Goths, who were commanded by Atavulfus, the husband of Placida, from Narbonne, and compelled them to retire into Spain.

A.D. 418. Lucian, the presbyter, flourished with great distinction. He wrote a treatise on the revelation of Stephen, the proto-martyr, andof his companions, in the Greek language; which afterwards Avitus, a Spanish presbyter, translated into Latin. He also sent by Orosius the remains of the blessed Stephen to the western nations.

A.D. 419. Anianus, bishop of Aurelia, flourished, who by his prayers delivered the citizens of Aurelia from the Huns.

A.D. 420. The Britons, unable to endure the hostile attacks of the Scots, Picts, and Norwegians, sent to Rome requesting aid; and a legion is immediately sent to them, which slew a vast multitude of the barbarians, and expelled them from the borders of Britain. After that, for the sake of repelling the enemy, they built a wall between the two seas, which, however, as it was made more of turf than of stone, was of no use to the Britons in their works, without a commander. For presently, when the Romans departed, the enemies whom I have spoken of arrived again in ships, and cut down, laid waste, overthrew and destroyed everything that they met with.

A.D. 421. Pharamund became king of the Franks, and he reigned eleven years. Again the Britons implored assistance from the Romans, who came and drove the enemy back to the sea, and uniting themselves, the Britons made the wall solid with stone, and extended it from sea to sea; they also all along the shore of the southern sea placed numerous towers at intervals, and fortified the country; and then bade farewell to their companions, as not intending to return again.

A.D. 422. Zozimus was made pope. He sat in the Roman chair three years, eight months, and twenty-five days. And the see was vacant eleven days.

A.D. 423. Jerome the presbyter ended his life in sanctity, the last day of September, in the ninety-first year of his age. A.D. 424. Macharius, an Egyptian monk, was eminent for wonders and virtue.

A.D. 425. Boniface was appointed pope. He occupied the chair at Rome three years, eight months, and thirteen days. And the see was vacant nine days.

A.D. 426. Severus, the presbyter, by name Sulpitius, who

A.D. 434. THE ROMANS WITHDRAW FROM BRITAIN.

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wrote a book about the life of the blessed Martin, died. He in his old age was seduced by the Pelagians, but, acknowledging his fault in having been too talkative, he kept silence to the day of his death, making amends by his silence for the evil that he had done by talking.

A.D. 427. Cœlestinus was appointed pope. He occupied the Roman chair seven years, one month, and nine days. And the see was vacant twenty-one days. The same year, Theodosius the younger succeeded to the empire, and reigned twenty-seven years.

A.D. 428. Valentinian the younger, the son of Constantius, was created emperor at Ravenna, and Placida, his mother, had the title of Augusta given her.

A.D. 429. Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, revealed his faithless heresy. He asserted that the blessed Virgin Mary was not the mother of God, but only of a man, so that he made one person of the flesh, and another of the Deity. And he did not believe that there was one only Christ in the world and in the flesh; but he preached that there were two separate persons, one the Son of God, and the other the Son of Man. A.D. 430. The devil appeared to the Jews in Crete in the figure of Moses, and promised to lead them across the sea with dry feet to the land of promise; and then exulted when many lost their lives. The rest who were saved were all converted to Christ.

A.D. 431. The ferocious nations of the Vandals, Alans, and Goths crossed over from Spain to Africa, and polluted every place with fire, and sword, and rapine, and also with Arrian impiety. But the blessed Augustine, bishop of Hippo, and likewise an illustrious teacher of all the churches, departed to the Lord in the third month of the siege of Hippo, to escape seeing the ruin of his city.

A.D. 432. The Vandals, after having taken Carthage, devastated Sicily. The same year, Clodoveus became king in Gaul, and reigned seventeen years.

A.D. 433. Palladius was ordained by pope Cœlestinus, and sent as the first bishop to the Scots who believed in Christ. A.D. 434. When the Romans withdrew from Britain, the Picts and Scots returned with the Norwegians and Dacians, and took possession of the whole island, which was almost

destitute of all its original inhabitants, from the northern coast as far down as the wall which the Romans had erected

for the defence of the country. And after this, the enemy attacked the wall, and loosened its joints, and with iron hooks threw down the Britons who were placed on the high ramparts of the walls to resist it, against the bulwarks. For they were without a ruler; ignorant how to fight, and always inclined to flee. On which account, those who were able to escape from this calamity sought hiding-places in the thicknesses of the groves, in lairs and secret places of the earth. At last, when they had abandoned their cities, the miserable people were torn to pieces like lambs by wolves. Why need I dwell on the story? They again sent a letter filled with tearful lamentations to Etius, the Roman governor and consul, which contained these words among others :

"The groans of the Britons to Ætius, the consul, greeting. "The sea drives us on the barbarians, and the barbarians drive us to the sea; and between the two, two kinds of death arise. We are either drowned or stabbed."

But when the Romans had told them that they were not inclined any longer to exhaust themselves with such laborious expenses for them, the messengers departed in grief, and reported their repulse to their fellow-citizens.

These are the transactions of the eighth year of the reign of the younger Theodosius. In this year the tribute of Britain ceased, which had been paid to the Roman senate ever since the time of Julius Cæsar.

CH. VII.-A.D. 435 TO 464.

The Britons receive a king from Brittany-Attila-VortigernSaint Germain-Wars between the Britons and the Picts and Scots-The Saxons are invited into Britain-Meroveus, king of the Franks-The Saxons arrive in Britain—Are defeated by Vortigern-The council of Chalcedon-Vortimer-Horso -Hengist-Death of Vortimer-Return of Hengist—The Saxons destroy the British Churches-Merlin.

A.D. 435. Guithelin, archbishop of London, flourished, a man remarkable for his learning and virtues. He, as soon as

he was made aware of the calamitous state of Britain, and of its desertion by the Romans, being filled with pity, crossed the sea to the Lesser Britain, which had formerly been called

Armorica, or Læcania, to entreat assistance for his brethren. The king of that country at that time was Aldroenus, the fourth successor of Conan, to whom the tyrant Maximus had given that kingdom. And he, when he saw that venerable man, received him with due honour. But the archbishop, relating the cause of his arrival, burst into tears, and said, "Your nobleness is sufficiently aware, O king, how Maximus, who conferred this kingdom on you and your predecessors, deprived our island of its soldiers, and also robbed it of its men and women of the highest rank, and we and our fellowcitizens have suffered great misery, having become a mere object of prey and plunder to all nations. We are not only oppressed by the enemy, but we are dying of hunger, being deprived of every sort of food, except what we can obtain by our skill in hunting.

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'We, therefore, cut off from all other hope, approach your grace, O most serene king, imploring you to come in person to bring us assistance; and to dispose of the kingdom, which will then be your due after you have expelled the barbarians, at your own pleasure; and to govern the people, and to restore to its ancient state a country which in old time subjugated very distant kingdoms." And when the archbishop, in a very long speech, had said this and a great deal more, the king replied in the following manner :

"There was once a time when I would not have refused to receive the island of Britain, but now that disasters have fallen on it, it has become less valuable in my eyes, and odious in those of my nobles. But because my grandfathers and greatgrandfathers possessed that island, I give you my brother Constantine, and two thousand soldiers with him. And if God permit, he will deliver the country from its enemies, and, being invested with the crown, he will possess the kingdom, with honour and glory." The king had scarcely made an end of speaking, when the archbishop addressed Constantine, a man of great reputation as a soldier, in the following cheerful words :- -"Christ is victorious! Christ is king! Christ is emperor! May the grace of Christ, therefore, stand by the king of Britain, who is our defence, that he may restore our miserable island to its former dignity." In short, ships were made ready on the shore, and the number of troops that I have already stated was enlisted from the different parts of the

VOL. I.

P

kingdom. And they having embarked and set sail, landed prosperously in the harbour of Totness. And not long after, the Britons who had been dispersed in caves and hidingplaces flocked together, and engaging the enemy in battle, gained the victory by the energy of the new king and the merits of the blessed Guithelin.

After this, an assembly was held at Chichester, where they raised Constantine to the throne, and gave him a wife descended from a noble race of Roman blood, who had been educated by the care of the blessed Guithelin, archbishop of London; and by her, in process of time, he had three illus trious sons, namely, Constans, Aurelius Ambrosius, and Uther Pendragon. Constans, his first-born, he devoted to God, giving him to the church of Amphibalus, at Winchester, when he took upon himself the orders of a monk; Aurelius Ambrosius and Pendragon he committed to the archbishop of London to be educated.

A.D. 436. Sixtus became pope. He sat in the Roman chair eight years and eighteen days. He rebuilt in an admirable manner the church of Saint Mary, the Mother of the Lord, which had originally been a temple of Liber Pater.

A.D. 437. Eudoxia, the wife of Theodosius, the emperor, returned from Jerusalem, bringing with her the remains the blessed proto-martyr Saint Stephen, which were found in the church of Saint Lawrence, and are piously worshipped by

the faithful.

A.D. 438. Bleda and Attila, who were brothers, and kings of many nations, laid waste Illyricum and Thrace. A.D. 439. Maximus, bishop of Turin, flourished, great learning in the Holy Scriptures.

a man

a man of

A.D. 440. Petronius, bishop of Bologna, in Italy, great holiness of life, deeply versed in monastic studies, and highly accomplished in secular literature, died.

A.D. 441. Julian, the bishop, and Coelestine, flourished, being both followers of Pelagius.

A.D. 442. Leporius, a presbyter, adopted the doctrine of Pelagius, presuming on the purity of his own life, by which, of his own will alone and through his own unassisted efforts, with out any assistance from God, he thought that he had obtained grace. At length, however, he was convinced of his error, composed a book of recantation, written in the spirit of the true Catholic faith.

and