courage to the despairing archbishop and new life to the Christian cause. Eadbald king of Kent, being thus converted, sent to France to recall Mellitus and Justus, who about a year after their flight returned to England again. And, the see of Rochester lying within the kingdom of Kent, the king restored Justus to his see: but all the interest he had was not sufficient to restore Mellitus; for the Londoners, who were now universally returned to their old idolatry, would not suffer the restoration of their bishop, and Eadbald had not power enough to restore him without their consent 3. In this low condition continued the English church till the death of Laurentius about the year 619. 11. Mellitus, who from the time of his return from France had lived as a private man, on the death of Laurentius immediately succeeded him in the see of Canterbury. In which station he continued about five years, and then dying, Justus bishop of Rochester succeeded him; the English church being all this while confined to Kent. But during his government God opened a way to enlarge the pale of the church: the occasion this. 613. [616.] 619. Edwin, who was at this time king of the Northumbrians and the most powerful of the Saxon princes1, but yet a pagan, did about the year 625 marry Edelberge, daughter of 625. Ethelbert and sister of Eadbald king of Kent 2. Amongst other articles of marriage it was agreed that Tate or Edelberge, for by both these names she was called, who had from her infancy been bred a Christian 3, should be allowed the public exercise of her religion; and therefore Paulinus, being consecrated bishop this year, was sent to attend that princess to the north. In which station that prelate continued, but without any success in his ministry, till the queen was the year following brought to bed of a daughter: about which time a conspiracy was formed against the life of the king, and an attempt was made to assassinate him; in which attempt the king was dangerously wounded, but recovered of 626. 626. his wounds. These circumstances having prepared his mind by calling him to reflect on the uncertainty of life and the certainty of a state to come, he gave some hopes of his becoming a Christian; and as an evidence of this disposition he consented to the baptism of his daughter, who was baptized by Paulinus by the name of Eanfled; and, to make that more memorable, twelve of her family and attendance were baptized with her. This princess was the first person of the Northumbrian people that was baptized 5. 12. It appears that the queen was not wanting on her part to bring over the king to the Christian faith and amongst others Boniface V, bishop of Rome, had a considerable part therein; for by an epistle wrote to the king he showed him the folly of the pagan worship, and endeavoured to raise his mind to a just sense of the Divine Being, and give him a true idea both of the nature and beauty of religion 1. Paulinus was not wanting on his part: but after all the king remained fixed and unmoveable from the usages of his ancestors for about two years after the coming of Paulinus. But having, together with his nobility, well weighed the reason and grounds of the Christian religion, he was baptized at 627. York at Easter in the year 627; and abundance of the nobility and people followed his example, and amongst them Osfrid and Eadfride, two of his sons by Quoenburg, a former wife, and daughter of Ceorl a king of the Mercians 2. But Nennius adds to this account of Bede, and saith that together with Edwin there were in one day baptized twelve thousand men3. And for about six years after the conversion of this prince things went on in this prosperous manner; during which time Paulinus brought over great numbers to the faith of Christ. Things being brought to this pass, Edwin founded an episcopal see at York, and begun the foundation of a cathe 4 [Eleven. See Smith's note on Bede.] 5 Bed. ibid. II, 9. 1 Bed. ibid. c. 10. [This letter has no date; but it must have been written soon after Edwin's marriage, for Boniface V died on October 25, 625.] 2 Bed. ibid. cc. 13, 14. [A beauti ful legend of Edwin, and a very graphic account of his consultation with his nobles, are given in full from Bede in Hist. Engl. tr. Thorpe Lappenberg I, 145-153.] Nennii Hist. Brit., [c. 65 et App. I] coll. Gale, pp. 115, 117; [c. 66 Monum. Hist. Brit. I, 76.] dral there. And such haste did he make to do honour to the see he had founded, that he sent to Honorius bishop of Rome, and received a pall from him and the title of metropolitan for Paulinus; and this before any other episcopal see was planted within his kingdom; a practice the Christian church had been hitherto so little acquainted with, that this hasty zeal in applying the title of metropolitan to a bishop who had yet no suffragan seems no other way excusable, than by the obligation it laid upon king Edwin to hasten the general conversion of his subjects, and by founding new bishoprics bring things to answer the scheme by which he seems to have acted in this affair. 13. Nor did the kingdom north of the river Humber bound the zeal of Edwin: for by his persuasions Earpuald, son of Redwald, king of the East-Angles, became a Christian, and by his example some parts of that kingdom'. Some parts of Mercia too tasted of Edwin's zeal; for by his favour and influence Paulinus was brought to preach the gospel to that part of Lincolnshire which borders upon the Trent and Humber, and in the presence of that prince Paulinus baptized great numbers in the river Trent. And amongst other the prefect of the city of Lincoln, whose name was Blecca, was converted; and such numbers in that city brought to the Christian faith, that a church was erected therein for the public exercise of their religion2, which some have conjectured to have stood upon or near the ground where the church of St. Paul's now stands; and that it had at first the name of Paulinus, to whom the erectors of it owed their conversion. But, however that be, it is certain that church was honoured with the consecration of Honorius archbishop of Canterbury, who was consecrated therein by Paulinus archbishop of York3 in the year 631. And though there is not light enough to adjust the precise time of the aforesaid conversion of the people of Lincolnshire, thus much is evident, that this conversion was betwixt the year 627, when Edwin declared him 4 Bed. ibid. c. 14. 5 Bed. ibid. c. 17. 1 Bed. ibid. c. 15. [The conversion of Earpuald is placed in the year 632 by the Saxon Chronicle and Florence of Worcester. But Smith on Bed. II, 15 gives good 2 Bed. ibid. c. 16. 627 631. 631. self a Christian, and the year 631, when the consecration of Honorius in the city of Lincoln affords sufficient grounds to affirm that a Christian church was at that time settled therein; and which, next to the blessing of God, seems to be chiefly owing to the zeal of king Edwin, whose wise conduct hath taught us what great things may be done by princes that apply themselves to promote the interests of religion and virtue. 14. But God sees not with the eyes of men, nor suffers his providence to be conducted by the measures of human hopes or wishes. For, whilst the glorious actions of that prince led all that wished well to the interests of religion to hope that God would cover this prince with his hand, and with a steady and unresisted success conduct the interests of the gospel, of a sudden, and for reasons his wisdom alone can penetrate, God at once put an end to the life and glory and great under633. takings of this prince in the year 633. And by his death paganism did again break in upon and overspread his king : dom for of those who were converted, some fell with Edwin in battle, others relapsed; and those who continued steady in their faith were for the most part cut off by the army of Penda king of the Mercians, and Cedwalla a king of the Britons, who, having killed Edwin in battle and routed his army, overrun his kingdom, spared neither sex nor age, and showed no more regard to the Christians than the pagan English 1. In short Edwin's family and the church in his kingdom were reduced to such circumstances, that the queen and her children and Paulinus were forced to save their lives by flying away to Kent, where Paulinus was made bishop of Rochester, and in which station he continued till he died 2: and, besides the sorrows of his exile, he had the mortification to see the church he had planted ruined, whilst he was not in a possibility to relieve it. 15. The interests of Christianity amongst the East-Angles had much the same fate; for, Earpuald king thereof, who had been converted by king Edwin, being killed, that people generally returned to their idolatry again 1. And it is not 1 Bed. ibid. II, 20. 2 Bed. ibid. 1 Bed. ibid. c. 15. improbable that Christianity had the same fate in Lincoln- 633. shire: for, though Bede does not plainly affirm it, yet he saith that the church built in Lincoln was in ruins long before his time; and yet it appears that Bede was born about the year 677 3, and that that church was not built till after the year 627; so that in all probability that decay was occasioned by the relapse of the people to idolatry, and not the effect of time. CHAPTER IV. AB ANNO 633 AD ANNUM 664. 1. The gospel preached to the northern English by the Scots and Picts: the occasion thereof. Paulinus never recalled. 2. Aidan, a bishop sent from Ireland, made bishop of the kingdom of Northumberland. No regard had to the model of Gregory. The see of York removed to Lindisfarne. Aidan and the clergy from Ireland imitate the plainness of the first Christians, and despise the rites of the Romish church. They set up schools in the north; and by their ministry the people north of Humber are generally converted. The occasion 3. Birinus preaches the gospel to the West-Saxons. of his coming into England. The bishopric of Dorchester founded. 4. Norfolk and Suffolk recovered to the Christian faith: the occasion thereof. A bishop's see planted at Dummoc by Sigibert. 5. The university of Cambridge said to be founded by Sigibert king of the East-Angles: the grounds thereof. 6. The ill success of the missionaries. Idolatry forbid in Kent by a law. The reason of the ill success of the missionaries. The ill consequence of their allowing the pagan English the use of some of their ancient customs. 7. Sigibert, king of the East-Saxons, baptized by Finan a Scotchman. The people of Essex and Middlesex converted by the Scottish clergy. A bishop's see again restored to London; and Ceadda [Cedd] a Scotchman' made bishop thereof. The people of London, relapsed to idolatry, reclaimed again. 8. All the midland parts of England converted by the northern English and Scottish clergy: the circumstances thereof. 9. The mighty success they had: the reasons thereof. Scotchman made the first bishop of Lichfield. 2 ["Cujus tecto vel longa incuria vel hostili manu dejecto parietes hactenus stare videntur." Bed. ibid. c. 16. 3 [Bede was born in 672 or 673: see Hardy's Preface to Monum. Diuma a Hist. Brit. p. 69. He finished his [Sce note 4 on I, iv, 7, and note |