midnight
He had slaked his vengeance to the uttermost and had no remorse : he had avenged father , mother -- the spiritual guides of his youth ; still he had once heard , even from them -- `` Vengeance is mine : I will repay saith the Lord . '' `` Sing , bards , '' he cried out ; `` has no minstrel a new strain ? '' They exerted themselves to the utmost ; and Wilfred , determined to rise to the occasion , threw off his sadness , ceased to speculate as to the chances of the insurrection -LCB- xvi -RCB- ; that night , at least , he would give to joy -- he would encourage his people who loved him so faithfully by rejoicing with them . So the song and the banquet lasted until the midnight hour , and the castle of Hugo echoed the old forgotten songs of the glories of Anglo-Saxon England . Upon the banks of the Isis , about eight miles above its junction with the Tame , stood the ancient town of Abingdon , which had grown up around the famous monastic foundation of Ina , King of Wessex -LCB- xvii -RCB- . The river divides , at this point , into three branches , encircling two islands -LCB- xviii -RCB- ; partly on the southern bank , and partly on the nearest of these islands , stood the mighty Abbey , one of the largest and most renowned of the Benedictine houses of England . And on the other island the Conqueror himself had built a country seat whither he often retired , as convenient headquarters , whence to enjoy the pleasures of the chase in the vale of White Horse , famous in the annals of the Anglo-Saxon race for Alfred 's great victory over the Danes .