and before he was yet baptised Layeng therfore depe foundations aboute this his first oratorie he began to buylde there a fayre churche fowre square But before the wall therof came to his iuste hyghnes the king was slayne by cruell deathe and lefte that royall worke to be endyd and parfyted by kyng Oswald his successour Now Pauline from that time 6. yeares after that is to the end of king Edwynes raygne preched the word of God continually by his good leaue and fauour throughe out all that prouince And they beleaued him and were Christened who were preordinated to lyfe euerlasting emongest whome was Offride and Eadfride king Edwynes sonnes Which he had in his banishement by dame Quenburge daughter to Cearle king of the Marshes After whome his other children which he had by Queene Edelburge were baptised as his sonne Edilhune his daughter Edilfride and an other of his sonnes called Buskfrea of which the ij first were taken oute of this mortall lyfe in their infancie or tender youthe and buryed in the church of Yorke Iffy also Offride his sonne was Christened too with manie other of the nobilitie and diuers honorable men And as it is reported then was the feruour of faithe and ernest desyre of holie baptisme so greate emongest the people of Northumberland that on a certaine time when bishop Pauline came with the kings and Quenes maiestie to the courte or princes palacie at Adregin he stayed there with them 36. dayes only occupied in catechising and instructing the people in Christe his faithe and afterward baptising them in eche of the which dayes he did nothing els from morning to euenynge but instructe them with the word of God and teach theÌ„ the faith and saluation in Christe Iesus which flocked thither out of all places and villages theraboute Whome after he had thus informed and taught he baptised in the fludde Elene For that was the next nere water which he could conueniently vse for baptim This towne Adregin in the time of the kinge and aftercommers waxed rude and deserte And an other was buylt vp for hit in a place called Melwyn And this muche dyd byshop Pawline in the Bernicians prouince But in the couÌ„trie of the Deires where he laie most coÌ„monly with the kinge he baptised in the fludde Suale which renneth fast by a village adioyned to Cataracte For as yet there could not be buylded oratories fountes or places of baptisme in this newe begon and late founded churche But yet was there buylte a greate church in the coast and champyon called Dâ—wne Where was an other of the kinges courtes and palace Which church the painims that slewe king Edwine bâ—rned afterward with the whole village In sted of the which palace the kinges euer after made their mansion place in the country called Loides But the aultar of the before mentioned churche eskaped the fire bycause it was made of stone And is kept to this present daye in the monasterie of the right reuerend Abbot and priest Trunwulfe standing in the wodde Elmete How the prouince of the Este English receiued the fayth of Christ. The. 15. Chap. NOw had king Edwine by common reporte suche a zele and ernest deuotion toward the Christian faithe that he perswadid Carpwald kinge Redwalds sonne and king of the Est English to leaâ—â— of the vaine superstition of idols and to come with his whole royalme and embrace the true faythe and receaue the sacramentes of Christe his churche For his father king Redwald before him was Christened in kent but alas in vaine For returning home againe he was seduced by his wyfe and certaine other peruerse doctours And being in suche wyse depraued from the sincerite and purenesse of fayth his end was worse then his beginning For he would seme after the maner of the olde Samaritanes to serue both Christe and his owne false Godes to as he dyd before And in one temple he had erectyd an aultar for the sacrifice of Christe and an other litle aultar for burnt sacrifices to his Idols and dyuels The which temple Aldwolfe kinge of that prouince after him who lyued in this ourâ—age sayde that it dured so vnto his time and witnessed that he sawe it himselfe in his childhoode Truly this before named king Redwald was a noble prince of byrthe althowgh vile and base in his actes and deades For he was king Tityls sonne whose fathers name was Woffa of whome the kinges of the east english men are called Woffinges But king Carpwald not long after he had ben Christened was slayne by a gentile and paynim named Richbert And froÌ„ that time 3. yeares after the prouince liued in gentâ—lite falling from Christian religion vntyll at the last Sibert king Carpwalds brother toke the kingdome a man in all pointes lerned and most Christian. Who whiles his brother was yet alyue lyuing bannished in Fraunce was Christened there and instructed in the holy mysteries of our faythe of which he went about to make all his royalme partakener as sone as he came to the crowne To whose good endeuour herin bishopp Felix dyd moste ernestly fauoure and with greate praise applie himselfe Who when he came from Burgundie where he was borne and toke holie orders into Britanny to Honorius tharchbishop and had opened this his desire and godly purpose vnto him the Archebishopp gladly gaue him licence and sent him furthe to preche the worde of God vnto the foresayde Este English Wher certes his zele and vertuous desire proued not in vayne For this holie husbande man and happie tiller of the spirituall filde founde in that nation plentifulnes of fruite and encrease of people that beleaued him For he browght all that prouince beinge now delyuered by his healpe from their long iniquite and vnhappines vnto the fayth and workes of iustice and in the end reward of perpetuall bâ—isse and happines for euer according to the good abodement of his name whiche in Lattin is called Felix and in our Englishe tounge soundeth happie He was Byshopp in the cite of Dummocke afterward Where when he had ruled the churche of Christe 17. yeares in that dignite and in that prouince he endyd his life in peace How Pawlyne preched in the prouince of Lindisse and of the state of king Edwynes raygne The. 16. Chap. BVt Byshopp Pawlyne continued styll and at this tyme preched the worde of God in the prouince of Lindisse which is the next toward the South bancke of Humber bending euen vnto the seas side where he first conuerted to our Lord the maior of Lincolne whose name was Blecca withal his howseholde In the which citie he buylt a well wrowght churche of stone the rouffe whereof eyther for long lacke of reparations or by the spoyle of enemies is nowe cast downe But the walles thereof stand yet to be seene at this present daie and yearly some or other miracles are wont to be showen ther to the greate good and comforte of
his way to the prouince of the South Saxons which from kent reacheth southwarde and westward as far as the West Saxons contayning vij M. tenementes and was yet at that time lyuing in the paynimes lawe Vnto them did he minister the worde of faith and baptisme of saluation The king of the same countree whose name was Edilwach was christened not long before in the prouince of the Marshes in the presence and at the exhortatioÌ„ of king Wulfhere Who also at the fonte was his godfather and in signe of that adoption gaue him two prouinces that is to say the I le of wight and the prouince of Manures in the West parte of England By the permission therefore and great reioysing of the king this bishopp christened the chiefe Lordes and knightes of the countree And the reast of the people at thesame time or sone after were christened by the priestes Eappa Padda Bruchelin and Oidda The Quene also named Ebba was christened in her I le which was in the prouince of the Viccians for she was the doughter of Eanfride who was Eanberes brother whiche were both christen men and all their people But all the prouince of the South Saxons had neuer before that time heard of the name of God nor the faith Yet there was in the countree a certaine monke a Scot borne named Dicul which had a very litle monasterie in a place called Bosanham all compassed about with woddes and the sea and therein a v. or vj. bretherne seruing God in humble and poore life But none of the people there did giue them selues either to followe their lyfe or heare their preaching But when bishop Wilfride came and preached the gospel vnto them he not only deliuered theÌ„ from the miserie and perill of eternall damnation but also from an horrible morraine of this temporall death For in three yeares before his comming to that prouince it had not rayned one drop in all those quarters Whereby a very sore famine came vpon the common people and destroyed them by hole heapes in most pitifull wyse In so much that it is reported that diuerse and many times xl or l. men in a company being famished for hunger would go together to some rocke or sea banke and there wringing their handes in most miserable sort would cast themselues all downe either to be killed with the fall or drowned in the sea But on that very day on which the people receaued the baptisme and faith there fell a goodly and plentifull shoure of raine wherewith the earth florished againe and brought a most ioyfull and frutefull yere with goodly greene fieldes euery where Thus their old superstition being layed away and idolatrie blowen out and extincted the hartes and bodies of them all did reioyse in the liuing God knowing that he which is the true God had by his heauenly grace enryched them both with inwarde and outward giftes and goodes For this bishop also when he came into the countree and sawe so great a plage of famine there taught them to get their sustenaunce by fysshing For the sea and riuers there about them had great abundance of fysh But the people had no skill at all to fish for any thing els but eeles And therefore they of the bishops company gat somewhere a sort of eelenettes together and cast them into the sea and straight way by the helpe and grace of God they tooke CCC fishes of diuerse kindes The which they diuided into three partes and gaue one hundred to poore folke and an other to them of whom they had the nettes and the third they kept for themselues By the which benefit the bishop tourned the hartes of them all much to loue him and they began the more willingly to hope for heaueÌ„ly things at his preaching by whose helpe and succour they receaued the giftes and goodes of this worlde At this time did Edilwach giue vnto the most reuerend bishop VVilfrid the land of lxxxvij tenementes where he might place his company that were exiles with him The name of the place was Sâ—â—lâ—seâ—s The whiche place is compassed of the sea round about sauing on the west where it hath an entraunce into it as brode as a man may caste a stone with a slinge Which kinde of place is in Latin called Paeninsula and in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When bishop VVilfride had receaued this place he founded a monasterie there which he did binde to monastical life and rule and did put therein monkes namely some of them that he had brought with him Whiche monasterie his successours are knowen to holde and kepe vnto this day For vntil the death of king Ecgbert which was v. yeares space he continewed still in those quarters in great honour and reuerence among all men for his good deseruing for he did the office of a bishop both in word and dede And bicause the king with the possession of the forsaid place had giueÌ„ him also al the goodes and demaynes of the same with the groundes and men to he instructed them all in the Christian faithe and baptised theÌ„ al. AmoÌ„g the which ther wer CCC bond men and bondwemen whome he did all not only deliuer by christening them from the bondage of the deuil but also by giuing them their freedom did louse them from the yoke of the bondage of man How by the prayer and intercession of Saint Oswald the pestilent mortalitie was taken away The. 14. Chapter IN this monasterie att the same time there were shewed certaine giftes of heauenly grace by the holy Ghoste as in which place the tyrannye of the deuill being lately expelled Christ had newly begonne to raigne One of which thinges we thought good to put in writing to be remeÌ„bred hereafter the which in dede the most reuerend father Acca was ofte times wont to tell me and affirmed that be had it shewed him of the bretherne of the same monasterie a man most worthy to be credited About the same very time that this prouince receaued the name of Christ a sore plage and mortalitie raigned in many prouinces of England which plage by the pleasure of Gods dispensation and ordinaunce when it touched also the foresayed monasterie which at that time the most Reuerend and vertuouse priest of Christ Eappa did rule and gouerne and that many bothe of them that came thither with the bishop and also of such as had bene lately called to the faith in the same prouince of the South Saxons were taken daily out of this life it semed good to the bretherne to appoint themselues to faste three daies and humbly to beseke the mercy of God that he wold voutsafe to shew grace and mercy towarde them and deliuer them from this perilouse plage and present deathe or at least when they were taken out of this world to saue their soules from eternall damnation There was at that time in the same monasterie a certaine litle boye that was lately come
which must reporte the faith first planted amongevs shal be no story of our owne deuising no late compiled matter where bothe for vncertainte of thinges so longe paste we might be much to seke and for the case of controuersies now moued partialite might iustly be suspected but it shal be an history writen in the fresh remeÌ„braunce of our first Apostles writen aboue 800. yeres past writen of a right lerned and holy Father of Christes churche of a countreman of oures liuing and flourishing shortly after the faith so planted amonge vs. Of the Author of this History and of the matter thereof we shall presently speake if we first admonish thee gentle Reader that touching the treatise to fortifie this faith and therefore called A Fortresse of the faith first planted among vs englishmen c and coÌ„cerning al that therin shall be treated you take the paines to readethe IntroductioÌ„ or first chapter therof In it you shal see what the whole coÌ„taineth what is of you to be looked for and of me to be perfourmed Touching the Author of this History he was a countremaÌ„ of oures borne in the Northe countre by Weimouth not farre froÌ„ DyrrhaÌ„ He flourished in the yere 730. He was a maÌ„ of great lerning and vertu much reuereÌ„ced not only at home but also through out al ChristendoÌ„ eueÌ„ in his life time and much more after his death Of his rare lerning and knowleadg his writinges yett extant are a clere and sufficient testimony The protestants of Basill haue of late yeares sett forthe his whole workes now extant in eight tomes contayning four great volumes In them it appeareth that S. Bede was a man vniuersally sene in all good lerning as well of humanite and philosophie as of diuinite expert off the tounges ready in holy scriptures perfectly conuersant in the olde fathers He was so great a folower of S. Augustin the worthyest piller of the churche sence the Apostles time that his commentaries vpon holy Scriptures bothe of the olde and newe Testament are allmost worde for worde out of S. Augustin He was so diligent a reader of that lerned Father that whereas in the wordes of S. Augustin no perpetuall commentary vpon the epistles of S. Paule being extant and yet that worthy Fathers in diuers places of his lerned workes hauing by occasion touched and expounded euery text of those epistles Venerable Bede for the great profit of his posterite as a man borne to edifie Christes Church hath so gathered those scattered places out of the mayne sea off S. Augustins workes that placing them in order and facion he made a iust and full commentary vpon all the epistles of S. Paul with S. Augustins owne wordes noting to the reader allwaies the booke and chapter of S. Augustin from whence he had taken those places This worke is intituled Collectanea Bedae In which worthy worke we may doubte whom to maruaile more at or commend S. Augustin which had so ofte in his workes treated of S. Paul and omitted no one senteÌ„ce vnexpounded or S. Bede which so gathered into a iust commentary the sayinges of S. Augustin meaning no such thinge As S. Bede was a great writer so he was a continuall preacher His homelies yet extant do testifie made not only vpon the ghospells and epistles of the Sondaies through out the yeare but also vpon the festiuall daies of Saintes They are to be read in the seuenth tome of his workes These homilies of his were so highly estemed that as Trithemius reporteth they were openly read in churches while he yet lyued through out our countre Euen as we reade of holy Ephrem that lerned deacon of Edessa that his writinges also were openly read in churches next after holy scripture After his death they were receiued of other partes of Christendom Fraunce especially as Platin noteth and are to this daye read in principall festes with no lesse authorite and reuerence then the homilies of S. Ambrose S. Augustin S. Gregory and other Briefely the whole occupation and businesse of this lerned man was to lerne to teache and to write as in his owne wordes placed after the ende of this history he recordeth him selfe Againe for the more commendation of his lerning it is to be remeÌ„bred what lerned scholers he had Amonge the rest the most famous were as Polidore specifieth Rabanus Alcuinus Claudius and Ioannes Scotus not the scholeman but an other of S. Benets order These were all famous and lerned writers as in Trithemius who hath writeÌ„ their liues the lerned may reade Alcuinus S. Bedes scholer beinge sent of Offa kinge of the middleenglishmen in embassage to Charlemain the first and most glorious Emperour of the Germans was for his vertu and lerning retained with the Emperour and became his scholemaster and instructer in all kinde of good lerning He taught after at Paris and persuaded the Emperour Charlemain to erect there an vniuersite which beginning with that vertuous fountaine S. Bedes scholer and our countre man we see now to what a great riuer it hath multiplied and how many lerned men these vij hundred yeares and vpwarde haue from thence ben deriued To returne to S. Bede he had two lerned brothers Strabo and Haymo bothe famous writers and lightes of the church as in Honorius Trithemius Platin and other ecclesiasticall writers it may be sene And thus much of his lerning which who list farder to trie he may reade his lerned workes lately sett forth as I saied and much commended by the protestants theÌ„ selues of Basill For more satisfying the english reader I will after the preface place his whole life shortly writen by Trithemius with the enumeration of certain of his workes in his time knowen As touching the vertu of holy S. Bede which properly coÌ„mendeth an historiographer and dischargeth him from all surmises and suspicions of false reporting or poeticall fayning yt may be to any well meaning man a sufficient argument that euen from the age of seuen yeares as he writeth him selfe he liued in cloyster and serued allmighty God day and night in religion to the last houre of his life which was the continuaunce of lxv yeares All which time he so attended to praier to daily and howrely seruing of God in the church to priuat meditations that as one writeth if ye consider his life ye would thinke he had studied nothing and againe if ye beholde his study ye would suppose he had spent no time in praier For his great vertu and modesty he was in his life time called Venerable Bede as Trithemius noteth of whom also Platina in that sence speaketh saying Beda praeter graecae atque latinae linguae doctrinam quaÌ„ non mediocriter tenuit ob religionem eâ—iam atque modestiam Venerabilis cognomentum adeptus est Bede was surnamed the Venerable for his religion and modesty beside that he was lerned in the Graeke and Latin tounge Polydore alleaging Bede in
Tripolis the 17. emperour froÌ„ August reigned 17. yeres This maÌ„ being rough of nature entaÌ„gled with much warres gouerned the coÌ„mon welth very valiauÌ„tly but yet with much trauail After he had vanquyshed his ciuill enemies with which he was very sore assayled he is called in to Britanny by the meanes of the great defection of the most part of the country from the Signorie of the Romans Where after he had recouered by great and greuous warres a great part of the land he made a partition betwext them and the other wild and sauage people not with buylding of a waâ—â— of stone as some suppose but with a trench and a raÌ„paire of turâ—e and timber thyck fensed with bulwarkes and turrets Which sayed trench he caused to be drawen from one sea to the other And there at yorke he died leauing behinde him 2. sonnes Bassianus and Geta which Geta being condemned of treason died And Bassianus taking vpon him the surname of Antonius gouerned the empire after the deceasse of his father Of the Raygne of Dioclesian and of the persecution which he raysed against the Christians The. 6. Chap. THe yere of our Lorde 286 Dioclesianus the xxxiij Emperour after August being chosen of the army raygned xx yeres and he created Maximinianus surnamed Herculeus his fellowe in gouernement of the Empire In whose time one Carausius of low degre in byrth but valiaunt in armes and politicke in counsell was appointed toward the sea coaste against the French menne and the Saxons whiche then with continuall robberies much wasted that countries But he so behaued him selfe that he did more hurt there then the ennemies them selues For such pillage as he had recouered from them he did not restore it to the right owners but reserued it to him selfe whereby he was suspected that he wittingly suffered them to pill and spoyle at pleasure Wher vppon being commaunded to be put to death of Maximinianus he toke vppon him the princely authoritie and vsurped the gouernance of the Britannes which after he kept vij yeres At length by treason of his fellow Allectius he was slayne Which Allectius him selfe Carausius being killed kept the possession of the Iland iij. yeres whom Asclepiodotus chiefe gouernour of the army ouercam and receiued the Iland in his possession the tenth yere after it was inuaded In the meane time Dioclesian in the easte Maximinianus in the West raysing the tenth persecution after Nero against the Christians commaunded the churches to be spoyled the Christians to be tormented and killed which persecution was both longer and also crueller then all the other for hole x. yeres together it continued in burning the churches in baÌ„nishing the innoceÌ„ts in murdering the Martyrs and neuer ceased Brefely among other places it made Britanny to be honored wyth the glory of many holy Martyres which constantly stode and died in the confession of their faith The passion of Saynt Albane and his fellowes which did shead their bludd for Christes sake The 7. Chap. AMong other suffered Saynt Albane of whom Fortunatus priest in the booke he wrote in the prayse of virgines speaking of the Martyres which from all coastes of the world cam vnto God sayth Albanum egregium foecunda BritaÌ„nia profert The fertile lande of batfull Britanny Bringeth furth Albane a Martyr right worthy This Albane being yet but a Pagane when the cruell commaundements of the wicked Princes were set forth against the Christians receiued in to his house one of the clergy whiche had fled from the persecutours whom he perceiuing bothe night and day to continewe in praying and watching beinge sodaynly towched with the grace of God began to follow the example of his faith and vertu and by litle and litle instructed by his holesom exhortations forsaking his blind idolatry became ChristiaÌ„ with his hole hart At length after the sayd person of the clergy had certain daise taried with him it came to the eares of the Prince that this holy confessor of Christ whose time was not yet come that god appointed for him to suffer martyrdome lay hid in Albanus house Whereuppon he commauÌ„did his souldiours to search his house with all diligence Whether when they were cum saynt Albane apparelled in his gests and masters garments offerid him selfe to the souldiours and so was brought bound vnto the iudge It chaunced that the iudge the same time was doing sacrifice vnto the deuills before the aultars And when he had sene Albane being all chaufed with anger for that he feared not voluntarily to offer him selfe vnto the souldiars and perell of death for his geste whom he had harbored he commaunded him to be brought before the idoles of the diuells before whom he there stode And for so much quoth he as thou haddest rather to conueye awaye the rebell and traytour to our Gods then deliuer him vp vnto the souldiours that he might sustaine due punishement for his blasphemous despising of the Gods looke what paynes he should haue suffered if he had ben taken the same shalt thou suffer if thou refuse to practise the rites of ower religion But Saynt Albane which wilfully had before discouered him selfe to be a Christian litle heeded the menacies of the Prince But being thorouly fensed with spirituall armour of grace told him plainly to his face that he would not obey his coÌ„maundemeÌ„t Then said the iudge of what house or stock art thou Albane aunsweredâ— what is that to the of what house I am but if thou be desirous to know of what religion I am be it knowen vnto the that I am a Christian and that I employe my selfe to Christian maners and excercises Then the iudge demaunded him his name My parents quoth he nameth me Albane and I honor and worship the true and liuing god whiche made al thing of naught TheÌ„ the iudge being very wroth sayde If thou wilt enioy long life cum of and do sacrifice vnto the great goddes Albane aunswered theis sacrifices whiche yow offer vp vnto the diuells neither helpe the offerers nor obtaine them their desires but rather purchase them for their reward eternall paynes in hell fire The iudge hearing this being in a rage commaunded the holy confessor of God to be all beaten of the tormentours thinking his constance would relent at strypes which refused to yeld to words but he shewed him self not only patient but also ioyful in the middle of all his torments The iudge when he sawe he could be nether wonne with wordes nor tourned with torments from the religion of Christes faith commaunded that he should be behedded In the way as he was ledd to his death he came to a floudde which with a very swift course ranne betwixt him and the place where he should suffer Now he saw a great company of all sexes degrees and ages going with him to the place of his execution in so much that it semed the iudge was left alone at home without any to attend vppon him This company was so
which there wer made to kepe owt the enemy in the felf same place where Seuerus before had cast the trench which walle euen to this day remaineth famous and to be seene with publick and priuat charges the Britannes also putting to their helping haÌ„des They then buylded it eight fote broade and xij high right as it wer by a line from east to weste as it doth to this day playnly appeare which being perfited they geue the people strayt warning to looke well to them selues they teach them to handle their wepon and instructe them in war like feates Also by the sea side southward where their ships lay at harbar least their enemyes should land there aboutes they makyth vp bullwarkes a longe one sum what distant from the other and this donne biddeth them fare well as mynded no more to retourne As sone as they wer gonne the Scottes and Pyctes hauing intelligence that they had made promisse they wold come no more they takyng hart of grace therof retourneth agayne to their wont busines And first all that was without the walle they taketh for their owne After that they came to geue assault vnto the walle where the Britannes with faynt hand and fearfull hart defending it wer with grapples which they had diuised pulled downe to the grownde and otherwise so assaulted that they leauing both the cytties and the wal also wer dispercled and put to flight The enemy followeth kylleth and sleyth more cruelâ—y then eâ—er he did before For euen as the lambes of the wilde beastes so were they torne and mangled of their ennemies Whereuppon being dreuen out of their owne houses and possessions they falleth a robbing and spoyling one the other of them encreasing their outward misery with inward tumult so far furth that all the whole country was brought to that exigent that they had none other sustenance but that they gotte by hunting and killing of wild beastes How in the time of Theodosius the younger the Britannes sowght helpe of Boëtius then consull of Rome but could not obtaine it and howe at that time Palladius was sent to the Scottes which beleyued in Christe to be their Byshop The 13. Chapter THe yere of the incarnation of our Lord 403. Theodosius the younger succeding Honorius was made Emperour of Rome which he gouerned 27. yeres being the xxv Emperour after August In the eight yere of whose Empire Palladius was sent of Celestinus bishop of the Roman church to the Scottes which had receiued the faith of Christe to be their first bishop And the 23 yere of his raigne Boetius one of the pears and patricians of Rome was now the third time made consul with Symmachus The poore leauing of the Britanes directed vnto him their letters where of this was the beginning To Boetius thrise consâ—ll the Mourning of the Britannes In the processe of which epistle they thus setteth furth their pittyfull estate The Barbarous enemy driueth vs vpon the sea the sea againe vppon the enemy betwene these twaine riseth two maner of deathes either we are killed or drowned And yet for all their sute they could obtaine no ayde of him as he which had then both his handes full of busines and battaile at home with Bleda and Attila kinges of the Hunnes And though the yere before Bleda was murdered by the wyhe treason of his brother Attila yet he alone remained so vntolerable an ennemy vnto the world that he wasted all most all Europe spoyling and ouerthrowing both cities and castles About the same time there arose a great famine in Constantinople after which folowed also the pestilence and a great part of the wal of the said citye fel vnto the grouÌ„de with 57. turrettes And many other cities also being ouerthrowen with earth quake hunger and pestilence beside consumed many a thousand both of men and beastes How the Britones being forced by hungar droue the Barbarous people owt of their country VVhereof ensewed plentif of corne riott pestilence and the losse of the whole country The 14. Chap. IN the meane season huÌ„gar more and more preuailing against the Britones in so much that many yeres after it left tokens and remembrance of the hurt it did in the country droue many of them to yelde them selues into the handes of the robbers Other there were which could neuer be brought there vnto but rather then they would so doe from the hilles and brakes where they luâ—ked many times inuaded their ennemies as trusting so much the more in the help of God how much the lesse hope they had of ayde of man And by such meanes first of all both resisted and ouerthrew them which many yeres together had liued by the spoyle of the couÌ„try Whereby for the time they drewe homeward with shame inough intending not longe after to returne The Pictes then and long time after kept them selues quiet at home saue only that they would make now and then inuasions into the land and driue away bouties of cattell After that they leauing their pilling and spoiling the country drew to a quietnes ther ensued such plentif of grayne as neuer was sene the like before as far as any man could remember whereof the people grew to lose and wanton liuing whereof all maner of lewdenes followed strait after specially cruelâ—â— hate of truth and loue of lying in so much that if any were gentler and more geuen to truth then other the other wold wurke him all the hurte and spite they could as a common enemy of the country This did not only the seculars but also the clergy it selfe and the heddes therof geuing them selues ouer to dronkennes pride contention enuy and such other wickednes casting vtterly from them the swete yoke of Christe In the meane season a bitter plage befell among them for their corrupt liuing consuming in short time such a multitude of people that the quicke wer not sufficient inough to bury the dead And yet for al that they remained so hardened in syn that neither their freÌ„des death nether the â—eare of their own could cure the moreyn of their soules which dayly perished thorow their synfull liuing Wherby a greater stroke of goddes vengaunce ensewed vppon the whole synfull nation For being now infested againe with their ould neighbours they deuised with them selues what was best to doe and where they might seeke reskew to withstaÌ„d and repell the force of the Northen nation And they agreed all with their kyng Vortigerius to demaund ayde of the Saxons beyonde the seas Which thing doutlesse was don by gods owne appointement that the wicked people might be therby plagued as by the ende it shall most manifestly appeare How the English and Saxons being sent for in to Britanny did first cleare the couÌ„try froÌ„ the Pictes and Scottes but shortly after ioyning them selues in leage with them turned their weapon vpon their fellowes that sent for them The. 15. Chap. THe yere of the incarnation of our Lord 4â—29 Marcianus
He also shall make your memory the more famous vnto your posterite whose honour you seke and maintaine among your people For so Constantinus being sometimes a most vertuous Emperour him selfe and calling his subiectes from the wicked worshipping of Idoles brought them all with him selfe vnder the obeysance of God almighty our Lord Iesus Christe Whereby it was brought to passe that his name was of higher renoune then any of the princes that went before him and so much in glorie excelled all his auncetours howe much also he passed them in well doing Wherfore let your highnes also seeke now to publish vnto the kinges and countries subiecte to your dominion the knowledg of one god the Father the Son and the holy Goste to th entent thereby you may passe in honorable fame the aūcient kinges of your natiō and how much the more you trauail to do away sinne in your subiectes you may haue so much the lesse fear of your own sinnes before the dreadful bench of Gods iustice Our right reuerend brother Augustine bishop being brought vp in rule of religiō hauing good knowledg in the holy scriptures and a man through the grace of god of much vertue what so euer he shall aduertise you to doe gladly heare it deuoutly doe it diligently remember it For if you will heare him in that he speaketh vnto yow in Gods behalfe God also shall the soner heare him speaking and entreating for yow If otherwise as God forbid yow refuse to geue eare and heede to his wordes how can God heare him praying for yow whom yow despise to heare speaking to yow from god Wherfor with all yowr harte ioyne yower selfe with him and assiste him in gods busynes with all such authorite that God hath geuen yow that he may make yow partaker of his kyngdom whose fayth yow in your kyngdom cause to be receiued and obserued We will also yower highnes to know that according as we ar taught in the holy scriptures by the very wordes of God the end of this world draweth onward and the kyngdom of the sayntes of God shall follow which neuer shall haue ende And the ende of the world approching many thinges shall fall vppon vs which haue not ben heard of before that is to witt chaunge of the ayer terrible sightes from heauen tempestes contrary to the order of the times All which shall not yet fall in ower dayes Wherfor if yow shall know any of these to happen in your land let not yower mynd be dismayed therwyth For therfor shall there be signes sent before the end of the world to th entent we should the more diligently tender the helth of ower soules liue euer in dowte and feare of death ready prepared by good workes for the cumming of Criste our Iudge Thus much haue I sayd in few wordes right honorable Son intending to speak more at large as I shall heare the fayth to be enlarged in your kyngdom Then shall I be so much the more encouraged to speake how much the greater comfort I shall conceiue by the conuersion of your country I haue sent yow small presentes which yet shall not seme small vnto yow if yow shall accepte them as halowed wyth the blessing of S. Peter All mighty god make perfecte in yow his grace according as he hath begonne And send yow both longe life here vppon the earthe and that ended eternall life in his kyngdom of heauen The grace of God kepe yower highnes in safte my dere Son Datum vt supra How Augustine repayred the church of our Sauiour and buylded the abbay of S. Peter the Apostle The. 32. Chap. AVgustine after he had obtayned to haue a bishops see appoynted him in the kinges citty as is aboue sayd through the ayd of the kyng he recouered there a churche which was there of owld buylt by the Romans which wer Christianes and did dedicate it to the name of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and there made a house for him and his successors And not far eastward from the citty he buylded a monastery in the which kyng Ethelbert through his aduise buylded a new church in the honor of Saynt Peter and Paule and enriched it with sundry gyftes in which both the body of Augustine him selfe and of all the bishops of Cātorbury and of all the kinges of kent wer wont to be enterred Which church yet not Augustine him selfe but Laurentius his successor did consecrat The first Abbat of that monastery was one Petrus a priest which being legat vnto Fraunce was drowned in a creake called Amflete and burned after a homly maner of the inhabitours of the same place But ower Lord entending to haue it knowen how worthy a man he was made that euery night there appeared a light from heauen vppon the place where he lay buried which when the neyghbours about had espyed gathering therby that he was some good and holy man and searching out what and from whence he was remoued his body from thence and buried it honorablye in the towne of Bulleyne in a place of the churche conuenient sor so worthy a person How Edilfrith kyng of the Northumbers wasted Britanny and conquered the Scottes The. 33. Chap. ABout this time Edilfrith a man very valiaunt and much desirous of renowne was king of Northumberland one that more wasted the Land of Brytanny then any of the English Princes So that it semed he might be cōpared vnto Saul kyng of the Iraelites saue only in that he was voide and ignorant of Gods religion For none of all the coronells none of all the kinges did conquer more of the lande of Britanny ether makyng them tributary ether dreuing them cleane owt of the countrye and planting the Englsh in their places then did this Edilfrith To whom that might be wel applyed that the Patriarke Iacob sayd when he gaue his sonne Beniamin his blessing in the person of Saul Beniamin like a rauening wolfe in the morning shall eate his pray and at night shall diuide the spoyle Wherby Edanaden kyng of Skottes much grudging to see him goe forward after this sorte assembled a mayne and a strong army agaynste him But the sayd Edelfrith encountering him in the field with a few men gaue him the ouerthrow and in that famous place of Degsastone disconfited his great army In which field Theobald brother to Edilfrith was slayne with that parte of the army wherof he was generall This battell was foughtē in the yere of our lorde 603. and the xj yere of his raygne which lasted xxiiij yeres and the first yere of the raigne of Phocas then Emperour of Rome From that time forward vnto this present neuer was there king of Scottes which durst meete the English men in the field THE SECOND BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF the churche of Englande Of the life lerning and death of blessed Pope Gregory The. 1. Chapter IN the yeare of the incarnation of our Lord 605. the hollie pope Gregory when he had most
But how shal we proue sayd they that he is a man of God The Anchoret answered our Lord sayth take ye on yow my yooke and lerne ye of me For I am milde and humble of haerte Yf therfore this Austin be milde and humble of harte it is likely that him selfe beareth the yooke of Christ and will offer you the same to beare But if he be curst and proude it is certaine that he is not of God neither must we much esteme his wordes Then they enquired againe of him how they might know whether this Austin were proude or no Marry quoth he prouide ye that he with his compaine come firste to the place of the Synode or counsell house And if when ye approche nere he ariseth courteously to you thinke ye that he is the seruant of Christe and so heare ye him obediently But if he despise yow nor will vouchesafe to ryse at your presence which are the more in number let him likewise be despised of yowe And truly as this Anchoret bad them so did they For it happened that when they came thither S. Austin was alredy thereâ— and sate in his chayre Which when they sawe straight waye wexing wrothe they noted him of pride and therfore endeuored to ouerthwarte and gainsaye what soeuer he proposed His oracion briefly was thus Although though dere brethern in manie other points ye doe contrarie to our custome or rather contrarie to the custome of the vniuersall churche of Christe yet not withstanding if ye will in these 3. thinges consent and obey vnto me that is to celebrate the Easter in dew time to accomplish the ministerie of baptisme by which we are borne againe to God according to the maner of the holie Roman and Apostolike churche and last of all to preache with vs to this English natioÌ„ the word of our Lordâ—ll your other ceremonies rites fashions and customs though they be contrary to oures yet we will willingly suffer theÌ„ and be content to beare with theÌ„ But they answered that they would doe none of the thinges requested neither would compre him for their Archebishop sayeng with them selues Nay if he would not so muche as rise to vs truely the more we shoulde now subiecte our selues to him the more woulde he hereafter despise vs and set vs at naught To whome the good man of God S. Austen thretfully proficied that if they would not take peace and be at accord with their brethern they should receaue and feele warre from their enemies And yf they wold not preache to the English men the waye of lyfe they should suffer at their hande and by their power the vengeance of death Which thing in al pointes came so to passe as he forsayed by the secret working of Gods iudgement For it happened afterward that the most mighty king of English men Edilfrede of whome I haue spoken before gathering a greate armie made at the citie which the English men call Legacester but the Britons better Carlege a foule slaughter of this vnfaithfull and naughty people For being now redy to geue the onset of the fight when he had spidde their priestes which came together to praye to God for the souldiers warringe stand a parte from the rest in a sure and safe place he demaunded what they were and to what end they came thither Now the most parte of these priestes were of the monasterie of Bangor where was sayde to be so great a number of monkes that this monasterie being diuided in to seauen companies with eche companie his seuerall assigned ruler none of these compaines had lesse then 3. hundred persons who all did euer lyue by the labour of their owne handes Manie therefore of them after their 3. dayes fast came with the rest to thafforsaide armie to pray for the souldiers hauing also by them a defendour named Brockmal who should keape and preserue them from the weapons and strokes of their enemies while they were thus ernestly bent to their prayers This the cause of their comminge thither when king Edelfrede had vnderstoode he sayd Yf these men crie and call vppon their God against vs truly although they haue no armoure yet they fight against vs who with their wicked wordes and hatefull curses persecute vs. Therefore he commaunded his souldiers first to assault them And so he vanquished after the other parte of this detestable hoste but yet not without greate losse of his owne men It is reported that there were slaine in that warres of them which came to praye aboute a thousande and two hundred men and only fiftie to haue escaped by flight For Brockmale at the first comming of his ennemies fled straight with all his souldiers and whome he ought to haue defended lefte them all naked and bare to the strokes of the sworde So in this manner was fulfilled the prophetie of holye bishop Austin Who was himself longe before that taken out of this life to the kingdom of heauen And thus these vngratiouse and false people suffred the punishment of temporal death bicause they had refused and despised the holsome counsell of perpetuall life and saluation offered them How the saide Austin made Mellite and Iustus Byshops and of his death The. 3. Chap. IN the yere of thincarnation of our Lord. 604. Austin Archebishop of Britannie consecrated ij Byshops Mellite and Iustus The one that is Mellite to preache to the prouince of the Este Saxons which are separated from kent with the Tems And are fast ioyned to the Este sea Whose chiefe citie is London of situation nere sette vppon the banckes of the fludde called the Temsâ— a princely mart towne of manie people arriuing thither by sea and lande In the which countrie at that time raygned Sabereth Elberts nefue by his syster Ricula Although this Sabereth was himselfe vnder the dominion of the same Elbert who was as I haue before saide king ouer all the Englishmen euen vnto the end of the fludde Humber Kinge Elbert the first Christen king of Englishmen buildeth S. Poules in LondoÌ„ and S. An â—rewes in Rochester for the ij first bisshops of both those Secs Mellitus and Iustê° Wher also wer interred the bodies of all the Archebishops folowing except ij only that is Theodore and Berthwold Whose bodies were layed in the church it selfe bycause the porche could receiue no more This church hath almost in the middest of hit an aulter dedicated in the honour of S. Gregory the Pope at the whiche aulter euery saterday their memories are solemnely celebrated by the priest of that place In the tumbe of this same Austin was writen such and epitaphe as foloweth Here lyeth and resteth blessed S. Austin the first Archebisshop of Caunterbury who was sent hether of holye S. Gregory Bisshop of Rome and strengthened of God by working of miracles VVho conuerted king Elbert and his royaulme from the worshypping of idols to the faith of Christe and so fulfilling
and warmeth of diuine and heauenly faith maye inflame his vnderstandinge That it maye truly appere to be fullfilled in you which is spoken in holy scripture The infidel and vnbeleuing man shal be saued by the faithfull and beleauing woman For vnto this end you haue your selfe receiued mercye of our Lorde and fauour that you should render and yelde vnto him as your Redemer the multiplied fruyte of your fayth and other good giftes which he hath credited to you Which thinge that you may fulfill by the gratiouse healp of his goodnes we cease not to aske with our daylie prayers In these therfore our premises shewing you the deutye of our fatherly loue and charite we exhorte you that hauing the opportunitie of a bearer ye wil spedely declare vnto vs those thinges which the myghtie powre of God shall vouchesafe to worke merueylously by you in the conuersion of your husband and al your subiectes That we which carefully long and hartely looke for happy newes of the saluation of you and all yours by this your tydinges may be comforted and made glad and perfectly knowing the light and brightenes of Gods fauour and mercie to shyne amongest you we maie with ioyfull confession geaue full and whole thankes to God the geauer of all good thinges and to blessed S. Peter the chefest of his Apostles In the meane time we haue here sent you the blessing of S. Peter your patrone and heade of the apostles That is a looking glasse set in siluer and a combe of yuery gilted with golde Which we praie your goodnes as well to accept as ye vnderstand it is sent vnto you How king Edwine was prouoked to receiue the faith by a vision appearing to him in bannishment The. 12. Chap. THus much did Pope Boniface by his letters for the conuerting of king Edwine and all his countrie which king was also well holpen and almost forced to receaue the faithe and marke diligently the holesome preceptes of Christian doctrine by an oracle and vision from heauen Which the goodnes of God vowchesafed to shewe him while he laye bannished in kinge Redwaldes courte king of the east Englishmen For when bishop Pauline had well perceaued that the princes haughty courage could hardly be brought to the lowly humblenes of Christianite and that it would styfly be bowed and bent to beare the mysterie and burden of Christes crosse when he remembred also how he had nowe laboured a longe tyme bothe with preaching to the people and with praying to Gods mercie for the saluation of king Edwine and all his subiectes at the lenght hauing lerned in sprite for so it is most lykest to be what was that vision which had longe before ben shewed to the kinge from heauen he made no delayes at all but came spedely to the kinge and warned him to fulfill and accomplishe his vowe whiche in the vision that appeared to him he had promised to doe in case he were deliuered from his present miseries and restored againe to his raygne and kingdome Nowe was this vision suche as foloweth At what time king Edelfryde Edwines predecessour with greuouse pursuing put Edwine to flight and made him lye pryue and lurke in diuers places of other realmes for manie yeres space as a bannished man at the lenghth Edwine came to king Redwald besechinge him that he would saue him and defend his life from the traynes and ernest serche of this his dedly ennemie Who gladly entertained hym and promised to fullfill this his requeste and petitiō But after that king Edelfride had heard say that Edwine was seene in that prouince and vnderstood that he liued ther and dwelled familiarly with all his cōpany forthwith he sent out his Embassadours to king Redwald with a greate somme of monie to procure Edwines deathe But it preuailed nothing Thē sent he the second tyme and the thyrd tyme also offring greater gyftes and more plentifully bothe gold and syluer thretning him at the laste warres yf his request were accomplished Then king Redwald other dreading the threts or corrupted with the brybes graunted his request and promised that he would put Edwyne to death himselfe or els yealde him vp to thimbassadeurs Which thing when a certayne faythfull frend of Edwynes had marked and well vnderstoode he entred incontinent to the chamber where Edwyne purposed to take his rest For it was now an houre within nyght and calling him forth told him what the king had promised to doe against him sayeng in the end this muche I shall therfore yf it so please yowe leade yowe owt of this prouince and bryng yow into suche a place that nother king Redwald nor yet king Edelfryde shal be able to fynde yowe To whome Edwyne answered in this maner Sir I thanke yow most hartely for this your greate gentlenes But I can not folowe your counsell herin For first I must not breake my promesse which I haue made to so greate and mightie a Prince as is king Redwald especially wheras he hath done me no harme ne wronge nor hath as yet shewed anie hatred or displeasure towardes me And truly if I must of necessite dye thus I had rather he shuld put me to deathe then anie baser man or person of lesle nobilite Agayne whether I pray yow shuld I flee nowe who haue so many yeares and so long tyme walked lyke a vagabounde through all prouinces of this yle of Britannie only to auoyd and eschewe myne enemies snares and assaultes Now when this his frend was gone Edwyne remained without alone and sytting sadly before the palace begāne to be troubled with manie stormes and vexations of thoughts as a man not witting what to doe or whither to goe in this so ruefull case After he had ben longe vexed with inwarde and priuie troubles of mynde burning inwardly with close fyre of secret sorowe behold in the greate sylence and quyet of the mydde nyght he sawe a man vtterly vnknowen to him bothe for visage and countenaunce and also for his aray and apparell to approche and drawe toward him Whome bycause he had espyed thus at a blushe and so straungely desguised he was not a lytle a frayde The straunger cometh euen vnto him greteth him and asketh him wherfore he sate so soroufull on the stone abrode watching and all alone at that howre especially when other men were within at rest and in their depe sleape Then Edwyne lykewise demaundyd of him what he had to doe therwith yf he passed ouer the nyght within dore or els without To whome this mā answered and sayde Thinke ye not but that I know the cause of your heauynes and watche And also of this your solitarie syttinge with out dores For I know certainly who ye be and wherfore you are so sad and soroufull And also what myscheffe yow feare shortly shall befall you But tell me of fryndshippe what reward would you geaue him that shuld now rydde yowe quyte out of all these sorowes and trowbles and
and prouide that the poysoned infection of so dedly an heresie sinke no farder into your myndes but labour as ye may vtterly to forgett it For ye ought to remembre howe this execrable heresie hath longe sithens ben condemned And hathe ben abolished and put owte of remembrance not only these ij hundred yeares but is also yet at this present daylie condemned of vs with continuall curses and all they excommunicated which folowe thesame We therfore exhorte and request yowe that ye suffer not their asshes to be stirred and blowen vp emongest yowe whose strength and weapons be burnt and consumed For what Christen harte is there whiche detesteth not to death and abhorreth their prowde intent and wicked wordes which dare affirme that a man maye lyue and be withowt synne euen of his owne voluntarie will and not throwghe the grace of God And then to consider againe the trueth hereof it is blasphemie and extreme foolishnes to saye that a man is withowt synne For he can not possibly be so Neither euer any was but only the mediator of God and man Christe Iesus our Lorde who was a verie and true man conceyued and borne withowt synne For as for other men they are all borne in oryginall sinne And doe beare the wytnes and token of Adams first preuarication and breaking of Godes commaundement yea althowghe they lyued without actuall synne accordinge to the Prophete saying Behold I was conceiued in iniquite and my mother hathe browght me forthe in sinne c. How after kinge Eduynes deathe bishop Pawlyne returned to kent and there toke the Bysshoprike of Rotchester The 20. Chapter WHen king Edwyne had moste triumphantly raygned ouer the English and Britons bothe the space of xvij yeares in some of whiche as abowt the number of 6. yeares he had himselfe ben subiecte to Christe and euer looked for his raygne and kingdome Cardwell king of the Britons made a rebellion against him hauing ayde and succor therunto of Penda a stowght man and of the kinges bloud of Marshland Ouer which nation afterward he had by dyuers chaunces and fortune rule and gouernance for the space of xxij yeares Nowe when they had thus ioyned battaile and entred fight with kinge Edwine in a great large and plaine field called thereof Hethfilde they slewe him there at the last the. 4. daye of October in the yeare of our Lorde 633. and of kinge Edwynes age the. 47. yeare whose whole hoste was other presently murdered there or shamefully put to flight In the which warres one of kinge Edwines sonnes that lustie and warlyke yonge prince Offryde was kylled before his father died The other sonne Edfryde of verie vrgent necessite fled vnto kinge Penda for succour Of whome afterward against the promised faythe and his solemne othe he was most cruellye put to deathe in the raygne of kinge Oswald At this tyme there was a verie greauouse persecution in the churche and a fowle murder of the Northumberlandes especially bicause that one of the Capitaines whiche caused this persecution and aduersite was a painim the other thowgh not a paynim yet more feerce and barbarouse thē was any heathen or paynim For kinge Penda with all the nation of the Marshland men was wholly geauen to Idolatrie and altogether heathen and vnchristened But king Cardwell althowgh he had the name of a Christian and professed that lyfe yet was he in mynde and maners so rude and owtrageouse that he woulde not spare eyther womens weaknes or childrens innocencie but put all to deathe withe greauous and bytter torments according to his bestly cruelty and vnmercyfull tyrannie Wasting a longe time and raging oure all the prouinces purposing moreouer with himselfe to exterminate out of the borders of Britannie the whole nation of Englishmen and to extinguish the verie name of them Neither did he ought esteme or anie thing reuerence and honor the Christian religion which the English men had So that vnto this daye the Britons maner and custome is to set light by the faithe and religion of English mē Neither will they in anie one pointe more communicate with them then they wold with heathens and painims Kinge Edwynes head was brought vnto Yorke And afterward carryed into S. Peters churche which churche he himselfe had begon to buylde but his successour king Oswald finished hit as we haue before declared And there layed in S. Gregories chappell By whose disciples and of whose preachers he had in his lyfe time receiued and lerned the word of true lyfe Thus was the state of Northumberlande muche troubled with this greate slaughter and cruell persecution Seing therfore there was none other remedie nor anie saftie could befounde but only by flight bishop Pauline accompaning the good Quene Edelburge with whome not longe before he came into that cuntrie tooke shipp and returned againe to kent And was there verie honorably receiued of Honorius the Archebishop and of kinge Edulbald His guide and gouerner in iorning vnto kent was Bassus one of the strongest of kinge Edwynes chiefe garde This bishop brought awaye with him from the cuntries of Northūberlande Eanfride king Edwynes daughter and Wulcfrea his sonne Iffy also Offrides sonne and nephue to king Edwyne Which ij yonge princely childrē this tender mother for feare of kinge Edbald and Oswald sent into Fraūce to be brought vp in king Dagoberts courte Wher they both died in their infancie And were buried in the high church with such honour as is mete for kinges sōnes and innocēt babes of Iesus Christe He brought moreouer away with him much pretious plate of king Edwynes amongest which was a greate goldē crosse and a goldē chalice cōsecrated for the ministerie of the aultar which are yet both reserued and to be seē at this day in the Cathedral church of Caunterbury Now was the see of Rotchester vacāt at this time For Romanus bishop therof sent frō the Archebishop Iustus legat to Pope Honorius was drowned in the tēpest going to Italie Thē bishop Pauline at the offer of bishop Honorius and at king Edubaldes request toke that charge on him and kept Rotchester dioces vntill at his full and rype age he quietly departed this transitorie lyfe and was receiued into the blesse of heauen with the godly fruite and reward of his labours and trauailes that he suffred here on earthe for Christe his truthe and Gospell Who at his decease lefte in his churche of Rotchester his palle which he had receifrom the Pope of Rome And in his Archebishoprike of Yorke he lefte Iames his deacon a good and godly mā Who liuing long after in that churche by preching and baptising toke manie prayes out of the diuels teathe and wonne manie soules vnto Christe Of whose name the village hath a name at this daye in which he for the most part abode and dwelled nere vnto Cataracte Who bycause he was conninge in songe and musycke and also in the office and seruice of the quyre when that contrie was
more quiet and the companie of faithfull began a litle and litle to encrease againe set vp a schole emongest them and professed to be a master of church musyke and singinge according to the fashion and maner of the Romās and the Diocesans of Cāterbury Which thinge whē he had so don a longe time with greate profyt at the lenght that I may vse the worde of scripture being a man well strooken in age full of yeares and hauing seen manie good dayes he walked the wayes whiche his fathers went THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND How the first successours of kinge Edwin did both forsake the faith of their nacion and also lost their kingdome Moreouer how the most christen kinge Oswald restored bothe The. 1. Chapter KYnge Edwin beinge in battaile the sonne of Elfrike his vncle by his fathers syde called Osrich who after that he had hearde Paulin preache receaued the faith succeded him in the gouernance of the Deirans of the whiche prouince he had the petigree of his parentage and the firste beginninge of his kingdome But the realme of the Bernicians for the nation of Northumberland had been deuided of olde time into these two countries was ruled by Edelfrides sonne named Eanfride who had of that prouince the beginning of his kinred and kingdome For during all the time of Edwines raigne the sonnes of kinge Edelfride who as we saied before raigned before Edwin were banished with a greate numbre of noble young gentill men and so liued amonge the Scottes or Redshankes where they wer instructed accordinge to the Scottes doctrine and had receiued the grace of baptisme These younge princes after the death of their ennemie kinge Edwin retourninge in to their countrie Osrich the eldest of them toke the kingdome of the Deirans and Eanfride the seconde sonne the kingdome of the Bernicians but alas as bothe had now receiued the yles of an earthly kingdome so likewise bothe in geuing and abandoning them selfes to the diuell lost the diuine mysteries of the heauenly kingdome wherein they were instructed and yelded them selues againe to be defiled with the former olde filth of Idolatrie This apostasie remained not longe vnpunished For Kadwallader the king of Britons with wicked force but with worthy vengeaunce slew them both the next sommer ensuing sodeinly issuing out with all his host At what time he murdereth first Osrich vnprepared and his whole armie pending themselues miserably with in the suburbes of their owne citie Then afterward when by the space of a whole yere hauing possessed the prouinces of the people of Northumberland not as a king that were a conquerour but as an outragious cruell tyranne destroying them and with tragicall slaughter renting them in pieces he put Eanfride also to death coming vnto him very vnaduisedly with twelue chosen souldiers minding to intreate vppon peace That same yere continueth vntill this daye vnhappy and hatefull to all good men as well for the Apostasie of the English kinges forsaking the religion of Christe as also for the king of Britanes furiouse tyrannie Wherefor the historiographers and writers of that time haue thought it best that the memorie of those Apostate kinges being vtterly forgotten the selfe same yere should be assigned to the raigne of the king that folowed next which was Oswald a man dearely beloued of God Who after that his brother Eanfride was slaine coming vnlooked for with a small armie but fenced with the faith of Christe the Britons cursed capitaine and that victorius hoste whereof he made his auant that nothing coulde be able to withstand it was vanquished and slaine in a certain place which in the English tonge is called Denises Burna that is to say the riuer of Denise How by the signe of the Crosse which the same kinge set vp when he fought against the Barbarous Britons he cōquered thē and among diuers other miraculous cures a certaine yownge man was healed of a desease in his arme The. 2. Chap. THe place is shewed vntill this daye and is had in greate reuerence where Oswald when he should come to this battayle did set vp a signe of the holy crosse amd beseeched God humbly vppon his knees that with his heauenly helpe he would succour his seruauntes being in so great a distresse The report also is that the crosse being made with quicke spede and the hole prepared wherein it should be sette the kinge being feruent in faithe did take it in hast and did put it in the hole and held it with both his handes when it was sett vp vntill it was fastened to the earth with duste which the souldiars heaped about it Nowe when this was done he cried out a loude to his whole armie Let vs all kneele apon our knees and let vs all together pray ernestly the almighty liuing and true God mercifully to defend vs from the proude and cruell ennemy for he knoweth that we enterprise warres in a ryghtfull quarell for the saulfegard of our subiectes All did as he commaunded them And thus in the dawning of the day they marched forth encountred with their enemie and according to the merite of their faith atchieued and wonne the victorie In the place of which prayer manifold miraculous cures are knowen to be done questionlesse in token and remembraunce of the kinges faith For euen vntill this present day many men do customablye cut chyppes out of the veraye tree of that holy crosse which casting into waters and geuing thereoff to sick men and beastes to drinke or sprinckling them therwith many forthwith are restored to their helth That place is in the Englishe tongue named heauen feld and was so called long before not without a sure and a certaine fore sight of thinges to come as signifieng vndoubtedly that in the same place a heauenly memoriall was to be set vp a heauenly victorie should be gotte heauenly miracles should be wrought and remembred euen vnto our dayes This place is nere to that wal which stādeth toward the northeast wherwith the Romaines did ones in time past cōpasse all whole Britaine frō sea vnto sea to kepe of the inuasions of forenners as we haue declared before In the self same place the religious mē of Hagstalden church which is not far frō thēce haue now of long time been accustomed to come euery yere the eue and the day that the same king Oswald was afterward slaine to kepe Diriges there for his soule and in the morning after psalmes being saied solemnely to offer for him the sacrifice of holy oblation This good custome longe continuing the place was made more holy and is now much honoured of al men by the reason of the church that was lately builded and dedicated in the same place And not without a cause considering that no signe of the Christen faith no church no aultar was sett vpp in all the whole countrey of the Bernicians before that this vertuous warrier moued wyth harty deuotion of
whom we haue treated euen she also in great chastitie of body preserued the glory that god loueth which resteth in perpetuall virginitie and how vertuous a virgin she was it was better knowen after her death For when she was Abbesse she began in her monastery to build a church in the honour of all the Apostles wherein she willed her body to be buried But the worke being wel nere half done she died and was buried in that very place of the church though yet not finished where she desyred After whose death the Brethren more intending vpon other thinges the whole building of this churche ceased forseuen yeres space which being expired they determined vtterly to leaue of the buylding of it for the excessiue labour and charges therof yet they appointed to translate into the church which was builded vp and dedicated the bones of the Abbesse that were taken owt of that place for which purpose opening the graue they founde her body so vncorrupted as it was free from the corruption of carnall concupisence and so when they had wasshed it ons againe and cladde it in other attire they translated it into the church of S. Steuen the martyr The day of whose byrthe was there customably kept solemne in great glory the seuenthe daye of Iuly How that many miracles in doing of cures were wrought in the place where king Oswald was slaine The. 9. Chapter OSwald the moste Christian kinge of Northumberlande reigned nine yeres that yere also being reckened whiche both by the deadly crueltee of the king of Britaine and also throughe the wicked Apostasy of the two kinges of Englande is to be accursed and not to be had in memory For as we haue declared before it was agreed vpon by one accorde of all writers that the name and memory of those that forsoke Christ his fayth shuld be vtterly rased owt of the rolle of Christian kinges neither any yere of their raigne regestred At the full end of these nine yeres Oswald was slayne in the field in a cruell battaill by the same paynim people and paynim king of the Marshes by whom also his predecessour Edwyne was killed in a place whiche in the English tong is called Maserfelth in the eight and thirtith yere of his age on the first day of the moneth of August How great the fayth of this king was in God of how harty and feruent deuotion it well appeared after his death by sundry miracles for to this daye cures of the deseased both men and beastes are daily wrowght in that place where he was slayne of the miscreantes and hethen fighting for his countrey Hereof many caried awaie the very dust where his body fell downe on the earth whiche casting into water they cured therby many infirmites This was of so many and so ofte practised that by carying the earth awaye a hole was lefte so deepe that a man mought stand vpright right in it And no maruayle at all that sicke persons are healed in the place where he dyed who allwaies duryng his lyfe bestowed most of his time in almes geuing in comforting the needy and helpyng the poore And verely many and sundry miracles are reported to be done by the dust of the place where he dyed But we shall be contented to reherse only two which we haue heard of our auncitours and elders Not long after the death of this prince it fortuned a man on horsebacke to iourney that waie where the prince was slayne whose horse euen abowt that very place began sodenly to become tyred to stand styll to hang downe his hed to fome at the mouth and at the length after great and excessiue payne to fal down right the man lighted of and laying some strawe vnder his horse taryed by to see whether the horse would mend or els dye owtright The poore beast being of long tyme troubled withe greauous paine toumbling and turning it selfe nowe on the one side nowe on the other walowed at the length to that same place where this kinge of worthy memorie was slayne Incontinent the paine ceasing the horse leaft the inordinat motions of his body turning it selfe as if it had ben wery on the other side and foorth with as perfitly whole on bothe sides arose vp and began to grase at the sight wherof the owner of the horse as a man of a quick witt vnderstoode that some straunge and singular holinesse was in that place where his horse was vpon the soden so healed Putting therfore a marke in the place he leapt on horseback and rode to the ynne whither he purposed to trauaile Here he found a damsell neece to the good man of the house of a long time deseased with a greuous palsey whereof hearing his ofte and the whole house holde much complayning he began to tell them of the place where his horse was healed What nede many wordes They set her on a carte and brought her to that place laying her downe therin Wher hauing rested and slept for a small tyme waking she found her selfe whole and perfectly cured of that palsey She called for water she washed her face she dressed vp her heare she couered her head with a linnen clothe and with them who brought her on carte she retourned on foote How the dust of that place preuailed against fyre The. 10. Chap. AT that tyme a certayne other trauailer came out of Britaine as the brute is making his iourney ner to that same place wherin the forsaid battaile was fought Vewing the place he espied one plat more greene and pleasanter to the eye then was the residue of the field Wherof he gessed the cause should be that in that place some one man holyer then the rest of the armie had ben slayne Therfore he toke awaie withe him some of the dust of that earth knitting it vp in a lynnen cloth and demyng with him selue as in dede it came after to passe that the same dust might be medicinable for sicke persons This man ryding on his iourney came that euening to a certaine village where taking vpp his inne and finding the neighbours of the parish at feast with the ofte being required sate down also with thē at the banket hanging vpon on of the postes of the wal the linnen cloth with the dust which he had brought The feast and chere encresing cuppes walking apase the gestes with mirth so far forgott thē selues that a great fier in the middes of the house being made the sparkles flying vp aloft and euery man intending to mirth the roufe of the house being made but with slender twigges and thatched was sodenly sett all on a light fyre Wherat the gestes being disamaied rāne al out of dores not able to saue the poore house being now all on fyer and ready to consume To come to the purpose the whole house being consumed with this fyre that post alone wheron the dust hanged inclosed in a cloth continued safe from the fyre and therwith not
the porche of his church vntell the church it selfe was consecrated in Perone Which being solemnely done within six and twēty daies after the body was brought thither and being remoued from the porche to be layed by the high aultar it was founde as whole and vncorrupted as if the man had but that houre departed Foure yeares after a litle chappell being erected at the east syde of the aultar wher the body shuld more honourably betoumed being takē vp againe to be transposed thither it was founde in like maner without any blemish of corruption In the which place it is well knowen that his merites haue much ben renowned by sundry miracles wrought by the allmighty power of God Thus much of the incorruption of his body we haue brefely touched that the reader might more clerely vnderstande of what excellency and vertu this man was All which thinges and of other his vertuous companyons in the booke writen of his life he that readeth shall finde more ample mencion made How after the death of Honorius Deusdedit succeded and who in that time were bishops of Rochester and in the east partes of England The. 20. Chap. IN this meane Felix the bishop of the east englishmen departing this worlde hauing ben their bishop 17. yeares Honorius the Archebishopp of Caunterbury created in his place Thomas one of his deacons borne in the prouince of Giruij after whose death liuing in that bishoprick fyue yeares he substituded in his roome Beretgilsus surnamed Bonifacius a kentishman borne Honorius also the Archebishop the measure of his life expired passed to a better in the yeare of our Lord 653. the last daye of October Whom Deusdedit a west Saxon borne succeded after a yeare and a halfe the see being vacant all that tyme. For whose creation and consecration Ithamar byshop of Rochester came to Cannterbury He was consecrated the. xxiiij of Marche and gouuerned that see ix yeares iiij moneths and two dayes After whose departure Ithamar consecrated in his place Damianus a Sussex man borne Howe the Marshes or vplandish englishmen that is the sheres of Lincolne Couentry Lichefield and worceter receaued the Christen faith vnder Penda their kinge The. 21. Chapter AT this time the Middelenglishmē that is of the sheres aboue named receiued the Christen faith and the sacramentes thereof vnder Penda their kinge sonne to Pendam that cruell and vnmercifull hethen This being a vertuous young man worthy of the name and person of a kinge was of his father put in gouuernement of that countre Who coming after to Oswin kinge of Northumberland requiring Alcfled his daughter to wife could in no other wise obtaine his suite vnlesse he would as that countre was receiue the Christen faith and be baptised Hereupon the ghospell was preached vnto him Who hearing the promis of euerlasting life the hope of resurrection and immortalite of the soule yelded him self gladly to be Christned though he shoulde not spede of his suite To this he was muche persuaded by Alcfrid king Oswins son who had maried his sister Cymburg kinge Pendan his daughter Thus then he with the Erles and kinghtes that waited vpon him and all their seruauntes were baptised of Finanus the bishopp in a famous towne of the kinges called Admurum From whence he returned home with much ioye and comfort accompained with foure priestes notable bothe for lerning and for vertue whiche shoulde instruct and baptise his people These priestes were called Cedda Adda Betti and Diuna who was a scottesman borne the other thre english Adda was brother to Vtta that holy and vertuous priest that we mencioned before and Abbot of the monastery called Cubeshead These foresaied priestes entring the prouince of the middleland with the Prince preached the worde of God and were gladly heard Whereby many daily as well noble as of the base forte renouncing the filth of idolatry were clensed in the fonte of life Neither king Pendam father to this young prince did withstande or gainsaie the preaching of the ghospell in his dominions yf any would heare it But hated in dede and persecuted all such as bearing the name of Christians liued not according to the faithe they professed saying commonly that suche men were wretched and worthely to be spited whiche regarded not to please their God in whom they beleued These thinges began two yeares before the death of kinge Penda the younger who being after slayne and Oswin a moste Christen kinge succeding him in the crowne Diuna one of the foure foresaied priestes was consecrated of Finanus and created bishop of all the middle or vplandish english men For the scarcety of priestes made that ouer all that people one Bishop was sett Who winning to the faith in short time a great multitude of people in Fepping died leauing for his successour Ceollach a Scottish man also borne Who not longe after leauing the bishoprike returned to his countre the Iland of Hij where the chief and principall monasteries of Scotland were To him succeded Trumher a vertuous man and brought vpp in religion an Englishman borne but consecrated byshopp of the Scottes in the raigne of kinge VVillher as we shall hereafter more at larg declare How the East Saxons at the preaching of Cedda receiued again the faith◠which vnder kinge Sigibert they had loste The 22. Chapter AT this very time the east Saxōs by the meanes of kinge Oswin receiued againe the faith which before expelling Melitus the first bishop of Londō out of the coūtre they abandonned Their kinge then was Sigbert succeding to Sigibert surnamed the litle This Sigbert being a nere and familiar frende of kinge Oswin then king of the Northumbrians came by that occasion oftentimes to Northumberland At which metinges the vertuous kinge Oswin vsed eftsoones to persuade with him that such could not be Gods which were made with mens handes that wodde or stone coulde not be any quicke matter to make a liuing God the pieces and remnants whereof either were wasted with fire or serued to make vessels for the vse of man or otherwise being naught worthe were caste forth troden vnder foote and turned into earth God rather saied he must be vnderstanded to be of maiesty incomprehensible to mens eyes vnuisible almighty and euerlasting who made bothe heauen and earth and all mankinde gouerned them also and should iugde the whole worlde in equite whose mansion place is euerlastinge Finally that al such as would lerne and perfourme the will of their Creatour should vndoubtedly receiue of him euerlasting rewarde therefore These and such other godly aduertissemtēs being frendly and brotherly from time to time made and repeted to king Sigbert by Oswin he began at lenght his other frendes agreing therunto to sauour them and beleue them Whereupon aduise being taken with his company and all bothe consenting and pricking him fore ward he was baptised of Finanus the bisshop in the cite of Admurum nigh vnto the walle wherewith the
yet so sodenly finde none ready the iourney being so longe to you Truly as soone as we shall espie out a mete person and and worthy of that vocation we shall direct him spedely to your countre That by his preaching and holy scripture he may thouroughly roote oute all the wicked darnel of the enemy out of your Ilond by the helpe and grace of allmighty God The presents which your highnes directed to the blessed prince of the Apostles for his perpetuall memory we haue receiued thanking therefore your highnes beseching with all our clergy incessantly the goodnes of God for your highnes preseruatiō and good estat The bringer of your presents is departed this life and is laied at the entry of the blessed Apostles towmes we much lamenting and bewailing at his departure here Notwithstanding by the bearers of these our presents we haue sent the iewels of holy Martyrs that is the relikes of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paule and of the holy Martyrs S. Laurens Iohn and Paule of S. Gregory and of Pancratius all to be deliuered to your highnes To your Lady and bedfelowe our spiritual daughter we haue sent by the saied bearers a crosse of golde hauing in it a nayle taken out of the most holy chaines of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paule Of whose godly behauiour we vnderstanding haue all as farre reioysed as her vertuous dedes are before God pleasaunt and acceptable We beseche therefore your highnes to furder and sett forward the conuersation of your whole Ilond to the faith of Christ. You shall not vndoubtedly lacke herein the speciall protection of our Lorde Iesus Christ the redemer of all mankinde who will prosper you in all thinges to the encreasing of his true beleuers and planting of the catholike and Apostolike faith For it is written Seke ye first the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof and all these thinges shall be cast vnto you Truly your highnes seketh and shall no doubt obtaine and all partes of your Ilond as we wish and desire shall be brought vnder your allegeaunce We salute your highnes with most fatherly affection beseching continually the mercy of God that it will vouchesafe to assist you and all yours in the perfourmance of all good workes that in the worlde to come ye may all liue and raigne with Chrst. The heauenly grace frō aboue preserue alwaies your highnes In the next booke folowing we shall haue occasion to declare who was founde and appointed bishop in place of Wighard that died at Rome How the people of Essex and London in a time of plage retourning to Idolatry by the diligence of Iarumanus their bishop were soone brought home againe The 30. Chap. AT this time Sigher and Sebbi kinges ruled ouer the people of Essex and London after the death of Guidhelme of whom we haue spoken before althoughe these were also vnder the allegeannce of Wulfher king of the Middlelād englishmen This prouince being visited with that greate plague and mortalite which we mencioned before Sigher with the people ouer whom he ruled forsaking the sacramentes of Christes religion fell to Apostasie For bothe the kinge him selfe and many as well of the people as of the nobles louing this present life and not seking after the life to come or els not beleuing any such life at al begā to renew their temples which stode desolat and to worship idols as though they could therby escape the mortalite But Sebbi his cōpanion with al vnder him perseuered deuoutly in the faith and ended his life in great felicite as we shal herafter declare Wulfher the king vnderstanding parte of his dominions to fal from the faith for to call thembacke againe sent vnto them bishop Iarumannus the successor of Trumher who by much labour and diligence being a man of great vertu painfull and zelous as a certain priest waiting then vpō him and helping him in preaching the ghospell reported vnto me brought them to the faith againe bothe the kinge and all his people So that abandoning and throwing downe their tēples and altars they opened againe the churches confessed gladly the name of Christ and chose rather in hope of resurrection to dye then in the filth of idolatry to liue Which being so brought to passe their priestes and instructers returned home withe muche ioye and comfort THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF THE HISTORIE OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND How after the death of Deusdedit Wighart being sent to be made bishop and dying there Theodore was consecrated Archebishop and sent in to England with a certain Abbat named Adrian The. 1. Chapter THe same yeare of the foresaied eclipse and pestilence that soone after folowed in which also bishop Colman ouercommed by the generall and vniforme sentence of the Catholikes returned home to his countre Deusdedit the sixt Archebishop of Caunterbury died the xiiij daye of Iuly Ercombert also kinke of kent departed this world the very same moneth and day and left to his sonne Ecgbert the Crowne and kingdom which he receiued and held by the space of ix yeres At that time the See of Caunterbury being vacant a great while and the diocese desirous of a bishop VVighart a vertuous priest a man very well lerned skilfull of the Canons rules and disciplines of the church and an english man borne was sent to Rome bothe by Ecgbert and also Oswin kinge of Northumberland as we haue mencioned before and with him certain presents to the Pope Apostolike as great store of plate bothe siluer and golde Being arriued to Rome in the time that Vitalianus gouuerned the Apostolike see and hauing declared the cause of his coming to the saied Pope within short space he and almost all his company were taken with the pestilence and died Whereupon the Pope with aduise and counsell enquired diligently whom he might direct for Archebishop ouer the churches of England In the monasterie of Niridan not farre from Naples in Campania there was an Abbat named Adrian an African borne a man very well lerned in the scriptures thouroughly instructed bothe in monasticall discipline and in ecclesiasticall gouuernement very skilfull of the greke and latin tounges This man being called to the Pope was willed of him to take the bishoprike vpon him and trauail vnto England But he answering that he was no mete man for so high a degree promised yet to bringe forth one which bothe for his lerning and for his age were more worthy of that vocation And offred to the Pope a certain monke liuing in a Nunnery there by called Andrew who though he were of all that knewe him estemed worthy of tke bishoprike yet for the impediment of his weake and sickely body it was not thought good to sende him Then Adrian being required againe to take it vpon him desired certain daies of respit if happely in the meane time he could finde any other mete to supplie that roume At this time there was in Rome a certain monke of Adriās acquaintaūce named Theodore borne
predecessours had before him ouer the prouinces of the Marshes and myddle english and also of Lindisfar dioecese In all whiche countrees VVulpher who yet lyued dyd holde the crowne and scepter This VVinfrid was of the clergy of the same byshop whome he succeded and had executed the office of deacon vnder him no small tyme. Howe by shopp Colman leauing England made two monasteries in Scotland one for Scottes and an other for the English men that he had browght with him The. 4. Chap. IN the meane tyme byshop Colman who was a Scottish byshop lefte England and tooke with him all the Scottes that he had gathered together in the I le of Lindisfar and abowt xxx englysh men also which were all browght vp in the orders of monasticall lyfe and conuersation And leauing in his owne churche certaine bretherne he came first to the I le of Hij from whence he was first sent to preache the word of God to the English men Afterward he went to a certaine litle I le which lieth on the west syde cut of a good way from Ireland and is called in the Scottysh tonge Inhisbowinde that is to saye VVhitecalfe I le In to whiche he came and buylte a monasterie and placed the monkes in the same which he had browght with him and gathered of bothe nations Whiche bicawse they cowld not agree together for that the Scottes in somer tyme when haruest was getting in wold leaue the monasteries and go wander abrode in places of their acquayntaunce and than at winter wold come againe and require to enioy in cōmon such thinges as the english mē had prouided and layed vp Colman seking remedie for this discorde and vewing all places far and nere found at length in Ireland a mete place for his purpose called in the Scottish tonge Magio Of that grounde he bought a small parcell to buyld a monasterie therein of the Erle that possessed the same vppon this condition with all that the monkes there abydinge shoulde remembre in their praiers the Lorde of the soile who lett them haue that place Thus the monasterie being spedely erected by the helpe of the Erle and of all such as dwelled thereby he placed the Englishmen alone therein the Scottes being leafte in the foresaid Iland The which monasterie vnto this day is holden of Englishmen and is the same which is commonly called Iniugeo being nowe much enlarged and amplified of that it was at first This monastery also all thinges being since brought to a better order hath in it at this present a notable company of vertuous monkes that come thither out of England and liue after the example of the worthy olde fathers vnder their rule and appointed Abbat in great continencie and synceritie getting their lyuing with the labour of their owne handes Of the death of king Oswin aud king Egbert and of the Synode made at Hereford at which the Archebishop Theodore was chiefe and president The. 5. Chap. THe yere of the incarnation of our Lorde 670. whiche was the second yere after that Theodore came to England Oswy king of Northumberland was taken with a greuous sickenesse whereof he dyed the yere of his age lviij Who at that time bare such loue and affection to the Apostolike see of Rome that if he might haue scaped his sicknes he purposed to go to Rome and to end his lyfe in those holy places there hauing for that purpose intreated bishop Wilfride to be his guyde in his iourney and promised him a greate somme of mony to cōduct him thither But he departed this life in that sickenesse the xv day of Februarie and leafte Egfride his sonne enheritour of the realme In the third yeare of whose raigne Theodore gathered a Councell of bishops with many other doctours and prelates of the churche suche as diligently studied and knewe the canonicall statutes and ordinances of the fathers Who being assembled together he began with such minde and zeale as became a bishop to teache diligently to obserue those thinges that were conuenient for the vnitie and peace of the churche The forme and tenour of whiche Synode is this In the name of our Lorde God and Sauiour Christ Iesus who raigneth and gouuerneth his church for euer it semed good vnto vs to assemble our selues together according to the custome prescribed in the ecclesiasticall Canons to treate of necessarie affaires of the church we the bishops vndernamed that is I Theodore although vnworthy appointed by the See Apostolike Archebishop of Caunterbury our felowe priest and brother the most reuerend bishop of the Eastenglish B. Bisi our felow priest and brother VVilfrid bishop of the Northumbrians by his deputed legates present Also our felowe priestes and brethern Putta bishop of Rochester Leutherius bishop of the West Saxons and VVinfrid bishop of the Marshes or Middleenglish men we all being assembled together and placed euery one in order in the church of Hereforde the xxiiij of September in the first Indiction I beseke you saied I most derely beloued brethern for the feare and loue of our Redemer let vs all in common treate and debate such thinges as appertaine to the right faith keging vprightly and straighly the decrees and determinations of our lerned auncetours and holy fathers These and such like thinges for the preseruation of charite and vnite amonge vs and in the church when I had saied and made an end of that exhortation and preface I demaunded of eche of them in order whether they agreed to kepe those thinges which are canonically decreed of the auncient fathers of old time Whereto al our fellow priestes aunsweared and saied It pleaseth vs all very well that those things which the canons of the holy fathers haue defined and appointed we all do kepe and obserue the same And then straight way did I bringe furth vnto them the booke of canons and out of the same booke I shewed before them ten articles which I had noted out of diuerse places bycause I knew them to be most necessarie for vs and I besought them that the same mougthe be receaued and kepte diligently of all men The first article was that we al in common do kepe the holy feast of Ester on the sonday after the xiiij day of the moone in the moneth of Marche The second that no bishop should haue ought to do in an others diocese but be contented with the chardge of the people committed vnto him The third that no bishop should moleste or anye wise troble such monasteries as were consecrated and giuen to God nor violently take from thē ought that was theirs The fourth that monks shuld not go from place to place that is to say from one monasterie to an other onlesse by the leaue of their own abbot but should continew in the obedience which they promised at the time of their cōuersiō and entring into religiō The fift that none of the clergy forsaking his own bishop shuld runne vp
time that she went to the monasterie she wold neuer weare any lynnen but only wollen clothes and seldome wash herselfe in warme bathes saue against solemne highe feastes as Easter whitsontyde or twelfetyde and than would she be the last of all and with her owne handes and helpe of her handemaydes wold first wash the reast of Christes virgins that were there Very seldom also excepte on high feastes or for great necessitie dyd she eate more than onse a day and that continually on lesse a greater feblenesse dyd let her From the time of the first comming to prayer together vntill the rysing of the day she abode in the Churche still continewing at her prayers And there are that say that by the spirite of prophecie she dyd foretell both the pestilence wherof she should dye herselfe and also did openly in all their presence declare the nomber of them that showld be taken from this world owt of her monasterie She was takē away to our Lord in the mids of her company seuen yeres after she was made Abbesse And as she her self had willed she was buryed in a tombe of wood in none other place than in the myds of them in such order and sort as she departed After whome succeded her sister Sexburg in the office of Abbesse which woman Earcombert king of Kent had had to wyfe And when Edildride had lyen buried xvj yeres it semed good to her sayd syster nowe Abbesse to haue her bones taken vpp and put in a newe tombe and remoued into the churche Whereupon she wylled certaine of the bretherne to seke a stone whereof they mighte make a tombe for this purpose And they taking ship for the countree of Eelye is round abowt compassed with waters and fennes nor hathe any great stones for such purposes came to a certaine litle citie leafte desolate and vnhabited the which was not far from thence and in the englysh tonge is called Grandchester and straight way they found by the walles of the citie a tombe of white marble ready made very fayre and couered very trym and fyt with a couer of the same stone wherby vnderstanding that our Lorde hadd prospered their iourney they gaue him thankes therefore and browght it to the monasterie And when the graue was opened and the body of the holy virgin and spouse of Christ taken owt into the light it was found so cleane from corruption as if she had dyed or bene put in the grownd the very same daye euen as bothe the aforesayd byshop Wilfride and many other that knewe it beare wytnesse But Cinfride a certaine phisition whiche was present by her bothe when she dyed and when she was taken owt of the tombe was wonte of more certaine knowledge to tell that when she lay sicke she had a very great swelling vnder her arme pit and they bad me quoth he to launce that swelling that the yll humour that was within might issue owt Which when I had done for the space of two dayes after she semed to be somewhat better at ease so that some thowght that she might be cured of her grief But the third day her former paynes tooke her againe and straight way was she taken owt of the worlde and chaunged all paine and death with health and life euerlasting And when after so many yeres her bones showld be taken owt of the graue they spred a tent ouer the same and all the company of the bretherne on the one syde and systers on the other stode round about synging and the Abbesse with a fewe other went in to take vp and bring forth the bones But sodainly we heard her within crye owt withe a lowde voyce Glorie be to the name of God And anon after they called me in opening the entraunce of the tente where I sawe the body of the holy virgin of God being taken out of the tombe and lyeng on the bead like one that were a slepe Then dyd they also open the couering of her face and shewed me the wound of the cut that I had made healed and cured so that in meruailous wyse in the place of the open and gaping wound wherwith she was buried there appered than but litle smal signes of the scar. Byside this all the lynnen clothes wherein the body was winded appered hole and so newe that they semed to be put abowt those chast lymnes but that very daye And the report is that when she was grieued with the forsayd swelling and paine of her cheeke bone and necke she tooke great ioye in this kind of disease and was wont to saye I knowe most certainly that I worthely doo beare this bourden of paine in my necke in which I remember that when I was a gyrle I did beare the superfluouse and vaine bourdens of tablettes and owches and I beleue that the soueraine pitie of God doth therefore send me this grief and paine in my necke that he may so absoyle and quit me from that gylte of vanitie and lightenesse whereas nowe in stede of gold and pretious stones the read fire heate and burning swelling breaketh out off my necke It happened also that by the touching of the same Clothes wherein the corse lay both spirits were driuen oute of certaine bodies possessed and also other diseases healed sometimes And it is said that the tumbe in which she was firste layd and buried did heale certaine that were pained in their eyes which as sone as they set their head to the same tombe and prayed straightway had the griefe of their sore or dymme eyes taken away The body of the virgin was taken and washed and layd in newe clothes and so caried into the churche and put in the other tombe that was brought where it is kepte vnto this daye and is had in great reuerence The said tumbe founde ready made was not without a miracle so apte and fyt for the virgins bodie as if it had bene of purpose made and cut out for her the place also of the head was made by it selfe seuerally and semed to haue bene fasshioned as iuste as could be for the bygnesse of her head This countree of Ely is in the prouince of the East english and conteyneth about CC. housholdes and is compassed on eche syde as we haue said lyke an Iland round about with either fennes or waters And therefore of the eeles which are plentifully taken in those waters it hath his name In this I le this sayd handmayde of Christ desired to haue a monasterie bicause as we sayd before she came of the nation and bloud of the East english An hymne of the sayd virgin The 20. Chap. THe occasion semeth conuenient to put in this historie an hymne of virginitie which many yeares past we made in meter in the lawde and prayse of the sayde Quene and virgin which is in dede therfore verely a Queene for that she is the spouse of Christ. And herein we shall followe the custome of the holy scripture
a priest and Abbot of a monastery in the citie which of his name is called vnto this day Tunnacester who when he heard that his brother was slaine in the battaile came to seeke if he might happely fynd his bodie Where he finding one that was in all pointes like him and thinking it to be him in dede brought him to his monasterie and buried him honorably and did often times cause masse to be saied for his soule By the saying of which masses that which I sayd came to passe that noman could bynd him but that he was straight way loused againe Then the Erle that kepte him began to wonder here at and to enquire of him what the cause was that he coulde not be bound and whether perhaps he had about him any loosing letters such as men talke of that he could not be bound by the vertue of them But he aunsweared that he knewe no such arte nor conning but I haue a brother quod he in my countre one that is a priest and I knowe that he thinkes I am slaine and therefore doth oft saye masse for me and if I were nowe in an other world my sowle showld be there loused from paynes throughe his intercessions and prayers as my body is here from bondes And while he was thus kept a certaine space in the Erles howse some that marked him more diligently sawe by his countenaunce behauiour and talke that he was not as he had sayd of the common poore sort of people but of some good house and degree Therefore the Erle called him secretly and examined him more straightly of whence he was Promising that he wold doo him no harme in the world if he wold playnly vtter and shewe himselfe what he was Which thing when he had done and declared himselfe to be one of the kinges seruauntes wel quoth the Erle I knewe by thy wordes and awnsweres that thow were no husbandman of the countre And thou art well worthy to dye nowe for that all my bretherne and kynnesmen were slaine in that battaile yet I will not put the to death for breaking of my faith and promyse And therfore as soone as he was full cured the Erle sent him to London and solde him to a marchant of Friseland But neither he nor any man els as he was lead thither could bynd him by any meanes And yet his enemies dyd lay on him many and sundry kindes of fetters which yet allwaies were loosed When he that hadd bowght him sawe that he cowld be kept and holden in no bondes he gaue him leaue to ransome himselfe if he were able For after abowt viij a clocke in the morning when masses began to be sayd his bondes and fetters were euer lowsed And thus vpon his othe either to come againe or els to send his ransome he was let go and came to kent to kinge Lodhere who was sonne to the sister of Quene Edildrede of whom we haue spoken before and himselfe had bene sometime a seruaunt of the sayd Queenes There he sued to the kinge for so much as wold pay his ransome which he obtained and sent it as he had promised to him whose prisoner he was Afterward he retourned to his countree and came to his brother and declared him in order all the aduersities that had happened vnto him and also what comfortes and succours he had had in the same And he knewe by that his brother told him that his bondes were loosed at those times specially in which masses were said and songe for him He vnderstoode also that the other helpes and succours that happened to him in his danger came of the heauenly gyfte and grace throwgh his brothers intercessions and offring of the holy holsome hoste and sacrifice Many that heard these thinges of this man were styrred vp and enflamed in fayth and godly deuotion vnto prayer vnto almesse and charitable dedes and to offer to our Lorde hostes of the holy oblation and sacrifice for the deliuery and reliefe of their frindes that were departed this worlde For they vnderstood thereby and knewe that the holesome blessed sacrifice was effectuous to the euerlasting redemption and ransoming bothe of sowle and bodie This storie was told me of one of them that heard it of the very man in whome it was done and therfore knowinge it to be true and certaine I dowbted no whit to put it into this our ecclesiasticall historie Of the lyfe and death of Abbesse Hilda The 23. Chap. THe yere following after this which was the yere of thincarnation of our Lorde DClxxx the most deuowt and godly seruaunt of Christe Hilda Abbesse of the monasterie that is called Streanes halch as we before mentioned after many heauenly dedes that she did in this world passed owt of this lyfe to receaue the rewardes of the lyfe of heauen the xvij day of Nouember when she was three score and six yeres of age The which nomber of yeres equally diuided into two partes she lyued the first xxxiij in secular lyfe withe most noble and worthy conuersatiō and as many after did she dedicate to our Lord more nobly and worthely in monastical life For she was come of noble birth and was the dawghter of kinge Edwins nephewe named Hererike with which kinge also at the preaching of Paulinus of blessed memorie the first bysshopp of Northumberland she receaued the fayth and sacramentes of of Christe and dyd syncerely kepe the same vntill she deserued to come to his sight and vision whome only to serue after she had determined and forsaken this secular lyfe and world she went to the prouince of the East english For she was allied to the king there and from thence she desyred if she might by any meanes to forsake her countre and al that euer she had and go into Fraunce and there in the monasterie named Cate to leade a pilgrimes and exuls lyfe for our Lordes sake that she might the more easyly deserue to enioye an euerlasting countre in heauen For in the same monasterie her syster Hereswide mother to Adulphe king of the East english did at the same very tyme lyue vnder rules and disciplines of religion abyding and looking for the crowne euerlasting whose example she mynding to followe and liue a straunger out of her owne countree dyd abyde in the said prouince one hole yeare After which being called home againe into her countree by bisshopp Aidan she had deliuered her the landes of one Lordeship at the north coast of the riuer Were in which she liued also the space of one yeare and lead a monasticall lyfe with a fewe other of her companie After this she was made Abbesse in the monasterie that is called Heortheu which monasterie had bene builte not long before of the godly and deuout handmayed off Christ Heiu Which is said to be the first woman in the prouince of Northumberland that tooke the vowe and habit of a Nonne being blessed and consecrated by bisshop Aidan But not long
time after the making of the monasterie she departed thence to the citie of Calcaria whiche is called of the english men Calcacester and there she appointed to abyde and continewe Now this other handmayd of Christ Hilda being placed to rule this monasterie dyd strayght procure to order and dispose the same in all pointes with regular lyfe and discipline in such wise as she could be best enstructed of them that were learned For both bishop Aydan and as many religious persons as knewe her for the great wysedome and loue to serue God that was in her were wont ofte times to visit her louingly to helpe her and diligently to instructe her Thus when she had certaine yeres gouuerned this monasterie in great obseruation and straighnes of regular lyfe and order it was her chaunce to take in hand the buylding and disposing of a monasterie in the place called Straneshalch which busynes committed vnto her she finished with all speede and diligence For she fournished and framed it with the same rules and orders of regular lyfe with which she had disposed the other monasterie before And truly she dyd there teache singularly the workes of righteousnes deuotion chastitie and other vertues but specially of peace and charitie in such wise that after the example of the primitiue church there was none riche there none poore but all thinges common to all for nothing semed peculiar and priuate to any one She was of such wysedome that not only all meane persons in their necessities but also kinges and princes dyd seke and find counsel of her Such religious men as liued vnder her gouernaÌ„ce she made to bestow their time in the reading of the holy scriptures and in the exercise of the workes of vertue that out of her monastery many might easely be founde mete and worthy meÌ„ to serue the church and the aultar And in dede we haue sene in a short space fiue bishops oute of the same monasterie all men of singular merite and holynesse whose names are these Bosa Adda Ostfor Iohn and VVilfride Of the first we haue spoken before howe he was consecrated bishop of Yorke Of the second to speake shortly he was made bishop of Dorcister Of the two last we shall speake afterwarde of which the one was consecrated bishop of Hagulstad and the other of Yorke Of the middlemost let vs nowe say somewhat When he had in both the monasteries of Abbesse Hilda diligently applied the reading and studieng of the scriptures at last desiring more perfecte exercises he came to keÌ„t to the Archebishop Theodore of blessed memorie Where hauing continewed a certaine space and spent his time in holy studies and reading he found also the meanes to go to Rome which at that time was counted a thing of great vertue and deuotion From thence retourning home againe to England he went vnto the prouince of the Victians ouer which king Osric raigned than and there he remained a long time preaching the word of faithe and also giuing himselfe for an example of life to all that knewe and heard him At which time the bishop of that prouince named Boselus being so sicke and weake that he could not himselfe fullfill the office a bishop by all mens iudgement and consent the foresaid man was elected and chosen bishop in his place and at the coÌ„maundment of king Edilred was consecrated by bishop VVilfride of blessed memorie who at that time was byshop of the Middleenglish For Theodore tharchebisshop was than dead and none other as yet made bishop for him In which prouince a litle befor that is to wytt before that foresaid man of God Boselus one Taâ—frid a man most stout couragiouse and well learned and of an excellent wyt was elected bishoppe out of the monasterie of the said Abbesse but he was taken away and died before his time ere that he might be consecrated This foresaid handmayde of Christ Abbesse Hilda whome all that knewe her were wont to call mother for her notable grace and godlinesse was not only in her owne monasterie an example of lyfe to them that were with her but also to many other that were far of the ministred occasion of saluation and amendement to whom the happy report of her doing and vertuous liuing came And so was fulfilled the dreame that her mother Bregoswid had when this was but an enfant For when her husband Heriric was out of his couÌ„tre as an outlawe vnder Cerdix kinge of the Britons where also he was att last poysonned she sawe in a dreame that he whom she sought with al diligeÌ„ce was as it wer sodainly takeÌ„ out of her sight that no signe aud token of him any where did appere But as she yet busily sought for him she fouÌ„d by and by a very pretious ouch and iewel vnder his garmeÌ„t which as she did wel marke and coÌ„sider it semed to shine and glister with brightnesse of so great a lighte that it filled all the borders of Britannie with the grace thereof The which dreame was proued true in her doughter whome we speake of Whose lyfe not to her selfe only but to many other that wold lyue well did geue examples of the workes of light But nowe when she had many yeres ruled this monasterie it pleased the mercifull worker of our saluation that her holy soule should also be examined and tried with long sicknesse of the body that after thexample of the Apostle her vertue might be made perfect in infirmitie and weakenesse For she was striken with feuers and begaÌ„ to be greuously vexed with the heate and was in the same wise sicke and deseased for the space of vj. yeres In all which time she did neuer omit and let passe both to giue thankes to her creatour and also to teache and enstructe openly and priuatly the flocke coÌ„mitted to her charge For by her owne example she warned them all both to serue our Lorde dewly when he geueth them their bodely health and also thanke him continually and faithfully in worldly aduersities or bodely infirmities and sickenesse And thus the seuenth yere of her sicknesse the grief and paine tourning toward the hart and inward partes she came to her ende and last day in this worlde and about the crowing of the cocke after she had receaued the viage prouision of holy howsell she called vnto her he handmaides of Christ that were in the same monasterie whome as she admonished and counselled to kepe the euangelicall vnite amonge them selues and with other at the very last worde and making of this her exhortatioÌ„ she gladly and willingly saw the houre of her death yea rather to speke with Christs owne wordes she passed from death vnto lyfe In which very night our almightie Lord vouchesafed to reuele her death and departing by a manifest and plaine vision in an other monasterie that was a good way of named Hacanes the which she had buylt the same yere For there was in the same monasterie a certaine Nonne
desyred him to giue him counsell whereby he might flee and escape the wrath of God and vengeaunce to come The priest when he had heard his offense and sin said A great woūde requireth a greater cure and medicine and therefore geue thy selfe to fastinges and prayers as much as thou art able to the ende that coming before the face of our Lorde in confession thou maiest deserue to fynde him mercifull vnto thee But he for the passing grief of the giltie conscience that held him and desyre that he had to be sone assoyled of the inwarde bondes of synnes wherewith he was laden sayd I am yonge of age and strong of bodie And therefore what soeuer ye put me vnto so that I may be saued in the day of our Lorde I will easely beare it all and thoughe ye bid me to stand the whole night and spend it in prayers and passe ouer the whole weke in abstinence It is very much quod the priest to endure the whole weke without sustenaunce of the bodie but it suffiseth to faste two or three daies at onse And this doo thowe vntill I come againe to the after a short time and shewe thee more fully what thou must doo and howe long thou must continewe in penaunce After which wordes the priest appointed him what penaunce he shoulde doo and went his way And through a sodaine occasion that happened he passed into Ireland where he was borne and came not to him againe as he had promised to doo Yet the yong man remembring both his commaundement and also his owne promise gaue himselfe wholly to weping penaunce holy watchinge and continence in such wise that as I sayd before he neuer tooke sustenaunce saue only thursdaies and sondayes but continually fasted all the other daies of the weke And when he had heard that his ghostly father was gone into Ireland and there departed euer after from that time he kept this maner of fasting according as it was first appointed him And the thing which he had onse begon to doo for compunction of his syn and dread of Gods vengeance the same did he nowe without lothesomnesse or werynesse yea with pleasure and delight for the reward that followed and for the feruent loue of God And as he nowe long time had continewed diligently the same it chaunced that on a certaine day he went out of the monasterie to some place a good way of hauing one of the bretherne with him in his companye And when they had done their iourney and were comming home againe drawing nere the monasterie they beheld and vewed the goodly high building of the same wherat the man of God brast out all into teares and with his weping countenaunce bewrayed the heauynes of his harte Which thing when his fellowe sawe he asked him why he so did O quod he al these buildinges that you see both the common that belong to many and the priuate houses of particular persons shall shortly be tourned into ashes and consumed by fyre Which he hearing as sone as they came into the monasterie found the meanes to tell that to the mother of the couent named Ebba Who being troubled at such a warning and fortelling as good cause was sent for the mā vnto her and enquired the whol matter of him diligētly and how he knewe the same Of late quod he being occupied at night time in watching and saying of psalmes I sodainly sawe one stand by me of a straunge and vnknowen fauour At whose presence when I was sore afraide he bad me not to feare and then in familiar wise he spake to me thus and sayd Thou doest well in that this night time of reast thou hast had the strength not to geue thy selfe to ease and sleape but to be occupied in watching and praying Whereto I aunswered and sayd that I knewe my selfe to haue great nede to continewe in holsome watching and to make diligent and dewe intercession to our Lord for my synnes Thou sayest true quod he farther that thou and many other haue nede to redeme and satisfie for their synnes with good workes and at such time as they are at leasure from worldly paines and busynesse to labour the more freely for the desyre of euerlasting wealth but yet very fewe doo so For right nowe haue I walked through all this monasterie in order and looked in euery selle and bead and of them all sauing thee haue I found not one occupied aboute the sauing of his owne soule but they are all both men and wemen either depely drowned in sleape or watching vnto wickednes and syn For the litle houses that were made to pray or reade in are nowe tourned into chambers of eating and drinking and talking and other enticemente of yll And the virgins vowed vnto God contemning the reuerence and regard of their profession as ofte as they haue any leasure thereto do occupie themselues in weauing and making fine clothes wherewith they may set forth themselues lyke brydes to the daunger and great perill of their estat and professiō or els to get thē the loue of strangers and men abrode And therefore is there worthely prepared from heauen for this house and them that dwel therin a greuouse punishment and vengeance by fyre Then quod the Abbesse And why wold ye not soner tell me herof when ye knewe it Forsooth quod he I feared so to doo for respecte of you least ye wold perhap be ouermuch troubled therewith And yet take ye this comfort herein that this plage and punishment shall not fall in your dayes This vision being spread abrode and knowen they of the place began somewhat to feare for a fewe daies and to amend them selues and leaue their naughty lyfe But after the death of the Abbesse they retourned to their old naughtynesse yea and to worse to And when they sayd and thought themselues in peace and saftie they were anon stricken with the punishment of the foresayd vengeance All which thinges to haue bene thus done in dede the most Reuerend Giles my felow priste reported vnto me who lyued than in the monastery and afterward for that many dwellers there went thence bycause of this ruyn lyued a long time in owr monasterie and there dyed This haue I thowght good to put in our historie to this end that we might warne the reader and put him in mynd of the workes of owr Lorde howe dreadfull and terrible he is in his iudgementes and counselles ouer the children of men And that we serue not at any time the allurementes and prouocations of the flesh lytle fearing the iudgement of God least perhap his sodaine wrath strike vs and scowrge vs iustly and sharply either with temporall losses and plages or els deale more hardly with vs and take vs quite away to perpetuall paine and perdition Of the death of king Ecgfride and king Lother The 26. Chap. THe yere of thin carnation of our Lord DClxxxiiij Ecgfride king of Northumberland sent Bertus his
body at the selfe same time with him so he might also deserue to be receaued into the selfe same and lyke seate of perpetuall blysse This moste reuerend father dyed in the I le of Farne and at his death he besought the bretherne most earnesty that he might be buried there in the same place where he had no small tyme serued and bene in warfar for our Lorde But yet at laste ouercomed with their requeste he was content that he might be brought to Lindisfarne I le and layed in the churche there In the meane time these thinges done VVilfride the most reuerende bisshopp kepte the bishoppricke of that churche one yeare vntill an other was elected to be made bysshoppe for Cutberte After whiche tyme Eatbert was consecrated a notable man in the knowledge of the holy scriptures and also in the dewe keping of heauenly preceptes and lessons and most of all in doing of almes and dedes of charitie in so much that according to the old lawe he gaue euery yeare to poore folke the tenth not only of his cattle but of all graine frute and apples and some parte of his clothes and apparaill to Howe the bodye of Cutbert after xj yeares burieng was founde free from corruption and rotting And howe the successour of that bysshoppricke passed owt of the worlde not long after The 30. Chap. THe ordinance and dispensation of God willing to shewe more largely abrode in howe great glorie the man of God Cutbert lyued after his deathe whose highe godly lyfe before his deathe excelled notably by many and often signes and miracles dyd put into the myndes of the bretherne xj yeares passed after his buriall to take vpp and remoue his bones thinkinge to fynde them all drye the bodye being nowe consumed and brought to duste as dead bodies commonly are and so to put them in a newe toumbe and laye them againe in the same place but somewhat aboue the floure and pauement for the more reuerence dewe thereunto Which mynde and entent of theirs they did declare to Eadbert their bisshop who agreed to the same and bad them remember to doo it on the daye of his departing And so they did And when they opened the tumbe they founde the body all whole and sounde as if it were alyue and the lymmes ioyntes and synowes softe and pliable muche liker a sleping bodye than a dead Also all the clothes that were about hym semed not onely without wem or any blemish but also as fresh faire and bright as when they were newe and first made Whiche when the bretherne sawe they were striken straight with a great feare and with all hast went to shewe there bysshopp what they had found who as it happened was that tyme solitarie abyding alone in the farthest place from the churche being closed rounde about with the flowing and ebbing fluddes of the sea For there was he wont alwayes to kepe the tyme of Lent and also xl dayes before Christmas in greate deuotion of abstinence prayer and teares In which place also his reuerend predecessour Cutberte before that he went to the I le of Farne did at certaine tymes secretly serue our Lorde in spirituall warfare And they browght hym a part of the clothes that were about the holy bodye Which he both receauing thankefully as acceptable presentes and most gladly reioysing to heare of such miracles for he kissed the clothes with a great affection as if they were yet about the fathers bodye put ye on quoth he newe clothes aboute the bodye for these that ye have brought me and so laye it againe in the cheast that ye haue prouided therefore I knowe moste certainly that that place shall not remaine longe emptie which is hallowed with such a speciall grace of this heauenly miracle And howe happie is he vnto whome our Lord the author and giuer of all blysse will vouchesafe to giue leaue and lycence to reaste in that place These and many lyke thinges when the bysshoppe had sayed with many teares and greate compunction and trembling tounge the bretherne dyd as he had bydden them and wounde the bodye in a newe clothe and put it in a newe cophin and so layed it aboue the pauement of the chauncell And shortely after the dere beloued of God Eadbert the byshopp was taken with a bytter and burning disease the which dayly encreased and waxed more feruent so that not longafter which was the sixte day of Maye he departed out of this world and went vnto God And his body was also layed in the graue of the blessed father Cutbert with the cophim ouer him in which they had put the vncorrupted bodie of the sayd father In which place signes and miracles sometimes done in restoring the sicke to their health do beare witnes and confirme the merite and vertuouse lyues of them bothe Of which miracles we haue longe synse put certaine in memorie in the booke of his lyfe But yet we haue thought it conuenient to adde thereto certaine in this historie allso which we happened to heare and learne of late Howe a certaine man was cured of the palsey at his tombe The 31. Chapter THere was in the same monasterie a certaine monke named Beadwegen whose office of longe time was to serue such geastes and straungers as came and is alyue yet to this daye a man of whose much deuotion and religiouse conuersation all the bretherne and strangers that resorte thither to beare witnesse and testifie And that obediently and dewly he doth the office put vnto him only for the rewarde that he looketh for aboue This man on a certaine day when he had washed in the sea the mantels or clothes that he occupied in the hospitall comming home againe was in the myd way sodainly taken with a paine in his bodie in such wise that he fell downe on the earth and laye flat on the ground for a space and could scant at last get vp againe And when he was rysen vp he felte the halfe part of his body from the head to the fete to be greuously taken and stryken with a palsey and so with much paine he came home to the howse leaning on a staffe The disease grew and encreased litle and litle and when night came was waxen so greuouse and painfull that the next day he was scant able to ryse vp or go by himselfe Into which paine and aduersitie he being thus brought conceaued in his mynd a profitable way and counsell which was to get him to the churche by some meanes or other as well as he could and enter into the tombe of the blessed father Cutberte and there vpon his knees humbly to beseche the highe soueraine goodnes of God that either he might be deliuered from the anguish and paine if it were so good and profitable for him ot els if it behoued him to be lōger chastened with that grief by the gratiouse prouision of God that he might then patiently and with meke mynd beare and suffer this
his chaplins archebisshop of Yorke and went to the said monasterie and there with good example and conuersation ended his lyfe Howe Cedwall kinge of the Weast Saxons came to Rome to be baptized and his successour of deuotion went to the sepulchres and monuments of the blessed Apostles The. 7. Chapter THe third yere of kinge Aldfrides raigne Cedwall kinge of the weast saxons when he had kept the souerainty in his country very stoutely for ij yeres space for Gods sake and hope of an eternall kingdome in heauen forsoke his owne vppon earthe and went to Rome He thought it to be a singular glorye and renowne for him to be regenerated at the sea Apostolique with the sacrament of baptisme by the which he lerned that all mankinde had entrye to the kingdome of heauen With all this hope he conceaued that as sone as by baptisme he was clensed from synne and made a member of Christes mysticall body he shoulde departe from this worlde to the eternall ioye the which bothe by the prouidence of God were fulfilled euen as he had secretly in his minde determined before For cominge to Rome when Sergius was Pope he was baptised on easter eue the yere after the incarnation of Christ 689. and wearing yet the white apparel and robes of innocency which were put vppon him in baptisme fell sicke and died the 20. day of Aprill Whome the Pope at his baptisme named Peter that he might beare that holy name of the Apstole whose sepulchre and tūbe he came to see with good zeale and deuotion many hundred myles and buried him honorably in his churche And at the Popes commaundement an Epitahphe was engraued vppon his toumbe◠that bothe the remembraunce of his good zeale and deuotion might continewe in admiration trough out all ages and the readers and hearers also might be stirred to the leeke godlynesse and deuotion The epitaphe was written after this sorte An Epitaphe vpon kinge Cedwall All dignities and wordly wealthe all princely ioye and mirth All palaces and castells stronge all ladies of greate birth All triumphe all princely attire all precious pearle and pride The feruent loue of heuenly blesse made Cedwalle set a syde And spedely to Peters seate and monuments at Rome His fleshly lustes and filthy synnes with baptisme to ouercome Through daungerous seas and hougely hilles a pilgrimage to make And happely the ioyfull starre to endlesse comforte take Incontinent when his repaire was knowen among the states Full courteously they met him all and brought him to their gates Pope Sergius perceauinge eke his zeale and godly minde Did ioyfully baptise him streyt and from his synnes vnbinde He altered his propre name and did him Peter calle Delyueringe him from Sathans snare from mysery and from mysery and from thral But innocent lyfe this worthy wight on earthe did not longe kepe VVithin fewe days death did approche and rocked him a slepe Vndoubtedly greate was his faith greate was the mercy of Christ VVhose iudgments who so seketh oute shall creke when he is highst From Britanny that famousisle to Rome he saffly past The monuments and Apostles tumbes he sawe al at his later cast Deathes fyery dart his hart did perce and brought him to the groūde VVhere foysteringe mans carcas lyeth vntill the trumpet sounde Here couered with marbel stone his body lyeth at ease In paradise his soule abideth Gods wrath he did appease Then euident it is that he who from his realme did range For earthly things did heauen obtaine and lost naught by exchange An other epitaphe Here Cedwall is buried otherwise named Peter kinge of the weast Saxons who died the xx of Aprill in the seconde indiction and lyued thyrty yeares or ther aboute when that noble and mighty prince Iustinian was Emperour of Rome and had raigned iiij yeres in the empire and Sergius a trewe paterne of the Apostles had sate ij yeres in Peters seate As this good kinge Cedwall was takinge his iourney to Rome Huu one of the kinges bloud suceeded into the croune of that realme who after he had raigned there 37. yeares gaue ouer his kingdome and committed the gouernaunce of it to his children and went him selfe to the tumbes and monuments of the Apostles in Rome Gregory beinge the Pope hauinge an ernest desyre to wander leeke a pilgreme here in earthe for a tyme aboute such holy places that at the lenght he mighte be more willingly receaued of the blessed saintes in heauen the which practise in those dayes many englishmen both of the nobility and commons spirituall and temporal men and women wer wonte to vse with much emulation Of the death of Archebishop Theodore The. 8. Chapter THE yere after kinge Cedwall died at Rome that is to say the yere of our Lorde 690. archebishop Theodore worthy of perpetuall remembraunce for his singular vertues beinge very olde and in those yeres to which men commonly by course of nature may come to wit foure score and eight departed out of this wordle The which number of yeres that he should lyue and see was signified vnto him by reuelation in a dreame as to his familiare fryndes he was wont to make reporte He continued in his bishoprike xxij yeres and was buried in sainct Peters church where al the other bishops of Cāterbury ar buried Of whom with the rest of his felowes equal both in dignity and degree it may be truly verified that their names shal liue in glory frō generati to generation time out of minde for that I may vse fewe woordes the church of Englande for the time he was archbisshoppe receaued so much comforte and encrease in spirituall matters as they could neuer before nor after As touching his personage his lyfe his age and manner of death the epytaphe written vppon his tumbe in fowre and thirthy heroicall verses dothe manyfestly sett owte to all that haue accesse thither of the which these are the iiij off the first A woorthy prelate lyeth here fast closed in this graue To whome the name of Theodore the greekes most iustly gaue VVith tytle ryght the souerayntye hauynge of eche degree Christes flocke he fed with trewe doctrine as almen do welsee iiij of the last His sowle was sett at liberty that lumpyshe lumpe of claye Dyssolued when September had put nynetene dayes away And couetinge their feloship that lyueth a godly lyfe Is companyd with angells hie voyd off all care and stryfe Howe after the death of Theodore Berechtwalde toke the archbysshopricke vppon hym and amongst many other bysshopps consecrated and orderyd by him he made Tobye a man very well lernyd bysshopp of Rochestre The. 9. Chap. BErechtwald succedyd Theodore and was archbysshoppe of Canterburye who before was abbot of a monastery lyinge hard by the north entree of the ryuer Glade otherwise callyd Rachwulf a man dowtlesse well traueled in the knowledge of holy scripture and very skyllfull both in ecclesiasticall and Monastical ordres censures and disciplynes but nothynge to be compared to
sepulchre as an aulter foure-square The greater parte standeth for an other aulter in the same churche in the manner of a quadrangle couered with faire white clothe The colour of the sayd sepulchre semeth to be white and read decently mixed together VVhat he wrote of the place of Christes ascension and the patriarches sepulchres The. 18. Chapter THe Author aboue mentioned writeth also in this wyse touching the place of Christes ascension The mounte Olyuete is as hye as the mounte Syon but not so brode nor so longe There growyth no trees but vynes and olyues wheate and barlye it bryngyth forth good stoore The vayne and soyle of that grounde is not shryueled nor fleaten but grene and full of grasse In the very toppe where Christ ascendyd to heauen standyth a greate rounde church with thre porches rownde in a circuite vawtyd and coueryd ouer The ynner chapell hauing an aultar toward the east with a goodly frount in the top could not be vauted nor coueryd ouer bicause the very place of Christes ascension might be kept open In the mydle of which churche the last prynte of Christes feete left vppon earth ar to be sene where he ascendyd into heauen openinge aboue and ready to embrace hym And although the earthe be fett away dayly of the Christians yet it remayneth still and kepyth the very figure and prynte made with the steppes of his holy feete when he ascended Rounde aboute the print of those blessed feete lyeth a brasen wheele as hygh as a mans neck hauynge an entraunce and way in vppon the east side and a greate lampe hanginge aboue it in a pullye whiche burneth day and night In the weast side of the same church be eyght windowes and so many lampes hanging in cordes directly ouer them They shine thorough the glasse to Ierusalem and their light is said to stirre the hartes of all that behold and see it with a certaine feruent zeale and compunction At the day of Christes ascension euery yere when Masse is done there cometh downe from heauen a greate gale of wynde and maketh all that ar in the churche prostrate them selfes downe flatt vppon the grownd Of the situation also of Hebron and monumentes of old auncient fathers there he writeth in this sorte Hebron somtimes the chiefest cytie in al Kinge Dauids realme shewing now only by her ruines howe princely and puissaunt she was in time paste hathe towarde the east with in a furlonge the double denne where the Patriarches sepulchres ar enuironed with a fowre square walle their hedds turned toward the northe Euery tumbe hath his stone Al the thre stones of the patriarches being all whyte squared as other stones are vsed in building of great churches Adam lieth aboute the north side and vttermost parte of the walle not farr from them in an obscure tumbe nor curiously wrought nor workmanly sett There ar besides base memorialls of thre simple weemen The hill Mambre also is a mile from these monumentes ful of grasse and pleasaunt flowres towarde the north and in the top it hath a goodly champion and playne fielde In the north parte wherof Abrahams Oke which is nowe but a stumpe as hygh as ij men can reache is compassed rounde abowt with a churche I haue thought it good for the profitt of the readers to intermingle in my historie these thinges taken out of the Authors bookes and comprised here in latin after the trewe meaning of his woordes but more brieflie and in fewer woordes If any man be desirous to knowe more of this matter either lett him reade the same booke or that litle abridgment which I drew owt of him but late How the South saxons receaued Eadbert and Collan for their bysshopps the weast Saxons Daniel and Aldethelme for theirs and of certaine writinges sett foorth by the same Aldethelme The. 19. Chap. THe yere of the incarnation off Christe 705. Alfride kinge of Northumberlande dyed the xx yere of his raigne not yet fully expired After hym sucdeded Osrede his sonne a child but eyght yeres olde and raigned xj yeares In the beginning of his raygne Hedde bysshop of the weast Saxons departed from this mortall life to immortal ioye For vndoubtedly he was a iuste man one that lyued vpryghtlye in all pointes leke a good bishoppe and preached sincerely leke a trewe pastour and that more of the loue of vertue naturally graffyd in him then of any instructours by often readinge taught him Furthermore the reuerend father and worthy prelate Pechtehlme of whom we must speake hereafter in place where he shall be mentioned who being but yet a deacon and younge monke liued familiarly a longe time with his successour Aldethelme was wounte to tell vs that in the place where the said Hedde died for reward of his holy life many great miracles and cures were don and that men of the same prouince vsed commonly to carry away dust from thence and mingle it with water for such as were deseased and sicke that also the drinking and sprinckling of the same did cure many sicke men and beastes also By which occasion for often carying away of the sacred dust a great deepe pitt was made there After his death that bisshopprick was diuided into ij dioceses The one was geuen to Daniell which he keapeth at this present the other to Aldethelme where he ruled the people very painefully for iiij yeares They were borhe lerned men skilfull in holy scripture and all ecclesiastical doctrine Aldethelme when he was priest and yet but Abbot of the monastery of Mailsbury wrote by the commaundement of the whole Synode of his countrye a booke against the errour of the Britons for not keping the fest of Easter in his dewe time and doing many thinges besides contrary to the trewe obseruation and vnite of the church By reading of the same book he reduced many Brytōs subiect at that time to the Weastsaxons to the catholike solemnisation of the feast of Easter He wrote also a notable booke of virginitie bothe in longe verse and prose with doble paines folowing the example of Sedulius He set forth also many other workes For he was notably well lerned very fine and eloquent in his talke and for knowledge as well in liberall sciences as in diuinite to be had in admiration After his death Forthere was made bishop in his place a man also much conuersant in holy scripture These ij hauing the gouuernaunce and whole rule of that diocese it was determined by a decree in the Synode that the prouince of South Saxons which to that present day appertained to the diocesse of Winchester where Daniel was bisshoppe should haue a see and bishopp of their owne seuerally Whereuppon Eadberte Abbot in the monasterie off that blessed bishoppe VVilfride was made and consecrated first bisshopp of that diocese After his death Ceolla toke the bisshoppricke vppon him Who not past iij. or iiij yeares past departing this life the see to this day is vacant
Howe Coenrede kinge of the Marsshes and Offa king of the East Saxons ended their liues in the habitt of religion and of the lyfe and death of bisshop VVilfride The 20. Chap. THe iiij yeare of Osredes raigne king Coenrede which kept the soueraintie in the countrie of Marshes honourably for a tyme did more honourably forsake it and all his dominions For vnder Constantine the Pope he went to Rome and receiuing there the tonsure and habitt of a religious man at the Apostles toumbes continued in praying fasting and dealing of almes vntill his dying daye Vnto this noble prince Coenrede succeded kinge Edilredes son which Edildred had the gouuernement of the same realme before him There went with him also to Rome Sigheres sonn king of the east Saxons called Offa whome we mentioned before a princely and beautefull gentleman and then in his first flowres and much desired of his subiectes to remaine and rule among them But he moued with leke deuotion and zeale as the other prince was forsoke his ladye his landes his kinsfolke and countrie for Christes sake and the ghospell that in this world he might receiue an hundred folde and in the world to come life euerlasting with Christ. When he came to the holy places att Rome he also was shoren into religion in the which he passed the rest of his life and came to the vision of the blessed Apostles in heauen as he had longe desired before The very selfe same yere that these ij princes went out of Britannie a worthy prelate and notable bishopp called VVilfride died the xlv yeare after he had ben made bisshoppe in the territory called Wundale And his body well chested was caried to the monastery of Rhippon wher he had before liued and with al honour and solemnitie worthy for so noble a bishopp was buried in Saincte Peters church at Rhyppon Of whose life and behahauiour let vs brieflly make mention what things were done returning as it were backe againe to that we haue spokeÌ„ before This Wilfride being but a childe was of such towardnesse and good nature induced with so many goodly qualities of such modest and honest behauiour in all pointes that all the elders and auncients did with a speciall good loue reuerence him After he was xiiij yere olde he more estemed a monasticall and solitarie lyfe than all secular and wordly wealth The which thing when he had communicated with his father for his mother was departed to the mercy of God he gladly condescended to his holly requestes and godly desires and exhorted him to persiste in that godly purpose which he had entended Hereuppon he came to the isle Lindisfarne and there atteÌ„ding vpoÌ„ the monks he diligeÌ„tly lerned and gladly practised al pointes of chastity and godlinesse required in a solitarie and religious man And because he had a goodly pregnant witt he lerned spedely psalmes and certain other bookes of prayers being not yet shoren in or professed but well garnished with those vertues which far surmounted the outward profession to witt of humility and obedience For the which he was wel loued and estemed bothe of the elders and also of his equals When he had serued God certaine yeares in that monastery he perceaued by litle and litle being growen in iudgement as a wife younge man that could quickly fore see the waye of trewe religion and vertue taught by the Scotts not to be altogether perfecte Whereuppon he fully determined to make a voyage to Rome only to see what riâ—es and ceremonies were obserued there as well of secular priestes as of religious personnes The which determination of his after notice geuen to his Bretherne by preuy conference eche man did well commeÌ„d it and persuaded him to go forward in his good purpose Incontinent coming to Quene Eamflede who knew him wel and by whose counsell and coÌ„mendation he was receaued into that monastery declared to her hyghnesse that he had an earnest and feruent desyre to visit the monuments of the holy Apostles The Quene much delited with the younge mans good purpose and zele sent him to Caunterbury to kinge Ercombert which was her vncles sonne requiring that it might please his highnesse to send him honorably to Rome at what time Honorius one of the blessed Pope Gregories schollers a man profoundly lerned in holy scripture was Archebishop there When this younge man lackinge nor good courage nor lyuely sprite had tarried there a space and employed his diligence to lerne and commit to memory that which he ouerloked there repaired thither an other younge gentilman whose name was Bishop and Christen name Benet one of the nobles of Englande desyrours to go to Rome of whom I haue mentioned before The kinge committed VVilfride to this younge gentilman and his company with chardge that he shuld conduct him safe to Rome When they came to Lyons in Fraunce VVilfrid was stayd there by Dalphine bishop of that city The gentleman went on his iourney to Rome The delight and pleasure which the bishop had in VVilfrides wyse talke aminable continaunce ioly actituity and graue inuention was the occasion why he was staied there For that cause also he gaue him and all his company frendfull intertainement as long as they continued there and furder offred him the gouernement of a greate parte of Fraunce the mariadge of his brothers daughter whiche was yet in the flower of her virginity brefely to adopte him for his heyr if he wolde make his abode there But he rendring lowly and harty thankes for so great courtesy and gentilnesse that the bishop vouchsafed to shew vnto him being but a straunger answered that he was fully determined to an other conuersation and trade of lyffe and therfore had forsaken his country and taken this iourney to Rome The which when the bishop heard he sent him to Rome with a guide to conducte him in the waye and gaue him mony sufficient to beare his chardges desyringe that at his returne he wolde remember to take his house by the waye VVilfride with in fewe dayes after cominge to Rome and occypuing him selfe in daily contemplation of heauenly thinges according to his first determination fel acquainted with a notable holy and lerned man called Boniface who was Archedeacon and one of the Apostolike Popes counsellers By whose instruction he lerned orderly the foure bookes of the Gospell and the trewe counte of Easter and many other godly lessons commodious and profitable to vnderstande the orders and disciplines of the churche which he could not attaine vnto in his owne country And when he had passed certaine monethes there in godly exercise and study he returned to Dalfine againe in Fraunce and after he had tarried with him iij. yeares he toke the inferiour orders of the bishop and was so entierly loued of him that the bishoppe fully determined to make him his successour But by cruel death he was preuented and VVilfride reserued to a bishoprike in his owne natyue country England For Brunechild
kepinge of Easter but nowe I do so well knowe the cause and reason why it shuld be so obserued that me thinketh I had no knowledg of it at all before wherfore I professe and openly protest before you all that ar here present that from henceforth I and all my people wil kepe the feast of Easter at the time which is here described I thinke it good also that all priests and religious men in my realme ought to receaue this kinde and manner of shauing which we haue heard to be very reasonable And without any furder delaye by his princely authority he performed that which he spoke For forthwith the accompte of xix yeres were sent abrode by a publique edicte to be copied oute lerned and obserued through out al the prouinces of the Pictes the erroneous accomptes of 84. yeres altogether blotted oute All priestes and religious men had their heads shauen rounde after the trew shape aâ—d figure of a crowne And all the whole country being well reformed was glad that they were reduced now to the discipline and ordre of saincte Peter primate and head of the Apostles and committed as though it were to his patronage and protection How the monkes of Hij with other monasteries vnder their iurisdiction beganne at the preaching of Egbert to kepe Easter after the canonical ordonaunce of Christes church The 23. Chapter NOt longe after the monkes of Scotland which inhabitt the island Hij with al other monasteries vnder their iurisdiction were brought by gods great prouidence to the canonicall obseruation of Easter and ryght manner of ecclesiasticall tonsure For the yere after Christes incarnation 716. when Coenrede toke the gouuernaunce and souerayntye off Northumberlande after Osrede was slayne the derely beloued of God and honourably of me to be named the Father and priest Ecgbert cominge vnto them owt of Irelande was honourably receiued and ioyfully intertayned of them This Ecgbert beinge diligently heard of theÌ„ as one that had a singular good grace in preachinge and that practised in lyfe with much deuotioÌ„ which he taught openly in their congregation dyd chaunge by godly exhortations and aduertisements the olde tradition of their forefathers Of whom we may verifie that saying of the Apostle Aemulationem dei habebant sed non secundum scientiam They had an earnest desyre to folow God but not accordinge to knowleadge And he taught theÌ„ by one appointed compasse which shoulde be perpetuall to kepe the chefe and princypall feast after the Catholique churches institution and manner of the Apostles The which appeareth to be done to by the great goodnesse and infinit mercy of God that because the countre which had the knowleadge of God and his holy worde dyd freely and gladly communicate the same to englishmen shoulde them selues afterward come to a more perfect trade of life then they had before by the helpe and instruction of Englishmen also now associated and allied vnto them As contrary wise the Britons which woulde not ones open their mouthe to teache the Englishmen the knowleadge of Christ which they had before receiued are nowe hardned in blindnesse and halte allwaies from the right waie of truthe neither vsing the ecclesiasticall tonsure after dew maner neither celebrating the solemne feste of Easter in the societe of the Catholike church Whereas now all Englishmen are established in the faith and perfectly instructed in all pointes of Catholike religion The monkes of the Iland Hij in Scotland receiued at the preaching of the lerned father Ecgbert the Catholike rites and customes vnder their Abbat Dumchad about 80. yeares after they sent Bishopp Aidan to preache the faith to Englishmen This man of God Ecgbert remained in that Ilande xiij yeres which he had now as though it were newly and first consecrated vnto Christ by reducing it to the Catholike vnite and societe The same good father in the yere of our Lorde 728. vpon Easter daye which then fell vpon the xxiiij of Aprill after he had that day saied Masse in remembraunce of our Lordes resurrection departed this worlde and finished that day that ioyfull festiuite with our Lorde and all the blessed company in heauen which he had begonne with his brethern euen that day by him reduced to the Catholique vnite And truly the prouidence of God herein was wonderfull that that Reuerent father should passe out of this worlde to the Father not only vpoÌ„ an Easter day but also vpoÌ„ that Easter day which was the first Easter after the Catholike order celebrated in that place The brethern therefore reioysed bothe for the certaine and Catholike obseruation of Easter then lerned and also to see their teacher and master that time also to passe to God to be there their patrone and intercessour The good father also reioysed that he liued here so longe vntell he might see presently his scholers to celebrat with him that Easter whiche euer before they shunned and abhorred So this most reuerend Father being nowe certainly assured of their vndoubted amendment reioysed to see that day of our Lorde He sawe it I saie and reioysed What is the state of EnglishmeÌ„ or of all BrytaÌ„nie at this present with a brief recapitulation of the whole worâ— and with a note of the tyme. The. 24. Chap. THE yeare of Christes incarnation 725. which was the vij off Osric kinge of Northumberlandes raygne Vicbert Ecgbertes sonne kinge of kent passed oute of this transitorie lyfe the xxiij of Aprill leauing iij. sonnes Edilbert Eadbert and Aldric heires of his kingdome whiche he hadd gouuerned 34. yeares and a halffe After his death the next yeare folowing Tobias bishoppe of Rochester died a man certainly well lerned as I mentioned before for he was scholler to ij Masters of most blessed memory Archebishoppe Theodore and Abbat Adrian By which occasion beside his knowledge in diuinitie and all other sciences he so perfectly lerned the greeke tounge and the Latyn that he had them as perfecte and familiar as his owne propre language He is buried in a litle chappel of saincte Paule whiche he builded in S. Andrewes churche for a toumbe and place of buriall after his deathe After him Aldwulff succeded in the bishoppricke and was consecrated by Berthwalde the Archebishoppe The yeare of our Lorde 729. appeared ij greate blasinge starres aboute the sonne makinge all that behelde them maruelously afraied For one went before the sonne euery morninge the other appeared in the eueninge streyt after the sonne was downe presaging as it were to the east and weast some greate destruction Or if you wil saie one appeared before daye the other before night that by bothe the saied tymes they myght signifie diuerse miseries to hange ouer mens heads They helde vp a fyer brande towarde the Northe ready as it were to set all a fyer They appeared in Ianuarye and continued almoste ij weekes At what time the Saracenes wasted and spoiled Fraunce with much murder and bloudshed Who not longe after
answered Maye it like your highnes to proue and trie well what maner of doctrine this is which now is preched vnto vs. But this muche shall I surely saye and as I certainly knowe protest and confesse vnto yowe that the religion which vnto this daye we haue euer obserued and kept hath no vertue nor goodnes in hit at al. For none of your graces subiectes hath ben at anie time more ernest and diligent in worshipping of our Godes then I haue ben and yet not withstanding manie of them haue receiued of your graces bounteousnes more ample benefites then I haue manie of them more hygher dignities then I haue and manie of them haue ben better prospered in all they tooke in hand to doe or sought to gette then euer I was But yf the Gods coulde ought haue done they wold haue rather hoolpen me who at all times serued them so dewly Wherfore it remaineth that if these thinges which be now newly preched to vs shal be founde after good examination the better and of more strenght and stedfastnes that then without longer delaye we hasten to receiue and embrace them To this persuasion of bisshop Coyfi an other of the nobles consenting sayde by and by Suche semeth to me dere Soueraine the lyfe of men present here in earthe for the comparison of our vncertaine time and dayes to lyue as if a sparowe beaten with winde and wether shuld chaunce to flie in at one windowe of the parlour and flitting there a litle aboute straight waye flye out at an other while your grace is at diner in the presence of your dukes Lordes Capitaines and high garde The parloure it selfe being then pleasaunt and warme with a softe fyre burning amidest therof but all places and waies abrode troubled withe tempeste raging stormes winter windes hayle and snowe Nowe your grace considereth that this sparrowe while it was within the house felt no smart of tempesteouse winde or rayne But after the shorte space of this faire wether and warme ayre the poore byrd escapeth your sight and returneth from winter to winter againe So the life of man appeareth here in earth and is to be sene for a season but what maye or shall folowe the same or what hath gon before it that surely knowe we not Therefore if this newe lerning can enfoâ—me vs of anie better suertie my thinke it is worthie to be folowed Thus or in like manner sayd the rest of the elders and the kinges counsellers no doubte by the holie inspiration of God Only bishop Coyfi was not content to rest him here but sayd moreouer that he would with diligeÌ„ce note Pauline and marke what he said of that God whome he preached Which thing when he had so donne according to the kinges will and pleasure he returned againe and with a lowde voice sayde I vnderstoode certes longe a goe that in verie dede it was right nought which we worshipped as God For the more curiously that I sought for the trueth in worshipping our Godes certainly the farder was I from it and the lesse I founde hit But now doe I plainly perceaue and knowe that in this Pawlinus preaching and teaching is that trueth and veritie which is able to geaue vs the greate giftes of life of saluation and of blisse euerlastinge Wherfore I counsell and exhorte yowe my most Soueraine and dere Prince that we may out of hande curse our temples and abandon them And burne downe with fyre our Idolatrous aulters Which we haue heretofore erected in vayne and consecrated without all fruite and profitte But that I maye be shorte and come nere my purpose the kinge gaue his full and plaine consent to this holye man bisshop Pauline Willing him to preache the gospell freely And himselfe renouncing there all idolatrie promised that he would receaue and embrace the faith of Christe And demaunding then of this before sayd Coifi bishop of his sacrifices who should first profane the aulters and destroye the temples of Idols with all the grates and barres wherwith they were enuyroned Marry quoth he I will For who maye better then I which ons by folishnes worshipped and highly estemed them Therefore to the good example of all other I will now my selfe through the wisedome of God that is one only and true God geauen vnto me beate downe and vtterly destroye the abomination of our temples So sorsaking in this wise all superstitiouse custome and vaine dreade he besought the king to graunte him harnesse and armoure and therewith a greate courser and mighty couragious stalyon horse On which he mounted lustely and with all spede rode forth to batter and beate downe to grounde the idols Now was it not laufull for a bishop of the sacrifices either to were harnesse and armoure or to ride on other then a mare But Coyfi made smalle compte thereof For being alredie well harnessed and strongly girded with a swerd about his loynes sitting fast on the kinges courser and stought stalyon he tooke also in his hand a speare and so did marche and sette fourthe against the pernitiouse idols Which sight when the people sawe they thought he had ben madde Yet he for all that staied not But as sone as he approched nere the teÌ„ple profaned it casting thereon the speare which he held in his hand and muche reioysing now bycause he knew the true worshipping of God commaunded the companie which was there with him to destroye the temple to fyre the idolatrouse aulters and breake the barres grates or whatsoeuer ornamentes were theraboute And truly the place where those Idols sometime were is now to be seene not far from Yorke at the ryfing of the riuer Derwent And is at this present day called Gormund in Gaham In which place the bishop Coyfi by holy inspiratioÌ„ of the true God polluted and destroyed the aulters of false Goddes which himselfe before had solemly consecrated How king Edwine and all his subiectes were made Christians and in what place bisshop Pawlyne baptised them The 14. Chap. THen king Edwyne with al the nobilite of his countrie and most parte of the commons receiued Christes fayth and came to the lauetorie of holie regeneration the xj yeare of his raygne Which was the yeare of our Lorde 627. and aboute the 180. after the entrance of the english men into Britannie He was Christened at Yorke on Ester Sondaye which was the xij of Aprill in S. Peter thapostles church Which he had in al spede set vp of wood while he was catechised and instructed there in the fayth agaynst his Christening In this rite of Yorke he appointed a Bysshops See for byshop Pawline his informer and teacher At whose request and petitioÌ„ as sone as himselfe was Christened he buylded in that same place a greate temple of stone for an ample and large Cathedral church in the middest wherof he would haue enclosed this his owne propre oratorie which himselfe had first made of woode while he was instructed to the fayth