THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
79
trusted as a faithful report of what the author saw himself, or what he
heard from others.
From this MSS. we learn that in the place called Montacute, in Somerset
when Canute was King, there lived a man, by trade a smith, a man of
great simplicity and of good natural ability, devoid of malice, fearing God,
and eschewing evil. On a certain night this smith dreamed a dream-
er saw a vision, of a beauteous form which bade him tell the priest that he
should arouse his parishioners to ascend the hill in orderly procession and
dig the earth, when they should find a treasure hidden for ages, namely,
the Cross, the sign of the Holy passion of the Lord. The smith disregarded
the injunction and the vision is repeated, whereupon he tells his wife,
who laughs at his dreams. Yet a third time the vision appears and in
anger the visitant pinches the smith's arm, leaving the marks of its nails
and paralysing its activity. The terrified smith runs to the church, tells
his tale, and in confirmation displays his arm. The priest gathers his
people together and exhorts them in preparation, and on the day appointed
there is present a multitude of people from near and far; but the lord
of the estate, Tovi le Prude, is away. Nevertheless, led by the smith they
climb the hill and begin to dig. After having dug 40 cubits they find a
stone of wonderful size, in the middle of which was a yawning cleft—
clearing this there is revealed to their astonished sight the Image of the
Crucified Saviour made out of black flint. The people are amazed and
somewhat alarmed and decide to leave it alone until the lord of the
estate, Tovi le Prude, staller or marshal, master of the horse, feudal
constable and head of the military establishment to King Canute, who
was then on the King's business in distant parts of the land, could be
communicated with.
Tovi hastens to Somerset, verifies the report, and depositing one of
the relics in the church, places the others in a waggon, to which were yoked
12 red oxen and as many snow white cows, determining that they should
go wherever God willed. After prayer, Tovi vowed them to Dover, to
Winchester, to Glastonbury, London, the various Sees, and the Abbeys of
England, but the cart stood as if fixed, nor could it be moved by the pulling
of the oxen or the driving of the men.
Remembering at length a poor cottage, which he had begun to build
in a woodland place which is now called Waltham (a pleasant place
forsooth, surrounded by rich woods, adorned with a river, very fruitful
in fish, beautiful with the pleasantness of fertile meadows), sufficiently
near to London, he mentions Waltham, when the waggon immediately
moves from its place as if it were driving the oxen rather than that the
oxen were drawing the waggon. On the journey people are cured from
various maladies, and 66 of them dedicate themselves to the service of the
Holy Cross and by them the vill of Waltham was first founded.
Arrived at Waltham a great company assembled at the Exaltation,
and during the preparatory beatification, the right arm being strengthened
with a nail, blood began to flow from the flint image. Tovi is wonder-
stricken and dedicates himself and all he has to the support of those who
serve the Holy Cross. Among other places he conveys to them Waltham,
Kelvedon, Loughton and Alvertun in Essex. Tovi died and was succeeded
by his son Adelstan, who lost many of his possessions, including Waltham,