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102
SORØ.
Chap. VII.
day, he was greatly scandalized, and exclaimed, “
Absalon deserved better of his country than to be made the
gaze of fools,” and straightway gave orders that the
head should be replaced in his coffin at Sorø. So
the great and the learned went down to Sorø, and with
much ceremony the sarcophagus of the departed prelate
was raised from the vault and the lid unclosed, when,
to the amazement of all present, there lay Archbishop
Absalon with his head well fastened on his shoulders;
the skull which had so long passed current as that of
the warrior prelate was no more than some “ memento
mori ” of a Cistercian monk of the convent; and as for
the tibiae, they proved, on examination, to belong both
to the right leg. The searchers, however, removed from
his finger the pontifical ring of gold, enriched with a
sapphire, as well as a chalice of silver-gilt which was
placed upon his breast. These authenticated relics are
preserved in the sacristy of the church of Sorø. Though
Archbishop Absalon does sleep sound, he appears to be
irascible even in death. This, the following story,
related by Hans Jansen, Bishop of Ribe, once Rector of the
Academy, will show, at the same time that it gives some
idea of the superstition of the clergy. The Rector
was accustomed to pace after sunset the Allee des
Philosophes—as the lime-tree walk is termed—solacing
himself with the music of his flageolet. One evening,
accidentally finding the doors of the church open, he
entered, and, standing before the tomb of the Bishop,
after playing him a favourite air, exclaimed,—“ Well,
Absalon; what do you think of that ?” Scarcely had the
words escaped his lips, when out of his grave bounced
the infuriated prelate, in full pontificals, crozier in hand.
The Rector took to his heels, pursued by the ghost,
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