bishop of Canterbury, into Britain, he when he came brought with him many relics of the saints. And afterwards, when he became united with Egfrid, King of Northumberland, the king gave him an estate sufficient for sixty families, to found a monastery in honour of Peter the chief of the apostles, at the mouth of the river Wira, A.D. 674, in the second indiction. Another monastery, in honour of Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles, is founded in Girwi, not far from the other, and the same king also enriched that with estates sufficient for sixty families, and the bishop took care to enrich it abundantly, and filling these monasteries with religious monks, he ordained Ceolfrid as president of the one, and Easterwin as president of the other; and he did this with the view of having a regular order preserved in them both, as well when he was absent as when he was present. It was to this servant of God, Benedict, that the venerable Bede, that teacher of the English, was entrusted to be educated by him, and it was under him that he is related to have been advanced to the order of the priesthood. He is said to have gone to Rome five times, and as he always returned enriched with divine improvement, he laboured to educate those under his authority, both by his actions and by his example. At length, after a laudable life, Benedict, the conqueror of the vices, that most pious confessor of Christ, yielded to the infirmity of the flesh, and rendered up his spirit to his Creator, on the 12th of January. He was succeeded in his burdensome honours by a holy man, a pupil of his own, Ceolfrid, under whom Bede, the servant of Christ, most admirably filled up the labour which he had begun, by sacred descriptions, to the advantage of the universal church.

A.D. 704. Hedda, bishop of Winchester, who had succeeded Leutherius, died, and in the place where he died many miracles were wrought, on account of the merits of his sanctity; for the men of that province were accustomed to throw dust that they took up from that spot into the water, for the sake of those who were sick, and then by having this water brought to them or sprinkled on them, both men and cattle were delighted to find that they recovered their health. And after his death his bishopric was divided into two parts, one of which, that is, the bishopric of Winchester, was given to Daniel, and he held it to the time of Bede. The other diocese, that of Sherborne, was given to Aldelm, who held it four years, and there remained to the bishop of Winchester only two provinces, those, namely, of Hampton and Surrey. But the other had

A.D. 706. SICINNIUS APPOINTED TO THE ROMAN CHAIR. 341

the provinces of Wilton, Dorset, Berru, and Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. But the village of Sherborne is so small, that it appears marvellous that a bishopric should have lasted there so many ages.

CH. XIII.-FROM A.D. 705 TO 742. Death of Ethelred-The See of Worcester is founded-Saint Guthlac of Croyland-Gregory is Pope-Ina, king of the West Saxons, defeats and kills Eadbert-Bede writes his History-Schism of the Iconoclasts-Wars of Ethelbald, King of Mercia-Death of Bede-His Character-Death of Gregory.

A.D. 705. Ethelred, king of Mercia, who had become a monk, after having ruled the kingdom with great vigour for thirty years, died at Bardoneia, and was buried there. This king had two sisters, who were most holy virgins, by name Kinesdrida and Kineswitha, both dedicated to God from their infancy, and who nobly persevered to old age in their noble determination of virginity. But the younger, not being content with the salvation of herself alone, restored Offa, her betrothed husband, also to the kingdom of heaven; and Offa reigned in the kingdom of the East Saxons a few years after Sigehard and Scofrid, being a youth of pleasant countenance, in the flower of his age, and greatly beloved by his countrymen. He then, in consequence of the exhortations of the before-mentioned Kineswitha, as she disdained to become his wife, was taught to sigh for heavenly love, and went to Rome, and having become a monk there, he ascended devoutly to the kingdom of heaven. The remains of these holy virgins are worshipped by, and bring good fortune to the people at Medeshamstede, a village which is sometimes called the Borough of Saint Peter (Peterborough). The same year, Ælfrid, king of Northumberland, died, and was succeeded by his son Osred, who reigned eleven years. Ethelred was succeeded as king of Mercia by Kinred, who reigned five years. This year also, John was selected pope of Rome, and occupied that see one year.

A.D. 706. Sicinnius was appointed to the Roman chair, and held it only twenty days. The same year, Justinian, who had been an exile, was, by the assistance of Trehelbus, king of Bulgaria, restored to his kingdom, and reigned six years. And when he was firmly seated on the throne, he put to death all those men who had formerly expelled him, and ordered

Absimarus Tiberius to be executed. He also tore out the eyes of the patriarch Gallinicus, and sent him to Rome, and slew a countless multitude of Roman citizens. He likewise caused the town of Chersona, where he had lived in banishment, to be destroyed, and practised unheard-of cruelties on his enemies.

A.D. 707. Constantine was elected to the Roman chair, and occupied it seven years and fifteen days, and the see was vacant forty days. About the same time, there was a certain soldier, of the family of Kinred, king of Mercia, a man openly devoted to vice; and as the king earnestly advised him to seek repentance, he so disregarded his warnings of salvation, that he postponed all amendment of his flagitious life. But about this time he was seized with an illness, and took to his bed, and began to yield to the attacks of severe pain. Accordingly, the king went to see him, and frequently exhorted him to turn to repentance for his sins, before he died. But he replied that he would not confess his sins till he recovered from his sickness, lest his companions should reproach him with having done so through fear of death. And when, as his disease became more violent, the king came again to him to exhort him, he began to cry out with a piteous voice, "Why have you come hither? you cannot any longer be any advantage or salvation to me." And the king answered him, "Do not say so; study to adopt sensible and sane thoughts.' "I am not insane,' said the man, "but I have a terrible conscience before my eyes. For a little before you came, two youths entered this house, and sat down close to me, the one at my head, and the other at my feet, and one of them brought me forth a book, very beautiful, but very small, for me to read, in which I found all the good deeds which I have hitherto done, set down. But they, looking on the book, said nothing, and immediately there came up an army of most foul, malignant spirits, which blockaded this house on the outside, and sitting down inside also, filled the greater part of it. Then one of the foulest among them, who appeared larger than his fellows, produced a book of horrible appearance and enormous bulk, and insupportable weight, and ordered one of his attendants to bring it to me to read. And when I had read in it, I found all the wickednesses, all the offences that I had committed, not only in deed or word, but in even the slightest thought, written down in it most legibly, in the blackest characters. And they

A.D. 710.

KINRED PUTS ON THE MONASTIC HABIT.

343

said to those bright men in white garments, who were sitting by me, 'Why sit ye here, knowing that this man most undoubtedly belongs to us? They replied, You speak truly, take him and lead him away to the crowd of your damnation.' Then two most wicked spirits rose up, having forks in their hands, and smote me, one on the head and the other on the feet, and they now are creeping, to my great torture, into all my inward parts, and as soon as they meet I shall die, and then, as all these devils are prepared to carry me off, I shall be dragged down to hell." Thus spoke that despairing wretch, and immediately his miserable death ensued. But it is evident, in this case, that this display of his crimes was not made for his own sake, as he derived no benefit from it, but for that of others, that they, knowing the circumstances of his death, might not delay their repentance, lest they should be anticipated by some unforeseen stroke of death, and so die unrepentant.

A.D. 708. Ina, king of the West Saxons, fought a battle against Gerens, king of the Welch; and at the beginning of the battle, Higebald, his general, was slain. But at last, the king of Wales fled, and left his arms and spoils to the Angles, who were pursuing him. The same year, Offer, governor of Northumberland, fought against the Picts, and slew a great multitude of them, and so became the avenger of king Egfrid.

A.D. 709. Aldelm, bishop of Sherborne, died. When that holy man was only a priest, and abbot of the monastery which they call the city of Maildulph, he, at the command of a synod, wrote an admirable book to his nation against the errors of the Britons, by which he induced them to adopt the Catholic celebration of Easter. He also wrote an excellent treatise on Virginity, and many other books likewise, being a man of the greatest learning on every subject, and admirable for his erudition, as well in mundane as in spiritual affairs. And after his death, Forther succeeded him in his pontificate, who was also a man of most praiseworthy learning in the holy Scrip

tures.

A.D. 710. Kinred, who had for some time governed the kingdom of Mercia in a most noble manner, abandoned the sceptre of the kingdom in a more noble manner still. For while Constantine filled the office of pontiff at Rome, Kinred devoutly travelled to the threshold of the apostles, and there put on the monastic habit, and remained there till the day of

He was

his summons, in prayers, and fastings, and alms. succeeded in the kingdom by Ceolred, the son of Ethelred, who ruled that kingdom before Kinred. And he came to Rome with Offa, king of the Saxons, of whom mention has been made above. And Offa too, prompted by a devout mind, left wife, and lands, and kinsmen, and country for Christ's sake, that he might receive in this life a hundred-fold, and in the world to come life everlasting. He was succeeded in his kingdom by Selred, the son of Segebert the Good, who reigned thirty-eight years.

A.D. 711. In the province of the South Saxons, it was determined, by a synodal decree, that those in that province who had hitherto belonged to the diocese of Winchester, over which Daniel at that time presided, should henceforth form a separate diocese, and have a bishop of their own. And Eadbert was consecrated their first bishop, who had been abbot of the monastery of bishop Wilfrid of blessed memory, which is called Selsey, where that servant of God, having been in exile for five years, had obtained from the king of that province an estate sufficient for eighty families, in which he might receive his fellow-exiles, and supply them with the necessaries of life. For it is a place surrounded on all sides by the sea, except on the west, where it is connected with the main-land by a neck of land of about the extent of a sling's throw in width. And when Wilfrid had received this spot, he founded a monastery on it, and instituted a regular system of life, forming his convent chiefly of those persons whom he had brought with him, and his successors maintained his institutions for a long time afterwards. And as king Ethelwald gave him not only the land and the men on it, but also entire power over them, he regenerated all those whom he found there in the water of baptism, and strengthened them in the faith of Christ. And there were in number, with servants and hand-maidens, about two hundred and fifty souls, all of whom he delivered, as I may say, from the service of the devil, and also, by giving them their liberty, from the yoke of human slavery.

But when Wilfrid was recalled to the province of Northumberland first of all, Cadwallader, king of the West Saxons, and after him his successor Ina (having defeated and slain the kings of that province), occupied that kingdom. Owing to which circumstance, it happened that during all that time that nation had no bishop of its own, but was subject to the bishop