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 everywhere 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.

* 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, eventide, 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.

4. When they had come to the Synod-place, the archbishop Augustine was sitting on his seat. When they saw that he rose not for them, they quickly became angry, and upbraided him [as being] haughty, and gainsaid and withstood all his words.

The archbishop said to them, "In many things ye are contrary to our customs and so to [those] of all God's churches; and yet if ye will be obedient to me in these three things, that first ye celebrate Easter at the right tide; that ye fulfil the ministry of baptism, through which we are born as God's children, after the manner of the holy Roman and apostolic church; and that, thirdly, ye preach the word of the Lord to the English people together with us, we will patiently bear with all other things which ye do that are contrary to our customs." They said that they would do none of these things, nor would have him for an archbishop: they said among themselves, "If he would not now rise for us, much more, if we shall be subjected to him, will he contemn us for naught." It is said that the man of God, St. Augustine, in a threatening manner foretold, "if they would not receive peace with men of God, that they should receive unpeace and war from their foes; and, if they would not preach among the English race the word of life, they should through their hands suffer the vengeance of death."

5. And through everything, as the man of God had foretold, by the righteous doom of God it came to pass; and very soon after this Ethelfrith, king of the English, of whom we spoke before, collected a great army, and led it to Legcaster, and there fought against the Britons, and made the greatest slaughter of the faithless people. Whilst he was beginning the battle, King Ethelfrith saw their priests and bishops and monks standing aloof in a safer place, that they should pray and make intercession to God for their warriors: he inquired and asked what that host was, and what they were doing there. When he understood the cause of their coming, then said he, "So! I wot if they cry to their God against us; though they bear not a weapon, they fight against us, for they pursue us with their hostile prayers and curses." He then straightway ordered to turn upon them first, and slay them. Men say that there were twelve hundred of this host, and fifty of them escaped by flight; and he so then destroyed and blotted out the other host of the sinful nation, not without great waning of his [own] host; and so was fulfilled the prophecy of the holy Bishop Augustine, that they should for their trowlessness suffer the vengeance of temporal perdition, because they despised the skilful counsel of their eternal salvation.