Morken, who was then King of Cumbria, seems to have derived no benefit from the spiritual teaching of the holy man, as it is related that the brotherhood of whom St. Mungo was head, being scarce of corn, application was made by the saint to the king for a supply. But he impiously and mockingly replied to the holy man, in the language of Scripture: "Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee, since nothing is lacking to them that fear  God, as thou hast been accustomed to teach others."

After further talk in a like strain of irony, and a suitable reply by the holy man, the king said: "If, trusting in thy God, and without human assistance, thou shalt be able to transfer to thine own mansion all the corn which. thou seest contained in the barns, I willingly consent; and as to the rest I will devoutly comply with thy demands."

On hearing this, the saint, "with hands and eyes lifted up to heaven, poured out a prayer with tears to the Lord. And lo! in the same hour the river Clyde, rushing from below, began suddenly to swell and overflow its banks, and carried along with it the entire barns of the king, with the corn in them, up to the very place, Molendinar by name, where the saint was accustomed to reside."

Morken, though literally taken at his word, was so furious and mad with rage that he lifted his kingly foot and made the saint measure his length on the ground. But retribution was at hand, as the king was immediately after attacked with gout in the foot he had used in such a rash and undignified manner against the person of the saint, and from this disease, in a very acute form, he died in a short time after.