A fourth adventure of his, which happened when he was visiting the abbey at Tiningham, will also be found later on.[1]
Bede reports another of Cuthberht's miracles, which also has a local colour, and which he claims to have learnt about at first hand. A certain nobleman (comes) called Sibba, who lived near the river "Opide"(?) (juxta fluvium Opide),[2] begged the Saint to visit his house, where he had a servant who was at the point of death, and asked him to cure him. He accordingly blessed some water, which he bade them give to him. As some of this was being given to the sick man for the third time he fell into a deep and tranquil sleep, in which he remained the whole night, and in the morning was restored to perfect health. The servant who administered the water was called Baldhelm. "He is living," says Bede, "to this day, and is now a priest in the church of Lindisfarne, where he leads a holy life, and holds it sweeter than honey (referre melle dulcius habet) to relate the miracles of the man of God."[3]
Of Cuthberht's aversion to, and perhaps dread of, women, whom he seems to have thought the most dangerous of worldly pitfalls, we have many stories. Their rigid exclusion from all the churches where he was honoured is explained by Symeon of Durham in his History of the Church of Durham, chap. xxii., as
