The abbey of Utrecht, under the presidency of the devoted Gregory, had sent forth many noble labourers into the mission-field, and many more had come over from England to take their share in the good work, and to spread the knowledge of the truth. One of the most eminent of these was Ludger, the subject of this memoir. His grandfather Wrffing Ado, a noble Frieslander, though not a believer in the Trinity, was yet a help to the poor, a defence to the oppressed, and a just judge, respecting the person of no man. Radbod, king of Friesland, who had cruelly oppressed his people, banished his best nobles, and sold their estates, laid a plot against his life. Wrffing received timely warning of it from one of the king's council, and fled with his wife and son to Grimoald, "Duke of the Franks," who received him well. There he was converted to the Catholic faith; he and all his were baptized. Grimoald was the son-in-law of Radbod, and son of Pepin of Heristal. While the latter was lying on his death-bed, Grimoald went to see him, and was assassinated by a Frieslander, in the church of S. Lambert, in 714. Wrffing received the same kindness from his successors. Radbod entreated Wrffing to return; when he refused to do so, Radbod asked him to let his son come back, promising to reinstate him in his inheritance. Accordingly the younger son Thiadgrim was sent to Friesland; the king insisted on his living with him, and restored his father's lands to him.
When Charles Martel added Friesland to his Frankish dominions, "extincto Radbodo," he not only reinstated Wrffing in his former possessions, but also gave him land in the neighbourhood of Utrecht to hold in feoff for S. Willibrord, who was then labouring among the Frisians, and had fixed his see at Utrecht. Willibrord received all support and countenance from Wrffing and his family. Both he and his successor, S. Boniface, were on very friendly terms with them. Perhaps it was at his grandfather's house that S. Ludger first saw S. Boniface.
Thiadgrim, the younger son, married Liafburg, the daughter of Nothrad and Aldeburga. The latter gave her two brothers to S. Willibrord, to educate, and they first of all the Frisians received the clerical tonsure. Willibraht, the elder brother, died a deacon, the younger, before he reached that degree.
Liafburg, S. Ludger's mother, narrowly escaped being murdered at the time of her birth. Her grandmother by the father's side, a fierce old pagan, was enraged because her daughter-in-law had borne no sons but only daughters. She sent officers to snatch the new born babe from its mother, before it had sucked the breast, for it was the custom of these heathen to kill a child before it had tasted earthly food. This statement is corroborated by some old Frisian laws edited by Sibrand Siccaum.
The officers consigned the child to a servant to be drowned. As the man held the infant over a bucket of water, she stretched out her tiny arms and grasped with her hands the edge of the bucket, and with all her feeble might resisted his efforts to drown her. A woman, who chanced to be near, touched with pity, snatched the infant from the servant's hands, and ran away with it to her own home; fastening the door behind her, she hastened to a chamber and placed some honey in the child's mouth, which it instantly swallowed. The officers were sent by the heathen beldame to demand the infant: the woman said, "She has eaten honey," and at the same time she held up to them the child, still licking its lips: for this reason it was unlawful to kill the child.
The woman gave Liafburg suck from a horn filled with milk, and receiving all necessaries from the child's mother, she nursed her till the death of her unnatural grandmother, when Liafburg was received into her father's house.
Liafburg many years after, when pregnant with Ludger, heard suddenly of the return of her husband Thiadgrim from a long journey. She ran out to greet him, and her foot slipping, she fell on a stake, which entered her side. She was taken up for dead; but by God's mercy she revived, and in a few days gave birth to Ludger unhurt. This event took place probably about 744. At his baptism, which is erroneously said by one chronicler to have been performed by S. Willibrord, who was then dead, he received the name of Ludger. As soon as he was able to run about, he used to collect the bark of trees, and to sew them into books, while the other children were at play. Then he scribbled on them with reeds dipped in a black liquor and gave them to his nurse to keep as useful books. If asked, "What hast thou done to-day?" he said, "I have made books, or I have written or read all day." If asked again, "Who taught thee?" he replied, "God taught me."
Then, as he grew in grace and years, he earnestly besought his parents to entrust him to some man of God to be brought up. They accordingly, probably in 757, gave him to abbot Gregory, a noble Frank, and a disciple of the great S. Boniface, who had a monastery at Utrecht. Either here, or before this, Ludger, as he tells us in his life of S. Gregory, "saw with his own eyes S. Boniface when his head was white with hoar hairs, and his body decrepit with age." Gregory, he adds, was his preceptor, "ab infantia," he brought up his disciples with as much love, zeal, and care, as if he was their father, and they his children; they were joined to him by a tie of strong affection. He proclaimed both in deed and in truth, as well as in word the Apostolic utterance of S. Peter, concerning the calling and election of all nations, "In every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him." Acts x. 35. For his disciples were gathered not from one tribe only, but were the flower of all the neighbouring nations; they were enlightened with wondrous gentleness and spiritual joy, and joined into one body, because they were begotten in charity of one spiritual father, and of the one mother of all. "Some were of noble Frank families; some were English; some of the new planting of God begun amongst the Frisians and Saxons; some of the Baquarii and the Suevi; some of whatever nation God hath sent thither: of all these I, Ludger am the least, yea, the weakest and most insignificant."
"The holy father Gregory bestowed on all these gathered from all parts into one fold the spiritual food of God's doctrine and Word. Inspired by God he burned with love for his disciples and for their instruction, so that scarce a day passed on which he did not sit in the morning to receive his disciples singly, and to hear their questions, and then he gave them to drink of the cup of life, and watered them with God's Word as each had need."
Altfrid tells us that Gregory received Ludger with joy, and found great pleasure in instructing him, as he was an intelligent and sagacious child. Under his loving care Ludger advanced in the fear of the Lord, and laid aside his secular habit in that monastery; perhaps in 760, and devoted himself wholly to the study of the spiritual science. Some of his schoolfellows became bishops or teachers of Churches. Ludger was much loved by them, by reason of his wondrous gentleness and kindness: his face was cheerful, though he was not easily provoked to laughter; he combined prudence with moderation in all his actions, for he constantly meditated on Holy Scripture, and especially upon those portions of it which pertained to the praise of God, and to the Catholic faith, for all which reasons he was loved by his venerable master as an only son.