(7TH CENT.)
[Milburgh or Milburga is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, and in
that bearing the name of Bede. Authority:--William of Malmesbury and
Capgrave.]
Perhaps no higher commendation can be passed upon Domneva, the saintly
wife of Merewald, than this, that she was the mother of three eminent
saints, Milburgh, Mildred, and Mildgytha. S. Milburgh was the eldest,
if the names are mentioned according to the order of birth, and this
being most probably the case, the date of her birth would be about the
year of grace, 662. We are told that from her earliest years she
dedicated herself to God with all the ardour of her soul. Whatever she
did, she did it for the love of Christ alone, endeavouring always to
please Him, and to grow up in His holy service. The world, which would
have many attractions to a highborn maiden, she thoroughly despised,
and even life itself she counted as nothing, unless it were spent in
entire devotion to God. That she might live such a life with greater
freedom, and in holy companionship with others, moved by the same
heavenly desire, she founded a monastery for religious virgins at
Wenlock, in Shropshire. Wenlock Magna it was afterwards called, and
Much Wenlock at the present day. Her father, and her uncle Wulfhere,
king of Mercia, assisted her in this pious undertaking, and the
monastery was endowed with ample possessions, many precious relicts of
saints, and great privileges. Milburgh was consecrated abbess by
Archbishop Theodore, and under her gentle rule the monastery became
like a paradise in which Our Lord had planted the fairest flowers, and
the sweetest fruits; and among them all S. Milburgh was pre-eminent in
every virtue, and more especialty did the grace of humility shine
forth in her. But the more she humbled herself, so much the more did
God manifest His power in her by many gifts, enabling her to restore
sight to the blind, and life to the dead. Her exhortations, full of
heavenly unction, and the teaching of her saintly life, had a
marvellous effect in bringing many souls from the darkness of error to
the light of truth; and from the death of sin to a life of
righteousness. Among the many wonderful things related of her, we
read, that one day she went on some good errand to a village called
Stoke, (Stoke S. Milburgh), when she was seen by the son of some
neighbouring king, who wished to carry her off by force, that he might
marry her. He got together a few soldiers, and formed a plan for
intercepting her; but she, divinely admonished of the wicked scheme,
fled at once with a companion she had with her. On her way she crossed
a shallow stream called the Corve. As soon as the rash man heard of
her flight, he followed in great haste, but when he came to the
stream, the water suddenly rose, and rendered further pursuit
impossible; so Christ's lamb escaped, while he stood still, confounded
and amazed.
One night she had continued longer than usual in prayer and
contemplation, and, overcome with fatigue, fell asleep; nor did she
awake till the rays of the morning sun fell upon her. Then she started
up so suddenly that the sacred veil fell from her head, but a slanting
sunbeam caught it ere it touched the ground, and held it suspended in
mid-air until she had time to rouse herself. Then she perceived the
divine manifestation, and gave thanks to God, praising and magnifying
Him.
Upon another occasion, when she was alone in her oratory, a widow came
in carrying her dead child, and fell down at the feet of the holy
virgin, and with many tears implored her to intercede for her, that
her child might be restored to life. Milburgh rebuked her for making
such a strange request, and recommended submission to the divine will.
"Go," she said, "and bury thy dead, then prepare to follow thy son,
for man is born to die." But the widow refused to go. "No, I will not
leave thee, unless thou restore my child to life." When the holy
virgin saw the woman's faith, she prostrated herself in prayer by the
body of the child. Immediately she was surrounded by fire, which came
down from heaven, and so entirely enveloped her, that it seemed
impossible that she could escape being consumed by it. One of the
sisters coming in, cried out to her to fly, but she had no sooner
spoken, than all trace of fire was gone, and S. Milburgh, rising from
her knees, presented the now living child to his mother.
[Illustration: S. MILBURGH. After Cahier. Feb. 23.]
S. Milburgh is represented as having authority over the birds of the
air, and protecting crops from their ravages. In the parable, the
fowls that came and devoured the good seed, were, we know, evil
spirits.
After many years spent in good works and holy exercises, she was
further purified and fitted, by long and painful illnesses, for those
eternal mansions for which her soul longed. When the time of her
departure drew near, she called together the whole community, and
exhorted them all to have ever before them those two heavenly
sentences: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of
God." She then recommended them to choose the most pious of the
sisters for their future abbess. Taking leave of them, she said, "Most
dear sisters, I have loved you as my own bowels, and have been over
you, as a mother over her children, with pious care. A higher call now
in mercy invites me, I go the way of all flesh, and commend you to God
and the Blessed Virgin." Having armed herself for her passage with the
holy sacraments, she gave up her pure soul into the hands of her
Maker, on Feb. 23rd, 722, and was buried with honour near the altar,
in the church of the monastery.
The monastery was afterwards destroyed by the Danes, and, in course of
time, all trace of the tomb of the saint was lost. But many ages
after, when it was being re-built by some Cluniac monks, two boys who
were playing there, fell through the pavement, and sunk down to their
knees in the ground. This accident occasioned some surprise, and the
monks had the ground opened, and found human bones in the very
foundation of the altar. An odoriferous exhalation, as of a most
precious balsam, perfumed the whole church when the tomb was opened,
and numerous miracles are said to have taken place at the tomb of the
saint; so many, that of all the crowds who went to it, none came away
without receiving some benefit. On May 26th, 1501, the relics were
enclosed in a costly chest, and deposited in a conspicuous and eminent
place in the same monastery, where they remained till its destruction
in the time of Henry VIII.
Some ruins of the abbey church, built in the year 1080, may still be
seen at Wenlock. They consist of south aisle and transept, and part of
the cloister, sufficient to shew the magnificence of the ancient
building.