Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book IV Chapter XI
by Venerable Bede
SEBBI, KING OF THE SAME PROVINCE, ENDS HIS LIFE IN A MONASTERY
[A.D. 694]
AT that time, as the same little book informs us, Sebbi, a devout man, of whom mention
has been made above, governed the kingdom of the East Saxons. He was much addicted to
religious actions, almsgiving, and frequent prayer; preferring a private and monastic life
to all the wealth and honours of his kingdom, which sort of life he would also long before
have undertaken, had not his wife positively refused to be divorced from him; for which
reason many were of opinion, and often said so, that a person of such a disposition ought
rather to have been a bishop than a king. When he had been thirty years a king, and a
soldier of the heavenly kingdom, he fell into a violent sickness, of which he died, and
admonished his wife, that they should then at least jointly devote themselves to the
service of God, since they could no longer enjoy, or rather serve, the world. Having with
much difficulty obtained this of her, he repaired to Waldhere, bishop of London, who had
succeeded Earconwald, and With his blessing received the religious habit, which he had
long desired. He also carried to him a considerable sum of money, to be given to the poor,
reserving nothing to himself, but rather coveting to remain poor in spirit for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven
When the aforesaid distemper increased upon him, and he perceived the day of his death
to be drawing near, being a man of a royal disposition, he began to apprehend lest, when
under pain, and at the approach of death, he might be guilty of anything unworthy of his
person, either in words, or any motion of his limbs. Wherefore, calling to him the
aforesaid bishop of London, in which city he then was, he entreated him that none might be
present at his death, besides the bishop himself, and two of his attendants. The bishop
having promised that he would most willingly perform the same, not long after the man of
God composed himself to sleep, and saw a comforting vision, which took from him all
anxiety for the aforesaid uneasiness; and, moreover, showed him on what day he was to
depart this life. For, as he afterwards related, he saw three men in bright garments come
to him; one of whom sat down before his bed, whilst his companions stood and inquired
about the state of the sick man they came to see: he who was sitting in front of the bed
said, that his soul should depart his body without any pain, and with a great splendour of
light; and declared that he should die the third day after; both which particulars
happened, as he had been informed by the vision; for on the third day after, he suddenly
fell, as it were, into a slumber, and breathed out his soul without any sense or pain.
A stone coffin having been provided for burying his body, when they came to lay it in
the same, they found his body a span longer than the coffin. Hereupon they hewed away the
stone, and made the coffin about two fingers longer; but neither would it then contain the
body. Under this difficulty of entombing him, they had thoughts either to get another
coffin, or else to shorten the body, by bending it at the knees, if they could. But a
wonderful event, caused by Providence, prevented the execution of either of those designs
for on a sudden, in the presence of the bishop, and Sighard, the son of the king who
had turned monk, and who reigned after him jointly with his brother Suefred, and of a
considerable number of men, that same coffin was found to answer the length of the body,
insomuch that a pillow might also be put in at the head; and at the feet the coffin was
four fingers longer than the body. He was buried in the church of the blessed Apostle of
the Gentiles, by whose instructions he had learned to hope for heavenly things.