mother loved him the more. Matilda was at Quedlinburg when she heard of his death. She called the nuns into the church and bade them pray for his soul. She knelt before the altar and supplicated—"Lord, have mercy, have mercy on the soul of Thy servant. Remember how all his days were fall of sorrow...how little joy he had in life...." She prayed for pardon for his sins, and peace for his soul. Then she arose from the altar and went to her husband's grave, and laying her head on it, she talked to him who slept beneath the stone. She said she was glad he had not lived to suffer this bereavement. She entreated him to pray for the soul of the son who had his face and form and his name. Until now she had worn the royal scarlet robe, but from this day she laid it aside and was only seen in mourning, wearing no gold nor ornaments of any kind. She never more took part in any games, although she used to like them; nor allowed any but devotional songs to be sung to her. One of her consolations was to have with her Henry's little boy Otho, now Duke of Bavaria. He was a very beautiful child, and repaid his grandmother's affection with the most endearing confidence and love.
In 965, the whole royal family, including Matilda's children and grandchildren, met round the aged queen for the last time on earth, at Bruno's palace at Cologne. Bruno's former tutor, Bishop Balderech of Utrecht, stood up in the joyous family circle and blessed the grey-haired queen, saying that in her were fulfilled the words of Psalm cxxviii., "The Lord will bless thee out of Zion, that thou mayest see the happiness of Jerusalem all thy life long, and see thy children's children."
When, in 966, Otho was going for the third time to Italy, he paid a visit to his mother, who was living quietly and piously at Nordhausen. He stayed with her several days, and when he was going away, they went to mass together. Feeling she should never see him again, she got him to promise sundry things concerning which she was anxious. She went with him to the gate and saw him mount and ride off, and then she returned into the church, and kneeling down, she kissed the place where he had stood. Some of the attendants ran after the Emperor and told him of this proof of his mother's affection. He hastened back and found her weeping where they had knelt together. He threw himself down beside her, expressing the tenderest gratitude for her love and solicitude; again and again they embraced with tears until at last the mother said, "We are only making ourselves unhappy. Go, in the peace of Christ." So they parted for the last time.
In 908, while making the round of the land to visit the religious houses she had built, the Queen was seized, at Nordhausen, with fever. The devoted nuns begged her to stay with them that her relics might be their possession; but she preferred to die at Quedlinburg and rest by her husband. As death was approaching, she sent for the Abbess Richburg of Nordhausen, her former chamber-woman and confidante, and spoke long with her. Otho's illegitimate son William, archbishop of Maintz, attended the dying saint and heard her last confession. She wished to give him something in remembrance of her, but her attendants reminded her that she had given away everything to the poor, except the sheets which had been reserved for her burial. She ordered them to be given to the archbishop, saying he would want them before she did, for a difficult journey he must shortly undertake. This proved true, for he died suddenly, twelve days before his grandmother, on his way to his diocese.
On the Saturday of her death, she called her people about her and dismissed them with advice and blessing. She talked for a long time with her gifted grand-daughter Matilda (2), abbess of Quedlinburg, comforting her with the assurance that Otho had promised for himself and his descendants to protect this monastery.
At the point of death, Matilda had her hair-cloth spread on the ground, made the attendants lift her on it, and strewing ashes on her head, said: "Only in sackcloth and ashes is it meet for a
