wilt thou my son that I shall teache the how thou maist be deliuered of the griefe of this sickenesse Ryse goe into the church and when thou comest to Oswalds sepulture sit downe there and abiding quietly cleaue vnto the tumbe beware thou goe not from thence nor stirre out of the place vntill the fitt of feuer shall be past then will I come and bringe the foorth from thens The childe did as the religious man had counsailed him And when he was sitting hard by the holy mans tumbe the sicknes did in no wise presume to attache him but fled incontinently from him as daring not kepe any course with him neither the next daye nor the third daye no yet any time afterward That this was so done the religious man who came from thence reported to me and saith furthermore that at the tyme of his talke with me that younge man on whom when he was but a child this miracle of health was done was yet alyue in the same monastery And it is not to be wondered at that the prayers of that king now reigning with God maye doe muche with him Who hauing sometime the gouernance of a temporall realme accustomed him selfe to continuall and earnest prayer for the euerlasting kingdome Finally men report that he had oftentimes continued in prayer from midnight mattins vntill it were day and by the reason of his common custome of praying or geuing god thankes he was wont alwaies whersoeuer he did sitt to haue his handes vpright vppon his knees Yea it is is said also that he ended his life as he was saying his deuotions For whiles he was compassed about with the artillary and assayled of his ennemies and sawe that he should be slaine immediatly he made his prayer to god to saue those souldiers soules which were in his armye Of the which occasion came vp this prouerbe God haue mercy on their soules quoth Oswald when he died him selfe His bones were conueyghed and buried in the monastery whereof we speake And whereas the king who killed him commaunded that his head and his handes with his armes cut of from the body shuld be hanged vp on poles a yeare after Oswine his successour in the kingdom came with his armie and toke them away burying his head in the churcheyarde of holy Iland churche and laying vpp his handes with his armes in the cytee of Bebba How a certaine man in Ireland being at the pointe of death was by his relikes restored to life The. 13. Chap. THe renowne of this famous man hath passed not only ouer all the borders of Britaine but also spreading the beames of holesome light farre beyonde the Occean sea came to the coastes of Germany and Ireland likewise The right reuerent bishop Acca was wonte to tell that in his iourney to Rome as he passed through Friselande and abode sometime there in the house of VVillibrorde that holy bishop of Friselande with his prelate VVilsride he heard him oftentymes reporte what were done in that prouince by the meanes of the religious relikes of this most vertuous king At what tyme also he being but yet a priest ledde a pilgrimes life in Ireland for the loue he had to the euerlasting countrey he reported that the bruite of this kings holines was then farr abrode sowen in that yle also One miracle whiche he rehersed among other we haue thought good to write in this owr present historye In a tyme of mortalytie sayd this man which by a greate death destroyed Britayne and Ireland a certayne scholer whose auncetours were scottes was stroken with the same pestilence a man skilfull certesse in the studye of learning but one that vsed no diligence and tooke no labour at all for the attayning of his owne euerlasting saluation Who when he saw him selfe to be at deaths doore trembled and was troubled in sprite for death so nye approching fearing as his lewde life deserued to be throwen down into the doungeon of hell And therwith he cryed to me being lodged not far of and fetching depe and sorowfull sighes in a trembling and lamentable voyce made thus his mone vnto me Yow see quoth he that now by the increase of my bodely greefe I draw to the poynt of deathe And I know surely that by and by after the deathe of this my body I shall be taken awaie to the euerlasting death of the soule and that I must endure the torments of hell for that trauayling in the reading of holy writt and occupied alwaies in diuine study I became yet rather a slaue of sinne then a keper of gods holy commaundements But if God of his mercifull goodnes will graunt me any leysure to liue I purpose to amēd my sinfull manners and dispose from hence foorth my whole life to the will and pleasure of almightye God Yet I knowe that I haue not deserued either to haue or to hope for so much truce and respyte to liue except peraduenture by the help of such as haue faithfully serued God he will of his tender mercy vouchsafe to forgeue me so wretched and miserable a synner For we haue heard it commonly reported that there hath ben in your nacion a king of wonderfull holinesse called Oswalde the excellencie of whose faith and vertue yea after his deathe was well knowen by working of many miracles I besech yow therfore if yow haue any of his relikes left with yowe in your keping bring it to me because it may so be that God will haue mercy vpon me through his merits To whome I made this answere forsooth I haue of the tree whereupon his head was sticked after that he was flayne of the paynims and if thou wilt beleue assuredly the mercifull goodnes of God by the merite of so worthye a person may both graunt the longer tyme to leade this life and also make the a meete man to enter into the life euerlasting Who answering me incontinent that he did perfectly beleue so I called for water and blessing it I cast in a chyppe of the forsayde oken tree geuing of the water the sicke man to drinke Foorthwith he began to amend and recouering his health lyued along tyme after and being tourned to God in al hart and deede did openly declare to all men wher euer he came the graciousnesse of our mercifull maker and the glory of his faithful seruaunt How that Thamar when Pauline was deade succeded him in the bishoprike of Rochester and of the meruaylous humilitie of Osuuius whom Oswin killed cruelly The 14. Chapter THis blessed kinge being exalted to the kingdome of heauen his brother Oswin a young man about thirty yeres old toke on him in his steede the gouernaunce of the earthly kingdome and ruled the realme withe greate disquietnesse and trouble the space of eight and twenty yeres For first the paynim and mighty king Penda had warre against him Then the paynim people of the Marshes which slewe his brother made him battaile Also
corner some in to that The bishop him self with certaine other went to Pipine which at the earnest sute of his ladye Slichildride gaue him a dwelling and maÌ„sion place in a isle of the Rhene which in their toungue is called In litore that is to say in the sea cost where he buylding a goodly monastery which his successours possesse at this present liued a very austere and continent lyfe there where al so he died After the foresaid holy men that came to Frisland had preached there iiij yeares or mo Pipine with the common assent of all the country sent that vertuous and worthy prelate VVilbrodde to Rome where Sergius was yet Pope desyring that he might be made Archebishop of that parte of Freslande the which was fulfilled accordinge to his request the yeare sence the incarnation of Christ. 696. Vpon sainct Cicelies day and in sainct Cicelies churche he was consecrated and named Clement of the said Pope and forthwith sent away to his bisshoprycke to witt xiiij dayes after his cominge to Rome At his returne Pipine assigned him a Cathedrall Churche in his chief and principall cyte called by an olde auncient name of those countries VViltaburge as yow would say a toune inhabited of the VViltes In the french tounge it is called Vltraict Where when this holy and reuerend father had buildid a churche and preaching the faith of Christ farr and wyde had reuokyd many from blindnes and errour he erected also many churches and monasteries through out al those couÌ„tryes and within shorte tyme after made many bishopps chosen either out of those that came presently with him or of other which came thither afterward to preache of the which company many are now departed to god But Wilbrorde called otherwise Clement lyueth yet a reuerent father euen for his age for he hath lyued in his bishoppricke xxxvj yeres and after many agonies and troubles of his heuenly warfare laboureth and panteth yet after the rewarde of euerlastinge blysse in heauen Howe one in Northumberland rysing from deathe tolde many thinges that he had sene some terrible to heare and some worthy to be desired of all men The. 13. Chap. THe very same time was wrought in Britanny a miracle worthy of perpetuall remembraunce and not vnleke to the olde auncient miracles of tymes past for to stirre vp and reuiue men lyuing here vppon earth from the death of their soules a certayne man starke dead for a tyme rose from death to lyfe and tolde many notable thinges that he had seene of the which I thought it good to touche certayne briefly in this historie There was in the coast of Northumberlande in a place callyd Incunning an honest householder of the countrie which with all his family lyued a godly and vertous life He fell sicke and by vehemency of his dysease growing more and more vppon hym was brought to extremyty and in the beginnyng of the nyght died But in the dauninge of the day reuiuing agayne and fittinge vpp sodaynly made all that remained aboute the corse runne a way as men wonderfully amased with feare Only his wife which loued him tenderly although she tremblyd and quakyd tarried still And he comforting her sayed be not afraide For I am nowe rysen in very dede from death which had me as it were in prison and am permitted to liue in earth amongst men againe but not after the same maner and trade as I did before From hence forth my conuersation must be farr vnleeke to my former life And rysing by and by he went to the paryshe churche and continuing there in prayer vntill it was fayre day light forthwyth diuided all his goods into thre partes one parte he gaue to his wife an other to his children the third he reserued to him selfe and made distribution of it straytways amongst the poore Not longe after dispatched of all worldly cares he went to the Monastery of Mailros The which is almost closed in with a creeke of the ryuer Tuyde Where being shoren in he went into a secret cell which the abbot had prouided for him and contynued there vntill his dying day in such contrition of harte and mortefying of the body that if his tounge had not reported yet his life had testified that he had sene many thinges bothe terrible and also comfortable which no other man had sene Of the vision which in his departure he sawe he told after this sorte He that conducted and guided me in this vision had a goodly bright shyning countenaunce and was clothyd all in white and as it semed to me we went altogether in silence towardes the rysing of the sonne and as we walkyd furder we came to a great brode vally so brode so loÌ„ge and so deepe that no man could measure it That which lay on the left hande as we went semed to haue one side very terrible with flaming fier the other intolerable with hayle and snowe beating an percing into euery corner Bothe places were full of mens sowles which apperyd to me to be cast interchaungeably nowe hither now thither as it wer with a violent tempest for when they could no lenger suffre the intolerable heate and flames of fier they leaped to the mydst of that hatefull and deadly colde And when they pitefully in could finde no reast there agayne they wer reuersed into those vnquencheable flames of fier As an infinite number of miserable and wretched soules were tormented without ceaâ—inge or intermission as I might then see with this alteration and interchaunge of paynes I beganne to thynck with my selfe peraduenture this may be hell of whose intolerable torments I haue heard men oftentimes talke But to this cogitation and thought of myne my guyde answeryd sayeng Na thinke not so for this is not hell as thowe doest suppose But when he brought me farder beinge altogether amased with that terrible sight I sawe the places rownde aboute vs sodaynly leese their lyght and euery corner full of darknes As we entred in to them within a litle space they were so thycke that I could see nothing but the bright shewe and cote of him which did conducte me When we went forward all alone in this darknesse beholde sodaynly there appeared before vs many rounde flawes of fier ascending as it were oute of a greate pitt and falling downe againe into the same When I was brought thither my conductour and guide vanished away and left me alone in the midest of that darknesse and horrible sight But as those flawes of fyer flew vppe into the element still without intermission and fell downe into the deape doungell againe I sawe the topp of euery flawe that ascended full of mens soules which in maner of litle sparcles of fyer flying vppe with the smoke were somtimes a hye and when the heate and vapors of the fier were gone fell downe againe into the pitte Moreouer a foule and noysom sauour breaking out with the same vapours infected all the darke places rownde about
churches through out all England Byshop Chadd a man of great huÌ„blenesse Lincolne diocese and Lichfield and VVorceter * Lincolne shere Eccles. 3. How seling before death The great feare of God in B. Chadd Psal. 17. Lincolne shere Charite beleueth all things 1. Cor. 13. Miracles at the tombe of S. Chead Lincolne dyocese Holy IloÌ„d An. 670. The first Synode or Conuocation of the english church The determinations of the holy fathers to be folowed Vowe of obedience â— religioÌ„ An. 673. Theodore the Archebishop of Caunterbury deposeth VVinfride bishop of Lichefilde c. Essex Saint Erkenwalde the 4. bishop of London Berking in Essex Children browght vp in NoÌ„â—eries 2. Câ— 1â— Sinne purged by paine in this lyfe Good workes * The like maner of deuotion vsed Constantia a holy woman at the â—â—mbe of Hilarion the monk as S. Hierom recordeth in the life of Hilarion writen by him Tom. 1. Beholde how farre differeÌ„t the faith of our primitiue church is from the false faith of protestants Note the iudgemeÌ„t of S. Bede An. 677. An. 678. The dioceâ—es of Yorke Carlele and Dyrham Holy â—â—nd Lincolne shere The first bishops of Lincolne The CoÌ„uersion of Sussex to the faith Sussex In Bosam a monasterie before the faith openly receiued in Sussex A miserable famine in Sussex before the faith receaued The first christeniÌ„g in Sussex miraculous Selsee Selsee the first monasterie in Sussex now brought to the faith Miracles in the monasterie of Sâ—â—â—ee in Sussex Fasting against the plage Intercession of Saintes Masse in the memory of Saints That is of Hampshere The Vites inhabited HaÌ„pshere as the Saxons Sussex Sussex and HaÌ„psphere The secoÌ„d Synode of the church of EnglaÌ„de The v. firste general councels receaued by a coÌ„moÌ„ consent of the church of EnglaÌ„d about 800 yeares past The 5â— In this monasterie S. Bede was brought vp Priuilege from Rome for the libertie of monasteries Order of singing and churche seruice from Rome The heresy of the Monotholite The Pope is informed of the state of the church Lege Cipr. lib. 1. epist 3. et Aug. ep 92. 93. VVhy the miracles here reported ought not to be mistrusted Luc. 22. Nonnes coÌ„secrated of bishops The I le of Eelye VVhat burdens are borne now a dayes of lesse then kinges children and yet no grief felt at all * The napkins and partlets taken from S. Paules body healed the sicke and expelled diuels Act. cap. 19. c. In Cambridge shere An example for the coÌ„firmatioÌ„ of purgatory The sacrifice of the Masse propitiatory An. 680â— Vow and habit monasticall Colchester Dorchester in Barkeshere In holy Ilond Going to Rome accompted a matter of deuotion in our primitiue church 2. Cor. 22. The ferâ—â—ry Reseruation of the blessed Sacrament Howseling befoer death Blessing with the signe of the crosse A Nunnerie burned for the sinnes of the inhabitaÌ„s CoÌ„fessioÌ„ to the priest Psal. 94. Penaunce enioyned Abuses of religious persons punished by God from heauen An. 684. The welâ—hmen An. 635. Holy IloÌ„de The I le of Cochette The life of S. Cutbert being yet a monke In the first booke the. 27. chap. The life of S. Cutbert writen by S. Bede is ex tant in the. 3. tome of his workes The third Synod of the english church CoÌ„secration of bishops with a number of bisshops S. Cutbert the example of a good Bisshoppe S. Cutberts deuotion at masse time Quomodo in vâ—â—asua dilexerunt se iâ—a in merâ—e noÌ„ sunt separati As they loued in their lyfe so in their death they were not seuered Holy Ilond The deuotion of bisshops in times past In the third tome of S. Bedes workes If they which now preach only faith had such faith they should see such miracles now Holy Ilond Of S. Iohn of Beuerlake Act. cap. 3. Dedication of churches The faith of our primitiue church An. 689. Pilgrimage to Rome a woÌ„t matter in our primitiue church An. 690. An. 692. * People of high Allemaigne about the cyte of Camin * People of the higher part of â—â—iseland VVe reade in the Actes of the Apostles that S. Paul and Stlas were forbidden of the holy Ghost which was by reuelatioÌ„ to preache the worde in Asia and in Bithinia Act. cap. 16. The Redshankes Friseland conuerted to the faithe The gouuernemeÌ„t of the old Saxons The martyrâ—ome o◠〈◊〉 english priests in Saxony * People of the higher Frisia An. 696. VVilbrord an english man the first Archebishop of Vltraict in FrisselaÌ„d Let the Christian reader here aduise him self whether he may scorne at this vision bicause in heathen writers as in the Menippus of Lucian and other such fonde tales are fained or rather to beleue it bicause so lerned and holy a man râ—porteth it the time also of our first coming to the faith considered Truly I thinke therefore the heathen and infidell faineth such thinges in his false religion bycause he knoweth thaâ— God reueleth the lâ—ke to such as serue him in true religion Euen as S. Augustin noteth that therefore the diuell is delighted with externall sacrifice of man bicause he knoweth that kinde of worship to be due and proper to God him selfe Lib. 10. de Ciuit. dei Cap. 19. Holy Ilond A true and necessary doctrine for this wicked time Psal. 13. A old prouerbe Actor 7. In Northumberland Catholike â—osâ—ruations to be preferrâ—d The place of Christes natiuite * Of this church erected by Helena mother of Constantin Paulinus Nolensis maketh mention Epist. 11. ad Seuerum The deuotion of the Christians in Ierusalem aboue a thousand yeres past Et erit sepulchrum eius glorisum And the place of his buriall shall be glorious sayth the prophet Esaie Cap. 11. * VVho thinketh this incredible lett him geue a reason of the pathe way by Salisbury called S. Thomas pathe by Clarengdon parke * This abridgement is extant in the 3. tome of S. Bedes workes An. 705. * In the borders of VVilshere The dioceses of Sussex and HaÌ„pshere diuided Celse fouÌ„ded by Eadbert the first bishop of Celse in Sussex by Chichester Lib. 3. cap. 52. The lyfe of bishop VVilfrid the Apostle of Sussex Holy Ilond * The countre about Salisbury Lib. 3. cap. 28. Lib. 4. cap. 12. The heresie of the monothelites condemned The See Apostolique Bishopp VVilfride the Apostle of Sussex * Now called weimouth in which Abâ—by vnder this Ceolfrid S. Bede was brought vp and liued al daies of his life A lerned letter of the Abbat Ceolfridâ— vnto Naitan kinge of the Peyghtes or Redshankes A proufe out of holy Scripture of the Catholique obseruation off Easter Exodi 12. a. 2 c. 18. This first moneth beginneth in the first moone after the Aequiuâ—ctium Exodi 12. a. 2. Exod. 12. c. 15. Nume 33. a. 3. Exod. 12. c. 17. It is so called Act. 20. and Ioan. 20. The B. Sacrament is offred vp to god the father Leuit. 23. a. 5. Leuit. 23. The contrary opinion is refuted * The xxj daie of marche Gene. 1. * The moneth of Aprill * Dies Dominicâ— He meaneth the Pelagians The inuention of the golden number Matt. 16. Act. 8. They did beare the signe of the crossâ— in their so rehead which vsed to bleâ—se them selues therewith This accompt is now called the golden numbre An. 716. Rom. 10. An. 728. An. 725. An. 729. An. 731. * Of Yorke * Of holy Iland and al NorthuÌ„berland
citie of Rotchester where the see had bene nowe longe vacant by the death of Damian did appoint and consecrat byshop there a man better skilled in the ecclesiasticall discipline and more geuen to plaine and simple sinceritie of lyfe than any thinge politike in worldly affayres His name was Putta a good churche man and cunning in musike after the Romaine vse which he had learned of Pope Gregories scholers How Chadda afore mentioned was appointed bishop of the Marshes or middleenglishmen and of his lyfe death and buriall The 3. Chap. AT that time was VVulpher king of the Marshes who after the death of Iaruman desired of Theodore to haue an other bishop appointed for him and his But Theodore would not consecrate them a newe bishop but desyred king Oswin that Chadde might be their bishop who at that time liued quietly in his monasterie at Lesting and VVilfrid ruled the diocese of yorke and also of all Northumberlande and of the Pictes to as far as king Oswines dominion dyd reache And bicause the said most reuerend bishop Chadde was wonte alwaies to preache and doo the worke of the ghospell more walking a fote wher he went than on horsebacke Theodore willed him to ryde when so euer he had any iourney to take But he refusing vtterly so to doo for the exceding desire and loue that he had of that holy labour and trauaile Theodore himselfe did lifte him on horsebacke with his owne handes knowing him in dede to be a very holy man and so cōpelled him to ride whether nede required Chadd heing thus made bishop of the Marshes the middle english men and of Lindisse he diligently gouerned the same after the examples of the auncient fathers in great perfection of life Vnto whom also king VVulpher gaue the land of L. tenements to build a monasterie with all in the place which is called Etbeare which is by a wood in the prouince of Lindisse where vntill this daye the steppes of monasticall lyfe which he began and placed there do yet remaine The seate and chiefe mansion of the diocese he held at Lichfield where he dyed also and was buried and where vntill this day cotineweth the see of the bishops that succede in the same prouince This man had made himselfe not far from the churche a certaine closet and priuate mansion in which as often as he was at leysure from the busynesse and ministerie of the ghospell he was wont to pray and reade secretly with a fewe that is to saye vij or viij bretherne with him And when he had gouerned the church most worthely in that prouince two yeres and an halfe by the dispensation and appointement of God aboue that time came which the Ecclefiastes speaketh of There is a time to lay abrode stones and a time to gather them together againe For there came a plage sent from God which by the death of the body remoued the liue stones of the churche from the earthly places to the celestiall building in heauen For very many of the churche of this most reuerend bisshop were taken out of this life And when his howre was come to that he should passe out of this worlde to our Lorde it happened on a certaine day that he abode in the foresayd closet and had no mo but one brother with him whose name was Owen all the reast of his felowes being retourned to churche as the cause and houre required This same Owen was a monke of great perfection and one that had forsaken the world with pure intent and hope of the rewarde of heauen a man for all pointes worthy to whome God in speciall wise might reuele and shewe his secrettes and well worthy to whose wordes the hearers may giue credit For coming with Quene Edildride from the prouince of the East English and being the chief off her seruauntes and gouernour of her house for the great zeale of faith that encreased in him determining with himselfe to renounce the world did in dede accomplysh the same not slackely and negligently but in such sort vncladd himself of worldly matters that forsaking all that euer he had being clothed but with plaine and poore apparayl and bearing an hatchet or axe in his hand came to the monasterie of the same most reuerend father called Lestinghe For he signified that he would entre into the monasterie not for ease and idlenesse as some do but to trauaile and labour which thing he well shewed and proued in his doinges for the leasse able and apte that he was for the studie and meditatiō of the scriptures the more diligēt and painfull he was to worke with his handes Finally his reuerence and deuotion was such that the bishop accepted him for one of his brethern to accompany him with the other fewe in the foresaid closet Where while they with in were occupied in reading and prayer he without dyd those thinges abrode that were necessarie to be done And on a certaine day as he was dooing some such thing abrode the reast being gone to churche as I began to say and the bishop being alone in the oratorie of the house occupied in reading or prayer this Owen heard sodainly as he after told a most swete noyse of voyces singing and reioysinge comming downe from heauen to the earth the which voice he sayd he first heard begynning from the south east that is from whence the depth of winter comes and then by litle and litle drawinge nere him vntill it came to the roofe of the oratorie where the bishop was where it entred filled it within and compassed it all rownd about Whereat geuing earnestly mind to marke the thinge that he heard he did againe as it were about an houre after heare the same ioyfull song go vp and ascend from the roofe of the said oratorie and retourne vp to the heauens the very same way that it came with vnspeakeable swetenes Whereat as he mused a space and was as it were astouned imagining and deuising depely in his minde what this might be the bishop opened the oratorie windowe and as he vsed to doo made a noyse and signe with his hand and bad some man come into him if there were any body without Then came he straight way to whome the bisshop said Go to the churche quickely and cause those vij bretherne to come hither and come you with them to And when they were come first he admonished them to kepe among them selues and toward all faithfull folke the vertue of charitie and peace and also with vnweary continuance to folowe the rules and orders of monastical discipline which they had either learned of him and sene in him or founde in the doings or sayings of the former fathers And then did he tell them moreouer that the day of his departing was very nigh at hand For that most louely geast quod he who was wonte to visit our bretherne hath voutsafed this day to come to me also and to call me out of this world Wherefore
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
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
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
great and the bridge they had to passe ouer so litle that it would be toward night er they all could get ouer Albane longing much for his blessed death and hasting to his Martyrdome cumming to the riuers side and making there his prayer with lifting vp his eyes and harte to heauen sawe furth wyth the bottom to haue bin dried vp and the water geue place for him and the people to passe ouer dryshod as it were vpon euen grownde Which when among other the executioner which should haue beheddid him did see he made hast to mete him at the place appointed for his death and there not without the holy inspiration of God he fell downe flat before his feete and casting from him the sword which he held in his hande ready drawen desired rather that he might be executioned ether for him or with him rather then to do execution vpoÌ„ him Where vpoÌ„ this maÌ„ being now made a fellow of that faith wher of before he was persecutor and the swerd lying in the grouÌ„d before theÌ„ the other officers staggering and doubting all who might take it vpp and doe the execution the holy confessor of God with the people there assembled went vnto a hill almost half a mile of from that place beautifully garnished with diuers herbes and flowers not rough or vneasy to climme but smothe plaine and delectable worthy and mete to be sanctified with the blood of the blessed Martyr vnto the the top where of when he was ascended he required of God to giue him water and strayt there arose a spryng of fayer water before his feete whereby all might perceaue that the riuer before was by his meanes dried For he which left no water in the riuer would not haue required it in the topp of the mowntaine but that it was so expedient for the glory of God in his holy martyr For beholde the riuer hauing obeyed the Martyr and serued his deuotion leauing behinde a testimony of duty and obedience the Martyr hauing now suffered returned to his nature againe Here therfore this most valiaunt martyr being behedded receiued the crowne of life which God promiseth to them that loue him But he which there tooke vppon him to doe that wicked execution had short ioy of his naughty deede for his eyes fel vnto the ground with the head of the holy martyr There also was behedded the souldiour which being called of God refused to stryke the holy confessor of God of whom it is open and playne that though he was not Christened in the fount yet he was baptised iu the bath of his owne blud and so made worthy to enter in to the kingdome of heuen Now the iudge seing so many straunge and heuenly miracles wrought by this holy martyr gaue commaundement that the persecution should cease beginning to honour in the sayntes of God the constant and pacient suffering of death by the which he thought at first to bring them from the deuotion of their fayth S. Albane suffered his martyrdome the xx day of Iune nigh vnto the citte of Verolamium Where after the Christiane churche being quietly calmed and setteled againe there was a temple buylded of a meruailous rich worke and worthy for suche a martyrdome In the which place truly euen vnto this day ar syck persons cured and many miracles wrought There suffered also about that time AaroÌ„ and Iulius towne dwellers of the citty of Leicester and many other both men and wemen in sundry places which after diuerse fell and cruell torments sustayned in al partes of their bodies by perfitt victory atcheued by pacience yelded their soules vnto the ioyse of heauen How that after this persecution ceased the church of Britanny was sumwhat quiet vntill the time of the Arrians heresies The. 8. Chap. AFter that the stormes of this persecution wer ouerblowen the faithfull christians which in time of daunger lay hid in dennes and desertes cometh furth and sheweth them selues abrode reneweth their churches which before were ouerthrowen flatt to the grownd foundeth buyldeth and perfiteth new temples in honor of the holy Martyrs celebrateth holy dayse doth consecrate the holy mysteries with pure mouthâ— and harte and euery where as it wer displayeth their ensignes in signe of conqueste And this peace continued in the church of Christ in Britanny vntill the fury of the Arrians heresies which ruÌ„nyng thorough out the world corrupted also with his venemous errors this IlaÌ„d though situat out of the coÌ„passe of the world Now wheÌ„ that once by this meanes heresy had once found an open vent to passe ouer the Ocean sea in to this Iland shortly after all manner of heresies flowed in to the sayd land and was there receiued of the inhabitants as being men deliting euer to heare newe things and stedfastly retaining nothing as certaine About this time died Constantius in Britanny which in Dioclesians life time gouerned Fraunce and Spaine a man very milde and of much courtesy He left CoÌ„stantine his son by Helene his coÌ„cubine created emperour of Fraunce Eutropius writeth that CoÌ„stantine being created emperour in Britanny succeded his father in the kyngdome In whose time the heresy of the Arrians springing and being discouered and condemned in the councell of Nice did neuerthelesse infecte not only the other partes of the world but also the very churches of the Ilands with deathly doctrine and pestilent infidelite How that in the time of Gracian the Emperour Maximus being created Emperour in BritaÌ„ny returned in to France with a great army The. 9. Chap. THe yere of the incarnation of our Lord 377. Gratian the 40. Emperour after August raygned vj. yeres after the death of Valens though a litle while before he raigned also with Valens his vncle and Valentinian his brother Which seing the state of the commen welth miserably plagued and nigh altogether decayed was drouen of neceâ—site for the better repairing of the sayd decaise to choose vnto him Theodosius a Spanyard borne to be his partener in gouernance of the Empire comitting vnto him the regiment of the â—aste and also of Thracia In which time one Maximus a vahauÌ„t maÌ„ and a good and worthy of the Imperiall crowne had it not ben that contrary to his othe and allegeance he tooke vpon him by tyranny to be Emperour in Britanny half in maner against his will being created Emperour of the army passed ouer in to Fraunce Where he slewe Gratian the Emperour being circumuented by subtile wiles and sodenly stolen vppon ere he were ware as he was in minde to passe in to Italy After that also he chased ValentiniaÌ„ the other partener of the empire out of Italy Valentinian flieng for succour in to the easte and there with all fatherly piete being receiued of Theodosius was by his helpe strayt wayse restored vnto the empire Maximus the tyran being shutt vp by seige with in the walles of Aquilegia and there shortly after taken and slayne How that Aradius being Emperour Pelagius
gloriously gouerned the see of the Roman and Apostolique churche 13. yeares 6. moneths and. 10. dayes departed this lyfe and was translated to the eternall seate of the kyngdome of heauen Of whome it becometh me in this our historie of the churche of England more largely to speake bycause by his diligence he conuerted our nation that is the Engleshmen from the powre of Satan to the fayth of Christ. Whome we maye well and also must call our Apostle For as sone as he was high Bishop ouer the whole wordle and appointed gouerner of the churches lately conuerted to the belefe of the trueth he made our nation the churche of Christe which had ben euer vntill that time the bondsclaue of Idolls So that we maye lawfully pronownce of him the sayng of the Apostle That althowgh he were not an Apostle to others yet he was vnto vs. For the signet and token of his Apostleship we are in our Lorde This Gregory was a Roman borne his fathers name Gordian his pedegre of awncient stocke not only noble but also religiouse For Felix somtime bishop of that same see Apostolique a man of greate renomme in Christe and the churche was his greate grandfathers father This nobilite of religion he kept and maintayned with no lesse vertue and deuotion then his parents and auncient kinsfolke had done befor him But his woldly nobilite he forsoke alltogether and by the speciall grace of God turned the same to the purchasing of eternall glorie in heauen For changing sodenly his secular habite he wēt into a monasterie Where he began to lyue in such grace of perfection that vnto his mynde as often after he was wont to wytnes with weeping teares all transitorie things were already subiecte that he far surmounted al worldly workes that he was wont to thinke of nothing but heauenly things yea that being yet clogged with his erthly bodie he now by contemplation did passe the verie naturall bounds of his flesh and that he derely loued death also whiche to most men is a paynfull payne as an entraunce of lyfe to him and reward of his labour All which things he sayd of him selfe not craking of his encrease in vertues but rather lamenting the lacke and decaye of thē In which defecte as he was wont to saye he thought himselfe nowe to haue fallen by reason of his ecclesiasticall charge and occasion of greater care For talking on a time secretly with Peter his deacon when he had recompted the olde giftes and vertuous graces of his minde strayght way he sayde sorowfully But nowe alas by the meanes of this my ecclesiastical charges my mynde is encombred againe with secular affayres and after the good quyet and rest whiche it had is nowe defiled againe with the dust of earthly busines And when condescending to manie it wandereth and roueth aboute owtward matters after desiring inward good thowghtes it returneth therunto no dowbte the weaker Therfore I weigh with my selfe what I doe now suffer and I weigh also well what I haue forgone And when I behold what I haue lost this that I suffer wexeth more greueouse Thus sayde this holie man of a greate and passing humilitie But we must thinke that he lost none of his monasticall perfection by anye occasion or trowble of ecclesiasticall charge or office of a Bishop but rather that then he did much more good and profited more in vertue by the laboure of conuerting manye to the faythe then he hadd done before with the priuate quiet of his owne conuersation onlye For euen being bisshopp he ordered his house like a monasterye For as sone as he was taken owte of the monasterye and ordayned to the ministerye of the aulter being afterwarde sent as legate from the see Apostolike to Constantinople he for all that in the earthly princes palace liued so that he neuer intermitted his purpose of heauenly conuersation For he toke with him certaine brethern of the monasterie which for verie brotherly loue folowed him to that Imperiall citie for the better keping of his regular obseruance that alwaie by their example for so he writeth he might be fastned as with a stronge cable or anker to the pleasaunte porte of prayer when soeuer he were tossed withe the raging whaues of wordly cares and might also strengthen his minde by daylie conference and reading with them whensoeuer it shuld be shaken with secular affaires And truly he was by these mens companie not only defended from the assaultes of the worlde and earthly troubles but also more and more stirred vp to the exercises of heauenly life For they exhorted him that he would discusse and expound with some godly and misticall interpretation the booke of blessed Iob which was enwrapped with manie greate obscurities Neither could he denie them his paines which of brotherly loue moued him to this profitable laboure but hath therfore meruelously declared in 35. bookes of Expositions how this worke of Iobes historie first is to be vnderstāded according to the letter them how it may be referred to Christe and the sacramentes of the church last in what sense the same may be applied to euerie particular faithfull man Which worke he began to write while he was legate in Constantinople but he finished it afterward when he was Bisshop of Rome This blessed man being in Constantinople supressed an heresie of the state of our resurrectiō which then there arose in the very beginning by the force of catholike trueth and verite For Eutychius Bishop of Constantinople began to preache a false doctrine which was that our bodies in the glorie of the resurrection shuld be so subtile as is either the winde or ayer so that it should not be possible to feele ' or touche them Which when S. Gregory had heard he proued this opinion to be quite contrary to the right faith by the reason of truth and also by the example of the resurrection of our Lorde For the right and catholike faith beleueth that our bodies being exalted in the glorie of immortalitie shal in dede be subtile by the effect of spiritual poure but yet not withstāding able to befelt and touched for the truth of our nature according to the example of the bodie of our Lorde of which now rosen from death him selfe sayde to his disciples Touche ye and see for aspirite hath nor flesh nor bones as ye see me haue In the assertion of this faith the right reuerend father Gregory did laboure so much against this vpstert heresie quenched the same with such diligence and so vanquished it by the healp of the vertuous Emperour Tiberius Constantinus that from thence forth noman was founde which durst be a styrrer vp againe or mainteiner therof He made also an other excellent booke which is called the Pastorall Wherin he declareth plainly what manner of man he ought to be which should be chosen to rule the churche And how the rulers therof ought to lyue them selues and with what
was Oswy his brother keping the kingdome almost within equall boundes for a certaine time But after he cōquered for the most part the Pictes and Scotte mē which dwelled in the North quarters of Britāny and made thē tributarie But we wil speak of that here after King Elbert died the 24. day of February the 2. yere after that he had receiued the faith being ful past and is layde in S. Martins porch within the church of the blessed Apostels Peter and Paul wher also Quene Bertha is buried Which king beside other his deades that he boūtefully bestowed vpō his subiectes gaue and appointed them by the coūsel of wise mē certaine lawes and iudicial decrees according to thexāple of the Romans which being writē in the English tōgue are vntil this day kept of thē and as occasiō serueth practised In which his lawes and decrees he first and chiefly ordeined what amends he ought to make which had by thefte taken away anie thinge from the churches bishops or other orders Wherein the king prouided a safegard aud surtie for them whom and whose doctrine he had now receiued This Elbert was the son of Irminrike whose father was Octa and Octaes father Orrich called also Oiske Of whom the kinges of kēt are wont to be called Oiskinges This Orriches fathers name was Hengist who with his Oiske being sent for of Vortiger first entred into Britannie as I haue shewed before But after the death of Elbert when Eadbald his sonne had taken on him the rule of the royalme he greately hindered and dammaged there the younge springes and tender encreases of the churche For he would not only not accept and mainteyne the faith of Christ but he was also polluted and defiled with suche a fornication as the Apostle witnesseth neuer to haue ben heard of amongest the gentils which is that he had married his fathers wife With which ij heynouse factes he gaue occasion to his subiectes to returne to their former filthe and vomit which vnder his fathers raigne or for fauour or feare of the king had yelded to the lawes of Christen faith and chastite But the scourges of God and vengaunce from heauen wanted not to the punishing and correcting of this vnfaithfull kinge For he was plaged with often frensy of minde and raging fury of an vncleane sprite Nowe besides all this the death also of king Sabareth king of the Este Saxons muche encreased the trouble and persecution of the churche Who departing hence to the euerlasting kingdome of heauen left his iij. sonnes remaining yet paynims heyres of his temporall kingdome in earth After the death of their father they began straightwaie and openly to folowe idolatrie which while their father liued they semed somewhat to haue relented geuing also free licence to al their subiects to worship idols These princes on a certaine time when they sawe the bisshop in the churche after he had celebrated the solemnites of the masse geaue the people the sacrament being puffed vpp with barbarouse and rude folie saide as the common reporte is thus vnto him Why doest thou not geaue vs also some of that white breade which thou diddest geue our father Saba for so they were wont to call their father Sabareth and which thou doest not yet cease to geaue the people in the churche To whome he answered Yf ye wil be washed in that holsome font wherein your father was ye maye likewise eate of this blessed breade whereof he was partakener But if ye contemne the lauetorie of life ye can in no wise taste the breade of life We will not said they enter into this font of water for we knowe we haue no nede thereof But yet neuertheles we will eate of that breade And when they had ben often and ernestly warned off the bishop that it could not be that without holy purging and clensing by baptisme any man might communicate of this most holie oblation they at last in their furie and rage sayde to the bishop well if thou wilt not consent to vs in so smalle a matter as we aske of the thou shalt not hensforth abide in our prouince and dominions And straightway they expelled him Commaunding him and all his companie to depart their royalme Who being expelled thence went into kent to common there with Laurence and Iustus his fellow bishops what were best to be done in this case And by cōmon consent it was concluded that better it were for them all to returne into their countries and there to serue God with a free minde and quiet conscience then to abide with those barbarouse men or liue amongest such rebelles of the faith without all fruit or profit Therfore Mellite and Iustus departed first and came to the coastes of Fraunce purposing there to expecte and attende for the issue of these matters So shortly after these kinges which had driuen from them this preacher of trueth fell freely to idolatrie and worshipping of diuells But yet not without the vengeance of God For on a time waging battaile against the Genissans they with their whole armie were slaine But although the authors of this misscheffe were thus destroied yet could not the common people ons stirred to naughtynes be amended and reuoked to the simplicite of faith and charite which is in Christ. How Lawrence chastened by S. Peter conuerted king Edbald to Christe who immediatly after called backe Mellite and Iustus to preache The. 6. Chap. WHen Laurence was now ready to forsake Britannie and goe after Mellite and Iustus he commaunded the night before he went his bed to be brought forth and layed in S. Peter and Paules churche of which churche we haue oftentimes spoken Where when after manie his praiers and teares powred out to God for the state of the church reposing his body to rest and sleaping in his bedde the blessed Apostle S. Peter appeared to him who scourging him with sharp stripes a greate while in the close and secret night chalenged him with Apostolicall auctorite and asked why he would forsake the flocke which he himselfe had committed vnto him and to what shepeherd renning now awaye he would leaue the sheape of Christe besette in the middest of wolfes Hast thou quoth he forgotte myne example who for the lytle ones of Christe which he commended to me in witnes and token of his loue dyd suffer fetters strypes enprisoninges afflictions and att the laste death it selfe yea the death of the crosse by infidels and the enemies of Christe that I mought be crowned with him By these S. Peters strypes and with these his exhortations Lawrence the seruant of Iesus Christe being styrred vp and encouraged came boldly to the king erly in the morning and loosing his garment shewed him how sore he was beaten and pitifully his flesh was torne The king amased therat meruayled much with himselfe And enquyred who durst be so bold as to whyp and scourge such a man as this Lawrence
time he gaue to Penda sonne to Pendam the hethen because by mariage he was now his cosen the kingdome of the south Marshes contayning as men saie fyue thousand familes diuided by the riuer Trent from the Northmarshes whose lande contayneth 7000. familes or housholdes But the same Penda the next spring after was trayterously slayne by the treason as they saie of his owne wife in the very tyme of Easter Thre yeares after the victory of Oswin and the death of Pendam the hethen the Nobilitie of the Marshes Immin Eaba and Eadbert rebelled against kinge Oswin auauncing to the crowne VVulfher sonne to Pendam a younge man whom vntell that tyme they had kept preuy Thus expelling the gouuernours sett ouer them by kinge Oswin who was not their naturall kinge they recouered agayne valiauntlye their liberty and their landes liuing from that time forewarde free vnder a kinge of their owne bloude and seruing ioyefully the true king of all kinges Christe our Sauiour to be at lenght partakners of his euerlasting kingdom in heauen This VVulfher raigned ouer the Marshes xvij yeres His first bishop as we saied before was Trumber the second Iaroman the third Ceadda the fourth VVinfride All these in continual succession were bishops of the Marshes vnder kinge Wulf her How the controuersy about the obseruation of Easter was moued against those which came out of Scotland The. 25. Chapter IN the meane while after the death of Aidan FinaÌ„ succeded in the bishoprik of Northumberland sent and consecrated of the Scottes Who in holy Iland builded a church mete for a bishops see Yet not of stone but of oken tymber and thatche worke as the maner of Scottes was This church afterward the most reuerend father Theodore Archebishop of Caunterbury dedicated in the honour of S. Peter the Apostle Eadbert also the bishop after of that place couered the churche bothe the ruffe and the walles with lead About this time a great controuersy was moued touching the obseruation of Easter The bishops of Fraunce and kent affirmed that the Scottes obserued the Sonday of Easter contrary to the accustomed maner of the vniuersall church And amonge them one Roman a Scott borne but yet instructed in the truthe in Fraunce and Italie and therefore an earnest and stoute defender of the true obseruation of Easter Who couplingand disputing of this matter with Finanus the bishop induced many to the truthe and enflamed other to a farder serche and examination of the question but with Finanus him self he could nothinge preuaile but rather exasperated him being a hasty nature man and made him an open aduersary to the cause Iames that reueâ—ent deacoÌ„ of tharchbishop Paulin with al such as he coÌ„uerted to the faith obserued the true and catholike time of Easter EaÌ„ fled also the quene king Oswins wife with al her train and coÌ„pany obserued after the same maner according as she had sene it practised in keÌ„t bringing with her one RomaÌ„ out of keÌ„t a catholike priest By this variaunce it happened ofteÌ„times that in one yere two Esters wer kept As the king breaking vp his fast and soleÌ„nising the feste of easter the Quene with her coÌ„pany cotinued yet the fast and kept palme SuÌ„day Yet this diuersite of obseruing Easter as longe as Aidan liued was of all men tolerated knowing very well that though in obseruing easter he folowed the custome of those with whom he was brought vp yet he beleued as al holy men did and kept vnitie and loue with al. Vpon which consideration he was beloued of all men euen those which varied from him in that opinion and was reuerenced not only of the meane and common sort but also of Honorius the Archebishop of Caunterbury and of Felix the bishop of the east english But after the death of Finanus which succeded him Colman being made bishop sent also out of Scotland the controuersy began to increase and other variaunces touching externall trade of life were stirred vp By occasion wherof many begaÌ„ to fear and doubt lest bearing the name of ChristiaÌ„s they did ruÌ„ne as the Apostle saieth or had runne in vaine This controuersy reached euen to the princes theÌ„ selues to king Oswin and his sonne Alcfrid For Oswin being brought vp and baptised of the Scottes and skilfull also of their tounge thought the maner which they obserued to be the best and most agreable to truthe Contrary wise Alck frid the kinges sonne being instructed of the lerned man VVilfrid preferred worthely his iudgement before al the traditions of the Scottes This VVilfrid for better instruction and lerninges sake had trauailed to Rome and liued also a longe time with Dalphinus the Archebishop of Lyons in Fraunce of whom also he tooke benet and collet To this lerned Prince Alcfrid gaue a monastery of fourty families in a place which is called Humpum The Scottes before were in possessioÌ„ of that monastery But bicause after the decision of this controuersie they chose rather of their owne accorde to departe and yelde vp the place then to chaunge their accustomed maner of obseruing the Easter it was geuen by the prince to him who bothe for lerning and vertu was worthy thereof About this time Agilbert bishop of the west saxoÌ„s a freÌ„de of Prince Alcfrid and VVilfrid the Abbot came to the prouince of Northumberland and staied there with them for a space Who in the meane while at the request of Alc srid made VVilfride a priest He had in his company also at that time one Agatho a priest At their presence therfore the question being renewed and much talked of they agreed on bothe sides that in the monasterie of Stranshalch where that deuout and vertuous woman Hilda was Abbesse a Synod should be kept for the decidyng of this question and other then in controuersy To this Synod came bothe the kinges Oswin the father and Alcfrid the sonne With king Oswin stode bishop Colman with his clergy of Scotland Hilda also the Abbesse with her company among whom was Cedda that reuereÌ„t bishop lately consecrated of the Scottes as we haue touched before who in that assemble was a most diligent interpreter on both sides For the other opinion which kinge Alcfrid folowed Agilbert the bishop stode with Agatho and VVilfrid priestes Iacobus and also Romanus two other lerned men stode of that side First then kinge Oswin premising that it behoued those which serued one God to kepe one order and rule in seruing the same nor to vary here in celebrating the heauenly sacramentes who looked all for one kingdom in heauen but rather that the truthe ought to be serched out of all and folowed vniformely of euery one commaunded his bisshop Colman first to declare what his obseruation was whence he receiued it and whom he folowed therein The bishop aunswered and saied The Easter which I obserue I haue receiued of my forefathers of whom I was sent hether bishop who all being vertuous and godly men haue after the
at Tarsus in Cilicia a maÌ„ bothe in prophane and diuine knowleadg and in the greke and latin tounge excellently lerned in maners and conuersation vertuous and for age reuerend being then lxvj yeres olde Him Adrian offered and presented to the pope and obtained that he was created bishop Yet with these conditions that Adrian should accompany him in to England bicause hauing twise before trauailed in to Fraunce for diuers matters he had therefore more experience in that iourney as also for that he was sufficiently fournished with men of his owne But chiefely that assisting him alwaies in preaching the ghospell he should geue diligent eye and waite that t is Theodore being a greke borne enduced not after the maner of the grekes any doctrine coÌ„trary to the true faith receaued in to the english church now subiect vnto him This man therfore being made subdeacon taried yet in Rome iiij moneths vnte â—l his heare was full growen to take the ecclesiasticall tonsure rounde which before he had taken like vnto the Last church after the maner of S. Paule whereof we shall hereafter treate more at large He was consecrated bishop of Vitalianus then Pope in the yeare of our Lorde 668. the xxvj daie of Marche vpon a Sonday After the xvij of May in the company of Adrian the Abbat he was directed to England Their iourney commenced first by see they arriued to Marsilia and so by lande to Arles where deliuering to Iohn the Archebishop letters of commendation from Vitalian the Pope they were receaued and enterteyned of him vntill that Ebroinus chief of the kinges Courte gaue them saulfeconduit to passe and go whither they entended and woulde Which being graunted them Theodore tooke his iourney to Agilbert bishop of Paris of whome we haue spoken before and was very frindly receaued of him and kept there a longe tyme. But Adrian went first to Emmeson and after to Faron bishop of Meldes and there continewed and rested withe them a good space For wynter was at hand and draue them to abyde quietly in such conuenient place as they could gett Now wheÌ„ word was browght to king Ecgbert that the bishop whom they had desired of the Pope of Rome was come and rested in Fraunce he sent thither straight waye Redfride his lieutenant to bringe and conducte him Who when he came thither tooke Theodore with the license of Ebroinus and browght him to the porte that is named Quentauic Where they continewed a space bicause Theodore was weake sicke and wery And as sone as he began to recouer health againe they sayled to England But Ebroinus with helde backe Adrian suspecting he had some embassie of the Emperours to the kinges of England against the realme of Fraunce wherof at that time he had speciall care and chardge But when he founde in dede that he had no such thinge he dimissed him and suffred him to go after Theodore Who as soone as Adrian came to him gaue him the monasterie of S. Peter thapostle where as I haue mentioned before the Archebishops of Cauntourbury are wonte to be buried For the Pope Apostolâ—que had required Theodore at his departinge to prouide and geane Adrian some place in his diocese where he and his company might commodiously continewe and liue together Howe Theodore visited the countree and howe the churches of England receaued the true Catholique faith and began also to studie the holy scriptures and how Putta was made bishop of Rochester for Damian The 2. Chap. THeodore came to his churche the 2. yere after his consecration the xxvij day of may being sonday and continewed in the same xxi yeres three moneths and xxvj daies And straight way he visyted all the countree ouer where soeuer any english people dwelled for all men did most gladly receaue him and heare him and hauing still with him the coÌ„panie and helpe of Adrian in all thinges dyd sowe abrode and teache the right wayes and pathes of good liuing and the canonical rite and order of keping the feast of Easter For he was the first Archebishop vnto whome all the whole churche of the English nation dyd consent to submit them selues And bicause both he and Adrian as we haue sayd were exceding well learned both in profane and holy literature they gathered a company of disciples or scholers vnto them into whose breastes they dayly dyd powre the flowing waters of holesome knowledge So that beside the expounding of holy scripture vnto them they dyd with al instructe their hearers in the sciences of musick Astronomie and Algorisme In the tounges they so brought vp their scholers that euen to this day some of theÌ„ yet liuing can speake both the Latin and Greeke tonge as well as their owne in which they were borne Neither was there euer since the English meÌ„ came first to Britaine any tyme more happie than at that present For England then had most valiant and Christian princes It was feared of all barbarowse and forrain nations The people at home was all wholly bent to the late ioyfull tydinges of the kingdome of heauen And if any man desired to be instructed in the reading of holy scriptures there lacked not men expert and cunning ready to teache him Againe at this time the tunes and notes of singing in the Churche whiche vntill than were only vsed and knowen in Kent began to be learned throwgh all the churches of EnglaÌ„d The first master of songe in the churches of Northumberland except Iames whome we spake of before was Eddi surnamed Stephen who was called and browght from kent by Wilfride a man most reuerend whiche first among all the byshops that were of the English nation dyd learne and deliuer the Catholique trade of life to the English Churches Thus Theodore vewing ouer and visiting eche where dyd in conuenient places appoynt bishops and with their helpe and assistance together amended such thinges as he found not well and perfecte And among all other when he reproued bisshopp Chaddâ— for that he was not rightly consecrated he made moste humble awnswer and sayde If yow thinke that I haue taken the office of a byshop not in dewe order and maner I am ready withe all my hart to giue vp the same for I did not thinke my selfe euer worthy therof but for obedience sake being so commaunded I dyd agree althowgh vnworthy to take it vpon me Whiche humble awnswere of his Theodore hearing sayd that he should not leaue his bisshopricque but dyd himselfe supplye and complete his consecration after the right and dewe Catholique maner The very same tyme in whiche after the death of Deusdedit an Archebysshopp of Caunterbury was sewed for consecrated and sent from Rome Wilfrid also was sent from England to Fraunce there to be consecrated Who bycause he retourned into kent before Theodore did make priestes and deacons vntill the time that the Archebisshop himselfe came to his see Who at his comming to the
baylie vnder whome he was and tolde him of the gifte that he had receaued and being browght to the Abbesse he was commaunded in the presence of many learned men to tell his dreame and rehearse the song that it might by the iudgement of them all be examyned and tryed what or whence the thing was which he reported And it semed to them all that some heauenly grace and gifte was graunted him of our Lorde For more triall whereof they recited vnto him the processe of some holy storie or example willing him if he cowld to tourne the same into meter and verse Which he tooke vpon him to doo and went his way and on the morowe after came againe and browght the same made in very good meter which they had willed him to doo Whereupon straight way the Abbesse acknowledging and embracing this grace and gifte of God in the man enstructed and exhorted him to forsake the world and the lyfe thereof and to take the monasticall lyfe and profession vpon him Which he did and was thereupon by the commaundment of the Abbesse placed in the company of the bretherne and by her appointement tawght and enstructed in the course of holy scripture But he what soeuer he cowld heare and learne would afterwarde thinke vpon the same againe by him selfe and chewinge theron lyke a cleane beast at his cudd would turne it into very swete meter and melodiously singinge the same made his teachers to become his hearers againe His songes were of the creation of the world and beginnyng of mankynd and al the storie of Genesis of the going of Israel out of Aegipt and their entring into the land of promise and of many other histories of the holy scriptures Of thin carnation of our Lord of his passion resurrectiō and ascensiō into heauē of the cōming of the holy ghost of the doctrine and preaching of the Apostles Also he was wont to make many songes and meters of the dread of domes day and iudgement to come of the horrible paynes of hell and of the ioyes and swetenes of the kingdome of heauen And many other also of the benefits and iudgementes of God In al which his endeuour was to pull away men from the loue of wickednesse and styrre them vp to the loue and readinesse of vertue and good lyfe For he was a man very deuout and religiouse and humbly obedient to his rules and disciplines And very zelouse and feruently bent against them that would doo otherwise And therefore he ended his lyfe with a good ende For when the houre of his departing was at hande he was taken before and diseased xiiij dayes with bodyly sickenesse and yet so temperatly that he might all that tyme both speake and walke There was there by a litle house into whiche they that were sicke were wont to be brought and such as were lykely shortly to dye This man desyred him that serued him the same eueninge before the night that he should depart out of the world to go and prouide him a place to reast and lye in that house The other maruailed why he desired the same for he was nothing likely to dye so sone But yet he did as he was bid When they were there placed and were meryly talking and sporting amonge themselues and them that were there before being now about midnight he asked and enquired of them all whether they had the sacrament there within What nede quoth they is there of the sacrament for your tyme is not come to dye yet that are so meryly talking with vs as a man in good health But yet quoth he againe doo ye bring me hither the sacrament Which when he had taken in his hand he asked them whether they were all of a quiet minde and persit charitie toward him without any quarell grudge debate and rancour They aunsweared all that they were of very good mynd and will toward him and far from al wrath and displeasure and they asked him againe whether he bare good will and affection toward them He aunsweared by and by I do beare my dere children a quiet and good mynd to all Gods seruauntes And there withall arming him selfe with that heauenly foode made him ready to enter into the other lyfe Then he asked howe nyghe the houre was that the bretherne should ryse to saye their night laudes and seruice to our Lord◠It is not far of quoth they Wel than quoth he let vs abyde and tarie for that houre And blessinge himselfe with the signe of the holy crosse he layd downe his head on the bolster and so falling a litle in a slomber ended his lyfe in quiet and silence And thus God wrought with him that euē as he had serued our Lord with a simple plaine pure mynde and quiet deuotion so lykewise he might come to the fight and vision of God leauing this worlde with a quiet and still death And that also the tounge whiche had made and inuented so many goodly meters and holesome wordes in the prayse of the creatour of all might conclude and shut vp the last wordes in the praise and lawde of the same blessing himselfe and commending his spirite into the hands of our Lord. It appereth also by these thinges that we haue tolde that he knewe before and forsawe the time of his departing Of a vision that appered to a certaine man of God before that the monasterie of the towne Colodon was burned The 25. Chap. ABout this time the monasterie of virgins which standeth in the towne of Coludon of which we haue made mention aboue was through negligence by a great misfortune consumed with fire Which thing notwithstanding happened also for the wyckednes of them that dwelled in the same and specially of the chief and elders thereof as all men might easyly see that knewe it And the open scourge of God dyd mercifully whippe them euen at the beginning that being thereby corrected they might lyke the Niniuites tourne awaye the wrath of the iust iudge from them by fastings weaping and prayers In the same monasterie there was a certaine man a Scotborne named Adaman leading a very deuout lyfe vnto God in chastitie abstinence and prayer in such sort that he neuer dyd eate nor drinke saue only eche Sonday and thursday and oftētimes also he passed ouer whole nightes watching in prayer which straightnes of hard lyfe he began at the first of dewtie and necessitie to amend his former syn and ylliuing but in processe of time he had tourned that necessitie into a continuall custome For whereas in his youth he had committed a certain greuouse offense and sin that coming ofte to his mynd and remembrance considering in his hart the greatnes thereof he abhorred it and trembled therat excedingly and feared the pounishement of the sharp iudge vppon him for the same Resorting therefore to a priest and hoping of him to lerne some remedy of saluation he confessed his syn to him and
and she shuld stratyways beginne to amende He asked them when she was lett blood and vnderstanding it was donne at the prime of the mone sayed that it was very vnskilfully and and vndiscretly donne to lett her blud at the prime of the mone I remember well quod he Archebishop Theodore renouned among all his posteritie tolde me that letting of blud and opening the vaine was very daungerous about the first quarter of the moone and rysinge of the sea And what can I do for this maiden nowe she is at deathes doore Not withstandinge she besought him very instantly for her daughter which she loued tenderly for she purposed to make her abbesse after her and at the lenght with much a doo obtained so much of him as to go into the chamber and see the sicke maiden Wherefore he tooke me with him and went to the maiden which lay languishinge as I said with greate and intolerable paine in her arme so swellinge that it coulde not once bowe at the elbowe And standinge there he sayd certaine prayers ouer her and after he had blest her went out againe When we had sate an houre at the table one came in and called for me and leading me a syde from the company sayde Coenburge for that was the maides name desyreth you to come to her as sone as you can When I came in to the chamber I founde her very cherefull and mery and as it were almost hole And when I had sate by her a whyle shall we call for some drinke saide she mary with a good will quod I and I am right glad you ar able so to do When we had bothe dronke she beganne to declare vnto me that sense the bishoppe had prayed for her and blest her and went out of the chamber she beganne to amend and waxe better and better and albeit I haue not recouered my former strength againe quod she yet all the anguishe and paine is gone bothe out of my arme where it was most feruent and also out of all other partes of my body the bishop as it were carying all out of doores with him though yet the swelling semeth scant all alayed in my arme As we were taking our leaue and departinge thence the swellinge also went away as the paines and anguishe of her body did before So the maiden deliuered from daunger of deathe and other wofull wooes gaue laude and praise to God with the rest that wer there attending and waytinge vppon her How he healed an Earles wife with holy water The. 4. Chapter OF this forsaid bishoppe Berecht abbot of Inderwodde told vs an other miracle not much vnleke this An earle called lord Puch had a manour abbout two miles from our monastery whose lady had bene trobled with such a vehement desease for xl dayes that in iij. weakes space she was not able to be caried out of the chamber where she lay It fortuned one day this deuoute and godly father to be sent for by the earle to dedycate and hallowe a churche and when the solemnity of this dedication was past and the churche halloed the earle inuited him home to his house and as ciuilite and courtesy required desired him to diner The bishop refused his gentilnesse sayinge that of dewty he must returne and go to the next abbaye But the earle most instantly entreatinge him promised that he wolde do great almes to the poore if he wolde vouchsaffe to go home to his house that daye and breake his fast I entreated him in leeke maner as the Earle did promisinge that I wold geue almes also to relieue the poore if he wolde go to dynner to the earles house and blesse him and his familie And when we had obtained so much of him with longe entreataunce we went to the earles house to take our repast The bishop sent the sick lady by one of the company that came with him some of the holy water which he hallowed in dedicatiō of the church commaunding him to will her to drinke of it and to washe that parte of her body with the same wher the grief was most vehemēt Al which being done she rose out of her bed whole and sounde And perceauing that she was not only cured of her longe infirmitie and desease but made also as lyuely lusty and stronge as euer she was before came to the table shewed her selfe very officious in caruinge and drynkinge to the bysshoppe and all the hole table and ceasyd not to vse such courteous officiosytye all the dynner time Folowing in this poynte saincte Peters mother in lawe who delyueryd from her hotte burnynge feuer by the only touche of Christes hande rose vpp as stronge and hole as euer she was before and seruyd them at the table Howe he curyd another earles sonne lyinge at the poynte of deathe The. 5. Chapter THis bysshoppe called another tyme in leeke manner to dedicate and halloe a churche of the earle Addi was desired after all the solemnitie were donne by the earle to go in to one of his children which was very sicke and redy to dye as being benūmyd of al senses and natural operations of the bodye the cophyn also or chest where he shuld be layd after his deathe was preparyd and made redy Furder more the good earle intreatyd hym with weapinge teares desirying for the passion of god that he wolde go in and pray for his sonne because his lyfe was both necessary and deare vnto him for his parte he stedfastly beleued that yff he wold lay his hande vppon hym and blesse him once he shulde streytwaye recouer At his desire and longe entreataunce the bysshoppe went in and sawe him to the greate dysconfort and heauynesse of all that were present redy to yelde vpp the ghoste and the cophyn hard by him in which he should be buryed He made his prayer to god and blest him and goying owte spake those comfortable wordes that men vse to syck folke to wytt I pray god send yow helthe and quyck recouery from this desease And when they had sate a whyle at the table the childe sent to the earle his father desyringe to haue a cuppe of wyne sent him for he was thrustye The earle being glad with all his harte that his sonne could drynk sent him a cuppe of wyne which the bishop had blessed As sone as he had dronke of yt he rose owte of his bed put on his clothes came downe from his chamber went to the greate hall saluted the bysshop welcomed the ghestes and sayde he had a good stomake and appetyte to eate They commaūdyd hym to the table and were glad that he was so well recoueryd He sate downe he eate he drank he lawght and made mery with them and in all pointes behaued hym selffe as the other ghestes and lyuinge many yeares after contynuyd in the same state with owte any grudge of his olde desease The abbot sayde this miracle was not donne in his syght and presence but he
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
that euer I had committed not only in worde and dede but also in lyght thoughtes written there in greate blacke letters and he said to the ij fayre younge men that sate by me Why sitte yow here knowing most certaynly that this felow is owers They made answer Trewe it is Take him and leade him away to the botomelesse pit of damnation and with that they vanisht away Incontinent ij wycked sprites hauyng fyer pronges in their handes rose vppe and stroke me one in the hed and the other in the sole of my feete the which nowe with greate torment and anguysh creepe vp in to the bowells and other internall partes of my bodie and when they meete together I shall dye and be drawen hence by the dyuells watchinge and whyuering about me into hel without redemption Thus spoke that myserable manlying in extreme desperation and died owte of hande and now lyuinge in thrauldome with the deuill in euerlastinge payne doth that penaunce but all in vayne which in his lyfe time he myght haue done if it had bene but one howre with an assured hope of gods mercy and pardone for all his synnes Of this miserable and wrechyd man it is euident that as S. Gregorye wryteth of certaine he had not those visions for his owne sake whome they auailed nothing at all but for other men which knowing his lamentable end might be afeared to differ and prolonge the tyme of repentaunce while they haue oportunytye and leasure lest by sodayne preuention of death they dye impenitent That he sawe diuerse bookes brought before him by diuerse and sondry sprites some good some bad it was done by the diuine prouidence and permission of god to putt vs in remembraunce that our doinges and thoughts flee not away with the winde but ar reserued particularly to the straite examination of the dreadfull iudge And at the ende shall be shewed to vs other by the good angells which frindfully wishe our saluation or by the wicked sprites which spitefully woorke our damnatiō Concerning that first of all the good Angells brought forhe a fayre white booke and the deuills afterwarde their fowle euill fauoured black lygger the angels a litle one they an vnmeasurable greate one it is to be noted that in his childehode he did some good dedes yet notwitstandinge he disgraced all that euer was done with his lewde and loose demeanour in yowthe But if he wolde haue amended in youth the wanton toyes and foolishe panges of childhode and with wel doinge raunesomed them owt of the sight of god he myght haue bene brought to their societie of whome the Psalme of Dauid saithe Beati quorū remissae sunt c. Blessed ar they whose iniquities ar forgeuen and whose sinnes ar couered This history I thought good to set forth playnly and simplie as it was declared vnto me of that worthy prelate Pechthelme to the comforte of all suche as shall reade it or heare it Howe an other in leeke manner sawe a place of paine appointed for him in hell The. 15. Chapter FVrthermore I my self knew a religious man whom wold God I had neuer knowen placed in a good and famous monasterie notwithstanding he him selfe was infamous for his lewde behauiour and loose lyfe I could tell his name also if it were worth the telling This man was earnestly rebuked of his bretherne and other head officers of the monastery for his enormities and exhorted to a better trade of lyfe but all was in vaine Notwithstanding albeit he would not geue eare nor humbly obey their charitable exhortations yet they did tolerate him very longe for his externalll seruice which was very necessarie for them For he was a singular good carpenter This man was much geuen to dronknesse and other wanton pleasures of dissolutnesse and accustomed rather to fit in his shopp both day and night than to come to the church to singe or pray or heare the trew worde of life with his bretherne by which occasion it happened to him as men ar commonly wounte to saye He that will not come of his owne accorde within the church dore shall runne against his will to hell gates For he being now streeken with a very fainte desease and brought to extremitie called all the couent about him and with much lamentation and deepe sitghes leeke a man damned already beganne to declare vnto them that he sawe hell gates open and the deuill drouned in a deape doungell thereof and Caiphas and al the whole rablemēt that put Christ to deathe cast in flaminge fier hard by him and next to them oh miserable and wretched man that I am saide he I see a place of eternall perdition prepared for me His bretherne hearing these wofull wordes exhorted him earnestly to repent and be sorie for his sinnes while he was yet alyue Then he brought to extreme desperation answered No No. There is no time for me to amend my former life especially seing I perceiue my iudgement is past and fully complete already With those wordes he died without receauing the sacrament His bodie was interred in the formost parte of all the Abbaie not one of all the whole couent durst say masse for his soule nor singe psalmes nor once say one Pater noster for him Oh howe farre a sunder hath God separated light and darknesse The first blessed Martyr S. Steuen ready to suffer death for testimonie of the truthe sawe heauen gates open and Iesus standing on the right hande of God He to the ende he might more ioyfully die fixed the eyes of his mind there before his deathe where he should be after but this forsaied felow blacke in soule blacke in body and blacke in all outwarde doinges sawe hell open at the houre off his death and perpetuall damnation prepared for the deuill and all that follow him Againe to th entent that though his death were miserable in desperation yet by his owne damnation he might geue other example to repent and worke their owne saluation in time he sawe his owne place and doungell prepared amongest such caytyffs as Cayphas and his complices were This chaunced of late in the countrie of the Berniciens and wa◠by common talke blasted all the countrie ouer so that it stirred vp many to make quick confession of their sinfull actes and not to take dayes with God Which God graunte it may worke allso in such as shall reade this present historie Howe many churches of Scotland by the instant preaching of Adamannus kept the feast of easter after the catholique maner and howe he wrote a booke of holly places The 16. Chap. AT that time a greate multitude of Scottes in Ireland and many Britons in Britanny receaued by the singular gifte of God the trewe manner of celebrating the feast of Easter taught by the catholique church For when as Adamannus a vertuous priest and Abbott of all the mounkes and religious men that were in the isle Hu being sent Embassadour by the prince
sayed that a man of such authoritie which had bene bisshoppe xl yeares ought not to be condemned but once agayne dischardged and quitted from the false accusations and malicious surmises of his enemies and sent home againe with honour to his countrie With this iudgement returning towardes England he fell sodainly sicke when he came to Fraunce and was so weakened the desease growing vppon him more and more that he could not ryde nor kepe his horse but was caried in a bed by strength of his seruauntes Being thus brought to Meldune a citye in Fraunce he lay iiij dayes and iiij nights as though he had byn dead Only declaring by a litle breath which he drewe very fayntly and short that he was a lyue Thus continuing iiij dayes without meate and drinke as speachelesse and past hearing he rose the fifte daye and sate vppe in his bed as a man awaked out of a deape sleepe and when his eyes were open he sawe a company of his brethern aboute him some singing some weaping and fetting a litle sigthe asked for his chaplyn Acca By and by he was called Who entring into the chambre and seing his bishoppe somewhat better amended and able to speake he fell downe vpon his knees and gaue thankes to God with all the company that was present And when they had sate together a litle while and entred talke fearefully of the high iudgements of God the bishop commaunded al to auoide the chambre for an houre and beganne to talke after this manner to his chaplin Acca There appeared vnto me euen now a terrible vision the which I wil haue thee heare and concele withal vntill I know knowe furder the pleasure of almighty God what shal become of me A certaine man clothed all in white stode by me saying I am Michael the Archangell sent hither for this only purpose to deliuer thee from daunger of death For our Lord hathe geuen the longer tyme to lyue for the earnest prayers and lamentations which thy scholars and bretherne here haue made and also for the intercession of the blessed virgin Marie his mother Wherefore I say vnto the that presently thou shalt be healed of this infirmitie and sickenesse but yet be in a readynesse for after iiij yeares I will returne againe and visit the. Agayne as sone as thou art returned to thy countrye the greatest part of thy possessions that haue ben taken away from the thou shalt receiue againe and ende thy life in tranquillitie and peace Vppon which comfortable wordes the bisshoppe recouered to the greate ioye of all men reioysing and praysing God for him Thus going forward on his iourney he came to England When the letters brought from the see Apostolique were reade Berechtwald archebisshop and Edilrede sometimes kinge but then made an Abbot receiued him gladly in fauour againe Edilred also entreating Coenrede whom he had made kinge in his place to come and speake with him requested him to be a good and gratious Lord to the saied bisshopp which also he obtained But Aldfride king of Northumberland which would not receiue him died within a while after By which occasion it fel out in the raigne of kinge Osred his sonne that in a Synode assembled by the riuer Nid after greate contention and reasoning in both partes he was receiued into his church and bisshopprike againe with all fauour they coulde shewe him So iiij yeres space to witt to his dying daye he liued in peace and died the xij daye of October in a monasterie which he had in the prouince of Wundale vnder the gouuernement of Abbot Cudbalde From whence by the handes of the couent he was caried to his owne monasterie in Rhyppon and interred in the blessed Apostle S. Peter his churche harde by the aultar towarde the Sowth side as we signified before and ouer him is written this epitaphe An Epitaphe vppon Bisshop VVilfride VVilfrid that worthy prelat lyeth bodely in this graue VVho moued with godly zeale to Christ this temple gaue And of the Apostle Peters name S. Peters church did it call To whom the kayes of heauen Christ gaue cheaf gouernour of all He guilted it with golde most fyne and hanged it with scarlat rouÌ„d And sett vp there a Crucifix of golde euen from the ground The foure bookes of Christes ghospell in golden letters are wrote At his coÌ„maundmeÌ„t and charges eke right worthy to read and note A couer for the same also of beaten golde he did fitt The price and valew was great but his hart surmounted it Touching the course of Easter in dew time to be kept Bicause by wronge tradition many it ouerlept He taught the catholike order all England thourough out Extirping the contrary errour by authorite most stoute A numbre of religious men he assembled in this place Instructing them vertuously in the holy Fathers race VVith miseries and perills eke much vexed of longe time And of his owne dere countremen charged with many a crime But when fiue and fourty yeares he had kept a bishops state To heauen be past his bretherns cause with Christ for to debate And that with all alacrite with mirth and ioyfull hart Now graunto Christ that after his trace we folowe thee on our part How Albine succeded the holy Abbot Adrian and Acca the good bishop VVilfride The 21. Chapter THE next yere after the death of that forsaid holy father which was the fifte of king Oâ—rede his raigne the Reuerend and worthy father Adrian Abbot and coadiutour to Theodore Bishop of most blessed memory in preachinge the worde of God passed oute of this transitory lyff and was interred in his owne monastery in our ladyes church the one and fourtith yeare after he was directed from Pope Vitalian and made coadiutor to Theodore and the 39. after he came to Englande Of whose profounde knowledge and lerninge amongest other thinges this may be a sufficient testimony that Albine his schollar who had the gouernaunce of the Abbay after his decesse was so well practised in exercise of holy scripture that he had greate knowledge in the greeke tounge and did speake latin as eloquently withoute staggering or staying as he did english which was his naturall language After the death of bishop VVilfride Acca his priest succeded in the bishoprik of Hagulstad a man of a ioly courage and honorable in the sight of God and of men who enlarged his Cathedrall church dedicated in the honour of saincte Andrewe and set forth the buildinges with diuers comely and sightfull workes and moreouer imployed all his diligence and endeuour to gather together oute of all places the holy Apostles and Martirs reliques to the ende he might in honour of them builde certaine aultars a parte by them selues in litle chapels made for the same purpose within the precincte and walles of the same churche Besides he sought with al possible diligence the histories of their martyrdome and other ecclesiastical writers and made vp a very large and worthy library Moreouer he zelously
prepared holy vessels lightes and other necessaries appertaining to the better furniture and adorninge of the church of God Againe he sent for a cunning Musician named Mabam which was taught by the successours of Pope Gregory his schollars in Canterbury to teach him and his clergy to tune and singe For the which purpose he kept him xij yeares to the ende he might partly teach them certaine verses and songes of the church which they could not yet singe partly by his singular conninge bringe in vre againe suche songes and tunes as for lacke of vse had ben quite and cleane forgotten For bishop Acca him selfe was a very cunninge Musician wel lerned in holy scripture sounde and perfect in the Catholique faith expert and skilfull in all orders rules and disciplines of the churche and so continued vntil it pleased God to rewarde him for his good zeale and deuotion He was brought vp froÌ„ a childe in the most holy and vertuous prelate Bosa his clergy then bishop of yorke and afterward comminge to VVilfride vppon hope of some better lerning spent all his time in his seruice vntil deathe arrested him He went with him also to Rome and lerned many holy and necessary ordinaunces of the church which he could not attaine vnto in his own countrye How Abbot Ceolfride sent to the kinge of Pictes or Redshankes cunninge carpenters and workemen to builde him a churche and an epistle with all touchinge the Catholique celebration of the feast of Easter and after what maner priests and religious men should be shaâ—en The. 22. Chapter THE same time Naitane kinge of the Pictes which inhabit the Northe coaste of Britanny admonished by often meditation of holy scripture abandonned the errour which he and al his country had longe kept touching the keping of Easter and brought him selfe and al his subiectes to the catholike solemnising and dewe obseruation of the time of Christes resurrection Which that he might bring to passe with lesse difficulty and more authority he required ayde of the Englishmen whome he knewe to haue framed their religion after the counterpaine and example of the holy church of Rome and sea Apostolike For he sent ambassadoures to that Reuerend father Ceolfride Abbot of the monastery dedicated to the blessed Apostles Peter and Paule situated at the mouthe of the ryuer Were and not farre from the riuer Tyne in a place called Ingiruum where he ruled with great honour and admiration next after Benedict of whome we haue made mention before desyringe to receiue from him some earnest and forceable exhortation both to persuade him self and also to confute all other which wold presume to keape the fest of easter after their owne fansye and custome and not according to the ordinaunce of Christes churche He requested farder to haue instructions by his letters what maner of tonsure the clergy should vse Notwithstandinge he was partly already informed in many points requisite for that purpose With all he desired to haue some conninge and expert woork men to builde him a churche of great stone accordinge to the manner of building in Rome promising to dedicat the same in the honour of sainct Peter head and cheif of the apostles and to folowe euermore with all his wholle realme the ordre and fasshion of the churche of Rome and see Apostolique so farre forthe as men not knowing the Romayns tounge and farre distant from them might attaine to the knowledg thereof Vpon sight of these letters Ceolfride muche tendring his godly purpose and intent sent him such cunnyng and expert artificers as he required and withall letters indighted as it foloweth To the right honourable and moste renouned Prince Naitane Ceolfride Abbat sendeth greting in our Lorde The Catholik obseruation of holy Easter wherein you desire to be instructed right godly and renowned Prince we haue gladly and diligeÌ„ly endeuoured to set forth vnto you in these presents according as of the See Apostolique we haue our selues ben informed and taught Of whiche your zeale we thanke highly allmighty God knowing well that when princes and Lordes of the earth do employ their study to lerne to teache and to obserue the truth it is a singular benefit and speciall gift of God geuen vnto his Churche And most truly spake a heathen philosopher saying that the worlde should then be happy when either kinges embraced philosoply or els philosophers might beare the Soueraynte Now if by the philosophy of this world knowleadg of the worlde might be hadd where by the worlde might be beloued how much the more ought such as are cityzens of the heauenly countre aboue and but straungers in this worlde desire labour and with all meanes possible be suppliantes to God that the higher power and charge they beare in this world the more they applie them selues to harken after and vnderstande the will and pleasure of that highe Iudge which iudgeth all and bothe them selues obey gladly the same and moue also all other committed vnto their charge by their example and authoryte to fulfill and perfourme the same To come therefore to the matter wherein you require to be instructed you shall vnderstande we haue in holy scripture iij rules sett forthe vnto vs by the which the true and iust time of solemnising the feast of Easter is appointed which by no authorite of man can be chaunged Of the which rules two were taught by God in the lawe of Moyses the third is ioyned in the ghospell by the effecte off Christes passion and resurrection For the lawe off Moyses commaunded that in the first moneth of the yeare and in the third weke of that moneth that is from the fiftenth daye vntell the one and twentith Easter should be kept And it was added by the institution of the Apostles out of the ghospell that in the same third weke we should tary for the Sonday and in it celebrat our Easter This triple rule if a man diligently note and obserue he shall neuer misse in the cownte of Easter But if it be yower pleasure to haue euery particular poynte more pitthely and largely declared it is written in Exodus where the people of Israel ar commaunded to kepe the feast of Easter when they shulde be deliuered owte of Aegipte that God said to Moyses and Aaron This moneth shal be vnto yowe the begynninge of all monethes and cheafest in the hole yere Speake to all the children of Israel and tell them The x. day of this moneth lett euerye man take a lambe accordinge to their familiee and howseholde And a litle after he saith And you shall kepe him vntill the xiiij day of the same moneth And all the whole multitude of Israel shall offer the same vp in sacrifice at the euening By the which wordes it is euideÌ„t that in the obseruation of Easter though the fourtenth day of the first moneth be mentioned yet it is not so mentioned that on that day Easter should be kept but in the
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
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