[Sidenote: _Beda. lib. 3. cap. 24_.]
After three yeeres were complet, next ensuing the death of king
Penda, the dukes of the countrie of Mercia, Immin, Eaba, and Eadbert
rebelled against king Oswie, aduancing one Wulfhere a yoong gentleman
the sonne of Peda, and brother to Peada, whom they had kept in secret
to be their king, and expelling the lieutenants of king Oswie, they
recouered both their owne confines and libertie withall, and so liuing
in fréedome with their owne naturall king the foresaid Vulfhere, they
also continued with glad hearts in seruice of the celestiall king our
God and Sauior.
[Sidenote: VULFHERE. _Beda. lib. 3. cap. 24_.]
This Vulfhere gouerned the Mercies seuentéene yeares, the which
Mercies (during the reigne of the said Vulfhere) had foure bishops
successiuelie gouerning the church of that prouince one after another,
as the aboue mentioned Trumhere, Iaroman, Ceadda, and Winfrid, as
hereafter shall more at large appeare.
[Sidenote: _Henr. Hunt._ _Matt. West._]
About the beginning of king Vulfheres reigne, that is to say, in the
seuentéenth yeare of the reigne of Chenwald king of the Westsaxons,
the same Chenwald fought with the Britains at Pennum, where the
Britains being assembled in great number, proudlie incountred with the
Englishmen, and at the first put them to the woorst, but when the
Englishmen would in no wise giue ouer, but did sticke to their tackle,
at length the Britains were put to flight, so that the posteritie of
[Sidenote: The Britains put to flight by Chenwald.]
Brute receiued that day an incurable wound. But within thrée yeares
after, that is, in the ninetéenth yeare of the reigne of the said
Chenwald, he had not the like lucke in battell against the foresaid
[Sidenote: Chenwald vanquished by Vulfhere.]
Vulfhere king of Mercia, as he had before against the Britains, for
the said Vulfhere vanquishing him in the field, passed through this
[Sidenote: Adelwold of Sussex.]
countrie with a great armie vnto the Ile of Wight, which he conquered,
and deliuered it vnto Adelwold king of Sussex, as a gift at that time,
when he receiued him at the fontstone after he had conuerted him to
the faith. He gaue vnto Adelwold that Ile, to the end he should cause
the people there to receiue the faith and religion of Christ. Now
after that Edelhere king of Eastangles was slaine, as before is
mentioned, his brother Edelwald succéeded him in that kingdome,
reigning as king thereof by the space of nine yeares. Then after
Edelwald succéeded Aldulfe the son of Edelhere in gouernment of that
kingdome, and reigned 25 yeares.
[Sidenote: _Beda. lib. 3. cap. 24_.]
After Finan bishop of the Northumbers that held his see at
[Sidenote: Colman ordeined bishop.]
Lindesferne, as Aidan did before him, one Colman was ordeined
bishop, a Scot borne, and an earnest obseruer of the customes vsed
amongest them of his nation, so that when the controuersie began to
[Sidenote: _Beda. lib. 3. cap. 25_.]
be reuiued for the holding of the feast of Easter, he would by no
meanes yéeld to them that would haue perswaded him to haue followed
the rite of the Romane church. There was a great disputation kept
about this matter, and other things, as shauing or cutting of heares,
and such like in the monasterie of Whitbie, at the which king Oswie
and his sonne Alcfrid were present, where Colman for his part alledged
the custome of Iohn the euangelist, and of Anatholius; and the
contrarie side brought in proofe of their opinion, the custome of
Peter and Paule. At length, when bishop Colman perceiued that his
[Sidenote: Controuersie about shauing of crownes. _Cap. 6_.]
doctrine was not so much regarded, as he thought of reason it
ought to haue béene, he returned into Scotland with those, which
taking part with him, refused to obserue the feast of Easter according
to the custome of the church of Rome, nor would haue their crownes
[Sidenote: 664.]
shauen, about which point no small reasoning had béene kept. This
disputation was holden in the yeare of our Lord 664, and in the yeare
of the reigne of king Oswie 22, and 30 yeare after the Scotishmen
began first to beare the office of bishops within Northumberland,
which was (as W. Harison saith) 624. For Aidan gouerned 17 yeares,
Finan 10 yeares, & Colman 3 yeares. After that Colman was returned
[Sidenote: Tuda ordeined bishop.]
into his countrie, one Tuda that had béene brought vp amongest the
Southerne Scots, and ordeined bishop by them, succéeded in his roome,
hauing his crowne shauen, and obseruing the feast of Easter according
to the custome of the prouince and rite of the Romane church.
[Sidenote: _Cap. 27_.]
¶ The same yeare, there chanced a great eclipse of the sunne, the third
[Sidenote: An eclipse. Punishment of God for yelding to superstition.]
of Maie about 10 of the clocke in the day. A great dearth and
mortalitie insued, both in all the parties of this our Britaine, and
likewise in Ireland. Amongest other, the foresaid bishop Tuda died,
and was buried in the abbeie of Pegnalech. After this Tuda, succéeded
[Sidenote: Wilfrid bishop.]
in gouernement of the church of Lindesferne, otherwise called Holie
Iland, one Wilfrid, which was sent by king Alcfrid into France, to be
ordeined there.
About the same time king Oswie, the father of king Alcfrid, mooued
[Sidenote: _Cap. 28_.]
with the good example of his sonne, sent Ceadda, the brother of
Ced sometime bishop of the Eastsaxons into Kent, to be ordeined bishop
of Yorke, but at his comming into Kent he found that Deus dedit the
archbishop of Canturburie was dead, and none other as yet ordeined
[Sidenote: Ceadda ordeined archbishop of Yorke.]
in his place, so that Ceadda repaired into the prouince of the
Westsaxons, where he was ordeined by bishop Wini, who tooke two other
bishops of the British nation vnto him to be his associats, which vsed
to obserue the feast of Easter contrarie to the custome of the Romane
church. But there was no other shift, sith none other bishop was then
canonicallie ordeined in the prouince of the Westsaxons in those
daies, this Wini onlie excepted, and therefore was he constreined to
take such as he might get and prouide.
After that Ceadda was thus ordeined, he began forthwith to follow the
true rules of the church, liued right chastlie, shewed himselfe humble
and continent, applied his studie to reading, and trauelled abroad
on foot and not on horssebacke through the countries, townes, and
villages, to preach the word of God. He was the disciple of Aidan, and
coueted by his example, and also by the example of Ced, to instruct
his hearers with the like dooings & maners as he had knowen them to
doo. Wilfrid also being consecrated bishop, and returned into England,
indeuored to plant the orders of the Romane church in the churches
of England, whereby it came to passe, that the Scots which inhabited
amongst the Englishmen, were constreined either to follow the same, or
else to returne into their owne countrie.
[Sidenote: EGBERT king of Kent.]
In this meane time, king Ercombert being departed this life, after
he had gouerned the Kentishmen by the space of twentie yeares, his
sonne Egbert succéeded him in the kingdome, and reigned nine yeares.
There is little remembrance of his dooings, which in that short time
were not much notable, except ye will ascribe the comming into this
land of the archbishop Theodorus, and the abbat Adrian vnto his
glorie, which chanced in his time. For in the yeare of the great
eclipse and sore mortalitie that insued, it chanced that both king
Ercombert, & the archbishop Deus dedit departed this life, so that the
[Sidenote: _Beda. lib. 3. cap. 9_.]
see of Canturburie was void a certeine time, in so much that king
Egbert, who succéeded his father Ercombert, togither with king
[Sidenote: Wighart.]
Oswie, did send one Wighart a priest of good reputation for his
excellent knowledge in the scriptures, vnto Rome, with great gifts
and rich vessels of gold and siluer, to be presented vnto the pope,
requiring him that he would ordeine the foresaid Wighart archbishop
of Canturburie, to haue rule of the English church. But this Wighart
comming vnto Rome, and declaring his message vnto Vitalianus then
gouerning the church of Rome, immediatlie after he died of the
pestilence (that then reigned in that citie) with all those that came
with him.
[Sidenote: _Beda. lib. 4 cap. 1_. Adrian.]
The pope then taking aduice whome he might ordeine vnto the sée of
Canturburie, being thus destitute of an archbishop, appointed a moonke
named Adrian to take that office vpon him, but Adrian excused himselfe
as not sufficient for such a roome, and required the pope to appoint
one Andrew a moonke also, wherevnto the pope consented. But when
Andrew was preuented by death, eftsoones Adrian should haue béene made
archbishop, but that he named one Theodore an other moonke that abode
as then in Rome, but was borne in the citie of Tharsus in Cilicia,
verie well learned both in the Gréeke and Latine, and being of
reuerend yeares, as of 76. This Theodore by the presentment of
Adrian, was appointed to be ordeined archbishop of Canturburie, with
condition, that Adrian should neuerthelesse attend vpon him into
England, both for that he had béene twise before this time in France,
and so knew the coasts; and againe, for that he might assist him in
all things, and looke well to the matter, that Theodore should not
bring into the church of England anie rite or custome of the Gréekes,
contrarie to the vse of the Romane church. Theodore being first
ordeined subdeacon, tarried foure moneths till his heare was growen,
that he might haue his crowne shauen after the maner of Peter. For he
was rounded or shauen after the maner of the East church, which was as
they persuaded themselues, according to the vse of saint Paule the
[Sidenote: Theodore ordeined archbishop of Canturburie. 668.]
apostle. And so at length was this Theodore ordeined archbishop of
Canturburie by pope Vitalianus in the yeare of our Lord 668, the sixt
kalends of June, and with Adrian sent into Britaine.
These with their retinue came to France, and being come thither,
shortlie after king Egbert had knowledge thereof: wherevpon with all
conuenient spéed he sent ouer one of his nobles named Redfrid to bring
the archbishop into England, and so he did: but Adrian was staied for
a time, because he was suspected to haue had some commission from the
emperour to haue practised with the Englishmen, for the disquieting
of the realme of France. Howbeit, after it was perceiued that this
suspicion was grounded on no truth, he was also suffered to follow the
archbishop, and so comming vnto Canturburie, he was made abbat of the
monasterie of saint Augustines. The archbishop Theodore came thus
vnto his church of Canturburie in the second yeare after his
consecration, about the second kalends of June, being sundaie. He
gouerned the same church also 21 yeares and 16 daies, and was the
first archbishop to whome all the churches of England did acknowledge
their obeisance.
Being accompanied with the foresaid Adrian, he visited all the parts
of this land, ordeined bishops and ministers in churches where he
thought conuenient, and reformed the same churches as séemed to him
néedfull, as well in other things which he misliked, as also in
[Sidenote: _Ran. Cest. Matth. West._]
causing them to obserue the feast of Easter, according to the right
[Sidenote: _Beda_.]
and vsage of the church of Rome. Ceadda that was bishop of Yorke,
because he was not lawfullie ordeined, as he himselfe confessed, was
remoued from the sée of Yorke, and Wilfrid was therevnto restored, so
that Ceadda (though he were not disgraded of his degrée of bishop)
liued yet a priuat kind of life, till he was admitted bishop of
Mercia, as after shall be shewed. Also whereas before time there was
in maner no singing in the English churches, except it were in Kent,
[Sidenote: Singing in churches brought in vse.]
now they began in euerie church to vse singing of diuine seruice
after the rite of the church of Rome. The archbishop Theodore finding
the church of Rochester void by the death of the last bishop named
[Sidenote: Putta bishop of Rochester.]
Damian, ordeined one Putta a simple man in worldlie matters, but well
instructed in ecclesiasticall discipline, and namelie well séene in
song and musicke to be vsed in the church after the maner as he had
learned of pope Grogories disciples.
[Sidenote: The worthie praise of Theodore and Adrian.]
To be bréefe, the archbishop Theodore, and the abbat Adrian
deserued great commendation in this, that whereas they were notablie
well learned themselues in the Greeke and the Latine toongs, and also
had good knowledge as well in the liberall arts, as in the scripture,
they tooke great paines to traine vp scholers in knowledge of the
[Sidenote: Englishmen happy and why.]
same, so that the Englishmen had not seene more happie times
than in those daies, hauing as then kings of great puissance, so as
strangers stood in feare of them; and againe, those that coueted
learning, had instructors at hand to teach them, by reason whereof
[Sidenote: _Beda_.]
diuers being giuen to studie, prooued excellent both in knowledge
of the Gréeke and Latine. There came in companie of the said
[Sidenote: Benedict or Benet surnamed Biscop.]
archbishop from Rome, an English man named Benedict Biscop, which had
taken vpon him the habit of a moonke in Italie, and now returning into
his countrie, builded two abbeis, the one named Wiremouth, because it
was placed at the mouth of the riuer of Wire, and the other Girwie,
distant from Wiremouth about fiue miles, and from the towne of
[Sidenote: 670.]
Newcastle foure miles, situated neere to the mouth of Tine.
Wiremouth was built in the yeare 670, and Girwie in the yeare 673.
There were a 600 moonks found in those two houses, and gouerned
[Sidenote: Glasiers first brought into England. _Ran. Cest._]
vnder one abbat. The said Benedict was the first that brought
glasiers, painters, and other such curious craftsmen into England. He
went fiue times to Rome, and came againe.
* * * * *
_Sighere and Sebbie associats reigne ouer the Eastsaxons, the one
falleth from, the other cleaueth to the faith, Vulfhere king of Mercia
sendeth bishop Iaroman to redresss that apostasie of the prince and
the people, Cead bishop of Mercia, the king of that countrie hath him
in hie reputation, Egfrid king of Northumberland, a synod of bishops
holden at Herford, articles propounded out of the canons by Theodore
archbishop of Canturburie, Bisi unable to discharge his episcopall
office, a remedie therefore; Kenwalke of a very euill prince becometh
a verie good ruler, his wife gouerneth the kingdome after his death,
Escuius succeedeth hir in the roome, of Thunnir a murtherer
king Egberts principall vicegerent, bishop Winfrid deposed for
disobedience, Sebbie king of the Eastsaxons a professed moonke, his
death._