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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34964	The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.	Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.	1668 (1668)	Wing C6890; ESTC R171595	1,241,234	706

being afterward converted betook himself to an Anachoreticall Life and succeeded S. Guthlac in his solitude XXVI CHAP. 1.2 3. The unhappy death of Osred King of the Northumbers 1. IN the kingdom of the Northumbers the same year dyed King Osred after he had raigned eleaven years And as he resembled the Mercian King Ceolred in his life so he did in his unfortunat death likewise Therefore S Boniface in his Letter to King Ethelbald who notwithstanding his good beginning fell afterward into the crimes of incest and sacriledge to deterre him from pursuing such sins makes use not only of the unhappy end of his Predecessours Ceolred as hath been declared but likewise of this King Osred his neighbour The words of his Epistle are these 2. Since the time saith he that Saint Gregory sent from the See Apostolick Preachers of the Catholick Faith into Brittany the Priviledges of Churches have remaind unviolated to the times of Ceolred King of the Mercians and Osred of the Deiri and Bernicians These two Kings by the Devills instinct not only practised but by their example taught others publickly to practise in this kingdom these two horrible sins the vi●lating of consecrated Nunns and infringing the Priviledges of Monasteries For which by the iust iudgment of God they have not only been cast down head-long from the height of Regal authority but being prevented by an immature and terrible death they are separated from everlasting Light and plunged deeply in the bottom of Hell For first as touching your Predecessour Ceolred c. as before And Osred who likewise was a Sacrilegious adulterer and ●avisher of holy Virgins the infernall Spirit never ceased to agitate and impell him from one excesse to another till he made him loose his kingdom youthfull life and soule likewise by a dishonourable death To these may be added a third exāple for Charles the late King of the Franks who was an invader and consumer of the revenews of Monasteries was at last consumed by a tedious tormenting sicknes and fearfull death following it 3. As touching the manner of King Osreds death all that we can find in our Ecclesiasticall monuments is that in a combat near unto Mere he was unfortunatly slain by the treason of his kinsman Kenred the son of Cuthwin who succeeded him in the government of the kingdom but enioyd the price of his impiety only two years XXVII CHAP. 1.2 The happy death of the holy King Ethelred 3 And of Saint Egwin Bishop of worcester 1. BVT there were two illustrious persons in Brittany whose deaths this year were as precious and happy as those of the two forenamed Princes were miserable These were Ethelred who had quitt the throne of the Mercian Kingdom to spend the remainder of his Life in the solitude and austerities of a Monastery And Egwin the famous Bishop of Worcester founder of the Noble Monastery of Evesham 2. Concerning the former Florentius of Worcester thus breifly writes Ethelred late King of the Mercians after he had been Abbot of the Monastery of Bardeney built by himself this year departed this life and entred into the ioyes of eternall felicity tranquillity and Light He was buried in the same Monastery called Bardeney by William of Malmsbury who affirmeth that many ages it was famous for the Sanctity of the Religious Monks living in it and its plentifull endowments especially after that King Ethelred there took the Crown of Monasticall To●sure In the Church of the said Monastery his Monument is seen to these times Wee doe anniversarily celebrate his Memory among Saints on the fourth of May. 3 In the next place the happy and holy death of Saint Egwin Bishop of Worcester is from the Authour of his life thus described by Harpsfeild When Saint Egwin 〈◊〉 come to the extremity of his mortall life he called together his Monks and children whom he had begotten to God and said to them My Brethren I have lived thus long amongst you and I am not ashamed that I have so lived for I have done what good I was able though all I have done is very small What you are to doe and what to avoyd I have frequently and in all the manners which seemed to mee expedient informed you Having therefore shewed you the only right way I beseech you to walk in it and let not any vain shadow of present felicity seduce you out of the way for it quickly vanishes and never remains in the same state Our Lord who is the way Truth and life remove from you the way of iniquity and instruct you in the way of his iudgments Thus being full of vertues he departed to our Lord on the third day before the Calends of Ianuary in the seaven hundred and twentieth year of Grace leg 16 And he was buried in the Monastery of Evesham founded by himself After his death God was pleased to work many Miracles by his intercession His Successour in the See of Worcester was Wilfrid or as he subscribes his name to the Charter of King Ethelbald given to the Monastery of Croyland Winfrid He was elected this year but not consecrated till the next XXVIII CHAP. i. 2 c. The Scottish Monks of Hyreduced to the due Observation of Easter c. by S. Egbert 1 A Great accesse was made to the luster of this year by the Conversion of the 〈◊〉 of Hy in Scotland and all the Monast●ries and Churches subject to them to the Vnity of the Catholick Church in the Observation of Easter and the Ecclesiasticall Tonsure Which pious work was per●ormed by the H●ly Monk Egbert of whom we have severall times treated How this was done by him S. Beda thus relates 2. Not long after saith he those Monks of the Scottish Nation inhabiting the Island Hy together with other Monasteries subiect to them were brought through Gods Providence to the Observance of the Catholick rite of Easter and the Canonicall Tonsure For in the year seaven hundred sixteen after our Lords Incarnation in which Osred King of the Northumbers being unhappily slain Coenrea or Ken●e un●ertook the government of the same the most Venerable Father Egbert Preist of whom we formerly made mention came to them out of Ireland and was with great honour and ioy received by them He being both a winning Teacher and a devout practiser of the dutyes he taught was willingly hearkned to by them all and by his pious and diligent exhortations wholly changed the inveterate Traditions which they had received from their Fathers to whom might be applyed that saying of the Apostle That they had the Zeale of God but not according to knowledge and taught them the Celebration of the Paschal Solemnity and the right Ecclesiasticall Tonsure or Crown after the Catholick and Apostolick Manner 3. And truly herein was visible an effect of Divine dispensation and goodness that whereas that Nation had formerly with great charity communicated to the English people the knowledge of

Monument of Antiquity preserved by our Countrey-man Capgrave The faithfullnes of whose relation is we see attested by other Historians also of good note and Authority as S. Beda Mathew of Westminster c. It will become us to say some thing of the said Authour himself and all that can be said is the Testimony that he gives concerning himself in these words full of Christian Modesty and Humility 2. Least posterity saith he be solicitous to know my name let them be contented to be informed that if they will give mee my true name they will call mee the miserable wretch worst of all sinners I am undertaking a iourney to Rome intending there to renounce the Errour of Paganism and by the Laver of Regeneration to obtain the pardon of all my sins This Book also I will present to the examination of the Romans to the end that if therin any thing should be found written otherwise then becomes a good Christian it would please our Lord Iesus Christ by their correction to amend it By which it appears that this Authour was at the writing of his Book as yet onely a Catechumen newly converted from Heathenish superstition What became of him in his voyage to Rome is known only to God who doubtlesse rewarded him highly for his piety and zeale to communicate to posterity the Gests of our glorious Martyr 3. This is he whom the learned Ecclesiasticall Historian Harpsfeild calls the nameles Authour whose Book was found in the Monastery of S. Albanus and who was more ancient then S. Beda And this Authour is frequently quoted by the Illustrious Cardinall Baronius who follows him likewise in his Narration touching this our glorious Martyr And to fortify the credit of his Authority in severall points before related touching the Martyrdom of S. Albanus we will here adioyn a memorable passage out of our ancient famous Historian Gildas who writing concerning this Persecution rais'd in Brittany by Diocletian saith as followeth 4. Almighty God who is willing that all men should be saved and who calls as well sinners as those who esteem themselves just hath magnified his mercy to us for in the foresaid persecution least our countrey of Brittany should be obscured by a dark night of ignorance he in his free bounty enlightned us by the bright shining Lamps of his holy Martyrs the places of whose Martyrdom and sepulchers of whose bodies would even now also imprint in our minds a great ardour of Divine love were it not that by the wofull aversion of barbarous Enemies and our own manifold crimes an accesse to those holy places is denyed us Those places I mean where repose the bodies of S. Albanus at Verolam and S. Aaron and Iulian at Caër-le●n and many others of both sexes in severall quarters all which with great magnanimity have stood up courageously in our Lords army Of which the first S. Albanus I mean after he had with much charity in imitation of Christ who lay'd down his life for his sheep entertain'd in his house and disguised with exchanging his own garments with him the holy Confessour of our Lord Amphibalus who was pursued by the Enemies of Christ and even ready to be apprehended moreover willingly offred himself in his foresaid brothers vestments to the persecutours Thus rendring himself acceptable to God he was during his holy Confession till he shed his blood in the presence of his impious Enemies who with a horrible pompe produced all the sorts of Roman tortures wonderfully adorned and glorified by God with many admirable miracles insomuch as by his fervent prayer in imitation of the passage of the Israelites with the Ark of the Testament through the waters of Iordan he with thousands following him went with drye feet over the Channell of the Noble river of Thames whilst on both sides the floods stood still like steep rocks By which miracle he converted the first Soldier deputed to be his executioner from being a wolf into a lamb and gave him the courage both vehemently to desire and valiantly receive the triumphant palm of Martyrdom 5. We here see the exact agreement between the ancient Brittish Historian Gildas and the foresaid Authour of the Acts of S. Albanus But our Modern Protestant Historians in relating this glorious combat and Victory of our first Martyr cutt of what they think good and decry or accuse of forgery whatsoever agrees not to their own faction without so much as pretending to any Antiquity to iustify their partiality 6. Particularly Iohn Foxe in his new fashion'd Martyrologe though he commends Saint Albanus and vouchsafes to call him a Martyr yet severall particulars mention'd by the forecited Authour of Saint Albanus his Acts in S. Beda and Gildas he superciliously censures or despises saying that he saw neither any necessity nor convenience why they should be recited by him For this reason he passes over with silence all mention of the Crosse with teares and great reverence honourd by Saint Alban and retain'd till the last moment of his life And as for the miracles perform'd by him the iubilation of Angells after his death and the like he confidently pronounces to be contrary to the truth of history And why Surely because he could not parallell such Miracles in the Gests of his new Protestant Martyrs no Angells God knows reioyced or praised God at their Executions 7. One observation of his full either of ignorance or malice must not be omitted That is where he says That the History of Saint Albanus his Martyrdom reports how the holy Martyrs head when it was cutt and separated from the body spoke some thing But this says he is like a Monkish fiction As if that namelesse Authour had been a Monke who was not so much as admitted into the Church by Baptisme But neither he nor any ancient or Modern Catholick Authour speaks of any such thing So that it seems he mistook the relation ascribing the Angells hymns to the Martyrs tongue XV. CHAP. 1. The Pious devotion of Ancient Christians to the Relicks of Holy Martyrs 2.3 Confirmed by the Acts of S. Sebastian c. 4. The Manicheans contemners of such Relicks 5.6.7 Temples built by Brittains to the honow of S. Albanus c. 8.9 Protestants wrongfully ascribe this Veneration of Relicks to S. Gregory 10. S. Albanus venerated at Mentz by the name of S. Albinus And why 11 12 The Controversy about the Body of S. Albanus between the Monks of Ely and S. Albans decided 13. S. Gregory Nazianzens testimony of the Veneration of Relicks 1. BEfore we quitt this argument we will shew with what piety and reverence the devout Christians in that and the following ages behaved themselves toward the ashes and sacred Relicks of our Holy Martyr This we may collect from the practise of those times in other Provinces For the persecuting Infidells knowing well with what solicitude Christians gathered the bodies and members of dead Martyrs and with what devotion they venerated

assistance of the Nobility about her and her Counsell he at last obtained Thus Hermannus Cromback relates the matter out of an ancient Manuscript belonging to the Monastery of S. Pantaleon in Colen who adds that this Translation befell in the year of Grace nine hundred eighty four 11. To conclude this subject and to demonstrate with what devotion our whole nation hath always celebrated the memory of this our first Brittish Martyr shall be here annex'd out of Thomas Walsingham a breif narration how the Controversy was ended betwen the two Monasteries of S. Alban and Ely both which earnestly and confidently pretended that S. Albanus his body repos'd among them 12. For King Edward the second celebrating Easter in the Monastery of Ely employed his authority to procure that the Tomb in which the Monks affirm'd that the Body of S. Albanus lay among them should be opened Which at last though with great reluctance of the Monks being perform'd there was nothing at all found in it but only a course hairy garment in the upper part whereof was seen sprinckled in severall places thick congeald blood as fresh as if it had been shed a few dayes before which garment was without all question the Caracalla which S. Albanus received from his Master Saint Amphibalus and wherin he suffred Martyrdom And by this discovery the Monks of S. Alban to their great ioy gained their cause 13. Neither let any one wonder that the same Veneration should be pay'd to a Martyrs Vestment sprinkled with his blood which would be given to his whole body for by many miracles God hath testified that this is acceptable to him A more authentick witnes hereof cannot be required then the Holy and learned Father S. Gregory Nazianzen whose words are these A little portion of dust a particle of bones a little haire part of the Vestment or the marks of the blood of a Martyr sprinckled ought to have as much veneration as the whole body Nay I have known where onely the name of a Martyr attributed to a place has produced the same vertue that the Martyrs whole body would have done O wonderfull the memory alone of Martyrs is sufficient in my opinion to conferr health XVI CHAP. 1.2 c. The ancient Acts of S. Amphibalus 3. Great multituds present at the death of S. Albanus converted 4.5 S. Amphibalus venerates the Crosse. 6.7.8 A thousand Brittish Christians martyrd in the presence of S. Amphibalus 9. The place of their Martyrdome Lichfeild 1. THE first that follow'd S. Albanus by the way of Martyrdom to heaven was his Master Amphibalus who first shewd him the way thither Concerning whō thus wee read in his Life extant likewise in Capgrave but written by a lesse ancient Authour as appears by the context of it for he mentions some Provinces by names which were not given them till some ages after these times as wallia Wales c. 2. When S. Amphibalus had by his preaching and exhortation through the operation of the Holy Ghost converted the glorious Martyr S. Albanus to the Fatih his Venerable Disciple earnestly perswaded him to depart that Citty of Verolam and withall gave him his own Soldiers garment richly woven with gold that so he might travell more safely from his enemies To whose request Amphibalus condescending began his flight early in the morning directing his iourney northward with an intention to preach the word of God to the Gentiles in Wales 3. After whose departure followd the Martyrdom of S. Albanus and when the multitudes which accompanied him to his death saw the pillar of light which from his tombe rais'd it self up to heaven and the Angells descending and asscending with praises to God all the night they were amazed at that unusuall lig●t which they ascribed to the miraculous power of God Whereupon one of thē seeing the rest astonishd thus spake to them It is manifest that it is Christ the Son of God who hath wrought these wonderfull things The Gods which we have hitherto worshipped are rather Monsters then Deities having no power nor Divinity in them so that we have spent our dayes in their worship without any proffit at all See how the nights darknes gives way to celestiall splendours See how the heavenly Cittizens come and goe celebrating the Sanctity of Albanus Let us therfore forsake our former Errours and be converted from lyes to truth from infidelity to Faith Let us goe and enquire out the man of God who as you know converted by his preaching Albanus to the Faith This man having with these and other like speeches exhorted the rest they all with one accord presently profess'd a detestation of their former Heathenish Errours and exalted the Faith of Christ. 4. Thus with great hast they directed their iouney into wales where the servant of God Amphibalus was suppos'd to remain To whom when they were come they found him preaching the word of life to the people of that Region and told him the cause of their coming withall presenting to him the Crosse which himself had before bestow'd on his Disciple Albanus and which was sprinckall over with fresh blood thereby exhibiting manifes●●igns of the Blessed mans Martyrdom 5. As touching this Crosse thus Mathew of westminster writes The Crosse says he which the holy Martyr Albanus was wont almost continually to carry in his hands at his death being sprinckled with his blessed blood fell upon the grasse which a certain Christian privily took up and conceal'd it from the Pagans 6. The same Authour pursuing this Story adds That S. Amphibalus having heard and seen these things gave thanks to Almighty God and made a Sermon of Christian Religion to these his new Auditours who were in number about a thousand To whose doctrin they all immediatly profess'd their consent and beleif and therupon chearfully received from his sacred hands the Seale of Faith which is in Christ to witt his holy Baptism 7. In the mean time the conversion and departure of such great multitudes caused great trouble among the Pagan Cittizens of Verolam wherupon the Ministers of the persecution rais'd against Christians there resolved to pursue with all cruelty the holy man Amphibalus who had been the cause of so great a change and in order thereto they with armed forces march'd the same way which their companions had taken intending to find out this publick and profess'd Enemy of their Superstition In conclusion they easily found him who sought not to escape from them and they found him employed in his usuall office of preaching the word of God to his new Converts 8. Then according to the relation of the Acts of this holy Martyr rushing with violence upon him O seducing wretch said they how darest thou with thy fallacious inventions deceive this simple people and teach them to trample under ●●●t the Imperiall Lawes and contemne our Gods They said no more but mad with rage presently without any distinction

the end the Councill may again be renewed if you please let us honour the memory of S. Peter the Apostle that those who have examined the cause may write to Iulius Bishop of Rome and if his sentence be that judgment ought to be renew'd let it be renew'd and let him appoint Iudges But if he shall approve the cause to be such as that those things which have been acted in it shall not be again reiterated what he decrees herin shall be confirmed if such be all your pleasures The Synod answered This pleases us 7. In pursuance of which there was added this following Canon Gaudentius Bishop said If you please let this be added to this Decree which thou hast pronounced full of Sanctity That when any Bishop shall be deposed by the judgment of neighbouring Bishops and shall publickly declare that his intention is to plead his cause in the Citty of Rome after such an Appeale of a Bishop who seems to be deposed let not another Bishop be ordain'd in his chaire till his cause be determin'd in the judgment of the Bishop of Rome 8. Moreover to provide against tedious delays of causes and incommodities of transporting witnesses to Rome with excessive charges c. the Holy Synod thought fit to adjoyn another Decree in this form Osius Bishop said It is the pleasure of the Synod that if a Bishop be accused and that the Bishops of that Region assembled together shall give judgment against him and depose him from his Degree in case he who is depos'd shall appeale and have recourse to the Bishop of the Roman Church with a desire to be heard before him if the said Roman Bishop shall think it just to have the examination of the cause renew'd let him be pleased to write to those Bishops which are in a neighbour and confining Province signifying that they should diligently examin the matter and determin the cause according to truth and justice But if the Bishop who desires his cause may again be heard shall by Petition move the Roman Bishop to send from his own presence è latere suo a Preist to heare and iudge the cause it shall be in the power and liberty of the Roman Bishop to doe as he pleases and thinks most convenient And if he shall resolve to send persons having his authority from whom they are sent to be present in judgment with other Bishops this shall be left to his own pleasure But if he think sufficient that the Bishops of the said Provinces put an end to the controversy let him doe what in his most wise counsell he shall judge most expedient 9. Thus was the matter of Appeales or Revisions regulated in this holy Synod at which were present no fewer then thirty African Bishops named by S. Athanasius in his Apology So that it may seem wonderfull how the same cause of Appeales could afterward in the next age be question'd by their successours But the true ground hereof was that the Donatists had by their subtilty and malicious diligence abolished all the Copies and true Acts of the Councill of Sardica through Africk in the place of them substituting the Acts of the Anti-Synod celebrated by a few Eastern Bishop at Philippopolis under the title of the Synod of Sardica And their motive was because in the Epistle of that false Council the Arian Bishops made mention of Donatus the Donatist Bishop of Carthage This appears by comparing severall testimonies of S. Augustin as where in a certain Epistle he sayes Fortunius the Donatist shew'd mee a certain Book out of which he pretended to demonstrate that the Councill of Sardica had written to the Bishops of Africa of the Communion of Donatus And ● little afterward he saith Then having taken the Book and considering the Decrees of the said Councill I found that S. Athanasius and other Catholick Bishops yea and Iulius Bishop of Rome no lesse Catholick then they had been condemned by that Councill of Sardica hereby I was assured that it was a Councill of Arians 10. These Decrees touching the Supereminent authority of the Bishop of Rome though they were not presently received in the East by reason of the discession of the Eastern Arian Bishops yet afterwards in the Councill of Constātinople in Trullo call'd Quino-Sextum they were expressly admitted And no shew of doubt can be made but that the Brittish Bishops caried back with them these Decrees into Brittany by which their subordination to the Roman See was evidently declared 11. A f●urth Canon was likewise there established to restrain the frequent repair of Deacons sent by their Bishops to the Emperours Court ad Comitatum in the regulating whereof a particular honour was attributed to the Bishop of Rome for thus runs the Canon If any such come to Rome as hath been said Let them present their Petitions to our most holy Brother and fellow-bishop of the Roman Church that he may first examine whether they be honest and just and consequently afford his diligence and care that they may be caried to Court All the Bishops said that this pleased them well and that the counsell was honest Then Alypius Bishop sayd If such men undertake the incommodities of a long voyage for the causes of pupills widdows and such as are unjustly oppressed they will have just reason to doe so But now they repair thither to make Requests for things which without casting an odious envy on us and which deserve reprehension can not be granted therfore there is no reason that such should be permitted to goe to the Court. 12. The Synod being dissolved the Emperour Constans employ'd his utmost diligence and authority in the execution of its Decrees And wheras the cheifest difficulty was concerning the restitution of S. Athanasius to his See for the Eastern factious Bishops who had made a discession from the Councill had used means to obstruct his return Hereupon Constans wrote to his Brother for his restitution adding withall by way of menacing that if he should refuse to effect it he must know for certain that himself would come thither and in despight of him restore the Banish'd Bishops to their Sees Thus writes Socrates out of the Emperours letter 13. Now what effect this intercession of the Emperour Constans had the same Historian thus continues to relate Assoon as the Eastern Emperour understood these things he conceiv'd in his mind no small greif Whereupon assembling many Eastern Bishops he declared to them how difficult a choice was offred to him and ask'd their counsell what he should doe Their answer was That it was much better to allow Athanasius the administration of his Church then to hazzard a Civill warr Hence it came to passe that the Emperour constrained by mere necessity sent for Athanasius to come to him 14. The year following therefore Athanasius return'd into the East being recommended to the Emperour by letters written in his behalf by Pope Iulius He was