thereon The first letter of a new paragraph was always beautifully
illuminated, as this method of decoration was called.

These ancient manuscripts have afforded us much of our knowledge of the
world's history.

William of Malmesbury, to whose patient care we are indebted for the
story of St. Swithin, was a monk in the monastery of Malmesbury, a town
in England, about fifty miles from Stratford-on-Avon where Shakespeare
was born. It is situated on the Lower Avon, a branch of the same river
which flows through Stratford.

William was librarian of the monastery of Malmesbury, and was also a
noted historian. He was born in 1095, and died in 1142.

His "History of the English Kings" and "Modern History" have formed the
foundation of the later histories of England that have been written.

William also wrote several other books telling the history of his
church, and it is in one of these that the story of St. Swithin is
found.

In those days the people were very superstitious, and believed in signs
and wonders, and frightened themselves silly with every strange noise or
unusual occurrence, for everything that occurred was supposed to be a
sign that something was going to happen.

According to the record of William of Malmesbury, Swithin was a great
scholar in his day, and was chosen by King Ethelwulf as the tutor of his
son Alfred. This was the Alfred who afterward became Alfred the Great.