pane illo refici volumus." Cumque diligenter ac sæpe ab illo essent admoniti, nequaquam fieri posse ut absque purgatione sacrosancta quis oblationi sacrosanctæ communicaret, ad ultimum furore commoti, aiebant, "Si non vis assentire nobis in tam facili causa, quam petimus, non poteris jam in nostra provincia demorari ;" et expulerunt eum, ac de suo regno cum suis abire jusserunt. Qui expulsus inde venit Cantiam tractaturus cum Laurentio et Justo coepiscopis, quid in his esset agendum; decretumque est communi consilio, quia satius esset, ut omnes patriam redeuntes libera ibi mente Domino deservirent, quam inter rebelles fidei barbaros sine fructu residerent. Discessere itaque primo Mellitus ac Justus, atque ad partes Galliæ successere, ibi rerum finem exspectare disponentes. Sed non multo tempore, reges qui præconem a se veritatis expulerant, dæmoniacis cultibus impune serviebant; nam egressi contra gentem Gewissarum in prælium, omnes pariter cum sua militia corruerunt, nec, licet auctoribus perditis, excitatum ad scelera vulgus potuit recorrigi atque ad simplicitatem fidei et caritatis, quæ est in Christo, revocari.

CAP. VI. UT CORREPTUS AB APOSTOLO PETRO LAURENTIUS EADBALDUM REGEM AD CHRISTUM CONVERTERIT, QUI MOX MELLITUM ET JUSTUM AD PRÆDICANDUM REVOCAVERIT.

UM vero et Laurentius Mellitum Justumque secuturus ac Britanniam esset relicturus, jussit ipsa sibi nocte in ecclesia beatorum apostolorum Petri et Pauli, de qua frequenter jam diximus, stratum parari; in

quo, cum post multas preces ac lacrimas ad Dominum pro statu ecclesiæ fusas, ad quiescendum membra posuisset atque obdormiisset, apparuit ei beatissimus apostolorum princeps, et multo illum tem

that bread." And being often earnestly admonished by A.D. 616. him, that the same could not be done, nor any one admitted to partake of the sacred oblation without the holy cleansing, at last, they said in anger, "If you will not comply with us in so small a matter as that is which we require, you shall not stay in our province." And accordingly they obliged him and his to depart from their kingdom. Being forced from thence, he came into Kent, to advise with his fellow-bishops, Laurentius and Justus, what was to be done in that case; and it was unanimously agreed, that it was better for them all to return to their own country, where they might serve God in freedom, than to continue without any advantage among those barbarians, who had revolted from the faith. Mellitus and Mellitus and Justus accordingly went away first, and withdrew into Britain. France, designing there to await the event of things. But the kings, who had driven from them the preacher of the truth, did not continue long unpunished in their heathenish worship. For marching out to battle against the nation of the Gewisse, they were all slain with their army. However, the people, having been once turned to wickedness, though the authors of it were destroyed, would not be corrected, nor return to the unity of faith and charity which is in Christ.

CHAP. VI. LAURENTIUS, BEING REPROVED BY THE APOS

TLE, CONVERTS KING EADBALD TO CHRIST; MELLITUS AND
JUSTUS ARE RECALLED.

Justus leave

LAURENTIUS, being about to follow Mellitus and Justus, Laurentius and to quit Britain, ordered his bed to be laid the D. 616. night before in the church of the blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, which has been often mentioned before; wherein having laid himself to take some rest, after he had poured out many prayers and tears to God for the state of the church, he fell asleep; in the dead of night, the blessed prince of the apostles appeared to him, and

pore secretæ noctis flagellis arctioribus afficiens, sciscitabatur apostolica districtione quare gregem, quem sibi ipse crediderat, relinqueret, vel cui pastorum oves Christi in medio luporum positas fugiens ipse dimitteret. "An mei," inquit, "oblitus es exempli, qui pro parvulis Christi, quos mihi in indicium suæ dilectionis commendaverat, vincula, verbera, carceres, afflictiones, ipsam postremo mortem, mortem autem crucis, ab infidelibus et inimicis Christi ipse cum Christo coronandus pertuli?" His beati Petri flagellis simul et exhortationibus animatus, famulus Christi Laurentius mox, mane facto, venit ad regem, et, retecto vestimento, quantis esset verberibus laceratus ostendit. Qui multum miratus, et inquirens, quis tanto viro tales ausus esset plagas infligere; ut audivit quia suæ causa salutis episcopus ab apostolo Christi tanta esset tormenta plagasque perpessus, extimuit multum, atque anathematizato omni idololatriæ cultu, abdicato connubio non legitimo, suscepit fidem Christi, et baptizatus ecclesiæ rebus quantum valuit in omnibus consulere ac favere curavit.

Misit etiam in Galliam et revocavit Mellitum ac Justum, eosque ad suas ecclesias libere instituendas redire præcepit, qui post annum ex quo abierant reversi sunt; et Justus quidem ad civitatem Rhofi, cui præfuerat, rediit; Mellitum vero Londonienses episcopum recipere noluerunt, idololatris magis pontificibus servire gaudentes. Non enim tanta erat ei, quanta patri ipsius regni potestas, ut etiam nolentibus ac contradicentibus paganis antistitem suæ posset ecclesiæ reddere. Verumtamen ipse cum sua gente, ex quo ad Dominum conversus est, divinis se studuit mancipare præceptis; denique et in monasterio beatissimi apostolorum principis ecclesiam sanctæ Dei Genitricis fecit, quam consecravit Archiepiscopus Mellitus.

scourging him a long time with apostolical severity, A.D. 616. asked of him, "Why he would forsake the flock which he had committed to him? or to what shepherds he would commit Christ's sheep that were in the midst of wolves? Have you," said he, "forgotten my example, who, for the sake of those little ones, whom Christ recommended to me in token of his affection, underwent at the hands of infidels and enemies of Christ, bonds, stripes, imprisonment, afflictions, and lastly, the death of the cross, that I might at last be crowned with him?" Laurentius, the servant of Christ, being excited by these words and stripes, the very next morning repaired to the king, and taking off his garment, showed the scars of the stripes which he had received. The king, astonished, asked, "Who had presumed to give such stripes to so great a man?" And was much frightened when he heard that the bishop had suffered so much at the hands of the apostle of Christ for his salvation. Then abjuring the worship of idols, and renouncing his unlawful marriage, he embraced the faith of Christ, and being baptized, promoted the affairs of the church to the utmost of his power.

Justus re

He also sent over into France, and recalled Mellitus Mellitus and and Justus, and commanded them freely to return to called. govern their churches, which they accordingly did, one year after their departure. Justus, indeed, returned to the city of Rochester, where he had before presided; but the Londoners would not receive Bishop Mellitus, choosing rather to be under their idolatrous high priests; for King Eadbald had not so much authority in the kingdom as his father, nor was he able to restore the bishop to his church against the will and consent of the pagans. But he and his nation, after his conversion to our Lord, diligently followed the Divine precepts. Lastly, he built the church of the holy Mother of God, in the monastery of the most blessed prince of the apostles, which was afterwards consecrated by Archbishop Mellitus.

CAP. VII.-UT MELLITUS EPISCOPUS FLAMMAS ARDENTIS

SUÆ CIVITATIS ORANDO RESTRINXERIT.

Hoc enim regnante rege, beatus Archiepiscopus Laurentius regnum cœleste conscendit, atque in ecclesia et monasterio sancti Apostoli Petri, juxta prædecessorem suum Augustinum, sepultus est, die quarto nonarum Februariarum; post quem Mellitus, qui erat Londoniæ episcopus, sedem Dorovernensis ecclesiæ tertius ab Augustino suscepit. Justus autem adhuc superstes Rhofensem regebat ecclesiam. Qui, cum magna ecclesiam Anglorum cura ac labore gubernarent, susceperunt scripta exhortatoria a pontifice Romanæ et apostolicæ sedis Bonifacio, qui post Deusdedit ecclesiæ præfuit, anno incarnationis Dominicæ sexcentesimo decimo nono. Erat autem Mellitus corporis quidem infirmitate, id est, podagra, gravatus, sed mentis gressibus sanus, alacriter terrena quæque transiliens atque ad cœlestia regna semper amanda, petenda, et quærenda, pervolans. Erat carnis origine nobilis, sed culmine mentis nobilior.

Denique, ut unum virtutis ejus, unde cetera intelligi possint, testimonium referam, tempore quodam civitas Dorovernensis per culpam incuriæ igne correpta, crebrescentibus cœpit flammis consumi; quibus, cum nullo aquarum injectu posset aliquis obsistere, jamque civitatis esset pars vastata non minima, atque ad episcopum furens se flamma dilataret, confidens episcopus in divinum ubi humanum deerat auxilium, jussit se obviam sævientibus et huc illucque volantibus ignium globis efferri. Erat autem eo loci, ubi flammarum impetus maxime incumbebat, martyrium beatorum quatuor Coronatorum. Ibi ergo perlatus obsequentum manibus episcopus cœpit orando periculum infirmus abigere, quod firma fortium manus multum laborando nequiverat. Nec mora, ventus, qui a meridie flans urbi incendia sparserat, contra meri