Æfter ðan ðe Augustinus tō Ęngla-lande becōm, wæs sum æðele cyning, Ōswold gehāten, on Norðhymbra lande, gelȳfed swȳþe on God. Sē fērde on his iūgoðe fram his frēondum and māgum tō Scotlande on sæ, and þǣr sōna wearð gefullod, and his gefēran samod þe mid him sīþedon. Betwux þām wearð ofslagen Ēadwine his ēam, Norðhymbra cynincg, on Crīst gelȳfed, fram Brytta cyninge, Ceadwalla gecīged, and twęgen his æftergęngan binnan twām gēarum; and se Ceadwalla slōh and tō sceame tūcode þā Norðhymbran lēode æfter heora hlāfordes fylle, oð þæt Ōswold se ēadiga his yfelnysse ādwǣscte. Ōswold him cōm tō, and him cēnlice wið feaht mid lytlum werode, ac his gelēafa hine getrymde, and Crīst him gefylste tō his fēonda slęge. Ōswold þā ārǣrde āne rōde sōna Gode tō wurðmynte, ǣr þan þe hē tō ðām gewinne cōme, and clypode tō his gefērum: ‘Uton feallan tō ðǣre rōde, and þone Ælmihtigan biddan þæt hē ūs āhrędde wið þone mōdigan fēond þe ūs āfyllan wile: God sylf wāt geare þæt wē winnað rihtlice wið þysne rēðan cyning tō āhręddenne ūre lēode.’ Hī fēollon þā ealle mid Ōswolde cyninge on gebedum; and syþþan on ōðerne mergen ēodon tō þām gefeohte, and gewunnon þǣr sige, swā swā se Eallwealdend heom ūðe for Ōswoldes gelēafan; and ālédon heora fȳnd, þone mōdigan Cedwallan mid his micclan werode, þe wēnde þæt him ne mihte nān werod wiðstandan.
Sēo ylce rōd siððan ðe Ōswold þǣr ārǣrde on wurðmynte þǣr stōd. And wurdon fela gehǣlde untrumra manna and ēac swilce nȳtena þurh ðā ylcan rōde, swā swā ūs ręhte Bēda. Sum mann fēoll on íse, þæt his earm tōbærst, and læg þā on będde gebrocod for ðearle, oð þæt man him fętte of ðǣre foresǣdan rōde sumne dǣl þæs mēoses þe hēo mid beweaxen wæs, and se ādliga sōna on slǣpe wearð gehǣled on ðǣre ylcan nihte þurh Ōswoldes geearnungum.
Sēo stōw is gehāten ‘Heofonfeld’ on Ęnglisc, wið ðone langan weall þe þā Rōmaniscan worhtan, þǣr þǣr Ōswold oferwann þone wælhrēowan cynincg. And þǣr wearð siþþan ārǣred swīðe mǣre cyrce Gode tō wurðmynte, þe wunað á on ēcnysse.
Hwæt ðā Ōswold ongann embe Godes willan tō smēagenne, sōna swā hē rīces gewēold, and wolde gebīgan his lēoda tō gelēafan and tō þām lifigendan Gode. Sęnde ðā tō Scotlande, þǣr se gelēafa wæs ðā, and bæd ðā hēafodmęnn þæt hī his bēnum getīþodon, and him sumne lārēow sęndon, þe his lēoda mihte tō Gode gewéman; and him wearð þæs getīþod. Hī sęndon þā sōna þām gesǣligan cyninge sumne ārwurðne bisceop, Aidan gehāten. Sē wæs mǣres līfes mann on munuclicre drohtnunge, and hē ealle woruldcara āwearp fram his heortan, nānes þinges wilnigende būtan Godes willan. Swā hwæt swā him becōm of þæs cyninges gifum oððe rīcra manna, þæt hē hraðe dǣlde þearfum and wǣdlum mid welwillendum mōde.
Hwæt ðā Ōswold cyning his cymes fægnode, and hine ārwurðlice underfēng his folce tō ðearfe, þæt heora gelēafa wurde āwęnd ęft tō Gode fram þām wiþersæce þe hī tō gewende wǣron. Hit gelamp þā swā þæt se gelēaffula cyning geręhte his witan on heora āgenum gereorde þæs bisceopes bodunge mid blīþum mōde, and wæs his wealhstōd; for þan þe hē wel cūþe Scyttysc, and se bisceop Aidan ne mihte gebīgan his sprǣce tō Norðhymbriscum gereorde swā hraþe þā git. Se biscop þā fērde bodigende geond eall Norðhymbra land geleāfan and fulluht, and þā lēode gebīgde tō Godes geleāfan, and him wel gebȳsnode mid weorcum symle, and sylf swā leofode swā swā hē lǣrde ōðre. Hē lufode forhæfednysse and hālige rǣdinge, and iunge męnn tēah georne mid lāre, swā þæt ealle his gefēran þe him mid ēodon sceoldon sealmas leornian oððe sume rǣdinge swā hwider swā hī fērdon þām folce bodigende. Seldon hē wolde rīdan, ac sīðode on his fōtum, and munuclice leofode betwux ðām lǣwedan folce mid mycelre gesceādwīsnysse and sōþum mægnum.
Þā wearð se cynincg Ōswold swīðe ælmesgeorn and ēadmōd on þēawum and on eallum þingum cystig, and man ārǣrde cyrcan on his rīce geond eall and mynsterlice gesętnyssa mid micelre geornfulnysse.
Hit gelamp on sumne sǣl þæt hī sǣton ætgædere Ōswold and Aidan on þām hālgan ēasterdæge; þā bær man þām cyninge cynelice þēnunga on ānum sylfrenan disce; and sōna þā inn ēode ān þæs cyninges þegna þe his ælmyssan bewiste, and sǣde þæt fela þearfan sǣtan geond þā strǣt gehwanon cumene tō þæs cyninges ælmyssan. Þā sęnde se cyning sōna þām þearfum þone sylfrenan disc mid sande mid ealle, and hēt tōceorfan þone disc, and syllan þām þearfum heora ǣlcum his dǣl, and man dyde ðā swā. Þā genam Aidanus se æðela bisceop þæs cyninges swȳþran hand mid swīðlicre blysse, and clypode mid geleāfan, þus cweðende him tō: ‘Ne forrotige on brosnunge þēos gebletsode swȳðre hand.’ And him ēac swā geēode, swā swā Aidanus him bæd, þæt his swīðre hand is gesundfull oð þis.
Ōswoldes cynerīce wearð gerȳmed þā swȳðe, swā þæt fēower þēoda hine underfēngon tō hlāforde, Peohtas, and Bryttas, Scottas, and Angle, swā swā se ælmihtiga God hī geānlæhte tō ðām for Ōswoldes geearnungum þe hine ǣfre wurðode. Hē fulworhte on Eferwīc þæt ǣnlice mynster þe his mǣg Ēadwine ǣr begunnen hæfde; and hē swanc for heofonan rīce mid singalum gebedum swīþor þonne hē hogode hū hē gehēolde on worulde þā hwīlwęndlican geþincðu, þe hē hwōnlice lufode. Hē wolde æfter uhtsange oftost hine gebiddan, and on cyrcan standan on syndrigum gebedum of sunnan ūpgange mid swȳðlicre onbryrdnysse; and swā hwǣr swā hē wæs hē wurðode ǣfre God ūpāwęndum handbredum wið þæs heofones weard.
On þām ylcan tīman cōm ēac sum bisceop fram Rōmebyrig, Birinus gehāten, tō Westseaxena kyninge, Cynegyls gehāten, sē wæs ðā git hǣðen and eall Westsęxena land. Birinus witodlice gewęnde fram Rōme be ðæs pāpan rǣde þe ðā on Rōme wæs, and behēt þæt hē wolde Godes willan gefręmman, and bodian þām hǣþenum þæs Hǣlendes naman and þone sōðan gelēafan on fyrlenum landum. Þā becōm hē tō Westseaxan, þe wæs ðā gyt hǣþen, and gebīgde þone cynincg Kynegyls tō Gode, and ealle his lēode tō gelēafan mid him. Hit gelamp þā swā þæt se gelēaffulla Ōswold, Norðhymbra cyning, wæs cumen tō Cynegylse, and hine tō fulluhte nam, fægen his gecyrrednysse. Þā gēafon. þā cynegas, Cynegyls and Ōswold, þām hālgan Birine him tō bisceopstōle þā burh Dorcanceaster, and hē þærbinnan wunode Godes lof ārǣrende and gerihtlǣcende þæt folc mid lāre tō gelēafan tō langum fyrste, oð þæt hē gesǣlig sīþode tō Crīste; and his līc wearþ bebyrged on ðǣre ylcan byrig, oð þæt Hædde bisceop ęft his bán fęrode tō Wintanceastre, and mid wurðmynte gelōgode binnan Ealdan-mynstre, þǣr man hine wurðað gyt.
Hwæt þā Ōswold cyning his cynedōm geheōld hlīsfullice for worulde and mid micclum geleāfan, and on eallum dǣdum his Drihten ārwurðode, oð hē ofslagen wearð for his folces ware on þām nigoðan geare þe hē rīces geweōld, þā þā hē sylf wæs on ylde eahta and þrittig geāra. Hit gewearð swā be þām þæt him wann on Pęnda, Myrcena cyning, þe æt his mǣges slęge ær, Ēadwines cyninges, Ceadwallan fylste; and se Pęnda ne cūðe be Crīste nān þincg, and eall Myrcena folc wæs ungefullod þā git. Hī cōmon þā tō gefeohte tō Maserfelda bęgen, and fēngon tōgædere, oð þæt þǣr fēollon þā crīstenan, and þā hǣðenan genēalǣhton tō þām hālgan Ōswolde. Þā geseah hē genēalǣcan his līfes gęendunge, and gebæd for his folc þe þǣr feallende swealt, and betǣhte heora sāwla and hine sylfne Gode, and þus clypode on his fylle: ‘God, gemiltsa ūrum sāwlum!’ Þā hēt se hǣþena cynincg his hēafod of-āslēan and his swīðran earm, and sęttan hī tō myrcelse.
Þā æfter Ōswoldes slęge fēng Ōswīg his brōðor tō Norðhymbra rīce, and rád mid werode tō þǣr his brōðor hēafod stōd on stacan gefæstnod, and genam þæt hēafod and his swīðran hand, and mid ārwurðnysse fęrode tō Lindisfarnēa cyrcan. Þā wearð gefylled, swā wē hēr foresǣdon, þæt his swīðre hand wunað hāl mid þām flǣsce būtan ǣlcere brosnunge, swā se bisceop gecwæð. Se earm wearð geléd ārwurðlice on scrīne, of seolfre āsmiþod, on Sancte Petres mynstre binnan Bebban-byrig be þǣre sǣ strande, and līð þǣr swā ansund swā hē of-āslagen wæs. His brōþor dohtor ęft siððan on Myrcan wearð cwén, and geāxode his bán, and gebrohte hī tō Lindesīge tō Bardanīge mynstre, þe hēo micclum lufode. Ac þā mynstermęnn noldon for męnniscum gedwylde þone sanct underfōn, ac man slōh ān geteld ofer þā hālgan bán binnan þǣre līcręste. Hwæt þā God geswutelode þæt hē hālig sanct wæs, swā þæt heofonlic leoht ofer þæt geteld āstręht stód ūp tō heofonum swilce hēalic sunnbēam ofer ealle ðā niht; and þā lēoda behēoldon geond ealle þē scīre swīðe wundrigende. Þā wurdon þā mynstermęnn micclum āfyrhte, and bǣdon þæs on mergen þæt hí mōston þone sanct mid ārwurðnysse underfón, þone þe hī ǣr forsōcon. Þā ðwōh man þā hālgan bán, and bær intō þǣre cyrcan ārwurðlice on scrīne, and gelōgodon hī upp.
And þǣr wurdon gehǣlede þurh his hālgan geearnunge fela mettrume męnn fram mislicum coþum. Þæt wæter þe man þā bán mid āþwóh binnan þǣre cyrcan wearð āgoten swā on ānre hyrnan; and sēo eorðe siþþan þe þæt wæter underfēng wearð manegum tō bōte. Mid þām dūste wurdon āflīgde dēofla fram mannum, þā þe on wōdnysse ǣr wǣron gedręhte. Ēac swilce þǣr hē fēoll on þām gefeohte ofslagen męnn nāmon þā eorðan tō ādligum mannum, and dydon on wætere wanhālum tō þicgenne, and hī wurdon gehǣlede þurh þone hālgan wer. Sum wegfarende mann fērde wið þone feld; þā wearð his hors gesīcclod, and sōna þǣr fēoll wealwigende geond ðā eorðan wōdum gelīcost. Mid þām þe hit swā wealwode geond þone wīdgillan feld, þā becōm hit embe lang þǣr se cyning Ōswold on þām gefeohte fēoll, swā swā wē ǣr foresǣdan; and hit sōna ārās swā hit hrępode þā stōwe, hāl eallum limum, and se hlāford þæs fægnode. Se ridda þā fērde forð on his weg þider hé gemynt hæfde. Þā wæs þǣr ān mǣden licgende on paralysin lange gebrocod. Hē begann þā tō geręccenne hū him on rāde getīmode, and mann fęrode þæt mǣden tō þǣre foresǣdan stōwe. Hēo wēarð þā on slǣpe, and sōna ęft āwóc ansund eallum limum fram þām ęgeslican broce. Band þā hire hēafod, and blīðe hām fērde, gangænde on fōtum, swā hēo gefyrn ǣr ne dyde. Ēft siððan fērde sum ǣrendfæst ridda be ðǣre ylcan stōwe, and geband on ānum clāþe of þām hālgan dūste þǣre dēorwurðan stōwe, and lǣdde forð mid him þǣr hē fundode tō; þā gemētte hē gebēoras blīðe æt þām hūse. Hē āhēng þā þæt dūst on ænne hēahne post, and sæt mid þām gebēorum blissigende samod. Man worhte þā micel fȳr tōmiddes ðām gebēorum, and þā spearcan wundon wið þæs hrōfes swȳðe, oð þæt þæt hūs fǣrlice eall on fȳre wearð, and þā gebēoras flugon āfyrhte āweg. Þæt hūs wearð ðā forburnen būton þām ānum poste þe þæt hālige dūst on āhangen wæs: se post āna ætstōd ansund mid þām dūste; and hī swȳðe wundrodon þæs hālgan weres geearnunga, þæt þæt fȳr ne mihte þā moldan forbærnan. And manega męnn siððan gesohton þone stęde heora hǣle fęccende, and heora frēonda gehwilcum.
Þā āsprang his hlīsa geond þā land wīde, and ēac swilce tō Īrlande, and ēac sūþ tō Franclande, swā swā sum mæssepreōst be ānum męnn sǣde. Se prēost cwæð þæt ān wer wǣre on Īrlande gelǣred, sē ne gȳmde his lāre, and he lithwōn hogode embe his sāwle þearfe oððe his Scyppendes beboda, ac ādrēah his līf on dyslicum weorcum, oð þæt hē wearð geuntrumod and tō ęnde gebroht. Þā clypode hē þone prēost þe hit cȳdde ęft þus, and cwæð him tō sōna mid sārlicre stemne: ‘Nū ic sceall geęndian earmlicum dēaþe, and tō hęlle faran for fracodum dǣdum, nū wolde ic gebētan, gif ic ābīdan moste, and tō Gode gecyrran and tō gōdum þęawum, and mīn līf āwęndan eall tō Godes willan; and ic wāt þæt ic ne eom wyrðe þæs fyrstes būton sum hālga mē þingie tō þām Hǣlende Crīste. Nū is ūs gesǣd þæt sum hālig cyning is on ēowrum earde, Ōswold gehāten. Nū gif þū ǣnig þincg hæfst of þæs hālgan reliquium, syle mē, ic þē bidde.’ Ðā sǣde se prēost him: ‘Ic hæbbe of þām stocce þe his hēafod on stōd, and gif þū gelȳfan wylt, þū wurþest hál sōna.’ Hwæt þā se mæsseprēost þæs mannes ofhrēow, and scōf on hālig wæter of þām hālgan trēowe, sealde þām ādligan of tō sūpenne, and hē sōna gewyrpte, and syððan leofode lange on worulde, and gewęnde tō Gode mid eallre heortan and mid hālgum weorcum; and swā hwider swā hē cōm, hē cȳdde þās wundra. For þȳ ne sceall nān mann āwǣgan þæt hē sylfwylles behǣt þām ælmihtigan Gode, þonne hē ādlig bið, þe lǣs þe hē sylf losige, gif hē ālīhð Gode þæt.
Nū cwæð se hālga Bēda, þe ðās bōc gedihte, þæt hit nān wundor nys þæt se hālga cynincg untrumnysse gehǣle, nū he on heofonum leofað, for ðan þe hē wolde gehelpan, þā þā hē hēr on līfe wæs, þearfum and wannhālum, and him bīgwiste syllan. Nū hæfð hē þone wurðmynt on þǣre ēcan worulde mid þām ælmihtigan Gode for his gōdnysse. Ęft se hālga Cūðberht, þā þā hē git cnapa wæs, geseah hū Godes ænglas fęredon Aidanes sāwle þæs hālgan bisceopes blīðe tō heofonum tō þām ēcan wuldre þe hē on worulde gearnode. Þæs hālgan Ōswoldes bán wurdon ęft gebroht æfter manegum gēarum tō Myrcena-lande intō Glēawceastre; and God þǣr geswutelode oft feala wundra þurh þone hālgan wer. Sȳ þæs wuldor þām ælmihtigan Gode þe on ēcnysse rīxað ā tō worulde. Amen.