and advice, ordered to build a church worthy of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and he enriched it with various gifts, in which church the body of Augustine, and of all the Canterbury bishops together, and of their kings, might be laid. The Church, however, not Augustine, but Bishop Laurentius, his after-follower, hallowed.

2. The first abbot at the same monastery was a mass-priest named Peter, who was sent back as a messenger into the kingdom of Gaul, and then was drowned in a bay of the sea, which was called Amfleet, and was laid in an unbecoming grave by the inhabitants of the place. But the Almighty God would show of what merit the holy man was, and every night a heavenly light was made to shine over his grave, until the neighbors, who saw it, understood that it was a great and holy man who was buried there; and they then asked who and whence he was: they then took his body, and laid and buried it in a church in the city Boulogne, with the honor befitting so great and so holy a man.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

That Ethelfrith, king of the Northumbrians, overcame the nation of the Scots in fight, and drove them out of the boundaries of the English people.

1. In these times, over the kingdom of the Northumbrians, was a very powerful king, and very desirous of glory, Ethelfrith by name, who, more than all the English kings and governors, wasted and harried the nation of the Britons, even so that he might be compared to Saul, long ago king of the nation of the Israelites, but that he was unwitting of the divine religion. Never was there any king or governor that more deprived them of their lands, and subjected them to his power; for he made them tributary to the English nation, or drove them from their lands. Very well might be applied to him the saying which Jacob the high-father* spoke in the person of Saul the king, when he blessed his son: "Benjamin is a ravening wolf; in the early morning he shall eat the prey, and in the evening he shall deal the spoil.' Then for his stoutness was stirred up Aedon, king of the Scots who dwell in Britain. He then led an army on him, and came with an immense and strong host to fight against him; but nevertheless he was overcome, and

* Patriarch.

fled away with few [of his men]. This battle was fought in the famous place which is called Degsa-stone, where almost all his host was slain. In that battle likewise Theodbald, Ethelfrith's brother, was slain with all the host which he led. This fight

Ethelfrith accomplished in the eleventh year of his reign, which he had four and twenty winters. That was the first year of Phocas the Emperor, who had the sovereignty of the Romans. Since that time no king of the Scots durst come to a fight against the English nation until this present day. Here endeth the first book, and beginneth the second.

BOOK II.- CHAPTER I.

1. In these times, that is six hundred and five years after our Lord's incarnation, the blessed Pope Gregory, after he had gloriously held and ruled the seat of the Roman and apostolic church thirteen years and six months and ten days, died and was led to the everlasting seat of the heavenly kingdom.

2. He held and ruled the church in the times of the emperors Mauricius and Phocas; and in the second year of the same Phocas he went forth of this life, and went to the true life, which is in heaven, and his body was buried in St. Peter's Church, before the housel-porch, the fourth day before the Ides (the 12th day) of March, and some time hereafter he shall, in the same [body], rise in glory, with other pastors of the holy church. And on his burying [place] is written an epitaph of this import:

Receive, thou earth! a body from thy body taken,

That thou may give it back when him God makes alive.

The spirit sought high heaven, no power of death shall scathe it,

To which of other life death's self is more the way.

The limbs of the high bishop are within this barrow tined,*

Who always liveth eyerywhere in numberless good deeds.

The poor men's hunger he o'ercame with food, their cold with clothing, And by his holy monishings their souls from foes he shielded.

And he with deed fulfil'd whate'er with word he taught,

The mystic words he spake, that he life's pattern were of saints:

To Christ the English he brought round by piety of lore,

And in that nation gained new hosts to the belief of God.

This toil, this zeal, this care thou hadst, thus thou our pastor didst,
That to the Lord thou mightest bring much gain of holy souls.

In these (and such-like) triumphs thou, God's bishop, may'st rejoice,
For of thy works eternal meed thou hast in endless glory.

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* Anglo-Saxon, "betyned," enclosed.

3. We must not omit to mention the opinion, which has come to us by the tradition of old men, concerning the blessed Gregory by what cause he was induced to take such an earnest care about the salvation of our nation. They say that one day chapmen had newly come thither from Britain, and brought many market-things to market; and also many came to buy the things. Then it happened that Gregory, among others, came thither also, and then saw among other things boys for sale set there, [who] were persons of a white body, fair countenance, and fine hair. When he saw and beheld them, he asked from what land, or from what nation they were brought. It was said to him that they were brought from the island Britain, and that the inhabitants of that island were men of such complexion. Again he asked whether the same land's folk were Christians or yet lived in the errors of heathenism. It was said and told to him that they yet were heathens, And he then from his inward heart sighed heavily, and thus said: "Alas! it is a woful thing that the prince of darkness should own and possess so fair a soul, and persons of so bright a countenance." Again he asked what the nation was named which they came from. Then it was answered him that they were named Angli. "Well may it be so," quoth he, "for they have angelic looks; and it is likewise fit that they be fellowheirs with the angels in heaven." He yet further asked and said, "What was the name of the province from which those youths were brought hither?" Then answered him one, and said that they were named Deiri. "That," quoth he, "is well said, Deiri, that is de ira eruti (rescued from wrath), they must be rescued from the wrath of God, and called to the mercy of Christ." Then yet he asked what their king was called; and one answered him, and said that he was called Ella. Then played he with his words to the name, and said, “Alleluia, it is meet that the praise of God, our maker, be sung in those parts."

4. And he then soon went to the bishop and (to the) pope of the apostolic seat, for he himself was not yet made bishop, and prayed him that he would send some teachers into Britain to the English nation, that through them they might be converted to Christ, and said that he himself was ready with God's help to perform that work, if it liked the apostolic pope, and it were his will and his leave. Then the pope would not grant that, nor the citizens the more, that so noble, so venerable, and so

learned a man should go so far from them. But he, as soon as ever he was made bishop, accomplished the work which he had long wished, and sent the holy teachers hither, of whom we spoke before; and St. Gregory, by his exhortations and by his prayers, was helping, that their lore might be fruitful of God's will and the good of the English kin.

CHAPTER II.

That Augustine taught and advised the bishops of the Britons for the peace of the right-believing (orthodox), a heavenly wonder also being done before them. And also what wreak followed after those despising it.

1. Then it was that Augustine, with the help of King Ethelbert, invited to his speech the bishops and teachers of the Britons, in the place which is yet named Augustine's Oak, on the borders of the Hwiccii and West-Saxons. And he then began, with brotherly love, to advise and teach them, that they should have right love and peace between them, and undertake, for the Lord, the common labor of teaching divine lore in the English nation. And they would not hear him, nor keep Easter at its right tide,* and also had many other things unlike and contrary to ecclesiastical unity. When they had held a long conference and strife about those things, and they would not yield any things to Augustine's instructions, nor to his prayers, nor to his threats, and [those] of his companions, but thought their own customs and institutions better than [that] they should agree with all Christ's churches throughout the world; then the holy father Augustine put an end to this troublesome strife, and thus spoke.

2. "Let us pray Almighty God,† who makes the one-minded to dwell in his Father's house, that he vouchsafe to signify to us by heavenly wonders which institution we ought to follow, by what ways to hasten to the entrance of his kingdom. Let an infirm man be brought hither to us, and, through whose prayer soever he be healed, let his belief and practice be believed acceptable to God, and to be followed by all."

When his adversaries had hardly granted that, a blind man of English kin was led forth: he was first led to the bishops of

*Literally "nor hold right Easters at their tide or time." We still use noontide, even tide, and tides of the sea, the times of its rising or sinking.

† A common designation of Christ in Anglo-Saxon authors.

the Britons, and he received no health nor comfort through their ministry. Then at last Augustine was constrained by righteous need, arose and bowed his knees, [and] prayed God the Almighty Father that he would give sight to the blind man, that he through one man's bodily enlightening might kindle the gift of ghostly light in the hearts of many faithful. Then soon, without delay, the blind man was enlightened, and received sight; and the true preacher of the heavenly light, Augustine, was proclaimed and praised by all. Then the Britons also acknowledged with shame that they understood that it was the way of truth which Augustine preached: they said, however, that they could not, without consent and leave of their people, shun and forsake their old customs. They begged that again another synod should be [assembled], and they then would attend it with more counsellors.

3. When that accordingly was set, seven bishops of the Britons came, and all the most learned men, who were chiefly from the city Bangor: at that time the abbot of that monastery was named Dinoth. When they then were going to the meeting, they first came to a [certain] hermit, who was with them holy and wise. They interrogated and asked him whether they should for Augustine's lore forsake their own institutions and customs. Then answered he them, "If he be a man of God, follow him." Quoth they to him, "How may we know whether he be so ? Quoth he: "[Our] Lord himself hath said in his gospel, Take ye my yoke upon you, and learn from me that I am mild and of lowly heart. And now if Augustine is mild and of lowly heart, then it is [to be] believed that he bears Christ's yoke and teaches you to bear it. If he then is unmild and haughty, then it is known that he is not from God, nor [should] ye mind his words." Quoth they again, "How may we know that distinctly?" Quoth he, “See ye that he come first to the synod with his fellows, and sit; and, if he rises towards you when ye come, then wit ye that he is Christ's servant, and ye shall humbly hear his words and his lore. But if he despise you, and will not rise towards you since there are more of you, be he then despised by you." Well, they did so as he said.

Synod-place, the archbishop When they saw that he rose angry, and upbraided him

4. When they had come to the Augustine was sitting on his seat. not for them, they quickly became [as being] haughty, and gainsaid and withstood all his words.