into Britain to Consecrate themselves unto God in a Life of Austerity and Contemplation Cornwall was the Province to which they most frequently betook themselves In so much as Cambden had just ground to say That the People of Cornwall have always born such Veneration to the Irish Saints that retir'd thither that almost all the Towns in that Province have been Consecrated to their Memory There is St. Buriens Dedicated to an Irish Religious Woman of that Name to the Church whereof King Ethelstan in the year 936. gave priviledge of Sanctuary There is the Town of St. Jies so call'd from St. Jia a Woman of singular Sanctity who came thither from Ireland There is St. Colomb so nam'd from an Irish Saint Columba There is St. Merven St. Erben St. Eval St. Wenn St. Enedor and many other places all which took their Names from Irish Saints But one special Irish Saint is there Venerated call'd St. Piran by the Irish St. Kiacan concerning whom Bishop Vsher writes That he hearing that in Rome Christian Religion was most purely taught and Faithfully practis'd forsook Ireland and Travell'd thither where being arriv'd he was instructed in the Christian Faith and Baptiz'd and there he remain'd 20 years reading Divine Scriptures and learning Ecclesiastical Rules with all diligence He adds further That at Rome he was ordain'd Bishop and sent into Ireland 30 years before St. Patrick So that by some Irish Writers he is call'd the first born of their Saints Howbeit in the Roman Martyrology St. Patrick is said to be the first who Preach'd Christ in Ireland probable it is that this Saint was one of the first 12 Bishops Consecrated by St. Patrick to propagate the Faith first Preach'd in Ireland by him and was by his Example as many others were so inflam'd with Divine Love that they forsook all Worldly things and led an Hermetical Life for it is Reported that St. Piran calling his Disciples together and other People told them It was the Divine Will that he should forsake Ireland and go into Cornwall there to expect the end of his days And having thus dismiss'd them he sail'd into Cornwall where he built a Mansion for himself and after many Miracles which God had there wrought by him an Infirmity of Body seiz'd upon him of which Languishing he call'd his Brethren together whom he Copiously instructed in the concerns of Gods Kingdom and commanded his Grave to be made ready which done he went down into it and there render'd up his Soul to God which with great Glory was receiv'd into Heaven His Sacred Body Reposes in Cornwall towards the Northern Sea 15 Miles from Padstow or Petrockstow and 25 Miles from Mousehole Cambden mentions a Chappel Dedicated to St. Piran seated in a Sandy place He was saith he a Holy man which came from Ireland and if we may believe the Legend fed ten Irish Kings and their Armies with his three Cowes rais'd to Life dead Men and dead Pigs and in that place divested himself of his Mortality During the Reign of the Infamous King Vortigern when the Britains were so Effeminated with Vice that being unable to resist the Tyranny of their Neighbours they call'd in from a remote Country more Cruel Tyrants God to blot out the shame and Cowardice of the former Armies rais'd another British Army of Virgins conducted by a Royal and Saintly Virgin St. Vrsula Some assign this story to former times but for many very considerable reasons it will suit with no other times then we are now upon viz. When Attila King of the Huns truly Sir-nam'd Gods scourge wasted Italy and the Western Regions with Germany and Gaul burning the City of Metz Massacring Priests before the Holy Altars insomuch as we read That the Holy Bishop St. Lupus was led Captive by Attila from Troyes to the Rhine Now whereas in the Gests of these Holy Virgins mention is made of the Tyrant Maximus it cannot be intended of that Maximus who slew the Emperour Gratian but of a younger Maximus descended perhaps from the stock of the former and who also invaded the Empire after the death of Valentinian And indeed if we consider the then present state of Britain the Martyrdom of these Virgins cannot so properly be ascrib'd to any other times then to this when the poor Britains were distress'd on every side as well by their Revolted Friends the Saxons as by their Enemies the Scots and Picts It was then but lately that Vortigern had call'd in the former against the latter and Hengist with his Brother Horsa at first Fought successfully against them But soon after those Valiant Captains despising their Friends for their Vices and Cowardice they wrought upon the Luxury of Vortigern seeking to entrap him with the Beautiful Rowena Daughter of the Deceitful Hengist Vortigern thus ensnar'd bought Rowena at no less price than the whole Province of Kent Then the Saxons begin to pick a quarrel with their Benefactors and making Peace with the Picts and Scots turn their Arms against the poor Britains threatning to lay the whole Island waste which Threats they soon Executed with all Inhumanity and in a dismall manner took revenge of all the Crimes committed by the Britains against God and his Religion by them profess'd During these Miseries and Troubles a world of Britains of both Sexes forsook their Country forsaken by God and fled into strange Regions whilst others submitted to perpetual slavery under the Saxons Gildas expresseth this Calamity thus saying That very many passed over Sea with grievous Howling and Lamentation and in their Voyage joyntly with Mournful Voices repeated these Words of the Psalmist Thou hast O Lord given us up as Sheep to be devour'd and hast dispers'd us among the Nations This Complaint suits best with the weaker Sex especially those Virgin Martyrs whose Relicks were dispers'd among all the Nations of Christendom Having thus settled the time of their Martyrdom Without all Controversy they were all Britains though some Writers would have them to be Irish without any solid reason The constant opinion is that they were no less in number then 11000. This appears by the Hymn used in the Church of Colen for the Celebration of their memory The cause why so many Virgins departed into Foreign parts is thus related by Trihemius though he erre in point of time The number of Soldiers saith he which under their Captain Conanus went out of Britain into Armorica was 30000 Fighting-men and 100000 Plebeibians to Till the ground of these many were unmarry'd Now Conanus and his Company being Christians would not take Wives of the Idolatrous Pagans At that time there was a Prince in that part of Britain which is opposite to Armorica nam'd Dionatus a prudent man who succeeded his Brother Caradoc in that Principality He had a Daughter nam'd Vrsula the most Beautiful amongst all the Virgins of Britain and withall very Devout to our Lord. Conanus the ninth Prince of Armorica sent Letters to this Dionatus
the second Order receiv'd the right Order of Celebrating Mass out of Britain from Holy men there living as St. David St. Gildas and St. Doc Moreover St. David sent over some of his Disciples into Ireland who grew famous for their Learning and Sanctity of whom the most Illustrious was St. Aedan call'd by the Irish St. Madoc After he grew renown'd for his Piety and Miracles he built at length a Monastery near the City of Fernes where having collected a great number of Devout Brethren he Consecrated himself to the Service of God living according to the form and rule which he had receiv'd from his Pious Father St. David the same which was observ'd by the Monks in Aegypt This St. Aedan was afterwards Bishop of Fernes and Metropolitan of Leinster while St. David liv'd whom he us'd to consult in Affairs of difficulty After many years spent by the Holy Bishop David in the exercise of all Christian Virtues it pleas'd Almighty God in love to him and just anger to the Ungrateful Britains to translate this burning and shining Light from Earth to Heaven there to shine in Glory to all Eternity According to the best account He dy'd in the year of Grace 544. having liv'd 82 years though some writers affirm him to have liv'd much longer It is said That when the hour of his Dissolution approach'd the Angel of the Lord appear'd to him saying The day so much desir'd by thee is now at hand prepare thy self for on the Calends of March our Lord Jesus Christ attended with a multitude of Angels will come to meet thee Whereupon the Holy man of God said O Lord dismiss now thy Servant in Peace The Brethren who assisted him having heard the sound of these words but not well understanding the sense fell Prostrate to the ground in great fear Then the Holy Bishop cry'd with a loud voice Lord Jesus Christ receive my Spirit Vpon this the Brethren pour'd forth loud Complaints but he asswag'd their sorrow with mild and comfortable words exhorting them to be constant in their good profession and unanimously to bear to the end that yoak which they had undergone and to observe and fulfill whatever they had seen or heard from him and from that hour to the day of his death he remain'd in the Church exhorting and encouraging them But when the hour of his departure was come our Lord Jesus Christ vouchsafed his presence as he had promis'd by his Angel to the infinite Consolation of the Holy Father who at the Heavenly sight exalted in Spirit cry'd out O my Lord take me after thee With which words in our Lords company he gave up his Spirit to God upon the Calends fore-mention'd and being associated to a troop of Angels mounted up to Heaven with them The Death of this Holy Bishop is said to have been divulg'd by an Angel and in an Instant spread through all Britain and Ireland That this was so seems to be confirm'd by a passage in the Life of St. Kentigern of whom it is said That having one day continu'd his Prayers with more then ordinary Devotion his face seem'd as on fire the sight whereof fill'd the by-standers with great amazement when Prayers were ended the Saint began to lament bitterly and when his Disciples demanded a reason of his sorrow he sate a while silent and at last said My dear Children know for certain that the Holy Bishop David the Glory of Britain the Father of his Country is this day dead he has escap'd out of the Prison of his Body and is flown to Heaven Believe me I my self have seen a multitude of Angels conducting him into the Joy of our Lord and our Lord himself at the Entrance of Paradice hath Crown'd him with Glory and Honour Know also that Britain which is depriv'd of so great a Light will a long time mourn for the Absence of such a Patron who oppos'd himself to the Sword of our Lord when it was half drawn out for the destruction of that Nation in revenge of their Sins and Impenitence Now will God deliver up Britain to a strange Nation which know him not and Pagans shall enjoy the land of its Inhabitants Christian Religion shall be utterly dissipated in it 'till the time prefix'd by God be ended But after that it shall through the Mercies of our Lord be restor'd to its former state yea to a far better and more Happy St. David was Buried in his own Church of Menevia which he had lov'd above all Monasteries of his Diocess because St. Patrick who had Prophesied of his Nativity had been Founder of it And also indeed he was bury'd there by the command of Malgo King of the Venedatae But after 500 years he was Solemnly Canoniz'd by Pope Calixtus the second This Church at first was Dedicated to St. Andrew but after took St. David for its Patron and the whole Diocess was thence call'd St. David's The memory of his Sanctity was so precious that within a few years after his Death the visiting of his Church prov'd a great Devotion of those times St. Oudoceus Successor of St. Thelian in the Bishoprick of Landaff after a Pilgrimage to visit the Monuments of the Holy Apostles at Rome made another to this Church of St. David and after when any one had a desire to go in Devotion to Rome and was hindred by dangers or difficulties he might equal the merit of such a Pilgrimage by twice visiting this Church of St. David perhaps as a compensation allow'd by the Pope St. Kinoc or Cenac was St. David's Successor translated thither from the See of St. Patern of whom and other Successors in the See of St. David little is found To keep the story of this worthy Bishop entire some interruption may be observ'd to have been made in the order of Time. It is therefore requisite to return to its due course In the year of Grace 532. Otta King of Kent dy'd leaving his Son Irmeric Successor in his Kingdom who was Illustrious for nothing more than that he was the Father of Ethelbert the first Christian King among the Saxons Two years after dy'd also Cerdic King of the West-Saxons in the 16th year of his Reign to whom succeeded his Son Kenric in all his Dominions except the Isle of Wight which he left to his Sisters Son Whitgar whom he lov'd especially for his Military Skill The great Commotions in Britain and Cruelty of the Saxons compell'd many to seek the means of serving God abroad amongst whom was a Holy Priest call'd John who retir'd to Tours in France there to live in Prayers and Solitude but after his Death his Sanctity by the good pleasure of God was made known by a Miracle thus related by that famous Bishop St. Gregory of Tours Not far from the Church of Caion saith he rests the Body of a Priest Nam'd John by Nation a Britain who living here with great Devotion and Sanctity Our Lord was pleas'd by him Miraculously to
been broken and spent by a tedious and painful Imprisonment whereas on the contrary his solitude which gave him opportunity to unite himself to God by Prayer increas'd and strengthned his Courage The Author of his Life hath thus exemplify'd one of his Prayers O Lord Jesus Christ do not permit the Divels malice so much to prevail as by his cuning machinations and this Peoples relenting my suffering for thee may be hindred Not long after being come out of Prison to suffer and addressing his Speech to the unbelieving People who flock'd to see him he told them He was an irreconcilable Enemy of their False Gods the works of mens Hands unworthy of Honour as having no Divinity they themselves could not but observe that these their Idols neither See Hear nor Vnderstand any thing and that it could be no other then detestable vanity to expect Life from them which have no Life to pray to those who could not Hear to expect safety or Happiness from them which were not sensible of the least good to themselves He therefore protests that whoever Honours such dead Idols must renounce all reason for whom can be more desperately miscrable than he who suffers himself to be enslav'd to Puppets of his own fashioning Wo therefore to Idels but greater Wo to their Adorers From hence may easily be observ'd that this Holy Martyr who thus earnestly inveighs against Idolatry yet with great Devotion Venerates the Cross of our Lord so far is the respect and Honour given by the Catholick Church to Sacred things from any taint of Idolatry And Tertullian in his Apology for Christians testifies That although they Ador'd the Cross yet Idols and all their Ornaments were detested by them and abominable unto them When these invectives against Idols were utter'd by St. Alban Sentence of Death was pronounc'd against him and he was led to Execution to a place call'd Holmburst a Plain cloath'd with all sorts of Flowers a fit Theater for so Glorious a Martyr Albanus being thus led to his Death came to a River which with a swift Torrent ran between a Wall on the one side and a Sandy-shore on the other where the Holy Martyr was to be Beheaded there he saw great multitudes of all Conditions Ages and Sects which no doubt by Divine instinct were assembled to Honour his Death and they so choak'd the passage of the Bridge that before night they could not all have pass'd over As for the Judge he had no intention of any respect to the Martyr but stay'd behind in the City St. Albanus therefore enflam'd with a Devout desire of a speedy Martyrdom approach'd near the River and lifting up his Eyes with Prayer to God the River became presently dry so as the Water gave free way to the passengers by the Prayer of the Martyr to this effect O Lord Jesus Christ from whose most Holy side I my self in a Vision saw both Water and Blood to flow I beseach thee to cause these Waters to be diminish'd and the floud to return back that the People without prejudice or danger may be present at my Sufferings He had no sooner pray'd thus but the Channel was immediately dry his Tears left no other water in the River the Power of his Prayer emptied the Torrent and clear'd a safe passage for the People The Officer who conducted St. Alban to his Death by the merits of the Holy Martyr obtain'd Eternal Happiness for seeing the Miracles he threw away his Sword and casting himself at the Holy Martyr's feet beg'd his pardon which when the People saw they laid hold on the Man beat out his Teeth and in a manner broke all his Bones This Pagan Souldier thus of a Persecutor chang'd into a Lover of the true Faith and willing to die for and with St. Alban the other Officers were at a stand and knew not what to do It is further related That the Holy Martyr ascending the Hill the People at the top thereof were tormented with extremity of Thirst the Martyr kneeling down Pray'd to God The People might receive no harm by his occasion Upon which brake presently forth a Fountain at his Feet and with a rapid course flow'd down the Hill so that all the Peoples Thirst was satisfi'd In the mean time another Executioner was appointed who to his great Unhappiness discharg'd that Impious Office and with his Sword cut off the Holy Martyr's Head kneeling in Prayer to God and Kissing the Crucifix which he held in his Hand And immediately O wonderful Almighty God by the suddain loss of this Executioners Eyes testified the Holy Martyr's Innocence for together with the Martyr's Head those remorseless Eyes sell to the ground With St. Alban the poor Converted Souldier was also Beheaded who by Divine Instinct refus'd to put the Holy Confessor to Death and doubtless though this new Convert was not outwardly cleansed with the water of Baptism yet being wash'd in the Laver of his own Blood he became worthy to be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven His Name is said to be Heraclius of whom it is further reported That being left half dead by the Peoples Stroaks as aforesaid and creeping on his hands and feet toward the Crowd he was mock'd by one of the Judges And bid to address himself to his Patron Albanus then newly Executed and Pray him to restore Soundness to his bruis'd Limbs Run saith the Scoffing Judge make hast joyn thy Patrons Head to his Body no doubt thou wilt not fail of Health Bury the dead Carcass and thou may'st be sure whilst it is in thy Hands it will afford a Cure. The Souldier reply'd I do verily believe that this blessed Saint by his merits can restore unto me my perfect Health So that what you speak in Derision may in earnest be fulfill'd to me Having said this he imbrac'd the Martyr's Head and adjoyning it to the Body became immediately sound When the Infidels saw this they were fill'd with Envy and bound him with Chains tearing his Body with several sorts of Tortures and in the end cut off his Head. How acceptable to Almighty God these Martyrdoms were was presently declar'd from Heaven in a wonderful manner for behold the night following their Sufferings a Pillar of Light was seen to raise it self from the Grave of St. Alban up to Heaven by which Angels ascended and descended spending the whole night in Hymns and Praises to God repeating also these words The Illustrious Albanus is now a glorious Martyr of Christ As Venantius in his Poem for that purpose Elegantly sets forth Who this Author of St. Alban's Life was is unknown he was certainly of more Antiquity than St. Bede his Book was found in the Monastery of St. Alban and concerning the Persecution thus rais'd in Britain by Dioclesian gives us this Account That Almighty God who is willing all men should be sav'd to magnifie his Mercy to this our Country least it should be invellop'd in Darkness was pleas'd to Enlighten it with
the shining Lamps of his Holy Martyrs the places of whose Sufferings and the Sepulchres of whose Bodies might enflame us with Divine Love were not an access to those places deny'd us by our Barbarous Enemies the place I mean where repose the Bodies of St. Alban at Verulam St. Aaron and Julian at Caerleon and many others in several Quarters who have stood up Courageously in our Lords Army of which the first St. Alban after he had with much Charity entertain'd in his House and secur'd from danger the Holy Confessor St. Amphibalus offer'd himself to persecution with wonderful Miracles was in his Confession glorified by God walk'd with thousands after him dry-foot over the River while the waters stood as a Rock on both sides of them by which wonder his design'd Executioner from a Woolf became a Lamb and valiantly receiv'd the Triumphant Palm of Martyrdom It will not be amiss to shew here with what Piety and Reverence Christians in all Ages behav'd themselves to ward the Ashes and Sacred Reliques of our Holy Martyrs The Persecuting Infidels knowing this well us'd all manner of despight to these Holy Reliques endeavouring all they could to hide or consume them with Fire and cast the Ashes before the wind The Body of Sebastiane who suffer'd soon after St. Alban they cast into a common Sink least the Christians should make him their Martyr And again three years after the President threatn'd St. Tharacus That he would not dispatch him at once but would make an end of him by piece-meal and that the remainder of his Carcass should be devour'd by Beasts Tharacus bid him Do what he did quickly To whom the President reply'd Thou thinkest Villain that after thy death silly Women shall Embalm thy Body with Rich Vnguents and Spices but I will destroy thee and thy Relicks least foolish Women should Honour thee so And concerning the Martyr Andronicus that President who condemned him Decreed He should be consum'd to Ashes least some of his Consorts or foolish Women should gather up any of them and preserve them as if they were some precious or holy Thing Yet for all this when some Devout Christians endeavoured to find their Ashes by night mingled and confounded with other Malefactors three bright Torches like Stars appeared over their Bodies and conducted those Devout Christians to discover those Ashes and Reliques and decently to inter them This was the practice of Christians in those days but condemn'd by the Manicheans as Superstitious St. Augustine confutes their Errour by distinguishing the Veneration due to Saints which he calls Doulia from the supream Degree of Adoration due only to God which he terms Latria Our Gildas having thus related the Martyrdom of our Proto-Martyr St. Alban shews what a change happen'd in Britain nine years after when the fury of this Persecution ceas'd For then saith he all the devout Soldiers of Christ with joyful Eyes beheld and receiv'd the Calm and Lightsomness following so tedious a Winters-night Then they began to restore demolish'd Churches they new founded Sacred Temples Consecrated to the Honour of Holy Martyrs these they Adorn and in them Celebrate publick Festivities and Pure Sacrifices as manifest Trophies after their Victory This Happy change began soon after the Tyrants Carausius and Alectus were vanquish'd by Constantius who in the year of Grace 292. was Created Caesar and receiv'd the Government of Britain Gregory the Great was not then the first who brought into Britain the Custom of Dedicating Churches to the Honour of Martyrs for Germanus and Lupus before the Entrance of the Saxons came into this Island there to root out the Pelagian Heresy and found here Erected to the Honour of St. Alban in the place where by shedding his Blood he so Triumph'd a Famous Church which with great Devotion he Visited and there pay'd his Thanks to God for his Victory over the Pelagian Heresy He open'd the Holy Martyr's Sepulchre and as an Honour to him Repos'd in it several Reliques of Apostles and Martyrs which he brought over out of France with him and because he would not depart without the Holy Martyr's protection he took a lump of Earth from the place where the Martyr's Blood was shed and at his return into France carry'd it to his own See from whence the Veneration of St. Alban spread it self over all France and after into Germany also By a contest between the Monks of St. Alban and Ely in Edward the II's time it is put out of doubt that the Body of this Holy Martyr was Bury'd at St. Albans for the Monks of Ely contending before that King that the said Martyrs Body lay among them the King commanded his pretended Tomb there should be open'd which being done nothing was found in it but a course Hair-garment sprinkled with Blood in the upper part of it as fresh as if it had been lately shed which Garment questionless was the Caracalla before-mention'd It is no wonder this poor Garment should with Veneration be preserv'd by these Monks of Ely for God hath declar'd this to be acceptable to him by many Miracles witness St. Gregory Nazianzen who hath thus written That a little portion of Dust a particle of Bones a little Hair part of the Vestment the sprinkl'd marks of a Martyr's Blood ought to have as much Veneration as the whole Body He adds further That he had known where only the Name of a Martyr attributed to a place had produc'd the same Virtue that his whole Body would have done and then he cryes out O wonful the Memory alone of a Martyr is sufficient in my Opinion to confer Health The first that here follow'd St. Alban in his rough way of Martyrdom was St. Amphibalus who first shew'd him the way to Heaven The constancy of St. Alban the Miracles before and after his Death stir'd up divers of those who were Spectators of his Death or amaz'd with the wonders which accompany'd it to abandon their Idols and seek out St. Amphibalus that from his Lips the Doctriue of Christ might be instill'd into their Hearts To that purpose they undertook a journey into Wales where they found him Preaching the Word of Life to the people of that Region to him they presented the Cross which he had given to his Disciple St. Alban and which was sprinkled with his fresh Blood and so was a manifest token of his late Martyrdom and upon which St. Amphibalus after he had given Thanks to God made a Sermon of Christian Religion to his Auditors in number about 1000. who having heard the Sermon embrac'd his Doctrine and chearfully receiv'd from his Sacred Hands as a Seal of their Faith the Holy Baptism The departure of so great a Multitude from Verulam rais'd so great an Animosity against those Deserters of their Religion and City in the Hearts of the Infidels that they resolv'd to pursue them with Arm'd Forces hoping to find Amphibalus in their Company which they soon did and took him in
back he was receiv'd with more then ordinary respect but presently after dy'd full of Days and Sanctity and was bury'd by Leontius in Aquitain Now though the Inhabitants of Aleth were depriv'd of the Sacred Relicks of their prime Prelate whom they had treated so injuriously yet the name of Blessed Maclovius remains never to be blotted out adorning and defending that City to this day with his Coelestial Benefits and Glorious Perfection Howbeit the Episcopal See does not now remain at Aleth but is remov'd to an Island two Miles distant from thence Antiently call'd Aaron where a City new built is in memory of their Holy Prelate and Patron call'd St. Malo and Vrbs Macloviensis It is said that St. Mahutus with his seven Disciples in Devotion visited Rome where he redeem'd many Infidel Captives and having instructed them in the true Faith Baptiz'd them Saint Brendan his Spiritual Father and Instructor though no Britain by Birth is not to be deny'd some place in this History He came out of Ireland to visit the Holy man St. Gildas Albanius in Britain He was also Superiour in the Monastery of Lancarvan where he Baptiz'd St. Maclovius and returning into Ireland where he was made an Abbot there dy'd Happily in the year of Grace 571. The death of this Blessed man is said to be reveal'd to St. Columba who declar'd That he saw the Heavens on a suddain open'd and a Choire of Angels descending to meet St. Brendan 's Soul by whose incomparable Splendour the whole World was that night Enlightn'd St. Brendan thus call'd to Heaven enjoy'd on Earth also an Eternal Monument of his Name and Sanctity For in the Isle of Orkney a Town and Church were built and call'd from his Name the reason was because his Sacred Body was thither translated In this Age flourish'd a Holy British Abbot call'd St. Doc of whom is written That when St. Canic of whom the Province of Kilkenny took its Name was grown to an Age of capable knowledge being desirous of instruction he pass'd over into Britain to a Religious man call'd Doc and under him studied diligently and was taught both Learning and Piety This St. Doc was one of the three Holy Britains from whom the Irish learn'd the form and Rites of Celebrating Mass The other two were St. David and St. Gildas After the death of King Arthur Constantine according to his designation succeeded him in the Government of Britain He was the Son of Cador Duke of Cornwall and Kinsman to the King His sufficiency to discharge that employment for the Benefit of his Country was enough approv'd by the choice of his glorious Predecessor But Almighty God having fix'd a period to the British Monarchy permitted many Factions to arise and many Pretendants to the Principality the opposing of whom hindred Constantine from advancing the common profit and safety of the Kingdom Moreover Ambition and Revenge had such a Power over him that they invited him to commit Crimes which hast'ned the ruine of his Country Hence it is that Gildas calls him the Tyrant of Danmonia Tyrant in regard of his Cruelty and Tyrant of that Province because at that time several others had invaded each one their several Principalities and for the maintaining of their unjust Usurpations fill'd the whole Nation with all manner of Impieties which gave occasion to the same Gildas to publish a Passionate Invective against the Vices of the whole British Nation which had universally depriv'd the Inhabitants of all states and conditions an exceeding few excepted who forseeing the unavoidable destruction of the Nation withdrew themselves from publick Affairs and in solitude deplor'd the sins of others by great Pennances and Austerities procuring Indulgence to their own Souls In former times saith Gildas our Kings publick Officers private Persons Bishops and other Ecclesiasticks every one kept their Order and perform'd the Duties belonging to them But when they were dead there succeeded a Generation utterly ignorant of the former Virtues among whom all the Rules of Truth and Justice were so shaken and subverted that no footsteps nor so much as the least Monument of those Virtues appear'd in any of the said Orders Constantine at his first Ascension into his Throne bound himself by a Solemn Oath to govern Justly and to use his utmost endeavours to defend his Subjects from Injuries and Oppressions and the Commonwealth from the violence of its Enemies And yet the year following we find him charg'd with Perjury and the violation of his Faith by his Barbarous Cruelty and Sacrilegious Prophanation of Gods House For the two Sons of Mordred rising up in Arms against him to revenge their Fathers death joyn'd in Confederacy with the Saxons and fought many Battles with him but at last being compell'd to fly Constantine pursu'd them and one of them he slew before the Altar of St. Amphibalus his Church in Winchester the other who had hid himself in a Convent of Monks he Condemned to a Cruel death in London For this Sacrilegious Inhumanity Gildas in his too free stile calls Constantine The Tyrannical Whelp of the Lioness of Danmonia an infringer of the dreadful Sacrament of an Oath by which he bound himself before God and all his Saints to abstain from all Injustice and Treachery to his Subjects notwithstanding which in the very bosom both of their Carnal Mother and Spiritual Mother the Church near the most Holy Altar he had torn the Bowels of two Royal Youths though cover'd with the Vestments of a Holy Abbot whilst they stretch'd forth their Hands not armed with Swords to resist but to implore help from God and his Altar and yet he most Barbarously shed their Blood which with a Purple dye stain'd the seat of the Ecclesiastical Sacrifice and the Sacred Palls which cover'd it To this Invective the same Author adjoyns most pressing Exhortations to Constantine That he would do suitable Pennance for these horrible Crimes that if possible he might avoid the dark inextricable Torrents of Eternal fire in which otherwise he must for ever be roll'd and roasted By these Expressions it should seem these two Sons of Mordred were not so much to be blam'd for their rising all Circumstances consider'd Probable it is that these or such like Exhortations wrought a good effect upon Constantine for though some write that he was slain by Conan who succeeded in the Kingdom yet others tell another Story viz. That after a short reign having been depriv'd of his Wife and Children be grew weary of his Kingdom and privily stealing from his Friends went into Ireland and there for the love of Christ labour'd unknown like a poor Servant in a Mill but afterward by perswasion of a Monk to whom he discover'd his condition he was induc'd to shave his Head and Consecrate himself to a Religious Life in a Monastery where he is said to live with such Piety and Devotion that he became a pattern of all Virtues to the rest of the Monks That at last