They went in to dinner and the bishop sat down in his place whilst Oswin warmed himself by the fire. Suddenly, the king unbuckled his sword belt, knelt at the bishop's feet and begged his forgiveness, and promised never again to question how much of his bounty the bishop gave to God's children. The bishop was deeply moved, raised Oswin to his feet, and begged him to sit down to his food.
As the king and his party grew merrier, so the bishop became sadder until he shed tears. His chaplain asked him what was wrong, and the bishop replied, "I know the king will not live long, for I have never before seen a humble king. I feel he will soon be taken from us, because this nation is not worthy of such a king".
"...this nation is not worthy of such a king ..."
Oswin was a Celtic king who ruled a province in what is now a part of Northumbria,
Great Britain, for seven years, and died -
From a rubbing of a brass in St. Albans Abbey
King Oswin had given Bishop Aidan a very fine horse to assist him on his journeys, as the bishop ordinarily travelled on foot. Soon after, when a poor man met the bishop and asked for alms, the bishop immediately dismounted and gave to the beggar the horse with all its royal trappings. When this came to King Oswin's ears, he said to the bishop, "We have far less valuable horses or other belongings which would have been good enough for beggars." To which Bishop Aidan replied, "Is this child of a mare more valuable to you than this child of God?"