constrained against their will to foretell that Germanus was coming,
insomuch, that one Elafius, a chief of that region, without tidings from
any visible messenger, hastened to meet the holy men, carrying with him
his son, who in the very flower of his youth laboured under a grievous
infirmity; for the sinews of the knee were wasted and shrunk, so that the
withered limb was denied the power to walk. All the country followed this
Elafius. The bishops arrived, and were met by the ignorant multitude, whom
they blessed, and preached the Word of God to them. They found the people
constant in the faith as they had left them; and learning that but few had
gone astray, they sought out the authors of the evil and condemned them.
Then suddenly Elafius cast himself at the feet of the bishops, presenting
his son, whose distress was visible and needed no words to express it. All
were grieved, but especially the bishops, who, filled with pity, invoked
the mercy of God; and straightway the blessed Germanus, causing the youth
to sit down, touched the bent and feeble knee and passed his healing hand
over all the diseased part. At once health was restored by the power of
his touch, the withered limb regained its vigour, the sinews resumed their
task, and the youth was, in the presence of all the people, delivered
whole to his father. The multitude was amazed at the miracle, and the
Catholic faith was firmly established in the hearts of all; after which,
they were, in a sermon, exhorted to amend their error. By the judgement of
all, the exponents of the heresy, who had been banished from the island,
were brought before the bishops, to be conveyed into the continent, that
the country might be rid of them, and they corrected of their errors. So
it came to pass that the faith in those parts continued long after pure
and untainted. Thus when they had settled all things, the blessed prelates
returned home as prosperously as they had come.
But Germanus, after this, went to Ravenna to intercede for the
tranquillity of the Armoricans,(101) where, after being very honourably
received by Valentinian and his mother, Placidia, he departed hence to
Christ; his body was conveyed to his own city with a splendid retinue, and
mighty works attended his passage to the grave. Not long after,
Valentinian was murdered by the followers of Aetius, the patrician, whom
he had put to death, in the sixth(102) year of the reign of Marcian, and
with him ended the empire of the West.
Chap. XXII. How the Britons, being for a time at rest from foreign
invasions, wore themselves out by civil wars, and at the same time gave
themselves up to more heinous crimes.
In the meantime, in Britain, there was some respite from foreign, but not
from civil war. The cities destroyed by the enemy and abandoned remained
in ruins; and the natives, who had escaped the enemy, now fought against
each other. Nevertheless, the kings, priests, private men, and the
nobility, still remembering the late calamities and slaughters, in some
measure kept within bounds; but when these died, and another generation
succeeded, which knew nothing of those times, and was only acquainted with
the existing peaceable state of things, all the bonds of truth and justice
were so entirely broken, that there was not only no trace of them
remaining, but only very few persons seemed to retain any memory of them
at all. To other crimes beyond description, which their own historian,
Gildas,(103) mournfully relates, they added this—that they never preached
the faith to the Saxons, or English, who dwelt amongst them. Nevertheless,
the goodness of God did not forsake his people, whom he foreknew, but sent
to the aforesaid nation much more worthy heralds of the truth, to bring it
to the faith.
Chap. XXIII. How the holy Pope Gregory sent Augustine, with other monks,
to preach to the English nation, and encouraged them by a letter of
exhortation, not to desist from their labour. [596 A.D.]
In the year of our Lord 582, Maurice, the fifty-fourth from Augustus,
ascended the throne, and reigned twenty-one years. In the tenth year of
his reign, Gregory,(104) a man eminent in learning and the conduct of
affairs, was promoted to the Apostolic see of Rome, and presided over it
thirteen years, six months and ten days. He, being moved by Divine
inspiration, in the fourteenth year of the same emperor, and about the one
hundred and fiftieth after the coming of the English into Britain, sent
the servant of God, Augustine,(105) and with him divers other monks, who
feared the Lord, to preach the Word of God to the English nation. They
having, in obedience to the pope’s commands, undertaken that work, when
they had gone but a little way on their journey, were seized with craven
terror, and began to think of returning home, rather than proceed to a
barbarous, fierce, and unbelieving nation, to whose very language they
were strangers; and by common consent they decided that this was the safer
course. At once Augustine, who had been appointed to be consecrated
bishop, if they should be received by the English, was sent back, that he
might, by humble entreaty, obtain of the blessed Gregory, that they should
not be compelled to undertake so dangerous, toilsome, and uncertain a
journey. The pope, in reply, sent them a letter of exhortation, persuading
them to set forth to the work of the Divine Word, and rely on the help of
God. The purport of which letter was as follows:
“_Gregory, the servant of the servants of God, to the servants of our
Lord._ Forasmuch as it had been better not to begin a good work, than to
think of desisting from one which has been begun, it behoves you, my
beloved sons, to fulfil with all diligence the good work, which, by the
help of the Lord, you have undertaken. Let not, therefore, the toil of the
journey, nor the tongues of evil-speaking men, discourage you; but with
all earnestness and zeal perform, by God’s guidance, that which you have
set about; being assured, that great labour is followed by the greater
glory of an eternal reward. When Augustine, your Superior, returns, whom
we also constitute your abbot, humbly obey him in all things; knowing,
that whatsoever you shall do by his direction, will, in all respects, be
profitable to your souls. Almighty God protect you with His grace, and
grant that I may, in the heavenly country, see the fruits of your labour,
inasmuch as, though I cannot labour with you, I shall partake in the joy
of the reward, because I am willing to labour. God keep you in safety, my
most beloved sons. Given the 23rd of July, in the fourteenth year of the
reign of our most religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, the
thirteenth year after the consulship of our lord aforesaid, and the
fourteenth indiction.”(106)
Chap. XXIV. How he wrote to the bishop of Arles to entertain them. [596
A.D.]
The same venerable pope also sent at the same time a letter to Aetherius,
archbishop of Arles,(107) exhorting him to give favourable entertainment
to Augustine on his way to Britain; which letter was in these words:
“_To his most reverend and holy brother and fellow bishop Aetherius,
Gregory, the servant of the servants of God._ Although religious men stand
in need of no recommendation with priests who have the charity which is
pleasing to God; yet because an opportunity of writing has occurred, we
have thought fit to send this letter to you, Brother, to inform you, that
with the help of God we have directed thither, for the good of souls, the
bearer of these presents, Augustine, the servant of God, of whose zeal we
are assured, with other servants of God, whom it is requisite that your
Holiness readily assist with priestly zeal, affording him all the comfort
in your power. And to the end that you may be the more ready in your help,
we have enjoined him to inform you particularly of the occasion of his
coming; knowing, that when you are acquainted with it, you will, as the
matter requires, for the sake of God, dutifully dispose yourself to give
him comfort. We also in all things recommend to your charity,
Candidus,(108) the priest, our common son, whom we have transferred to the
administration of a small patrimony in our Church. God keep you in safety,
most reverend brother. Given the 23rd day of July, in the fourteenth year
of the reign of our most religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, the
thirteenth year after the consulship of our lord aforesaid, and the
fourteenth indiction.”
Chap. XXV. How Augustine, coming into Britain, first preached in the Isle
of Thanet to the King of Kent, and having obtained licence from him, went
into Kent, in order to preach therein. [597 A.D.]
Augustine, thus strengthened by the encouragement of the blessed Father
Gregory, returned to the work of the Word of God, with the servants of
Christ who were with him, and arrived in Britain. The powerful Ethelbert
was at that time king of Kent;(109) he had extended his dominions as far
as the boundary formed by the great river Humber, by which the Southern
Saxons are divided from the Northern. On the east of Kent is the large
Isle of Thanet, containing, according to the English way of reckoning, 600
families,(110) divided from the mainland by the river Wantsum,(111) which
is about three furlongs in breadth, and which can be crossed only in two
places; for at both ends it runs into the sea. On this island landed(112)
the servant of the Lord, Augustine, and his companions, being, as is
reported, nearly forty men. They had obtained, by order of the blessed
Pope Gregory, interpreters of the nation of the Franks,(113) and sending
to Ethelbert, signified that they were come from Rome, and brought a
joyful message, which most undoubtedly assured to those that hearkened to
it everlasting joys in heaven, and a kingdom that would never end, with
the living and true God. The king hearing this, gave orders that they
should stay in the island where they had landed, and be furnished with
necessaries, till he should consider what to do with them. For he had
before heard of the Christian religion, having a Christian wife of the
royal family of the Franks, called Bertha;(114) whom he had received from
her parents, upon condition that she should be permitted to preserve
inviolate the rites of her religion with the Bishop Liudhard,(115) who was
sent with her to support her in the faith. Some days after, the king came
into the island, and sitting in the open air, ordered Augustine and his
companions to come and hold a conference with him. For he had taken
precaution that they should not come to him in any house, lest, by so
coming, according to an ancient superstition, if they practised any
magical arts, they might impose upon him, and so get the better of him.
But they came endued with Divine, not with magic power, bearing a silver
cross for their banner, and the image of our Lord and Saviour painted on a
board; and chanting litanies, they offered up their prayers to the Lord
for the eternal salvation both of themselves and of those to whom and for
whom they had come. When they had sat down, in obedience to the king’s
commands, and preached to him and his attendants there present the Word of
life, the king answered thus: “Your words and promises are fair, but
because they are new to us, and of uncertain import, I cannot consent to
them so far as to forsake that which I have so long observed with the
whole English nation. But because you are come from far as strangers into
my kingdom, and, as I conceive, are desirous to impart to us those things
which you believe to be true, and most beneficial, we desire not to harm
you, but will give you favourable entertainment, and take care to supply
you with all things necessary to your sustenance; nor do we forbid you to
preach and gain as many as you can to your religion.” Accordingly he gave
them an abode in the city of Canterbury,(116) which was the metropolis of
all his dominions, and, as he had promised, besides supplying them with
sustenance, did not refuse them liberty to preach. It is told that, as
they drew near to the city, after their manner, with the holy cross, and
the image of our sovereign Lord and King, Jesus Christ, they sang in
concert this litany: “We beseech thee, O Lord, for Thy great mercy, that
Thy wrath and anger be turned away from this city, and from Thy holy
house, for we have sinned. Hallelujah.”
Chap. XXVI. How St. Augustine in Kent followed the doctrine and manner of
life of the primitive Church, and settled his episcopal see in the royal
city. [597 A.D.]
As soon as they entered the dwelling-place assigned to them, they began to
imitate the Apostolic manner of life in the primitive Church; applying
themselves to constant prayer, watchings, and fastings; preaching the Word
of life to as many as they could; despising all worldly things, as in
nowise concerning them; receiving only their necessary food from those
they taught; living themselves in all respects conformably to what they
taught, and being always ready to suffer any adversity, and even to die
for that truth which they preached. In brief, some believed and were
baptized, admiring the simplicity of their blameless life, and the
sweetness of their heavenly doctrine. There was on the east side of the
city, a church dedicated of old to the honour of St. Martin,(117) built
whilst the Romans were still in the island, wherein the queen, who, as has
been said before, was a Christian, was wont to pray. In this they also
first began to come together, to chant the Psalms, to pray, to celebrate
Mass, to preach, and to baptize, till when the king had been converted to
the faith, they obtained greater liberty to preach everywhere and build or
repair churches.
When he, among the rest, believed and was baptized, attracted by the pure
life of these holy men and their gracious promises, the truth of which
they established by many miracles, greater numbers began daily to flock
together to hear the Word, and, forsaking their heathen rites, to have
fellowship, through faith, in the unity of Christ’s Holy Church. It is
told that the king, while he rejoiced at their conversion and their faith,
yet compelled none to embrace Christianity, but only showed more affection
to the believers, as to his fellow citizens in the kingdom of Heaven. For
he had learned from those who had instructed him and guided him to
salvation, that the service of Christ ought to be voluntary, not by
compulsion. Nor was it long before he gave his teachers a settled
residence suited to their degree in his metropolis of Canterbury, with
such possessions of divers sorts as were necessary for them.
Chap. XXVII. How St. Augustine, being made a bishop, sent to acquaint Pope
Gregory with what had been done in Britain, and asked and received
replies, of which he stood in need. [597-601 A.D.]
In the meantime, Augustine, the man of God, went to Arles, and, according
to the orders received from the holy Father Gregory, was ordained
archbishop of the English nation,(118) by Aetherius,(119) archbishop of
that city. Then returning into Britain, he sent Laurentius the the
priest(120) and Peter the monk(121) to Rome, to acquaint Pope Gregory,
that the English nation had received the faith of Christ, and that he was
himself made their bishop. At the same time, he desired his solution of
some doubts which seemed urgent to him. He soon received fitting answers
to his questions, which we have also thought meet to insert in this our
history:
_The First Question of the blessed Augustine, Bishop of the Church of
Canterbury._—Concerning bishops, what should be their manner of
conversation towards their clergy? or into how many portions the offerings
of the faithful at the altar are to be divided? and how the bishop is to
act in the Church?
_Gregory, Pope of the City of Rome, answers._—Holy Scripture, in which we
doubt not you are well versed, testifies to this, and in particular the
Epistles of the Blessed Paul to Timothy, wherein he endeavours to show him
what should be his manner of conversation in the house of God; but it is
the custom of the Apostolic see to prescribe these rules to bishops when
they are ordained: that all emoluments which accrue, are to be divided
into four portions;—one for the bishop and his household, for hospitality
and entertainment of guests; another for the clergy; a third for the poor;
and the fourth for the repair of churches. But in that you, my brother,
having been instructed in monastic rules, must not live apart from your
clergy in the Church of the English, which has been lately, by the will of
God, converted to the faith, you must establish the manner of conversation
of our fathers in the primitive Church, among whom, none said that aught
of the things which they possessed was his own, but they had all things
common.
But if there are any clerks not received into holy orders,(122) who cannot
live continent, they are to take wives, and receive their stipends outside
of the community; because we know that it is written concerning the same
fathers of whom we have spoken that a distribution was made unto every man
according as he had need. Care is also to be taken of their stipends, and
provision to be made, and they are to be kept under ecclesiastical rule,
that they may live orderly, and attend to singing of psalms, and, by the
help of God, preserve their hearts and tongues and bodies from all that is
unlawful. But as for those that live in common, there is no need to say
anything of assigning portions, or dispensing hospitality and showing
mercy; inasmuch as all that they have over is to be spent in pious and
religious works, according to the teaching of Him who is the Lord and
Master of all, “Give alms of such things as ye have over, and behold all
things are clean unto you.”(123)
_Augustine’s Second Question._—Whereas the faith is one and the same, are
there different customs in different Churches? and is one custom of Masses
observed in the holy Roman Church, and another in the Church of Gaul?(124)
_Pope Gregory answers._—You know, my brother, the custom of the Roman
Church in which you remember that you were bred up. But my will is, that
if you have found anything, either in the Roman, or the Gallican, or any
other Church, which may be more acceptable to Almighty God, you should
carefully make choice of the same, and sedulously teach the Church of the
English, which as yet is new in the faith, whatsoever you can gather from
the several Churches. For things are not to be loved for the sake of
places, but places for the sake of good things. Choose, therefore, from
every Church those things that are pious, religious, and right, and when
you have, as it were, made them up into one bundle, let the minds of the
English be accustomed thereto.
_Augustine’s Third Question._—I beseech you, what punishment must be
inflicted on one who steals anything from a church?
_Gregory answers._—You may judge, my brother, by the condition of the
thief, in what manner he is to be corrected. For there are some, who,
having substance, commit theft; and there are others, who transgress in
this matter through want. Wherefore it is requisite, that some be punished
with fines, others with stripes; some with more severity, and some more
mildly. And when the severity is greater, it is to proceed from charity,
not from anger; because this is done for the sake of him who is corrected,
that he may not be delivered up to the fires of Hell. For it behoves us to
maintain discipline among the faithful, as good parents do with their
children according to the flesh, whom they punish with stripes for their
faults, and yet they design to make those whom they chastise their heirs,
and preserve their possessions for those whom they seem to visit in wrath.
This charity is, therefore, to be kept in mind, and it dictates the
measure of the punishment, so that the mind may do nothing beyond the rule
prescribed by reason. You will add to this, how men are to restore those
things which they have stolen from the church. But let not the Church take
more than it has lost of its worldly possessions, or seek gain from
vanities.
_Augustine’s Fourth Question._—Whether two full brothers may marry two
sisters, who are of a family far removed from them?
_Gregory answers._—Most assuredly this may lawfully be done; for nothing
is found in Holy Writ on this matter that seems to contradict it.
_Augustine’s Fifth Question._—To what degree may the faithful marry with
their kindred? and is it lawful to marry a stepmother or a brother’s wife?
_Gregory answers._—A certain secular law in the Roman commonwealth allows,
that the son and daughter of a brother and sister,(125) or of two full
brothers, or two sisters, may be joined in matrimony; but we have found,
by experience, that the offspring of such wedlock cannot grow up; and the
Divine law forbids a man to “uncover the nakedness of his kindred.” Hence
of necessity it must be the third or fourth generation of the faithful,
that can be lawfully joined in matrimony; for the second, which we have
mentioned, must altogether abstain from one another. To marry with one’s
stepmother is a heinous crime, because it is written in the Law, “Thou
shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father:” now the son, indeed,
cannot uncover his father’s nakedness; but in regard that it is written,
“They twain shall be one flesh,” he that presumes to uncover the nakedness
of his stepmother, who was one flesh with his father, certainly uncovers
the nakedness of his father. It is also prohibited to marry with a
sister-in-law, because by the former union she is become the brother’s
flesh. For which thing also John the Baptist was beheaded, and obtained
the crown of holy martyrdom. For, though he was not ordered to deny
Christ, and it was not for confessing Christ that he was killed, yet
inasmuch as the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, said, “I am the Truth,”
because John was killed for the truth, he also shed his blood for Christ.
But forasmuch as there are many of the English, who, whilst they were
still heathens, are said to have been joined in this unholy union, when
they attain to the faith they are to be admonished to abstain, and be made
to know that this is a grievous sin. Let them fear the dread judgement of
God, lest, for the gratification of their carnal desires, they incur the
torments of eternal punishment. Yet they are not on this account to be
deprived of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, lest they
should seem to be punished for those things which they did through
ignorance before they had received Baptism. For in these times the Holy
Church chastises some things with zeal, and tolerates some in mercy, and
is blind to some in her wisdom, and so, by forbearance and blindness often
suppresses the evil that stands in her way. But all that come to the faith
are to be admonished not to presume to do such things. And if any shall be
guilty of them, they are to be excluded from the Communion of the Body and
Blood of Christ. For as the offence is, in some measure, to be tolerated
in those who did it through ignorance, so it is to be rigorously punished
in those who do not fear to sin knowingly.
_Augustine’s Sixth Question._—Whether a bishop may be consecrated without
other bishops being present, if there be so great a distance between them,
that they cannot easily come together?
_Gregory answers._—In the Church of England, of which you are as yet the
only bishop, you cannot otherwise ordain a bishop than in the absence of
other bishops. For when do bishops come over from Gaul, that they may be
present as witnesses to you in ordaining a bishop? But we would have you,
my brother, to ordain bishops in such a manner, that the said bishops may
not be far asunder, to the end that there be no lack, but that at the
ordination of a bishop other pastors also, whose presence is of great
benefit, should easily come together.(126) Thus, when, by the help of God,
bishops shall have been ordained in places near to one another, no
ordination of a bishop is to take place without assembling three or four
bishops. For, even in spiritual affairs, we may take example by the
temporal, that they may be wisely and discreetly conducted. For surely,
when marriages are celebrated in the world, some married persons are
assembled, that those who went before in the way of matrimony, may also
partake in the joy of the new union. Why, then, at this spiritual
ordinance, wherein, by means of the sacred ministry, man is joined to God,
should not such persons be assembled, as may either rejoice in the
advancement of the new bishop, or jointly pour forth their prayers to
Almighty God for his preservation?
_Augustine’s Seventh Question._—How are we to deal with the bishops of
Gaul and Britain?
_Gregory answers._—We give you no authority over the bishops of Gaul,
because the bishop of Arles received the pall(127) in the old times of my
predecessors, and we must by no means deprive him of the authority he has
received. If it shall therefore happen, my brother, that you go over into
the province of Gaul, you are to concert with the said bishop of Arles,
how, if there be any faults among the bishops, they may be amended. And if
he shall be lukewarm in keeping up discipline, he is to be fired by your
zeal; to whom we have also written, that aided by the presence of your
Holiness in Gaul, he should exert himself to the utmost, and put away from
the behaviour of the bishops all that is opposed to the command of our
Creator. But you shall not have power to go beyond your own authority and
judge the bishops of Gaul, but by persuading, and winning them, and
showing good works for them to imitate, you shall recall the perverted to
the pursuit of holiness; for it is written in the Law, “When thou comest
into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest bruise the ears
with thine hand and eat; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy
neighbours’ standing corn.”(128) For thou mayest not apply the sickle of
judgement in that harvest which thou seest to have been committed to
another; but by the influence of good works thou shalt clear the Lord’s
wheat of the chaff of its vices, and convert it by exhortation and
persuasion in the body of the Church, as it were, by eating. But
whatsoever is to be done by authority, must be transacted with the
aforesaid bishop of Arles, lest that should be omitted, which the ancient
institution of the fathers has appointed.(129) But as for all the bishops
of Britain, we commit them to your care, that the unlearned may be taught,
the weak strengthened by persuasion, and the perverse corrected by
authority.
_Augustine’s Eighth Question._—Whether a woman with child ought to be
baptized? Or when she has brought forth, after what time she may come into
the church? As also, after how many days the infant born may be baptized,
lest he be prevented by death? Or how long after her husband may have
carnal knowledge of her? Or whether it is lawful for her to come into the
church when she has her courses, or to receive the Sacrament of Holy
Communion? Or whether a man, under certain circumstances, may come into
the church before he has washed with water? Or approach to receive the
Mystery of the Holy Communion? All which things are requisite to be known
by the ignorant nation of the English.
_Gregory answers._—I do not doubt but that these questions have been put
to you, my brother, and I think I have already answered you therein. But I
believe you would wish the opinion which you yourself might give and hold
to be confirmed by my reply also. Why should not a woman with child be
baptized, since the fruitfulness of the flesh is no offence in the eyes of
Almighty God? For when our first parents sinned in Paradise, they
forfeited the immortality which they had received, by the just judgement
of God. Because, therefore, Almighty God would not for their fault wholly
destroy the human race, he both deprived man of immortality for his sin,
and, at the same time, of his great goodness and loving-kindness, reserved
to him the power of propagating his race after him. On what ground, then,
can that which is preserved to human nature by the free gift of Almighty
God, be excluded from the privilege of Holy Baptism? For it is very
foolish to imagine that the gift can be opposed to grace in that Mystery
in which all sin is blotted out. When a woman is delivered, after how many
days she may come into the church, you have learnt from the teaching of
the Old Testament, to wit, that she is to abstain for a male child
thirty-three days, and sixty-six for a female. Now you must know that this
is to be received in a mystery; for if she enters the church the very hour
that she is delivered, to return thanks, she is not guilty of any sin;
because the pleasure of the flesh is a fault, and not the pain; but the
pleasure is in the copulation of the flesh, whereas there is pain in
bringing forth the child. Wherefore it is said to the first mother of all,
“In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.” If, therefore, we forbid a
woman that has brought forth, to enter the church, we make a crime of her
very punishment. To baptize either a woman who has brought forth, if there
be danger of death, even the very hour that she brings forth, or that
which she has brought forth the very hour it is born, is in no way
prohibited, because, as the grace of the Holy Mystery is to be with much
discretion provided for those who are in full life and capable of
understanding, so is it to be without any delay administered to the dying;
lest, while a further time is sought to confer the Mystery of redemption,
if a small delay intervene, the person that is to be redeemed be dead and
gone.
Her husband is not to approach her, till the infant born be weaned. An
evil custom is sprung up in the lives of married people, in that women
disdain to suckle the children whom they bring forth, and give them to
other women to suckle; which seems to have been invented on no other
account but incontinency; because, as they will not be continent, they
will not suckle the children whom they bear. Those women, therefore, who,
from evil custom, give their children to others to bring up, must not
approach their husbands till the time of purification is past. For even
when there has been no child-birth, women are forbidden to do so, whilst
they have their courses, insomuch that the Law condemns to death any man
that shall approach unto a woman during her uncleanness. Yet the woman,
nevertheless, must not be forbidden to come into the church whilst she has
her courses; because the superfluity of nature cannot be imputed to her as
a crime; and it is not just that she should be refused admittance into the
church, for that which she suffers against her will. For we know, that the
woman who had the issue of blood, humbly approaching behind our Lord’s
back, touched the hem of his garment, and her infirmity immediately
departed from her. If, therefore, she that had an issue of blood might
commendably touch the garment of our Lord, why may not she, who has her
courses, lawfully enter into the church of God? But you may say, Her
infirmity compelled her, whereas these we speak of are bound by custom.
Consider, then, most dear brother, that all we suffer in this mortal
flesh, through the infirmity of our nature, is ordained by the just
judgement of God after the fall; for to hunger, to thirst, to be hot, to
be cold, to be weary, is from the infirmity of our nature; and what else
is it to seek food against hunger, drink against thirst, air against heat,
clothes against cold, rest against weariness, than to procure a remedy
against distempers? Thus to a woman her courses are a distemper. If,
therefore, it was a commendable boldness in her, who in her disease
touched our Lord’s garment, why may not that which is allowed to one
infirm person, be granted to all women, who, through the fault of their
nature, are rendered infirm?
She must not, therefore, be forbidden to receive the Mystery of the Holy
Communion during those days. But if any one out of profound respect does
not presume to do it, she is to be commended; yet if she receives it, she
is not to be judged. For it is the part of noble minds in some manner to
acknowledge their faults, even when there is no fault; because very often
that is done without a fault, which, nevertheless, proceeded from a fault.
Thus, when we are hungry, it is no sin to eat; yet our being hungry
proceeds from the sin of the first man. The courses are no sin in women,
because they happen naturally; yet, because our nature itself is so
depraved, that it appears to be defiled even without the concurrence of
the will, a defect arises from sin, and thereby human nature may itself
know what it is become by judgement. And let man, who wilfully committed
the offence, bear the guilt of that offence against his will. And,
therefore, let women consider with themselves, and if they do not presume,
during their courses, to approach the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of
our Lord, they are to be commended for their praiseworthy consideration;
but when they are carried away with love of the same Mystery to receive it
according to the custom of the religious life, they are not to be
restrained, as we said before. For as in the Old Testament the outward
works are observed, so in the New Testament, that which is outwardly done,
is not so diligently regarded as that which is inwardly thought, that the
punishment may be with discernment. For whereas the Law forbids the eating
of many things as unclean, yet our Lord says in the Gospel, “Not that
which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of
the mouth, this defileth a man.” And afterwards he added, expounding the
same, “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” Where it is abundantly
shown, that that is declared by Almighty God to be polluted in deed, which
springs from the root of a polluted thought. Whence also Paul the Apostle
says, “Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled
and unbelieving, nothing is pure.” And presently, declaring the cause of
that defilement, he adds, “For even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
If, therefore, meat is not unclean to him whose mind is not unclean, why
shall that which a woman suffers according to nature, with a clean mind,
be imputed to her as uncleanness?
A man who has approached his own wife is not to enter the church unless
washed with water, nor is he to enter immediately although washed. The Law
prescribed to the ancient people, that a man in such cases should be
washed with water, and not enter into the church before the setting of the
sun. Which, nevertheless, may be understood spiritually, because a man
acts so when the mind is led by the imagination to unlawful concupiscence;
for unless the fire of concupiscence be first driven from his mind, he is
not to think himself worthy of the congregation of the brethren, while he
sees himself burdened by the iniquity of a perverted will. For though
divers nations have divers opinions concerning this affair, and seem to
observe different rules, it was always the custom of the Romans, from
ancient times, for such an one to seek to be cleansed by washing, and for
some time reverently to forbear entering the church. Nor do we, in so
saying, assign matrimony to be a fault; but forasmuch as lawful
intercourse cannot be had without the pleasure of the flesh, it is proper
to forbear entering the holy place, because the pleasure itself cannot be
without a fault. For he was not born of adultery or fornication, but of
lawful marriage, who said, “Behold I was conceived in iniquity, and in sin
my mother brought me forth.” For he who knew himself to have been
conceived in iniquity, lamented that he was born from sin, because he
bears the defect, as a tree bears in its bough the sap it drew from the
root. In which words, however, he does not call the union of the married
couple iniquity, but the will itself. For there are many things which are
lawful and permitted, and yet we are somewhat defiled in doing them. As
very often by being angry we correct faults, and at the same time disturb
our own peace of mind; and though that which we do is right, yet it is not
to be approved that our mind should be disturbed. For he who said, “My eye
was disturbed with anger,” had been angry at the vices of sinners. Now,
seeing that only a calm mind can rest in the light of contemplation, he
grieved that his eye was disturbed with anger; because, whilst he was
correcting evil actions below, he was obliged to be confused and disturbed
with regard to the contemplation of the highest things. Anger against vice
is, therefore, commendable, and yet painful to a man, because he thinks
that by his mind being agitated, he has incurred some guilt. Lawful
commerce, therefore, must be for the sake of children, not of pleasure;
and must be to procure offspring, not to satisfy vices. But if any man is
led not by the desire of pleasure, but only for the sake of getting
children, such a man is certainly to be left to his own judgement, either
as to entering the church, or as to receiving the Mystery of the Body and
Blood of our Lord, which he, who being placed in the fire cannot burn, is
not to be forbidden by us to receive. But when, not the love of getting
children, but of pleasure prevails, the pair have cause to lament their
deed. For this the holy preaching concedes to them, and yet fills the mind
with dread of the very concession. For when Paul the Apostle said, “Let
him that cannot contain have his own wife;” he presently took care to
subjoin, “But this I say by way of permission, not of commandment.” For
that is not granted by way of permission which is lawful, because it is
just; and, therefore, that which he said he permitted, he showed to be an
offence.
It is seriously to be considered, that when God was about to speak to the
people on Mount Sinai, He first commanded them to abstain from women. And
if purity of body was there so carefully required, where God spoke to the
people by the means of a creature as His representative, that those who
were to hear the words of God should abstain; how much more ought women,
who receive the Body of Almighty God, to preserve themselves in purity of
flesh, lest they be burdened with the very greatness of that inestimable
Mystery? For this reason also, it was said to David, concerning his men,
by the priest, that if they were clean in this particular, they should
receive the shewbread, which they would not have received at all, had not
David first declared them to be clean. Then the man, who, afterwards, has
been washed with water, is also capable of receiving the Mystery of the
Holy Communion, when it is lawful for him, according to what has been
before declared, to enter the church.
_Augustine’s Ninth Question._—Whether after an illusion, such as is wont
to happen in a dream, any man may receive the Body of our Lord, or if he
be a priest, celebrate the Divine Mysteries?
_Gregory answers._—The Testament of the Old Law, as has been said already
in the article above, calls such a man polluted, and allows him not to
enter into the church till the evening, after being washed with water.
Which, nevertheless, a spiritual people, taking in another sense, will
understand in the same manner as above; because he is imposed upon as it
were in a dream, who, being tempted with uncleanness, is defiled by real
representations in thought, and he is to be washed with water, that he may
cleanse away the sins of thought with tears; and unless the fire of
temptation depart before, may know himself to be in a manner guilty until
the evening. But a distinction is very necessary in that illusion, and one
must carefully consider what causes it to arise in the mind of the person
sleeping; for sometimes it proceeds from excess of eating or drinking;
sometimes from the superfluity or infirmity of nature, and sometimes from
the thoughts. And when it happens either through superfluity or infirmity
of nature, such an illusion is not to be feared at all, because it is to
be lamented, that the mind of the person, who knew nothing of it, suffers
the same, rather than that he occasioned it. But when the appetite of
gluttony commits excess in food, and thereupon the receptacles of the
humours are oppressed, the mind thence contracts some guilt; yet not so
much as to hinder the receiving of the Holy Mystery, or celebrating Mass,
when a holy day requires it, or necessity obliges the Mystery to be shown
forth, because there is no other priest in the place; for if there be
others who can perform the ministry, the illusion proceeding from
over-eating ought not to exclude a man from receiving the sacred Mystery;
but I am of opinion he ought humbly to abstain from offering the sacrifice
of the Mystery, but not from receiving it, unless the mind of the person
sleeping has been disturbed with some foul imagination. For there are
some, who for the most part so suffer the illusion, that their mind, even
during the sleep of the body, is not defiled with filthy thoughts. In
which case, one thing is evident, that the mind is guilty, not being
acquitted even in its own judgement; for though it does not remember to
have seen anything whilst the body was sleeping, yet it calls to mind
that, when the body was awake, it fell into gluttony. But if the illusion
of the sleeper proceeds from evil thoughts when he was awake, then its
guilt is manifest to the mind; for the man perceives from what root that
defilement sprang, because what he had consciously thought of, that he
afterwards unconsciously endured. But it is to be considered, whether that
thought was no more than a suggestion, or proceeded to delight, or, what
is worse, consented to sin. For all sin is committed in three ways, viz.,
by suggestion, by delight, and by consent. Suggestion comes from the
Devil, delight from the flesh, and consent from the spirit. For the
serpent suggested the first offence, and Eve, as flesh, took delight in
it, but Adam, as the spirit, consented. And when the mind sits in
judgement on itself, it must clearly distinguish between suggestion and
delight, and between delight and consent. For when the evil spirit
suggests a sin to the mind, if there ensue no delight in the sin, the sin
is in no way committed; but when the flesh begins to take delight in it,
then sin begins to arise. But if it deliberately consents, then the sin is
known to be full-grown. The seed, therefore, of sin is in the suggestion,
the nourishment of it in delight, its maturity in the consent. And it
often happens that what the evil spirit sows in the thought, in that the
flesh begins to find delight, and yet the soul does not consent to that
delight. And whereas the flesh cannot be delighted without the mind, yet
the mind struggling against the pleasures of the flesh, is after a manner
unwillingly bound by the carnal delight, so that through reason it opposes
it, and does not consent, yet being bound by delight, it grievously
laments being so bound. Wherefore that great soldier of our Lord’s host,
groaned and said, “I see another law in my members warring against the law
of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in
my members.” Now if he was a captive, he did not fight; but he did fight;
wherefore he was a captive and at the same time therefore fought against
the law of the mind, which the law that is in the members opposed; but if
he fought, he was no captive. Thus, then, man is, as I may say, a captive
and yet free. Free on account of justice, which he loves, a captive by the
delight which he unwillingly bears within him.
Chap. XXVIII. How Pope Gregory wrote to the bishop of Arles to help
Augustine in the work of God. [601 A.D.]
Thus far the answers of the holy Pope Gregory, to the questions of the
most reverend prelate, Augustine. Now the letter, which he says he had
written to the bishop of Arles, was directed to Vergilius, successor to
Aetherius,(130) and was in the following words:
“_To his most reverend and holy brother and fellow bishop, Vergilius;
Gregory, servant of the servants of God._ With how much kindness brethren,
coming of their own accord, are to be entertained, is shown by this, that
they are for the most part invited for the sake of brotherly love.
Therefore, if our common brother, Bishop Augustine, shall happen to come
to you, let your love, as is becoming, receive him with so great kindness
and affection, that it may refresh him by the benefit of its consolation
and show to others how brotherly charity is to be cultivated. And, since
it often happens that those who are at a distance first learn from others
the things that need correction, if he bring before you, my brother, any
sins of bishops or others, do you, in conjunction with him, carefully
inquire into the same, and show yourself so strict and earnest with regard
to those things which offend God and provoke His wrath, that for the
amendment of others, the punishment may fall upon the guilty, and the
innocent may not suffer under false report. God keep you in safety, most
reverend brother. Given the 22nd day of June, in the nineteenth year of
the reign of our most religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, the
eighteenth year after the consulship of our said lord, and the fourth
indiction.”
Chap. XXIX. How the same Pope sent to Augustine the Pall and a letter,
along with several ministers of the Word. [601 A.D.]
Moreover, the same Pope Gregory, hearing from Bishop Augustine, that the
harvest which he had was great and the labourers but few, sent to him,
together with his aforesaid envoys, certain fellow labourers and ministers
of the Word, of whom the chief and foremost were Mellitus, Justus,
Paulinus, and Rufinianus,(131) and by them all things in general that were
necessary for the worship and service of the Church, to wit, sacred
vessels and altar-cloths, also church-furniture, and vestments for the
bishops and clerks, as likewise relics of the holy Apostles and martyrs;
besides many manuscripts. He also sent a letter, wherein he signified that
he had despatched the pall to him, and at the same time directed how he
should constitute bishops in Britain. The letter was in these words:
“_To his most reverend and holy brother and fellow bishop, Augustine;
Gregory, the servant of the servants of God._ Though it be certain, that
the unspeakable rewards of the eternal kingdom are reserved for those who
labour for Almighty God, yet it is requisite that we bestow on them the
benefit of honours, to the end that they may by this recompense be
encouraged the more vigorously to apply themselves to the care of their
spiritual work. And, seeing that the new Church of the English is, through
the bounty of the Lord, and your labours, brought to the grace of God, we
grant you the use of the pall in the same, only for the celebration of the
solemn service of the Mass; that so you may ordain twelve bishops in
different places, who shall be subject to your jurisdiction. But the
bishop of London shall, for the future, be always consecrated by his own
synod, and receive the pall, which is the token of his office, from this
holy and Apostolic see, which I, by the grace of God, now serve. But we
would have you send to the city of York such a bishop as you shall think
fit to ordain; yet so, that if that city, with the places adjoining, shall
receive the Word of God, that bishop shall also ordain twelve bishops, and
enjoy the honour of a metropolitan; for we design, if we live, by the help
of God, to bestow on him also the pall; and yet we would have him to be
subject to your authority, my brother; but after your decease, he shall so
preside over the bishops he shall have ordained, as to be in no way
subject to the jurisdiction of the bishop of London. But for the future
let there be this distinction as regards honour between the bishops of the
cities of London and York, that he who has been first ordained have the
precedence.(132) But let them take counsel and act in concert and with one
mind dispose whatsoever is to be done for zeal of Christ; let them judge
rightly, and carry out their judgement without dissension.
“But to you, my brother, shall, by the authority of our God and Lord Jesus
Christ, be subject not only those bishops whom you shall ordain, and those
that shall be ordained by the bishop of York, but also all the prelates in
Britain; to the end that from the words and manner of life of your
Holiness they may learn the rule of a right belief and a good life, and
fulfilling their office in faith and righteousness, they may, when it
shall please the Lord, attain to the kingdom of Heaven. God preserve you
in safety, most reverend brother.
“Given the 22nd of June, in the nineteenth year of the reign of our most
religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, the eighteenth year after the
consulship of our said lord, and the fourth indiction.”
Chap. XXX. A copy of the letter which Pope Gregory sent to the Abbot
Mellitus, then going into Britain. [601 A.D.]
The aforesaid envoys having departed, the blessed Father Gregory sent
after them a letter worthy to be recorded, wherein he plainly shows how
carefully he watched over the salvation of our country. The letter was as
follows:
“_To his most beloved son, the Abbot Mellitus; Gregory, the servant of the
servants of God._ We have been much concerned, since the departure of our
people that are with you, because we have received no account of the
success of your journey. Howbeit, when Almighty God has led you to the
most reverend Bishop Augustine, our brother, tell him what I have long
been considering in my own mind concerning the matter of the English
people; to wit, that the temples of the idols in that nation ought not to
be destroyed; but let the idols that are in them be destroyed; let water
be consecrated and sprinkled in the said temples, let altars be erected,
and relics placed there. For if those temples are well built, it is
requisite that they be converted from the worship of devils to the service
of the true God; that the nation, seeing that their temples are not
destroyed, may remove error from their hearts, and knowing and adoring the
true God, may the more freely resort to the places to which they have been
accustomed. And because they are used to slaughter many oxen in sacrifice
to devils, some solemnity must be given them in exchange for this, as that
on the day of the dedication, or the nativities of the holy martyrs, whose
relics are there deposited, they should build themselves huts of the
boughs of trees about those churches which have been turned to that use
from being temples, and celebrate the solemnity with religious feasting,
and no more offer animals to the Devil, but kill cattle and glorify God in
their feast, and return thanks to the Giver of all things for their
abundance; to the end that, whilst some outward gratifications are
retained, they may the more easily consent to the inward joys. For there
is no doubt that it is impossible to cut off every thing at once from
their rude natures; because he who endeavours to ascend to the highest
place rises by degrees or steps, and not by leaps. Thus the Lord made
Himself known to the people of Israel in Egypt; and yet He allowed them
the use, in His own worship, of the sacrifices which they were wont to
offer to the Devil, commanding them in His sacrifice to kill animals, to
the end that, with changed hearts, they might lay aside one part of the
sacrifice, whilst they retained another; and although the animals were the
same as those which they were wont to offer, they should offer them to the
true God, and not to idols; and thus they would no longer be the same
sacrifices. This then, dearly beloved, it behoves you to communicate to
our aforesaid brother, that he, being placed where he is at present, may
consider how he is to order all things. God preserve you in safety, most
beloved son.
“Given the 17th of June,(133) in the nineteenth year of the reign of our
most religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, the eighteenth year
after the consulship of our said lord, and the fourth indiction.”
Chap. XXXI. How Pope Gregory, by letter, exhorted Augustine not to glory
in his miracles. [601 A.D.]
At which time he also sent Augustine a letter concerning the miracles that
he had heard had been wrought by him; wherein he admonishes him not to
incur the danger of being puffed up by the number of them. The letter was
in these words:
“I know, dearly beloved brother, that Almighty God, by means of you, shows
forth great miracles to the nation which it was His will to choose.
Wherefore you must needs rejoice with fear, and fear with joy concerning
that heavenly gift; for you will rejoice because the souls of the English
are by outward miracles drawn to inward grace; but you will fear, lest,
amidst the wonders that are wrought, the weak mind may be puffed up with
self-esteem, and that whereby it is outwardly raised to honour cause it
inwardly to fall through vain-glory. For we must call to mind, that when
the disciples returned with joy from preaching, and said to their Heavenly
Master, ‘Lord, even the devils are subject to us through Thy Name;’
forthwith they received the reply, ‘In this rejoice not; but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.’(134) For their minds
were set on private and temporal joys, when they rejoiced in miracles; but
they are recalled from the private to the common joy, and from the
temporal to the eternal, when it is said to them, ‘Rejoice in this,
because your names are written in heaven.’ For all the elect do not work
miracles, and yet the names of all are written in heaven. For those who
are disciples of the truth ought not to rejoice, save for that good thing
which all men enjoy as well as they, and in which their joy shall be
without end.
“It remains, therefore, most dear brother, that amidst those outward
actions, which you perform through the power of the Lord, you should
always carefully judge yourself in your heart, and carefully understand
both what you are yourself, and how much grace is bestowed upon that same
nation, for the conversion of which you have received even the gift of
working miracles. And if you remember that you have at any time sinned
against our Creator, either by word or deed, always call it to mind, to
the end that the remembrance of your guilt may crush the vanity which
rises in your heart. And whatsoever gift of working miracles you either
shall receive, or have received, consider the same, not as conferred on
you, but on those for whose salvation it has been given you.”
Chap. XXXII. How Pope Gregory sent letters and gifts to King Ethelbert.
[601 A.D.]
The same blessed Pope Gregory, at the same time, sent a letter to King
Ethelbert, with many gifts of divers sorts; being desirous to glorify the
king with temporal honours, at the same time that he rejoiced that through
his own labour and zeal he had attained to the knowledge of heavenly
glory. The copy of the said letter is as follows:
“_To the most glorious lord, and his most excellent son, Ethelbert, king
of the English, Bishop Gregory._ Almighty God advances good men to the
government of nations, that He may by their means bestow the gifts of His
loving-kindness on those over whom they are placed. This we know to have
come to pass in the English nation, over whom your Highness was placed, to
the end, that by means of the blessings which are granted to you, heavenly
benefits might also be conferred on your subjects. Therefore, my
illustrious son, do you carefully guard the grace which you have received
from the Divine goodness, and be eager to spread the Christian faith among
the people under your rule; in all uprightness increase your zeal for
their conversion; suppress the worship of idols; overthrow the structures
of the temples; establish the manners of your subjects by much cleanness
of life, exhorting, terrifying, winning, correcting, and showing forth an
example of good works, that you may obtain your reward in Heaven from Him,
Whose Name and the knowledge of Whom you have spread abroad upon earth.
For He, Whose honour you seek and maintain among the nations, will also
render your Majesty’s name more glorious even to posterity.
“For even so the most pious emperor, Constantine, of old, recovering the
Roman commonwealth from the false worship of idols, brought it with
himself into subjection to Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and turned
to Him with his whole mind, together with the nations under his rule.
Whence it followed, that his praises transcended the fame of former
princes; and he excelled his predecessors in renown as much as in good
works. Now, therefore, let your Highness hasten to impart to the kings and
peoples that are subject to you, the knowledge of one God, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost; that you may surpass the ancient kings of your nation in
praise and merit, and while you cause the sins of others among your own
subjects to be blotted out, become the more free from anxiety with regard
to your own sins before the dread judgement of Almighty God.
“Willingly hear, devoutly perform, and studiously retain in your memory,
whatsoever counsel shall be given you by our most reverend brother, Bishop
Augustine, who is trained up in the monastic rule, full of the knowledge
of Holy Scripture, and, by the help of God, endued with good works; for if
you give ear to him when he speaks on behalf of Almighty God, the sooner
will Almighty God hear his prayers for you. But if (which God forbid!) you
slight his words, how shall Almighty God hear him on your behalf, when you
neglect to hear him on behalf of God? Unite yourself, therefore, to him
with all your mind, in the fervour of faith, and further his endeavours,
by that virtue which God has given you, that He may make you partaker of
His kingdom, Whose faith you cause to be received and maintained in your
own.
“Besides, we would have your Highness know that, as we find in Holy
Scripture from the words of the Almighty Lord, the end of this present
world, and the kingdom of the saints, which will never come to an end, is
at hand. But as the end of the world draws near, many things are about to
come upon us which were not before, to wit, changes in the air, and
terrors from heaven, and tempests out of the order of the seasons, wars,
famines, pestilences, earthquakes in divers places; which things will not,
nevertheless, all happen in our days, but will all follow after our days.
If, therefore, you perceive that any of these things come to pass in your
country, let not your mind be in any way disturbed; for these signs of the
end of the world are sent before, for this reason, that we may take heed
to our souls, and be watchful for the hour of death, and may be found
prepared with good works to meet our Judge. Thus much, my illustrious son,
I have said in few words, with intent that when the Christian faith is
spread abroad in your kingdom, our discourse to you may also be more
copious, and we may desire to say the more, as joy for the full conversion
of your nation is increased in our mind.
“I have sent you some small gifts, which will not appear small to you,
when received by you with the blessing of the blessed Apostle, Peter. May
Almighty God, therefore, perfect in you His grace which He has begun, and
prolong your life here through a course of many years, and in the fulness
of time receive you into the congregation of the heavenly country. May the
grace of God preserve you in safety, my most excellent lord and son.
“Given the 22nd day of June, in the nineteenth year of the reign of our
most religious lord, Mauritius Tiberius Augustus, in the eighteenth year
after his consulship, and the fourth indiction.”
Chap. XXXIII. How Augustine repaired the church of our Saviour, and built
the monastery of the blessed Peter the Apostle; and concerning Peter the
first abbot of the same.
Augustine having had his episcopal see granted him in the royal city, as
has been said, recovered therein, with the support of the king, a church,
which he was informed had been built of old by the faithful among the
Romans, and consecrated it in the name of the Holy Saviour, our Divine
Lord Jesus Christ, and there established a residence for himself and all
his successors.(135) He also built a monastery not far from the city to
the eastward, in which, by his advice, Ethelbert erected from the
foundation the church of the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul,(136) and
enriched it with divers gifts; wherein the bodies of the same Augustine,
and of all the bishops of Canterbury, and of the kings of Kent, might be
buried. Nevertheless, it was not Augustine himself who consecrated that
church, but Laurentius, his successor.
The first abbot of that monastery was the priest Peter,(137) who, being
sent on a mission into Gaul, was drowned in a bay of the sea, which is
called Amfleat,(138) and committed to a humble tomb by the inhabitants of
the place; but since it was the will of Almighty God to reveal his merits,
a light from Heaven was seen over his grave every night; till the
neighbouring people who saw it, perceiving that he had been a holy man
that was buried there, and inquiring who and whence he was, carried away
the body, and interred it in the church, in the city of Boulogne, with the
honour due to so great a person.
Chap. XXXIV. How Ethelfrid, king of the Northumbrians, having vanquished
the nations of the Scots, expelled them from the territories of the
English. [603 A.D.]
At this time, the brave and ambitious king, Ethelfrid,(139) governed the
kingdom of the Northumbrians, and ravaged the Britons more than all the
chiefs of the English, insomuch that he might be compared to Saul of old,
king of the Israelites, save only in this, that he was ignorant of Divine
religion. For he conquered more territories from the Britons than any
other chieftain or king, either subduing the inhabitants and making them
tributary, or driving them out and planting the English in their places.
To him might justly be applied the saying of the patriarch blessing his
son in the person of Saul, “Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf; in the morning
he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”(140)
Hereupon, Aedan, king of the Scots that dwell in Britain,(141) being
alarmed by his success, came against him with a great and mighty army, but
was defeated and fled with a few followers; for almost all his army was
cut to pieces at a famous place, called Degsastan, that is, Degsa
Stone.(142) In which battle also Theodbald, brother to Ethelfrid, was
killed, with almost all the forces he commanded. This war Ethelfrid
brought to an end in the year of our Lord 603, the eleventh of his own
reign, which lasted twenty-four years, and the first year of the reign of
Phocas, who then was at the head of the Roman empire. From that time, no
king of the Scots durst come into Britain to make war on the English to
this day.