Lindisfarne a monk's view - part 2

Our beautiful monastery was ransacked. Groups of Norsemen had gone from building to building taking all our valuables. They took gold crosses and silver goblets, they even tore the cover off a gospel book which was decorated with gold and jewels. They set fire to the buildings as they left but thankfully they didn’t get everything. When the raiders had gone we did our best to put the fires out and found that they had left behind many of our treasures. Maybe they just didn’t recognise the value of our Lindisfarne Gospels, which survived the attack, and in their hurry they missed the portable alter encased in silver. It was lucky they missed it because it was next to St Cuthbert’s coffin, which was full of treasure and of course, the bones of our beloved saint. I heard later that the Norse had raided other islands too, way down south on an island called Portland and another on the Isle of Iona. I fear that we are being punished, that it is God’s wrath for the way we have been living our lives.