ill see it go joyfully forward
straight away towards fruiting in every grace. Moreover, as I am
certain, the whole English Church will be very greatly beautified by the
radiance of his most pure religion and most religious purity. But his
people will not easily let him go from their house, and he will never go
to live elsewhere unless it be under compulsion and against his will, so
your legation must be strong and strenuous: you must struggle to compass
the matter even with urgent prayers until you get this man and him only.
Then for the future your mind will be released from the anxieties of
this care, and this lofty religion will make a noble growth to your
excellency's renown. You will discover in this one man, with the whole
circle of the other virtues, whatever mortal yet has shown of
longsuffering, sweetness, magnanimity, and meekness. No one will dislike
him for a neighbour or house-mate; no one will avoid him as a foreigner.
No one will hold him other than a fellow politically, socially, and by
blood, for he regards the whole race of men as part and parcel of
himself, and he takes all men and comforts them in the arms and lap of
his unique charity." The king was delighted with this sketch, and sent
off post haste Reginald, Bishop of Bath (in whose diocese Witham lay),
and an influential embassage to secure the treasure, if it could be
done.

But the man who was being sought had just about then been finding the
burden of this flesh so extremely heavy that he was more inclined to run
riot in the things that do not belong to our peace than to settle
comfortably upon a saint's pedestal or to take up a new and disagreeably
dull work. The fatal temptations of forty, being usually unexpected, are
apt to upset the innocent more surely than are the storms of youth; and
poor Hugh was now so badly tried that the long life of discipline must
have seemed fruitless. He just escaped, as he told his too-little
reticent biographer, from one nearly fatal bout by crying out, "By Thy
passion, cross, and life-giving death, deliver me." But neither frequent
confession, nor floggings, nor orisons, seemed to bring the clean and
quiet heart. He was much comforted by a vision of his old prior Basil,
who had some days before migrated to God. This dear old friend and
father stood by him radiant in face and robe, and said with a gentle
voice, "Dearest son, how is it with thee? Why this face down on the
ground? Rise, and please tell thy frie