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
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
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
king entreated him to remaine with him enduing him with a bishoprik in his dominions which at the princes request he accepted and ruled the same people many yeres with priestly authoritie At the lenght the king who could only speake the Saxon tonge being wery of that foren language that Agilbertus vsed did priuely bring into the prouince an other bishop of his owne language named VVini the which also was made bishop in fraunce And diuiding the prouince into two dioceses gaue him a bishops see in the citie of Venta which the Saxons cal Vintancester Wherfor Agilbertus being highly displeased because the king did this without his counsayle returned againe into fraunce and after that he was aduanced to the bishoprike of the cite of Parris there he died an old man and very aged But not many yeres after his departure out of BritaÌ„ny Wini also was by the same king deposed from his bishoprike froÌ„ wheÌ„ce he departed to the king of the Marshes called Vulfhere and of him he bought with mony the see of the cite of LondoÌ„ and coÌ„tinued there bishopto the end of his lif Wherby the prouince of the west SaxoÌ„s lacked no small time a bishop At which time the forsaid king of the west Saxons being very often disquieted in his mind for the great losse and spoile which in his kingdome he susteined by his enemies called at last to his minde how he had wickedly expelled him out of his realme by whom he had receiued the faith of Christ vnderstanding withall that by want and lacke of a bisshop he wanted also the helpe and grace of almighty God Therfore he sent embassadours into fraunce to Agilbert beseeâ—hing him that he wold returne and resume againe his bishoprike offering with all to make satisfaction for that which was past But Agilbert excusing him selfe alleaged that he could in no wise repaire thither because he was bound to abyde at his bishoprike whiche he had in his owne countrey and diocesse Neuerthelesse to th eÌ„d he mought somwhat helpe him who did most earnestly desyre him he sent thither in his stede a certaine priest Eleutherius by name his own nephew who should be made a bishop for him if it were his plesure affirming that he deemed him to be well worthy of his bishoprike This Eleutherius was honourably receiued of the people and the kinge who entreated also Theodore then Archebishop of Caunterbury that Eleutherius should be consecrated their bishop In whiche function he liued and laboured many yeares beinge the only bishoppe of that prouince appointed so by a Synodall decree How Earconbert king of kent gaue commaundement to destroye ydolls and of his daughter Eeartongath and also of his kynse woman Edelburg virgins dedicated to God The. 8. Chap. IN the 640. yere of the incarnation of our Lord Eadbaldus king of kent passing out of this life left the gouernance of the realme to his sonne Earconbert Earconbert did prosperously raigne xxiiij yeres and certaine moneths This was the first king of England who of his princely authoritie commaunded that the idols which were in all his whole realme should be forsaken and destroyed and moreouer that the fast of fourty dayes should be kept And that this his authoritie mought not lightly be contemned of any man he appointed mete and conuenient punishments for the transgressours thereof Eartongath this princes daughter as a worthy childe of such a father was a virgin of greate vertu She serued god in a Monasterie all dayes of her life that was builded in the countree of Fraunce by an honourable Abbesse called Fara in a place named Brige For in those dayes when many monasteries were not yet builded in England many were wont for the loue of religious life to go to the religious houses of Fraunce sending also their daughters to the same to be brought vp and maried into heauenly bridegrome especially to the monasterie of BrigÌ„e and in Cale and also Andilegum Among whom was Sedrido daughter to the wife of Anna king of the east English of which king Anna we haue made mention before and Edelburg the sayd kinges naturall daughter who being straungers and alians were yet both made abbesses of the same monasterie in Brige by reason of their worthy vertues This kinges elder daughter Sexburg wife to Earconbert king of kent had a daughter named Eartongath and of her we will now treate The inhabitans of that place are wont euen at this day to tell of many vertuous dedes and miraculous signes wrought by this holv virgin We only will be contented to speke somewhat shortly of her departure out of this worlde and passage to a better lyfe The time and houre of her calling to God being at hand she began to visit in the monasterie the celles of the sicke especially of such her sisters as either for age or for vertuous conuersation were most notable Vnto whose prayers lowly commending her selfe signified vnto them the houre of her death approching according as she had learned by reuelation The reuelation as she reported was such She said she had seen a company of men apparelled in white enter into the same monasterye of whom asking what they sought for or what they would there it was answered her that they were sent thither to th end they might take with them that golden coyne which came from kent to that place And on the same night in the last part thereof that is to saye when the sonne began to rise she passing ouer the darkenesse of this present world went vp to the light that is aboue Many of the brethren of the same monasterie which were in other houses reported that they heard euen at the same moment the melodie of angels singing together and the noyse as though it were of a very greate multitude coming into the monastery whereuppon uppon they by and by going foorth to knowe what maner a thing it were saw that there was an exceading greate light sent downe from heauen which ledd and conducted that holy soule deliuered out of the pryson of the flesh to the euerlasting ioyes of the heauenly countrye Beside all this they reported of other miracles which were shewed by the hand of god that very night in the selfe same monastery But we passing to other miracles doe leue these to the religious persons of this monastery to report The honorable body of Christes virgin and spouse was buried in the church of S. Steuen that first blessed martyr And it was thought good three dayes after the buriall that the stone wherwith the graue was couered should be layed asyde and reered vp higher in the same place At the doing whereof so pleasaunt a smell and so swete a sauour came from the bottom of the earth that to all the brethern and sisters that stode by there semed as though there were storehouses and cellars of balme naturall opened Yea furthermore Edelburg aunte by the mothers side to this Eartongath of