibits so curious a picture of the superstitious feelings of the times, which conceived a man's body to be doubly protected when not only sheathed in steel but covered with the legends of saints, that I am induced to beg you will lay the drawings before the Society of Antiquaries.