English poet and theologian Samuel Coleridge finished his poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (above), today in 1798.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and small,
For the dear God who loveth us
He made and loveth all.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Born today in 1643 was Mary of Jesus de León y Delgado, or, if you prefer, La Siervita (‘the Little Servant’) as she was popularly called. She lived a simple life, but her miracles were pretty eye-catching, including clairvoyance, levitation and bilocation. As an example of the latter, a pirate claimed she had appeared and saved his life in Cuba, while at the same time she was going about her day in her monastery in Tenerife, Canary Islands, almost 4,000 miles away.
Stephen the First and a Half became Pope today in 752, and two days later became the shortest-lived true pope in history. He died of a stroke before he could be consecrated, and was not considered a kosher pope for a millennium, hence the numbering problems.
Today in 1966 the Pope (Paul VI) met the Archbishop of Canterbury (Michael Ramsey) in the Sistine Chapel. This was their first meeting for 400 years.
Today in 1540 was the last day in the life of Waltham Abbey, as it surrendered to Henry VIII’s commissioners, who had come to close it down and strip its assets. A church had been on the site since the 7th century. The abbot was pensioned off with estates worth £200 a year, and the canons were each given a £5 or £10 lump sum. Thomas Tallis, the ‘singing man’, received 40 shillings and went on to become a famous composer of choral music. Waltham was the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
The scandal-ridden Pope Julius III died today in 1555. He promoted his adopted nephew to cardinal, while also sharing his bed.
Also died today, but this time in 1743, was Lancelot Blackburn, sometime pirate, and later Archbishop of York. He left a good chunk of his estate to his bastard son, Thomas Hayter, who later became Bishop of London.