time when the Bishop was administering
Communion
to the people.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v8
ii.
, sect.
17, p.
48.
1S°
According
Chronicle. •$• Called Withgaresberi by Matthew of
,<a
Cynric Wihtgarasburh,
137 Supposed to be Shoreham.
138 See Henry of Huntingdon, " Historiae
Anglorum,'' lib. ii. , sect. 8, p. 44.
139 This city or fort was on the edge of the
great forest Anderida, which overspread a large portion of Hampshire and Sussex. By William Camden it has been- placed at
took
of the Island of and slew Wight,
53o,
many
the West Saxons, after a reign of eighteen years died, and Cynric, his son, succeeded. x5a He reigned for twenty-seven winters. They gave all the Island of Wight to their two nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar. In 537 followed
men at
possession
151 or Carisbrook. In
first of king
Newenden, in the marshy grounds of Kent, "
See Britannia," vol. i. , p. 258.
140 Gildas tells us, this battle was fought
the year in which he was horn, and forty-
four before he wrote his years
to the Chro- Anglo-Saxon
141
history.
According to the Anglo-Saxon nicle.
See Matthoei Parisiensis, "Chronica Paris, who places this event at A. D. 528.
Majora," vol. i. , p. 226.
143 See Henry of Huntingdon, " Historian
Anglorum," lib. ii. , sect. 12, p. 46.
144 According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
"
I52 See Henry of Huntingdon's Historic
Anglorum," lib. ii. , sect. 20, p. 50.
,53 Thus noted in "Annales Cambria? ," " Gueith Camlann in quo Arthur et Medraut corruere. " EditionofRev. JohnWilliams
« See Matthoei Parisiensis, " Chronica ab Ithel, M. A. , p. 4.
Wihtgar fought against
August 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 463
thedeathoftheheroicKingArthuratGueithCamlann. ^ In544,Wihtgar
x died, and he was buried at Wihtgarasburh, or Carisbrook. 54
When the object of the Saxons was found to be the conquest and settle- ment of the whole Island by their hordes, the aboriginal inhabitants bravely resisted their inroads for a time; but, this only inflamed the barbarous
there pagan rites and worship everywhere prevailed.
Towards the close of the fifth century, while the former Prefect or
1 *8 was an humble monk in one of the monas- teries he had founded in that city, he chanced to pass through the public slave-market, where some beautiful slaves were exposed for sale. Struck
with their appearance, and enquiring ab—out the country to which they be-
of the invaders,1^ who neither their lives nor habitations, spared
ferocity
while the remains of Roman grandeur and art, with their towns, villages and churches, were committed to the flames. 'S6 The survivors of such outrages were gradually forced to the western mountains, and to places the least accessible, where the worship of the true God and the refinements of society were partially preserved, under difficulties of a serious character. ^ The more fertile parts of the Island were possessed by the dominant race, and
Governor of Rome,
Gregory,
XS9 Compassionating their forlorn condition, corporally and spiritually, he ex-
longed, he was told they were Angles another term for the Saxons.
claimed " They would not be Angles but Angels had they been Chris-
:
tians " l6° Impressed with the fulfilment of a resolution he had formed,
!
Gregory repaired to the reigning Pontiff, and expressed his desire to leave the monastery in which he lived, and to proceed on a mission, in order to spread the Gospel among the Saxons. The Pontiff's permission was reluc- tantly given. However, when the report of his preparations went abroad, Gregory's virtues and his previous office had made him so popular in Rome, that the inhabitants remonstrated against his departure from among them.
His subsequent elevation to the papal throne, however, obliged him to find others, who would carry out the mission he had desired to conduct in
person.
With a view of preparing them for the sacred ministry, Gregory gave an
extraordinary commission to the Presbyter Candidus to purchase a sufficient number of Saxon slaves under the age of eighteen, and to have them sent to Rome with sure guides, so that they might be educated at his own expense and under his own supervision. He desired to employ them in due course for the conversion of their own countrymen, whose language was so familiar tothem. However,theirprogresswasratherslow,andthePopedesiredto
154 See the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," Popular. Encyclopaedia, or Conversations edited by Benjamin Thorpe, vol. ii. , pp. 13 Lexicon," vol. iii. , p. 559.
to
15.
155 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "Antiquities
IS:J Venerable Bede declares, that the anecdote which he thus relates was handed down to him in the traditions of his ancestors,
of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap, i. , p. 20.
I56According to the Statement of Gildas in namely, the Saxons.
" Historia l6° He then followed that Britonum," p. 85. up
157 See Rev. Dean Henry Hart Milman's "History of Latin Christianity," vol. ii. , book iv. , chap, iii. , p. 227.
enquiry by asking the name of the province from which
they had been brought. When told they were of the Deiri, he replied : "Truly they are Be iri, withdrawn from wrath and called to the mercy of Christ. " He then desired to know the name of their king, and he was told JEWa. Then cried he, alluding to the
the of God the praise
"
J 58 He was son of Gordian, deriving his
descent from a noble and religious Roman
family. He was born at Rome about 544,
and, having received an education suitable
to his rank, he became a member of the
Senate, and he filled other employments in
the State. By the Emperor Justin II. he
was appointed Prefect of Rome. See "The lib. ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 168 to 171.
name "
: Hallelujah !
Creator must be sung in those parts. " See
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum,"
464 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31,
hastentheworkofSaxonconversion. He,atlast,calledhismonkstogether,
andexplainedhisviewstothem. Heexcitedtheircourageandtheirhopesfor
thesuccessofthatmissionheproposed. Animatedbytheaddressofthe
Sovereign Pontiff, missionaries were soon selected, and Augustine161 was
appointed as their superior. Having set out on their journey, and reached
the neighbourhood of Lerins, the monks felt misgivings, and were dis-
couraged, because they knew not the language nor the customs of the Saxons,
whose cruelty to the British Christians had been so great. Whereupon, they
sent back Augustine to urge upon the Pope the difficulties and danger of the
enterprise. However, the Pontiff was inflexible in his resolution, as he had
recommended to the king and queen of the Franks, as also to the Archbishop
of Aries, that patronage and aid should be given to those missionaries. 162
He exhorted, and even commanded them to l63 He conjured proceed.
solicited the favour and protection of the Gallic princes and prelates, and
besought the clergy in Gaul to depute some of their body to be associates
and interpreters. Thus directed, in the year 597, they sailed for England, and, to the number of about forty, arrived safely on the Isle of Thanet. l64
It so happened, that Augustine and his companions were in the Kingdom of Kent, then under the rule of Ethelbert,16* who had been married to
Bertha, daughter of Charibert, King of Paris, and a most zealous and pious
Christian. 166 Her attendant prelate, Luidhard of Senlis, was a man of upright
and saintly character, who had even made an impression on the mind of the
16
King. ? In consequence, the rites of the Church were tolerated and
practised in the metropolis of Canterbury, where they resided. These and other circumstances had awakened respect for Christianity among the Kentish people, and they had even addressed the prelates of the Franks to send them religious instructors. But such a favourable opening for missionary work had been neglected ; and now, Augustine was afforded the opportunity of sending a messenger to the King, with information that he and his com- panions had been sent thither, to announce the truths of the Gospel and of eternal life to the sovereign and his subjects.
Ethelbert consented to grant an interview, and, with great solemnity,
and his
Augustine companions
went in 168 to a religious procession,
place
He listened in the
He was moved to such an extent that, although unable as yet to pronounce himself a convert to Christianity, he expressed satisfaction for that charity which prompted the missionaries to leave their own country, in order to promote,astheythought,thewelfareofhimselfandofhispeople. Heeven promised to afford them protection, so long as they chose to remain in his
open
Afterwards he became first bishop of Canterbury, and he is venerated as a saint. 1 1 i~. feast occurs on the 26th of May. A
"" very interesting Life of St. Augustine
has been written by Canon Oakley in the
air l69 to a discourse of
appointed.
161
Augustine.
about 600 families. See ibid. , cap. xxv. , pp. 100, 10 1.
,6s See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap, i. , pp. 22, 23.
,66 See St. of "Historia Gregory Tours,
Francorum," liv. iv. , cap. 26.
,67 See Le Comte de Montalembert, '"Les
Moines d'Occident," tome hi. , liv. xii. , chap, i. , p. 363.
»°s See Venerable Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. i. ,
cap. xxv. , pp. 100 to 103.
series known as " Lives of the
English
Eccle-
Saints," and published in 1844.
,6a "
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's
siastical History of Great Britain," vol. i. ,
book cent,
ii. , vi. , pp. 150, 151.
163 The letter which he wrote on this occasion, dated July 28th, is to be seen in the work of Venerable Bedc, " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
,69 to an ancient Saxon According
xxiii. , pp. 96, 97.
164
Anglorum,"
lib.
i. , cap.
super- stition, Ethelbert feared lest magic arts could be practised on him by the mission-
It lay on the east coast of Kent, and contained, according to Venerable Bede,
arics, were they to come into a house.
August 31. ] LIVES Of THE IRISH SAINTS. 465
dominions. 1 ? The Britons had built a church in honour of St. Martin, but it was in ruins, when Queen Bertha had obtained permission from her husband to have it restored, so that it might serve for the ministrations of Bishop Luidhard. Her influence was sufficient to have it transferred to Augustine and his company, who were warmly welcomed by her to proceed in the good work they had so auspiciously commenced. Soon were the strangers in a position to introduce the public worship and ceremonies of the Church with imposing solemnity, and to preach the Christian religion to curious and interested crowds of Saxons. Insensibly their prejudices began to wear away, and the priests of Woden began to lament the solitude of their altars. For some time, Ethelbert hesitated before he renounced the worship of idols ; but, in fine, when he had carefully weighed the evangelical doctrines enforced by the missionaries, with reasons for accepting them, as also the sublime morality they preached, and manifested in their own mode of living, the king publicly professed himself a Christian. So powerful was his example, that ten thousand Saxons soon followed their prince to the waters of Baptism.
Instructed and directed by Pope St. Gregory I. , surnamed " the Great," the missionaries announced that the conversion of the people was to be the result of conviction and free choice on their part, and not that of force or
compulsion. Norwasthereanecessitytoexerciseanymagisterialauthority to recommend the teaching of Augustine and his clerics ; for within a com-
paratively brief period the idolatrous priests and their rites were brought
into disrepute. Their temples were deserted, and in many places converted
into Christian churches. As the victims that bled on the pagan altars had
furnished the chief materials for Saxon feasting, on the occasion of their
heathenish rites and festivals, and as the praises of their warriors were
mingled with hymns chaunted in honour of the god who was worshipped ;
the Sovereign Pontiff had wisely recommended, that wholly to derogate
from certain national observances might prove to be injudicious, and as
some of these might be combined with religious institutes, accordingly, on
the festivals of the Christian martyrs, it was permitted to have tents erected
in the vicinity of the churches, where entertainments and amusements of a
festive character could still be carried out, but with sobriety and
11 moderation. ?
Soon after the conversion of Kent followed that of the neighbouring
and dependent Kingdom of Essex, then ruled by Saberct. 1? 2 In 604, the
Abbot Mellitus was invited to settle in his metropolis. However, the death
of Saberct soon followed, and this proved most injurious to the conversion
of his 1 ^ In his people.
three sons addicted to the of their worship
stead,
ancestors were in power. They were contemners of the Christian religion
and rites. With
Justus,
x ? 4
Mellitus 1 ? 5
had been
recently However,
invested with the
1? 6
the Holy Sacrifice in his church, the three sons of Saberct entered during the
170 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesi- tical History of Britain," vol. i. , book ii. ,
episcopal
celebrating
rank and
while
dignity by Augustine.
time when the Bishop was administering Communion to the people. They
astical History of Great Britain," vol. i. , book ii. , cent, vi. , p. 152.
171 See Rev. Dr. John JLingard's " Anti- quities of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap. i. , p. 24.
172 He was nephew to Ethelbert, through his sister Ricula. See Venerable Bede's *. ' Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. iii. , pp. 180, 181.
x? 3 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesias-
cent, vii. , pp. 188, 189.
I74 He is- venerated as a saint, and he
diedA. D. 632.
I7S He afterwards became Archhbishop of
Canterbury. His feast occurs on the 24th of April.
I? 6 In the year 604.
I77 He had reigned gloriously for fifty-six
years.
x? 8 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
'
I6
466 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31.
demanded a portion of the sacred elements with the rest, but were refused
by Mellitus. Then he was ordered to leave Essex. Obliged to withdraw,
he sought refuge with his brethren in Kent. It so happened, however,
that after the death of Bertha, Ethelbert had married a second wife, who
was young and of remarkable beauty. On the death of Ethelbert, a. d.
6i6,'77 his son Eadbald succeeded him in Kent. But, abandoned to the
gratification of lawless and sensual desire, on his accession to the throne,
he took the widow of his father as a concubine, and, when the Christian
missionaries attempted to remonstrate, he declared an intention to renounce
their religion, which should place such a curb on the gratification of his
18
unnatural passion. ? Disheartened by their want of success, Mellitus, with
Justus of Rochester, retired into Gaul, to await a more favourable result. ^ The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul had been already in course of erection at Canterbury by St. Augustine, and it was richly endowed with lands and possessions by King Ethelbert. 180 The death of St. Augustine took place May 26th, a. d. 605, before that church had been completed, and his body was at first deposited without, but soon as the dedication was completed, the remains were decently buried in the north porch. After his death, Laurentius was his successor in the See. Afflicted greatly by the dissolute and incorrigible character of the King, and despairing of effecting any good in Kent, that prelate had also resolved to leave the Kingdom. The night before his intended departure, however, was spent in the Church of St. Peter, and, it is stated, that the Chief of the Apostles appeared to him, reproached him with cowardice, and to mark his displeasure inflicted stripes on his shoulders. 181 Next morning he appeared before Eadbald, and relating what had previously occurred, showed him those marks, which were a cause of astonishment and confusion to the King. He seemed to feel contrition for his past grievous offences, and expressed his willingness to atone for them. In fine, he dismissed his father's widow from his bed, and recalled
182
the Mellitus and fugitive bishops,
he the proved
Afterwards,
sincerity of his conversion by a total change of life. He also supported the causeofChristianitybyhispowerandinfluence. ,83 ThenceforwardinKent,
it assumed an ascendancy, which in the future it maintained.
During the Saxon incursions on the shores of Britain, Ida,18* an Anglian chief, commanded a fleet of forty chiules, and landed with his adventurers on
the north-eastern shores of 18* the Britons of
England. There, Bryneich,
after many severe conflicts, were removed from the coast. Then, Ida fixed his residence on a lofty promontory, where he built a strong castle. 186 From
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
cap. v. , pp. 190, 191.
'79 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesias-
tical History of Great Britain," vol. i. ,
book ii. , cent, vii. , p. 189.
,8o "
"
Eoppa was son of Esa, Esa was son of Ingui,
Ingui of Angewit, Angewit of Aloe, Aloe of Benoc, Benoc of Biand, Brand of Boeldog, Boeldog of Woden, Woden of Freothelaf,
Justus.
gives his pedigree :
Ida was son of Eoppa,
See Venerable Bede's Historia Freothelaf of Freothewulf, Freothewulf of
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. iii. , pp. 178 to 183.
Finn, Finn of Godulf, Godulf of Geat. "—
Edited with a translation by Benjamin
Thorpe, vol. ii. , p. 15.
181 tical
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's
"
Ecclesias-
vol.
of Great bookii. , cent, vii. , pp. 189, 190.
,8s Matthew of that he had Paris, states,
History
Britain,"
See Matthaei Parisiensis, Monachi Theodoric, Athelric, Osmer and Theofred.
i. ,
Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, M. A. , vol. i. ,
pp. 226, 227.
183 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
six sons by his queen, viz. :—Adda, Elric
183
Sancti Albani,
"
Six others were the sons of his concubines, viz. :—Oga, Aliric, Ecca, Osbald, Segor
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib.
Flemesburc
'
cap, vi. , pp. 192, 193.
184 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle " thus
ii. ,
applicuerunt M. A. , vol i„ p. 243.
"
Britanniam cum navibus sexaginta, et apud
and Sogother.
Isti omnes venerunt in
—"Chronica Ma- jora," edited by Henry Richards Luard,
August 31. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 467 the name of his consort Bebba, l8 7 it was called Bebbanburgh or Bebbanburh.
and it lasted to a. d. 188 From its former 559.
His dates from a. d. reign
547,
British name of Bryneich, his kingdom, which lay northwards of the River
Tees, was subsequently known as Bernicia. This was subsequently the premier province of Northumbria, and over this northern kingdom of the
l8
Saxons, Ida ruled for eleven years.
9 Those Britons who lived south of the
Tees are said to have been named from Deyfyr. They were assailed and
defeated by an Anglian Chief, named Seomil. In 560, one of his descend-
ants, Ella, obtained undisputed possession of that district, and he formed it
into a new kingdom, preserving its British appellation in the word Deira.
Its southern boundary was the River Humber. When both of those divisions
had attained their fullest extent, Bernicia on the north, and Deira on the
south of the Tees, reached from the Forth to the Humber, and from the
easterntothewesternseas. Bothdivisionsafterwardsconstitutedthepower-
ful Kingdom of Northumbria. When Ida died, Northumbria was divided
into two separate kingdoms. Adda, his son, succeeded in Bernicia, a. d.
560, and reigned seven years. After him, from a. d. 567, Glappa reigned
1^ the son of
In Bernicia, Edilfrid son of Ethelfric, and the grandson of Ida, began to reign in 592 or 593. 192 He had married the daughter of
Ella, founder of the Kingdom of Deira, and after his death, Edilfrid took possession of Deira. ^ At that time, Ella had left a male child, named Edwin, then only three years old, and who was rightful heir to his father's kingdom. Ethelfrid was known to be a sanguinary and an unscrupulous tyrant ; and for several years, he had directed all his efforts against the neighbouring Britons, In many districts, they had been exterminated by force of his arms, and so ruthlessly that he was known by a surname, the Ravager. TheinfantEdwinwasconveyed,however,beyondthetyrant's reach, and for protection he was intrusted to the protection of Cadvan, the KingofNorthWales. ThisdrewuponCadvanthehostilityoftheNorthum- brian King, who sought the death of the child. This, he thought, should strengthen thoroughly his own usurpation. In the vicinity of Chester, when the British and Saxon armies engaged, Ethelfrid obtained a signal victory.
Incessantly harassed by the jealousy and vengeance of Ethelfrid, the young sonofEllawasobligedtoleavehisfirstprotector,Cadvan; and,forsometime, hewanderedthroughthedifferentBritishandSaxondistricts. Atthatperiod, the East-Anglian throne was filled by Redwald. Having paid a visit to Ethelbert, King of Kent, he had become a professed Christian, owing to his
five In years.
Deira, Elle,
Yffe,
from a. d. there 560, reigned
for thirty years. ^
1
186 At first it was enclosed by a hedge and afterwards by a wall.
187 NowBamborough.
I9° His pedigree is thus traced in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : "^Elle was son of Yffe,YffeofUxfrea,UxfreaofWilgils,Wil- gils of Westerfalena, Westerfalena of Saefugl,. Saefugl of Ssebald, Saebald of Sigegeat, Sige-
188 Chronicle.
According to the
189 According to Roger de Hoveden, who geat of Swebdoeg, Swebdoeg of Sigegar,
was Ethelfrid, the eighth in succession, who "
,92 According to the Chronology of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
ruled twenty-eight years. See Chronica," edited by William Stubbs, M. A. , vol. i. ,
I93 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "History of
England," vol. i„ chap, ii. , p. 82.
Pars
Prior, Prologus, pp. 3, 4.
l** See "
Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden
Anglo-Saxon
thus follows out the succession of Northum-
brian kings, after his death : Glappa reigned
one year, and Adda succeeded him for eight
years; then followed Ethelric for seven Sancti Albani Chronica Majora," edited years, and afterwards Theoderic for four by Henry Richards Xuard, M. A. , vol. i. , years; next Friduwuld reigned for seven pp. 245, 247.
years, and Hass for a like term. After him
Sigegar of Woegdoeg, Woegdceg of Woden,
"
Woden of Frithowulf.
I91 See Matthsei Parisiensis, Monachi "
468 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31.
However, the importunities of his wife and the opposition of his people, caused him to relapse into his former errors. Yet, to silence his conscience, in the same temple by the side of the statue of Woden, he dedicated an altar to the God of the Christians ; thus endeavouring to unite a worship so utterly irreconcilable in principle and practice with the heathen- ish superstitions. In his extremity, the fugitive Edwin had recourse to
In the year 6i6,'9S Ethelfrid assembled a small body of his forces, and
hastened, as he thought, to take Redwald by surprise. Notwithstanding,
the latter had been well prepared for his movements. The whole East-
Anglian army was marshalled, and marched to the right bank of the Idel
River, in Nottinghamshire. The warriors were skilfully arrayed in three
bodies, while their helmets, spears and banners, gave them a formidable and
an impressive appearance. Notwithstanding the frustration of his hopes,
Ethelfrid scorned to retire, and he accordingly prepared for battle. Regen-
heri or Rainer, the son of Redwald, directed the first division of his father's
forces. Immediately Ethelfrid led the attack, and rushing onwards with his
warriors,destroyedthatcorpsandkilleditsleader. However,themultitude
of the East- Anglian s quickly trampled down the Northumbrians. Their
king fought with his accustomed desperate courage, and opening a way with his sword into the ranks of his enemies, he slew many, but at last he fell
lifeless over their bodies. Afterwards, his army was routed and completely
On the death of their father, Ethelfrid, and when the host of his enemies
persuasion.
andreceived fromhim. 1^ Learningthequarterin hospitality
Redwald,
which the young prince had found an asylum, Edilfrid sought, by threats and promises, to tempt the fidelity of Redwald, and had very nearly succeeded in his object, as the latter greatly feared the hostility of his powerful neigh- bour. Nevertheless, the solicitations of Redwald's queen, saved the solitary exile, and Redwald took the resolution of bidding defiance to the tyrant's resentment.
6 Then Redwald, in the son of Ella back to triumph, brought
dispersed. ^
the men of Deira, who received him joyfully, while the people of Berenicia submitted cheerfully to his rule. He thus obtained possession of all Northumbria, and became the fifth Bretwalda of the Saxon Confederacy. 1 ^
over Northumbria, Oswald J 98 and his six OswinorOswy,Oslac,Oswudu,Oslaf,Offa,ao°andhissister,Ebba,2?
1S°
According
Chronicle. •$• Called Withgaresberi by Matthew of
,<a
Cynric Wihtgarasburh,
137 Supposed to be Shoreham.
138 See Henry of Huntingdon, " Historiae
Anglorum,'' lib. ii. , sect. 8, p. 44.
139 This city or fort was on the edge of the
great forest Anderida, which overspread a large portion of Hampshire and Sussex. By William Camden it has been- placed at
took
of the Island of and slew Wight,
53o,
many
the West Saxons, after a reign of eighteen years died, and Cynric, his son, succeeded. x5a He reigned for twenty-seven winters. They gave all the Island of Wight to their two nephews, Stuf and Wihtgar. In 537 followed
men at
possession
151 or Carisbrook. In
first of king
Newenden, in the marshy grounds of Kent, "
See Britannia," vol. i. , p. 258.
140 Gildas tells us, this battle was fought
the year in which he was horn, and forty-
four before he wrote his years
to the Chro- Anglo-Saxon
141
history.
According to the Anglo-Saxon nicle.
See Matthoei Parisiensis, "Chronica Paris, who places this event at A. D. 528.
Majora," vol. i. , p. 226.
143 See Henry of Huntingdon, " Historian
Anglorum," lib. ii. , sect. 12, p. 46.
144 According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
"
I52 See Henry of Huntingdon's Historic
Anglorum," lib. ii. , sect. 20, p. 50.
,53 Thus noted in "Annales Cambria? ," " Gueith Camlann in quo Arthur et Medraut corruere. " EditionofRev. JohnWilliams
« See Matthoei Parisiensis, " Chronica ab Ithel, M. A. , p. 4.
Wihtgar fought against
August 31. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 463
thedeathoftheheroicKingArthuratGueithCamlann. ^ In544,Wihtgar
x died, and he was buried at Wihtgarasburh, or Carisbrook. 54
When the object of the Saxons was found to be the conquest and settle- ment of the whole Island by their hordes, the aboriginal inhabitants bravely resisted their inroads for a time; but, this only inflamed the barbarous
there pagan rites and worship everywhere prevailed.
Towards the close of the fifth century, while the former Prefect or
1 *8 was an humble monk in one of the monas- teries he had founded in that city, he chanced to pass through the public slave-market, where some beautiful slaves were exposed for sale. Struck
with their appearance, and enquiring ab—out the country to which they be-
of the invaders,1^ who neither their lives nor habitations, spared
ferocity
while the remains of Roman grandeur and art, with their towns, villages and churches, were committed to the flames. 'S6 The survivors of such outrages were gradually forced to the western mountains, and to places the least accessible, where the worship of the true God and the refinements of society were partially preserved, under difficulties of a serious character. ^ The more fertile parts of the Island were possessed by the dominant race, and
Governor of Rome,
Gregory,
XS9 Compassionating their forlorn condition, corporally and spiritually, he ex-
longed, he was told they were Angles another term for the Saxons.
claimed " They would not be Angles but Angels had they been Chris-
:
tians " l6° Impressed with the fulfilment of a resolution he had formed,
!
Gregory repaired to the reigning Pontiff, and expressed his desire to leave the monastery in which he lived, and to proceed on a mission, in order to spread the Gospel among the Saxons. The Pontiff's permission was reluc- tantly given. However, when the report of his preparations went abroad, Gregory's virtues and his previous office had made him so popular in Rome, that the inhabitants remonstrated against his departure from among them.
His subsequent elevation to the papal throne, however, obliged him to find others, who would carry out the mission he had desired to conduct in
person.
With a view of preparing them for the sacred ministry, Gregory gave an
extraordinary commission to the Presbyter Candidus to purchase a sufficient number of Saxon slaves under the age of eighteen, and to have them sent to Rome with sure guides, so that they might be educated at his own expense and under his own supervision. He desired to employ them in due course for the conversion of their own countrymen, whose language was so familiar tothem. However,theirprogresswasratherslow,andthePopedesiredto
154 See the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle," Popular. Encyclopaedia, or Conversations edited by Benjamin Thorpe, vol. ii. , pp. 13 Lexicon," vol. iii. , p. 559.
to
15.
155 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "Antiquities
IS:J Venerable Bede declares, that the anecdote which he thus relates was handed down to him in the traditions of his ancestors,
of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap, i. , p. 20.
I56According to the Statement of Gildas in namely, the Saxons.
" Historia l6° He then followed that Britonum," p. 85. up
157 See Rev. Dean Henry Hart Milman's "History of Latin Christianity," vol. ii. , book iv. , chap, iii. , p. 227.
enquiry by asking the name of the province from which
they had been brought. When told they were of the Deiri, he replied : "Truly they are Be iri, withdrawn from wrath and called to the mercy of Christ. " He then desired to know the name of their king, and he was told JEWa. Then cried he, alluding to the
the of God the praise
"
J 58 He was son of Gordian, deriving his
descent from a noble and religious Roman
family. He was born at Rome about 544,
and, having received an education suitable
to his rank, he became a member of the
Senate, and he filled other employments in
the State. By the Emperor Justin II. he
was appointed Prefect of Rome. See "The lib. ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 168 to 171.
name "
: Hallelujah !
Creator must be sung in those parts. " See
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum,"
464 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31,
hastentheworkofSaxonconversion. He,atlast,calledhismonkstogether,
andexplainedhisviewstothem. Heexcitedtheircourageandtheirhopesfor
thesuccessofthatmissionheproposed. Animatedbytheaddressofthe
Sovereign Pontiff, missionaries were soon selected, and Augustine161 was
appointed as their superior. Having set out on their journey, and reached
the neighbourhood of Lerins, the monks felt misgivings, and were dis-
couraged, because they knew not the language nor the customs of the Saxons,
whose cruelty to the British Christians had been so great. Whereupon, they
sent back Augustine to urge upon the Pope the difficulties and danger of the
enterprise. However, the Pontiff was inflexible in his resolution, as he had
recommended to the king and queen of the Franks, as also to the Archbishop
of Aries, that patronage and aid should be given to those missionaries. 162
He exhorted, and even commanded them to l63 He conjured proceed.
solicited the favour and protection of the Gallic princes and prelates, and
besought the clergy in Gaul to depute some of their body to be associates
and interpreters. Thus directed, in the year 597, they sailed for England, and, to the number of about forty, arrived safely on the Isle of Thanet. l64
It so happened, that Augustine and his companions were in the Kingdom of Kent, then under the rule of Ethelbert,16* who had been married to
Bertha, daughter of Charibert, King of Paris, and a most zealous and pious
Christian. 166 Her attendant prelate, Luidhard of Senlis, was a man of upright
and saintly character, who had even made an impression on the mind of the
16
King. ? In consequence, the rites of the Church were tolerated and
practised in the metropolis of Canterbury, where they resided. These and other circumstances had awakened respect for Christianity among the Kentish people, and they had even addressed the prelates of the Franks to send them religious instructors. But such a favourable opening for missionary work had been neglected ; and now, Augustine was afforded the opportunity of sending a messenger to the King, with information that he and his com- panions had been sent thither, to announce the truths of the Gospel and of eternal life to the sovereign and his subjects.
Ethelbert consented to grant an interview, and, with great solemnity,
and his
Augustine companions
went in 168 to a religious procession,
place
He listened in the
He was moved to such an extent that, although unable as yet to pronounce himself a convert to Christianity, he expressed satisfaction for that charity which prompted the missionaries to leave their own country, in order to promote,astheythought,thewelfareofhimselfandofhispeople. Heeven promised to afford them protection, so long as they chose to remain in his
open
Afterwards he became first bishop of Canterbury, and he is venerated as a saint. 1 1 i~. feast occurs on the 26th of May. A
"" very interesting Life of St. Augustine
has been written by Canon Oakley in the
air l69 to a discourse of
appointed.
161
Augustine.
about 600 families. See ibid. , cap. xxv. , pp. 100, 10 1.
,6s See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap, i. , pp. 22, 23.
,66 See St. of "Historia Gregory Tours,
Francorum," liv. iv. , cap. 26.
,67 See Le Comte de Montalembert, '"Les
Moines d'Occident," tome hi. , liv. xii. , chap, i. , p. 363.
»°s See Venerable Bede's " Historia
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. i. ,
cap. xxv. , pp. 100 to 103.
series known as " Lives of the
English
Eccle-
Saints," and published in 1844.
,6a "
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's
siastical History of Great Britain," vol. i. ,
book cent,
ii. , vi. , pp. 150, 151.
163 The letter which he wrote on this occasion, dated July 28th, is to be seen in the work of Venerable Bedc, " Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis
,69 to an ancient Saxon According
xxiii. , pp. 96, 97.
164
Anglorum,"
lib.
i. , cap.
super- stition, Ethelbert feared lest magic arts could be practised on him by the mission-
It lay on the east coast of Kent, and contained, according to Venerable Bede,
arics, were they to come into a house.
August 31. ] LIVES Of THE IRISH SAINTS. 465
dominions. 1 ? The Britons had built a church in honour of St. Martin, but it was in ruins, when Queen Bertha had obtained permission from her husband to have it restored, so that it might serve for the ministrations of Bishop Luidhard. Her influence was sufficient to have it transferred to Augustine and his company, who were warmly welcomed by her to proceed in the good work they had so auspiciously commenced. Soon were the strangers in a position to introduce the public worship and ceremonies of the Church with imposing solemnity, and to preach the Christian religion to curious and interested crowds of Saxons. Insensibly their prejudices began to wear away, and the priests of Woden began to lament the solitude of their altars. For some time, Ethelbert hesitated before he renounced the worship of idols ; but, in fine, when he had carefully weighed the evangelical doctrines enforced by the missionaries, with reasons for accepting them, as also the sublime morality they preached, and manifested in their own mode of living, the king publicly professed himself a Christian. So powerful was his example, that ten thousand Saxons soon followed their prince to the waters of Baptism.
Instructed and directed by Pope St. Gregory I. , surnamed " the Great," the missionaries announced that the conversion of the people was to be the result of conviction and free choice on their part, and not that of force or
compulsion. Norwasthereanecessitytoexerciseanymagisterialauthority to recommend the teaching of Augustine and his clerics ; for within a com-
paratively brief period the idolatrous priests and their rites were brought
into disrepute. Their temples were deserted, and in many places converted
into Christian churches. As the victims that bled on the pagan altars had
furnished the chief materials for Saxon feasting, on the occasion of their
heathenish rites and festivals, and as the praises of their warriors were
mingled with hymns chaunted in honour of the god who was worshipped ;
the Sovereign Pontiff had wisely recommended, that wholly to derogate
from certain national observances might prove to be injudicious, and as
some of these might be combined with religious institutes, accordingly, on
the festivals of the Christian martyrs, it was permitted to have tents erected
in the vicinity of the churches, where entertainments and amusements of a
festive character could still be carried out, but with sobriety and
11 moderation. ?
Soon after the conversion of Kent followed that of the neighbouring
and dependent Kingdom of Essex, then ruled by Saberct. 1? 2 In 604, the
Abbot Mellitus was invited to settle in his metropolis. However, the death
of Saberct soon followed, and this proved most injurious to the conversion
of his 1 ^ In his people.
three sons addicted to the of their worship
stead,
ancestors were in power. They were contemners of the Christian religion
and rites. With
Justus,
x ? 4
Mellitus 1 ? 5
had been
recently However,
invested with the
1? 6
the Holy Sacrifice in his church, the three sons of Saberct entered during the
170 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesi- tical History of Britain," vol. i. , book ii. ,
episcopal
celebrating
rank and
while
dignity by Augustine.
time when the Bishop was administering Communion to the people. They
astical History of Great Britain," vol. i. , book ii. , cent, vi. , p. 152.
171 See Rev. Dr. John JLingard's " Anti- quities of the Anglo-Saxon Church," chap. i. , p. 24.
172 He was nephew to Ethelbert, through his sister Ricula. See Venerable Bede's *. ' Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. iii. , pp. 180, 181.
x? 3 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesias-
cent, vii. , pp. 188, 189.
I74 He is- venerated as a saint, and he
diedA. D. 632.
I7S He afterwards became Archhbishop of
Canterbury. His feast occurs on the 24th of April.
I? 6 In the year 604.
I77 He had reigned gloriously for fifty-six
years.
x? 8 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
'
I6
466 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31.
demanded a portion of the sacred elements with the rest, but were refused
by Mellitus. Then he was ordered to leave Essex. Obliged to withdraw,
he sought refuge with his brethren in Kent. It so happened, however,
that after the death of Bertha, Ethelbert had married a second wife, who
was young and of remarkable beauty. On the death of Ethelbert, a. d.
6i6,'77 his son Eadbald succeeded him in Kent. But, abandoned to the
gratification of lawless and sensual desire, on his accession to the throne,
he took the widow of his father as a concubine, and, when the Christian
missionaries attempted to remonstrate, he declared an intention to renounce
their religion, which should place such a curb on the gratification of his
18
unnatural passion. ? Disheartened by their want of success, Mellitus, with
Justus of Rochester, retired into Gaul, to await a more favourable result. ^ The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul had been already in course of erection at Canterbury by St. Augustine, and it was richly endowed with lands and possessions by King Ethelbert. 180 The death of St. Augustine took place May 26th, a. d. 605, before that church had been completed, and his body was at first deposited without, but soon as the dedication was completed, the remains were decently buried in the north porch. After his death, Laurentius was his successor in the See. Afflicted greatly by the dissolute and incorrigible character of the King, and despairing of effecting any good in Kent, that prelate had also resolved to leave the Kingdom. The night before his intended departure, however, was spent in the Church of St. Peter, and, it is stated, that the Chief of the Apostles appeared to him, reproached him with cowardice, and to mark his displeasure inflicted stripes on his shoulders. 181 Next morning he appeared before Eadbald, and relating what had previously occurred, showed him those marks, which were a cause of astonishment and confusion to the King. He seemed to feel contrition for his past grievous offences, and expressed his willingness to atone for them. In fine, he dismissed his father's widow from his bed, and recalled
182
the Mellitus and fugitive bishops,
he the proved
Afterwards,
sincerity of his conversion by a total change of life. He also supported the causeofChristianitybyhispowerandinfluence. ,83 ThenceforwardinKent,
it assumed an ascendancy, which in the future it maintained.
During the Saxon incursions on the shores of Britain, Ida,18* an Anglian chief, commanded a fleet of forty chiules, and landed with his adventurers on
the north-eastern shores of 18* the Britons of
England. There, Bryneich,
after many severe conflicts, were removed from the coast. Then, Ida fixed his residence on a lofty promontory, where he built a strong castle. 186 From
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. ,
cap. v. , pp. 190, 191.
'79 See Rev. Jeremy Collier's " Ecclesias-
tical History of Great Britain," vol. i. ,
book ii. , cent, vii. , p. 189.
,8o "
"
Eoppa was son of Esa, Esa was son of Ingui,
Ingui of Angewit, Angewit of Aloe, Aloe of Benoc, Benoc of Biand, Brand of Boeldog, Boeldog of Woden, Woden of Freothelaf,
Justus.
gives his pedigree :
Ida was son of Eoppa,
See Venerable Bede's Historia Freothelaf of Freothewulf, Freothewulf of
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib. ii. , cap. iii. , pp. 178 to 183.
Finn, Finn of Godulf, Godulf of Geat. "—
Edited with a translation by Benjamin
Thorpe, vol. ii. , p. 15.
181 tical
See Rev. Jeremy Collier's
"
Ecclesias-
vol.
of Great bookii. , cent, vii. , pp. 189, 190.
,8s Matthew of that he had Paris, states,
History
Britain,"
See Matthaei Parisiensis, Monachi Theodoric, Athelric, Osmer and Theofred.
i. ,
Chronica Majora," edited by Henry Richards Luard, M. A. , vol. i. ,
pp. 226, 227.
183 See Venerable Bede's " Historia
six sons by his queen, viz. :—Adda, Elric
183
Sancti Albani,
"
Six others were the sons of his concubines, viz. :—Oga, Aliric, Ecca, Osbald, Segor
Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum," lib.
Flemesburc
'
cap, vi. , pp. 192, 193.
184 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle " thus
ii. ,
applicuerunt M. A. , vol i„ p. 243.
"
Britanniam cum navibus sexaginta, et apud
and Sogother.
Isti omnes venerunt in
—"Chronica Ma- jora," edited by Henry Richards Luard,
August 31. J LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 467 the name of his consort Bebba, l8 7 it was called Bebbanburgh or Bebbanburh.
and it lasted to a. d. 188 From its former 559.
His dates from a. d. reign
547,
British name of Bryneich, his kingdom, which lay northwards of the River
Tees, was subsequently known as Bernicia. This was subsequently the premier province of Northumbria, and over this northern kingdom of the
l8
Saxons, Ida ruled for eleven years.
9 Those Britons who lived south of the
Tees are said to have been named from Deyfyr. They were assailed and
defeated by an Anglian Chief, named Seomil. In 560, one of his descend-
ants, Ella, obtained undisputed possession of that district, and he formed it
into a new kingdom, preserving its British appellation in the word Deira.
Its southern boundary was the River Humber. When both of those divisions
had attained their fullest extent, Bernicia on the north, and Deira on the
south of the Tees, reached from the Forth to the Humber, and from the
easterntothewesternseas. Bothdivisionsafterwardsconstitutedthepower-
ful Kingdom of Northumbria. When Ida died, Northumbria was divided
into two separate kingdoms. Adda, his son, succeeded in Bernicia, a. d.
560, and reigned seven years. After him, from a. d. 567, Glappa reigned
1^ the son of
In Bernicia, Edilfrid son of Ethelfric, and the grandson of Ida, began to reign in 592 or 593. 192 He had married the daughter of
Ella, founder of the Kingdom of Deira, and after his death, Edilfrid took possession of Deira. ^ At that time, Ella had left a male child, named Edwin, then only three years old, and who was rightful heir to his father's kingdom. Ethelfrid was known to be a sanguinary and an unscrupulous tyrant ; and for several years, he had directed all his efforts against the neighbouring Britons, In many districts, they had been exterminated by force of his arms, and so ruthlessly that he was known by a surname, the Ravager. TheinfantEdwinwasconveyed,however,beyondthetyrant's reach, and for protection he was intrusted to the protection of Cadvan, the KingofNorthWales. ThisdrewuponCadvanthehostilityoftheNorthum- brian King, who sought the death of the child. This, he thought, should strengthen thoroughly his own usurpation. In the vicinity of Chester, when the British and Saxon armies engaged, Ethelfrid obtained a signal victory.
Incessantly harassed by the jealousy and vengeance of Ethelfrid, the young sonofEllawasobligedtoleavehisfirstprotector,Cadvan; and,forsometime, hewanderedthroughthedifferentBritishandSaxondistricts. Atthatperiod, the East-Anglian throne was filled by Redwald. Having paid a visit to Ethelbert, King of Kent, he had become a professed Christian, owing to his
five In years.
Deira, Elle,
Yffe,
from a. d. there 560, reigned
for thirty years. ^
1
186 At first it was enclosed by a hedge and afterwards by a wall.
187 NowBamborough.
I9° His pedigree is thus traced in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : "^Elle was son of Yffe,YffeofUxfrea,UxfreaofWilgils,Wil- gils of Westerfalena, Westerfalena of Saefugl,. Saefugl of Ssebald, Saebald of Sigegeat, Sige-
188 Chronicle.
According to the
189 According to Roger de Hoveden, who geat of Swebdoeg, Swebdoeg of Sigegar,
was Ethelfrid, the eighth in succession, who "
,92 According to the Chronology of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
ruled twenty-eight years. See Chronica," edited by William Stubbs, M. A. , vol. i. ,
I93 See Rev. Dr. Lingard's "History of
England," vol. i„ chap, ii. , p. 82.
Pars
Prior, Prologus, pp. 3, 4.
l** See "
Polychronicon Ranulphi Higden
Anglo-Saxon
thus follows out the succession of Northum-
brian kings, after his death : Glappa reigned
one year, and Adda succeeded him for eight
years; then followed Ethelric for seven Sancti Albani Chronica Majora," edited years, and afterwards Theoderic for four by Henry Richards Xuard, M. A. , vol. i. , years; next Friduwuld reigned for seven pp. 245, 247.
years, and Hass for a like term. After him
Sigegar of Woegdoeg, Woegdceg of Woden,
"
Woden of Frithowulf.
I91 See Matthsei Parisiensis, Monachi "
468 LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [August 31.
However, the importunities of his wife and the opposition of his people, caused him to relapse into his former errors. Yet, to silence his conscience, in the same temple by the side of the statue of Woden, he dedicated an altar to the God of the Christians ; thus endeavouring to unite a worship so utterly irreconcilable in principle and practice with the heathen- ish superstitions. In his extremity, the fugitive Edwin had recourse to
In the year 6i6,'9S Ethelfrid assembled a small body of his forces, and
hastened, as he thought, to take Redwald by surprise. Notwithstanding,
the latter had been well prepared for his movements. The whole East-
Anglian army was marshalled, and marched to the right bank of the Idel
River, in Nottinghamshire. The warriors were skilfully arrayed in three
bodies, while their helmets, spears and banners, gave them a formidable and
an impressive appearance. Notwithstanding the frustration of his hopes,
Ethelfrid scorned to retire, and he accordingly prepared for battle. Regen-
heri or Rainer, the son of Redwald, directed the first division of his father's
forces. Immediately Ethelfrid led the attack, and rushing onwards with his
warriors,destroyedthatcorpsandkilleditsleader. However,themultitude
of the East- Anglian s quickly trampled down the Northumbrians. Their
king fought with his accustomed desperate courage, and opening a way with his sword into the ranks of his enemies, he slew many, but at last he fell
lifeless over their bodies. Afterwards, his army was routed and completely
On the death of their father, Ethelfrid, and when the host of his enemies
persuasion.
andreceived fromhim. 1^ Learningthequarterin hospitality
Redwald,
which the young prince had found an asylum, Edilfrid sought, by threats and promises, to tempt the fidelity of Redwald, and had very nearly succeeded in his object, as the latter greatly feared the hostility of his powerful neigh- bour. Nevertheless, the solicitations of Redwald's queen, saved the solitary exile, and Redwald took the resolution of bidding defiance to the tyrant's resentment.
6 Then Redwald, in the son of Ella back to triumph, brought
dispersed. ^
the men of Deira, who received him joyfully, while the people of Berenicia submitted cheerfully to his rule. He thus obtained possession of all Northumbria, and became the fifth Bretwalda of the Saxon Confederacy. 1 ^
over Northumbria, Oswald J 98 and his six OswinorOswy,Oslac,Oswudu,Oslaf,Offa,ao°andhissister,Ebba,2?
