>* Wulfric (1154): Born in Compton Martin, eight miles from Bristol.
>Wulfric spent his religious life in a cell adjoining the church at
>Haselbury in Somerset. He wore chain-mail next to his skin. At night
>Wulfric would strip and get into tub of cold water, remaining there till
>he had recited the whole Psalter. One Easter eve Wulfric was troubled in
>his sleep by a sensual illusion; he was so distressed thereby that the
>next day he made open confession of it before the whole congregation of
>the church.
>
>John of Ford's 'Life of St Wulfric' is a very interesting document. A partial
translation is to be found in "The Cistercian World: Monastic writings of the
twelfth century" (Penguin Classics, Translated by Pauline Matarasso).
Unfortunately
it is only a partial translation, and omits some of the more interesting
passages.
For example, the parish priest, Brictric, is a married man, his wife a
devout woman
who makes vestments for the church. The text is of some interest to historians
of clerical celibacy, but I can't find any references to Brictric's wife in
Matarasso's translation.
Oriens.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|