was But as sone as he had heard that for his owne healthes sake and saluation this bysshop had suffred so greueouse beatinges yea and that of the Apostle of Christe he feared much And afterward abandoning all worship and honour of ydols renouncinge also his vnlauful mariage he embraced the fayth of Christe and being baptised he endeuored to keape and mayntaine the state of the churche in all pointes to his vttermoste power Moreover he sent into Fraunce and called home Mellite and Iustus commaunding them to returne to their churches and freely instructe their flock Thus the yeare after their departure they returned againe Iustus to Rochester where he was bishop But as for Mellite the LoÌ„doners wold not receaue although he was their bysshop chosing rather to obey idolatrouse bysshops then him And truly king Edbald was not a Prince of so greate power and strenght as was his father that he might restore this bysshopp to his churche notwithstanding the paynim Londiners resistaunce but for his owne part and all his subiectes froÌ„ the daye that he was conuerted to our Lord he submitted himselfe to the precepts of God Moreouer he buylt a chappell in the honour of our ladie the blessed mother of God within the monasterie of S. Peter head of thappostles Which chappell Mellite the Archebisshop consecrated How bishop Mellite quenched with his prayer the fyre burning the citie of Caunterbury The. 7. Chap. FOr in the raygne of this king Edbald the holye Archebishop Laurence departing hence to the kyngdome of heauen and being buryed the seuenth daye of Februarie in the churche and monasterie of S. Peter thappostle fast by his predecessour Austin Mellite who was bishopp of London sate in the See of Caunterbury churche third Archebysshopp after S. Austin when as Iustus was yet a lyue and bishopp of Rochester Which ij Prelates because they dyd rule and gouerne the English churche with greate labour and diligence receiued eftsoones exhorting epistles from Boniface Bysshop of the Roman and Apostolique see Who after Dersdâ—dit otherwise wise called Theodatus gouuerned the Church in the yeare of our lord 618. Mellite was often troubled with infirmities of the bodie and muche greaued with the gowte yet notwithstanding euer hole and sounde of mynde Who passing ouer spedely all erthly thinges hyed him fast to the blysse of heauen which is euer to be beleued euer to be wysshed for and euer to be sowght for He was also noble by byrth but muche more noble for the excellencie of his mynde I will reherse one token of his vertue by which a man maye easely gesse the rest When vppon a certaine tyme the citie of Caunterbury by negligence was takeÌ„ with fyre and began to waste and consume awaye by muche encreasing of the flames so that no helpe of man no castinges of water theron was able to queÌ„che or staye it the greatest parte of the citie being at length nere burnt and the furiouse flashes extending them selues euen to the Bysshops place this good bysshop seing mans healpe now to fayle and trusting only in the ayde and succoure of God commaundyd that the myght be carryed out of his howse and sette against these fierce flawes of fyre percing and flyeng all rounde aboute Now where the greatest rage of this burning was there was the place of martyrdome of the. 4. hollie crouned Saintes Whan then the byshop by his seruantes was brought forth and sette in this place here he began withe prayer sycke as he was to dryue awaye the peryll of fyre which the stowght strength of stronge men with muche labour could not before bryng to passe And beholde the wynde that blew froÌ„ the Southe wherby this fire was first kendled and blasted abrode now sodenly bent against the Southe first teÌ„pered his blastes for feare of hurting the places ouerryght in thother side and after quyte quenching the flames ceasing and extinguisshing the fyre made all calme and wel againe And truly this good man of God which dyd feruently alwaye burne with the fyre of inwarde charite and was wont with his often prayers and hollie exhortations to dryue from himselfe and al his the daunger of ghostly temtations and trowble by spryghtes of the ayre might now iustly preuaile against the wynde and easely cease these worldy flames and obtayne that they hurted nor him nor his Who after he had ruled the churche v. yeares deceased hence to heauen in the raygne of king Edbald and is buryed with his predecessours in the oftmentioned monasterie and churche of S. Peter the yeare of our Lord. 624. and the. 22. daye of Februarie How Pope Boniface sent Iustus Mellites successor a palle and an epistle The. 8. Chapter TO whome Iustus succeded inmediatly in the Byshoprike who was Bysshopp of Rotchester Ouer whiche church he appointed for him Romanus and consecrated him Byshop For nowe had Iustus receyued authoritie to ordeyne Byshops from the hygh Byshop Boniface successour of Deusdedit as we saied before The forme of which authorite is as foloweth To our derest beloued brother Iustus Boniface sendeth greating How godly and how ernestly yow haue dere brother laboured for the Gospell of Christ not only the tenour of your epistle directed vnto vs but also the perfection and end of your doinges haue well and fully declared For almightie God hath not forsaken eyther the glorie of his name or the fruyte of your labour Wheras himselfe faythfully haâ—h promised the prechers of his Gospell sayng Behold I am with yow alwayes euen vnto the end of the wordle Which thing especially his clemencie hath shewed in this your ministerie opening the hartes of the gentiles to receyue the singular mysterie of your preching For he hath made moste honorable the state of your dignitie by his grace and goodnes while that himselfe hath prepared you so fertell fruytes vsing moste prouidently his talentes committed to yowe geauing yowe this gyfte that yowe may now assigne and shewe whole countries plentifully multiplyed in the fayth by yow And this is geauen you in recompence bycause you persisted continually in this ministerie of preching appointed to yowe looking with lawdable pacience for the redemption of that people to whome yow were sent and that they might geate some good by your merytes and labour whose saluation is nowe begonne wytnessing our Lord sayeng He that shall stand and perseuere to the end he it is that shal be saued Ye are therfore saued by the hope of patience and by the vertue of longe suffring so that now the hartes of infidels being purged and healed from their naturall and superstitiouse desease may receyue the mercye of their Sauiour For after we had read the letters of oure dere son king Adelwald we vnderstode with what greate lerning and instruction of holy scrypture yow haue browght him to the belefe of thundowbted faithe and trewly conuerted him to Christe Wheruppon we presuming and putting sure affiaunce in the greate
successours vertuous and godly men who after the same maner kept their Easter either beleued or liued contrary to holy Scripture especially their holynesse being such that God hath confirmed it with miracles Truly as I doubt not but they were holy men so I wil not feare to folow allwaies their life maners and trade of discipline In good sothe quoth VVillfrid It is well knowen that Anatholius was a right holy man very well lerned and worthy of much praise But what is that to you who vary also from his decrees and doctrine For Anatholius in his Easter according to the truth accompted the vsuall compasse of xix yeres whiche you either vtterly are ignorant of or if ye know it yet though it be through all Christendom obserued ye sett light by it Againe thoughe he obserued the Easter Sonday sometime vpon the xiiij daye of the moone yet he accompted the same daye at euening to be the fiftenth of the chaunge after the accompt of the Aegyptians So vpon the xx daye he kept the Easter that at the sonne setting he reaconed it for the xxj Which his rule and distinction that ye be ignorant of it is manifest by this that same time ye kepe your Easter cleane before the full of the moone euen the xiij daye of the chaunge As touching your father Columba and those whiche folowed him whose holy steppes ye pretend to folow as the which haue ben confirmed by miracles to this I may answer that in the daye of iudgment whereas many shall saie vnto Christ that they haue prophecyed cast out diuells and wrought miracles in his name our Lord wil answer that he knoweth them not But God forbidd that I shoulde so iudge of your fathers For it is our duty of such as we knowe not to deme the best Therefore I deme not but they were men of God and acceptable in his sight as the whiche loued God though in rude simplicite yet withe a godly intention Neither do I thinke that the maner of their obseruation coulde be much preiudiciall against them as longe as they had yet receiued no instructions to the contrary But rather I verely suppose seing such cōmaundemēts of God as they knew they willingly folowed they would also haue conformed thēselues to the Catholik iudgemēt if they had ben so informed But nowe Sir you and your cōpanions if hearing the decrees of the Apostolike see or rather of the vniuersall church and that also confirmed in holy write you folow not the same you offend and sinne herein vndoubtedly For though your fathers were holy mē could yet those few of one so smal corner of the vttermost ilond of the earth preiudicat the whole church of Christ dispersed through the vniuersall worlde And if your father Columba yea and our father if he were the true seruaunt of Christe were holye and mightye in miracles yet can he by any meanes be preferred to the moste blessed prince of the Apostles to whom our Lorde sayed Thou arte Peter and vppon this rocke I will builde my churche and hell gates shall neuer preuaile against her and to thee I will geue the kayes off the kingdome of heauen Thus when VVilfrid concluded the kinge saied vnto bishop Colman Were these thinges in dede spoken to Peter of our Lorde To whom the bishop answered yea Can you then saieth the kinge geue euidence of so speciall authoritie geuen to your father Columba The bishop answering No the kinge spake vnto bothe parties and sayed Agree ye bothe in this without any controuersy that these wordes were principally spoken vnto Peter and that vnto him the kayes of the kingdome of heauen were geuen When bothe had answered yea the kinge concluded and saied Then I saye vnto you that I will not gainsaie such a porter as this is but as farre as I knowe and am able I will couet all pointes to obey his ordinaunces lest perhaps when I come to the dores of the kingdome of heauen I finde none to open vnto me hauing his displeasure whiche is so clerely proued to beare the kayes thereof Thus when the kinge had sayed all that sate and stode by of all sortes and degrees abandonning their former vnperfectenesse confourmed them selues to the better instructions whiche they had nowe lerned How bishop Colman being ouercomed retourned home and Tuda succeded in the bishopricke Also what trade of life those gouernours of the church lead The. 26. Chap. THe controuersy being thus ended and the assemble dissolued bishop Agilbert returned home Bishop Colman also seing his doctrine and secte reprouued taking with him such as would folow him that is such as refused to accept the Catholike obseruation of Easter and the bearing of a rounde shauen crowne for of that matter also much disputation then was had returned vnto Scotland minding to deliberat there with his countremen what to folow herein Bisshop Cedda forsaking the Scottes embraced the catholike tradition and returned to his bishoprick This controuersie was moued in the yeare of our Lorde 664. in the 22. yeare of kinge Oswin and in the xxx yeare after the Scottes had ben bisshops ouer the englishmen For Aidan gouuerned the churche 17. yeares Finanus ten and Colman thre After the departure of Colman in to his countre Tuda was sett bishop ouer the Northumberlandmen instructed and created bishop amonge the South Scottes bearing after the maner of that countre a rounde shauen crowne and obseruing the Easter after the Catholike maner He was a man of great vertu and holynesse but he gouuerned the church a small time For he came out of Scotland whiles Colman was yet bishop teaching bothe in worde and with example diligently the true faith in Christ. In holy Ilond at the departure of the Scottes Eata a reuerend father and most meke person was made Abbat ouer the rest of the monkes which remained Who before had ben Abbat of Mailros at the suite of bishop Colman obtaining it of kinge Oswin at his departure bicause the same Eata had ben one of the xij scholers of bishop Aidan which at his first coming in to England he brought vp For this bishop Colman was derely loued of kinge Oswin for his rare wisedome and vertu This Eata not longe after was made bishop of holy Ilond Bishop Colman at his departing toke with him certain of the bones off bishop Aidan Part also he lefte in the church which he was bishop of laying them vp in the vestry thereof But how sparefull personnes he and his predecessours were and how greatly they absteined from all pleasures euen the place where he bare rule did witnesse In the whiche at their departure fewe houses were founde beside the church that is to saye those houses only without the which ciuill conuersation could no wise be maintained They had no mony but cattaill For if they tooke anye mony of riche men by and by they gaue it to poore people Neither was it nedefull that either mony
resurrection The thirde cawse is because we do then truely keepe this solemne feast if we endeuour to the vttermost of our power to make our passeouer that is to saye ower passage owte of this wordle to God the father with the triple knot of faith hope and charytie After theequalite of the daye and night we are commaunded yet to tary for the full moone of the moneth in which Easter falleth to thend that first the sonne may make the day longer then the night and afterward the moone also may appeare to the world in her full light to signifie vnto vs that the son of righteousnesse in whose beames is our saluation that is to sayour Lorde Iesus Christe by the victory and triumphe which he had in his resurrection hath ouercomed the darknesse of deathe and so ascendinge to heauen hath replenished his churche whiche is ofte signified by the moone with the inwarde light of his grace by sendinge downe the goly ghoste The which ordre of ower saluation the prophete beholdinge said Eleuatus est sol luna stetit in ordine sno The sonne is lyfted vppe and the moone stode in her ordre They therefore which contendeth that the full moone of the moneth in which Easter should fall may come before the Son maketh the daye and night of equall length as they disagree in the celebration of most high and greate misteries from the doctrine of holy scripture so they seme well to agree with them which trust to be saued with owt the preuenting grace of Christe Which in dede presume to teache that man myght haue had perfecte iustification though Christ the trewe lyght had neuer ouercomed the blyndnesse off the world with his painefull death and glorious resurrection To conclude therefore we about the equinoctiall springe when the day and night be of one length and when the full moone of the firste moneth orderly folowing the same that is to saye after the xiiij daye of the said moneth is fully expired the obseruation of all which tymes is commaunded in the lawe do expecte yet in that thirde weeke accordinge as in the ghospel we lerne the next Sonday folowing and then we keepe the solemne feaste of Ester And that to th ende we may testyfie by ower doings that we cellebrat not this solemnytie with the old fathers in remembraunce that the children off Israel had the harde yoke of bondage shaken from their neckes in Aegipte but that we woorshipp with deuoute faith and perfecte charitie the redemption of all the world prefigured in that deliuerance off gods old people owte of thrauldome and fully ended in Christes resurrection to th ende we may signifie that we reioyse in the assured hope of ower resurrection which we beleue shal be on the same Sonday also This accompte of Easter which we haue here declared vnto you to be folowed is comprised in the compasse of xix yeres which of late that is to saye in the Apostles time beganne to be obserued in the churche especially at Rome and Aegipte as I haue specified before But by the industry of Eusebius who of the blessed Martyr Pâ—amphilus hathe his surname it is more playnly and distinctly set in ordre So that where as before the bishop of Alexandria was wonte euery yeare to send abrod to euery particular church the true time of the Easter that yeare to be obserued now from hence forth the course of the full moone being brought in to this order and certainly tried out euery church by itselfe can finde it without failing This counte of Easter so distincted by Eusebius Theophilus bishop of Alexandria made to serue for one hundred yeres at the request of Theodosius the Emperour Cyril his successour made it for 95. yeres more comprising it in v. circles of the saied compasse of 19. yeares After whome Dionisius the yownger added as many circles in leeke ordre and style whiche reached euen to ouer tyme. The which now approching nigh to the date and terme prefixed there is nowe adayes such store of calculatours that in our churches through owte all England there be many which can by the olde preceptes of the Aegiptians which they haue lerned and committed to memory extende and drawe forthe the circle and course of Easter in to as many yeares as them listeth euen to the numbre of 532. yeares Which number of yeares being expired all that appertaineth to the course of the son moone moneth and weke returneth into the same ordre it did before The calculation or directory of which time we haue not at this present sent vnto you because demaunding only to be instructed of the reason and cause of this time of Easter it semeth you are allready informed of the time it selfe Hauing now hetherto brefly and compendiously spoken concerning the dew obseruation of Easter accordinge to yower highnesse requeste we exhorte you most humbly to prouide that your clergy haue the same tonsure which the church doth receiue and vse as most agreable to the Christian faith wherof you required also our letters We know right wel that the Apostles were not shauen all after one sorte Neither now the whole catholique church as it agreeth in one faith one hope and one charite towardes God so vseth also one and the self same order of tonsure Againe that we may consider the time befor vs to wit the time of the holy patriarches Iob a perfect patterne of patience when his tribulation and aduersite beganne shore his head Wherby we learne that in time of prosperity he was accustomed to lett his heare growe Yet Ioseph a trewe teacher and practiser of chastity humility piety and al other vertues is written to haue bene shauen when he came out of preson Wherby it appeareth that in prison for the tyme of his induraunce he was wounte to remaine with longe heare nor clipte nor shorne Lo here two vertuous and godly men who inwardly in hart and mind wer one shewed yet in outward behauiour some diuersite and contrariete But though we may boldly saye that the diuersite of ecclesiasticall tonsure hurteth nothing at all such as haue a pure faith in God and perfecte charitie towarde their neighbour especially seing we reade no controuersie betwene the catholike writers touching the differeÌ„ce and diuersitie of shauing as ther hathe bene for the celebration of Easter yet notwithstanding amongest all kynde off tonsures which we finde to haue ben vsed or in the church or vniuersally amongest all other men I may well saye that none is rather to be folowed and receaued of vs than the very same which he ware on his head to whom Christ saied after he had confessed him to be the sonne of God Thou arte Peter and vppon this rocke I will builde my churche and hell gates shall not preuaile against it To the will I geue the kayes of the kingdome of heauen And contrarywise we may well beleue that none is more to be abhorred and detested of all
heard yt by relation of them which were present when yt was done Howe by his prayer and blessinge he relieued one of his clerkes maruelously broosed with a fall from his horse and in greate danger of deathe The. 6. Chapter NEther do I thinke yt good to passe ouer in sylence that greate myracle which a faythful seruaunt of our sauiour Christe namyd Herebalde was wonte to reporte to haue bene done and practised vppoÌ„ hym selfe who at that time was one of his clergy and is nowe abbot in a monastery that borderyth harde vppon the ryuer VVyre So farre forth said he as yt was lauful for a man to iudge I fownde all the whole state and maÌ„ners of his life correspondeÌ„t to that grauytye and holynesse which is required in a byshoppe and of that I am ryght well assuryd because I was dayly conuersant with him But touchyng his wâ—nes in the sight of God and fauour before the myghthâ— which sercheth the secrets of all mens hartes I hâ—eâ— experience in many other but specially in my felff â— whome be in a manner restoryd from deathe to lyfe â— prayer and benediction For when in my first florysâ—â—yng and lusty yowthe I lyuyd amongest his clergy and was set to schole to lerne bothe to reade and singe and had not yet abandonyd all foolysh fantasies and yowthfull panges it fortuned one day that as we rode with him we came into a goodly playne waye and fayre grene which semed a very trymme place to runne and coorse ower horses in And the yowng men that were in his company especially of the lay sorte beganne to desire the Byshop to geue theÌ„ leaue to coorse and gallop their horses But at the first he vtterly denyed and sayd them nay with this checke It is but a foolysh fonde thinge yowe desire At the last not able to withstande nor gaynesay the ernest and importune request of all the whole company he sayd do if yowe wyl mary so that Herebald refrayne and abide with me Than I entreating as suppliantly as I could to haue licence to galloppe my horse and coorse vpp and downe with the other younge men for I trusted well my horse which the bishop him selfe had before geuen me I could not preuaile at all But when I sawe them take their horses vppe with the spurres and fetch nowe this way nowe that as couragiously with stoppe and turne as could be the bisshoppe and I beholding all their pastime I strayt waies ouercomed with wanton courage could not stay my selfe but went amongest the thickest of them and ranne with the best And as I tooke my horse vppe with the spurres I heard him behynde my backe with a deape sigth to saye O mercifull God what wofull woo woorkest thou to me in ryding after thus sorte I heard those wordes notwithstanding with willful will I minded to folow my pastime And behold euen straightwaye as my horse wilde fearce and couragious with greate violence and force lept ouer a deeke by the waye downe fell I to the grounde and as one ready to dye by and by lost all my senses and was not able to moue any one ioyncte of my bodye For whereas in the same place lay a stone close to the grounde couered with a litle greene turffe and not one other could be fouÌ„de in all that plaine vally and leuell grounde it fortuned by chaunce or rather by the diuine prouidence off God to punisshe my disobedience it happened that I pitched vppon the same stone with my head and hande which in the fal I putt vnder to stay my self and so broke my thumme and sculle off my head that as I said before I lay there leeke a dead man ready for his graue And bicause I coulde not be remoued thence they stretched foorth a pauilion and made me a lodging there This was aboute seuen of clocke in the morninge from that houre vntill night I taried there with out any noyse or disquietnes euen as it had ben a dead man than I beganne to reliue and came to my selfe againe and was caried home to the bishops lodging by certaine of my fellowes where I lay speachlesse al that night casting and vomiting blud because my bulcke and ynner partes were sore broysed with the fal But the bisshop for the tender affectioÌ„ and singular good fansie he bare to me was meruailous sory for my misfortune and deadly wounde and woulde not all that night after his accustomed manner tarry with his clergy but continuing alone in watch all that night as I may well coniecture besought the goodnesse of allmighty God for my health and preseruation And cominge to my chamber early in the morninge said certaine prayers ouer me and called me by my name and when I waked as it were oute of a greate slumber he asked me if I knewe who it was that spoke to me And I casting vpp my eyes saied yea right well you ar my dere bishop and master than said he can you recouer or liue Yea quoth I by yower good prayers if it please God So streytwaies laying his hand vppon my head and repeting the worde of benediction returned again to his praiers and coming to see me againe a litle while after founde me fitting vppe in my bed and well able to speake Then moued as it were with some inspiration from heauen asked whether I knewe without all scruple and dowte whether I was baptized or no to that I aunswered yea forsothe I knowe with oute all doute I was wasshed in the holly fonte of baptisme in remission of synnes and knowe the priestes name very well that baptized me but he foorthwith replyed saying if you were christened of him doubtlesse you are not well christened for I knowe him well and am right assured that when he was made priest he coulde not for his dulheddid witt lerne nor to instructe nor to baptise And for that cause I straightly chardged him not to presume to that mynisterie which he could not do accordingly As sone as he had spoken those wordes he beganne to instructe and informe me in the faith againe and it came to passe that as he breathed in my face the payne vanished awaye and I felt my body much better than it was before Than he called for a surgion and commaunded him to sett my skull againe and knitt it vpp together as it should be and by and by with his blessing I was so well recouered that the next daye I was able to mounte to my horse and ride with him to the next place where he minded to lodge And not longe after being fully recouered I was baptized This good bisshopp continued in the see three and thirty yeres and so translated thence to the ioyfull kingdome of heauen lyeth buried in sancte Peters porche in a monastery called Inderwodde the yeare of our Lorde 721. For when he was not able for olde age to preach teache and gouuerne his bisshopprike he consecrated and made Wilfride one of
faithfull men than that whiche he had to whom desiring to bye the grace and gifte of the holye ghoste with monie saincte Peter saied Thy mony perishe with the because thou thinkest the gifte of God may be obtained with monye There is no part nor felowship for thee in the ministerye of this worde And truly we are not shauen or clipte rounde for that consideration onely that saincte Peter was so shauen But because he was so shauen in the remembraunce of Christes passion therefore we also desiring to be saued by the merites off the same passion do beare vppon the toppe of our crowne beinge the highest parte of our bodye the signe of Christes passion as Peter dyd For as euery congregation of faithfull men which by the death of him that quickeneth and relyueth them is made in very dede a holy congregation commonly accustometh to beare the signe of the crosse in their forhead that by the diuine power of the same they may be defeÌ„ded from all assaultes of the deuill and may by often remembraunce and admonition of it be instructed howe they ought to crucifie the fleshe with all her sinne and concupiscence so in leeke manner it behoâ—eth them which either being made by vowe monks or by profession of the clergy do binde them selfes more streytly with the bridle of continency for Chistes sake to beare in their head by clipping the fourme of a crowne as our mercifull Sauiour caried vppon his precious head at the tyme of his passion a crowne of thorne to the entent he might thereby carie yea and carie awaye the thornes and briers of our sinnes To the end also they may protest vnto the worlde eâ—en by their open head that they are ready and gladde to suffer all mockery irrision and obloquy for his sake Last of all to testifie that they looke for the crowne of aeternall glorie which God hath promised to all that loue him and that for the purchasing of this they contemne all wordly shame and wanton wealthe But touching that fassion of shauinge which Symon Magus ennemye of Christes faith vsed who dothe not euen streyte at the beginning detest and abhorre it with all his magyke Which to outwarde sight semeth to haue the leeknesse of a crowne in the ouermost parte off the head but when a man cometh nere and beholdeth the hinder parte he shall finde that which semed to be a crowne to come very short thereof And truly such manner as it is voide of Christian considerations so for Symons secte it is very conuenient Who in dede by their simoniacall hypocrisie seme in this life to certain deceiued persons worthy the glorye of euerlasting ioye but in the lyfe whiche foloweth the dissolution of this bodye ar not only depryued of all hope of the crowne of glorie but which is more are condemned to euerlasting tormentes and payne And here tuly I would not your highnes shoulde thinke that I prosequute and debate this matter so largely as though I iudged them worthy to be condemned which vse this manner of shauinge yff they tender in hart and dede the vnytie of Christes catholique churche Nay I boldly protest and affirme that many of them haue bene vertuous and holy men Of the which Adamannus priest and Abbot of the Columbines is one To whom amongest all other thinges when he was sent in embasie for his owne countrie to kinge Alfride and as he passed was desyrous to see our monasterie and shewed in his behauiour and talke much wisdome humilitye and godlynesse I saied these wordes vnto him I beseke you good brother Why do you beleuing that you shall passe hence to a crowne of lyfe that hath no ende weare in your head the proportioÌ„ and fourme of a crowne which hath an ende seming in behauiour to be contrary to your faith And if you seke the felowshipp off S. Peter why do you follow that manner of shauing which he vsed whom S. Peter did ex communicate and deliuer to the deuil and do not rather shewe that you loue entierly with al your harte his habite with whom you desire to lyue in eternall blysse Knowe you for a suerty my derely beloued brother quoth he that albeit I vse the same fasshion of shauing which Symon Magus did after the custome and manner of my country yet I vtterly detest and abandone the vnfaithfulnesse and infidelyty of SymoÌ„ Magus and desire with al my hart to follow the steppes of the most blessed head of the Apostles S. Peter so farre forthe as my poore habilitie wil serue To that I replyed and saied I beleue it is so in very dede Yet it may be a more manifest declaratioÌ„ that you embrace euen froÌ„ the bottom of your hart al that the holy Apostle Peter taught if you kepe that outwardly which you knew was vsed of him generally For I thinke your wisdoÌ„ do easely iudge it most conuenient vtterly to seclude froÌ„ your presence and face dedicated to God the habit proportioÌ„ and figure of his couÌ„tinaunce whoÌ„ you abhorte with all harte and minde And contrariwise as you desyre to folow his steps and counsell whome you looke to haue as a patrone before God the father so it besemeth you to follow his outward behauiour This for that time I spoke to Adamanus Who after well declared how much he had profited by seinge the ordinaunces and rules of our churche For after his returne to Scotland he reduced by his preaching many of the same cuntry to the catholique obseruation of Easter Albeit he coulde not reduce the monkes that liued in the Iland Hij where he was Abbat thereto as yet He thought also to redresse the maÌ„ner of ecclesiasticall tonsure amongst them if his authority could haue preuailed And I nowe also most puissant prince do exhorte you to endeuour with all the country where the kinge of kinges and lorde of lordes hathe geuen you the souerainte to obserue and kepe all that agreeth with the vnity of Christes catholike and Apostolike church So it will come to passe that after you haue had dominion and rule here vpon earth the primat and head of the blessed Apostles will gladly open to you and yowers the gates of heauen to rest with the holy angells and other dere freÌ„des of God The grace of God of our Euerlasting kinge and lord preserue you most derely beloued sonne in Christe and graunte you longe prosperous raigne to our quietnesse and peace When this epistle was reade in the presence of kinge Naitane with many other lerned men besides being truly translated into the kinges natiue tounge by them which did well vnderstande it he much reioysed at that exhortation as some make reporte euen so much that rising from the place where he and many of the nobility were sate he fell downe vppon his knees and gaue God thankes that he had deserued to receiue such a benefit out of Englande And treuly saied he I knewe before that this was the trewe celebration and