stantaneously killed by a flash of lightning, August 16th, 1785, aged nine years."

A blacksmith's tombstone is inscribed as follows:

"My sledge and hammer lie reclined

My bellows, too, have lost their wind,
My fire's extinct, my forge decayed,
And in the dust my vice is laid.
My coals are spent, my iron's gone,
My nails are drove, my work is done."

Miracle plays used to be given in this churchyard until the twelfth century, when Abbot Samson put an end to this custom. In this yard, too, was a curious spot known as the "pardoned grave." In this place were laid, as a sort of reward of merit, persons who during their lives had achieved the distinction of paying for their entire pardon in Purgatory! Such zeal was naturally encouraged by those whose duty it was to dispense the funds so acquired.

On the buttress at St. James' Church is a sun-dial with the pertinent motto "Go about your business."

A benefactor at St. James' seems to have been Edward Darbie, who, according to his epitaph, "maintained a public catechizing

every fortnight . . . of sixty-five poore people, to each of which he allowed a twopenny loaf of bread each time of their catechizing for

their further encouragement."

Perhaps the most notable figure in connection with Bury St. Edmund was Abbot Samson, a great personality who found a most acceptable Boswell in the monk Jocelin of Brakelonde, in 1211. Every one who visits Bury should read the account of this striking and dominant character in this fascinating Chronicle, which has been reissued in late years. It is with a distinct thrill that, on one of the five tombstones that lie out in isolation in the ground, one sees an inscription, "Hic Jacet Samson Abbas, MCLXXXII. MCCXI." Extracts from the Chronicle of Jocelin de Brakelonde will help us to visualize Abbot Samson. In 1173, Jocelin says: "In those days, Abbot Hugh grew old, and his eyes were dim. He was a good and kindly man, a God fearing and pious monk, but in temporal matters he was unskilful and improvident." This little note of polite dissatisfaction shows that the monks meant to have a man of greater executive ability for his successor; and they got him. In fact the term "improvident 99 is a mild one considering the practices of Abbot Hugh, whose

"sole resource and means of relief was borrowing money; " and Jocelin tells how he has seen bonds to one Jew for four hundred pounds, and to another for eight hundred, so that the monastery owed large debts through the foolishness of Abbot Hugh. This abbot met his death on a trip to Becket's shrine, where he had a fall, in which "his knee-pan was put out and lodged in the ham of his leg." Blood poisoning set in, and " in the fourth fit he died," as Jocelin ingenuously expresses it.

The election of a new abbot always was a hot campaign. One party wished to elect the present prior, and the other party desired Samson. Finally a majority turned in favour of the latter, and the king agreed to Samson's election. "Therefore he was elected, and fell at the king's feet and embraced them. Then he arose quickly, and hastened to the altar, with his head erect, without changing his expression, chanting the Misere mei, Deus' with the brothers. And when the king saw this he said to those that stood by, 'By the eyes of God, this elect thinks that he is worthy to rule the abbey! And he proved himself amply competent to cope with the situation as he found it.

An early instance of his reforms is this: "The abbot ordered that the houses of the

sacristan in the grave-yard should be utterly destroyed, as if they were unworthy to stand above ground. And for this the cause was the frequent drinking bouts and certain things which cannot be mentioned, which he had seen when he was sub-sacristan with sorrow and pain. So he caused all the buildings to be levelled with the ground, and in a year, where there had stood a noble building, we saw beans growing, and where casks of wine had stood, we saw nettles in abundance." When he became abbot several distinguished people began to claim relationship with Abbot Samson, but he would have none of them, saying that he preferred to recognize those who had discovered their relationship while he was a poor monk!

At the siege of Windsor Abbot Samson bore arms, and had his own standard. He stood in no fear of Earl John, and firmly excommunicated all who opposed him, so that he held quite a sway on the battle-field! On this occasion, Jocelin admits, "he gained a reputation rather for skill in the council than for virtue." It was also said of him that he was over-shrewd for a churchman, that he "spared his own money, and allowed his corn to lie in his barns until such a time as the price should be high."