the British Christians; among whom were several who had recently been baptized by him, and were now attending to the instructions of himself and his colleague Lupus. The prelates being apprised of the enemy's approach, placed themselves at the head of their disciples, whom they were now about to lead in their temporal, as well as spiritual warfare; the Britons being more disposed to rely on the prayers of these holy men, and to follow their councils, than to confide in their own valour. They do not appear to have made preparations to oppose their enemies in a hostile way; and of this they were apprised, designing to fall upon them while they were engaged in their religious exercises, and preparing to celebrate Easter, according to the usual practice of the church at that time. But Germanus put himself at the head of a select company, and waited the coming up of the Picts and Scots in a narrow place among hills and rocks. The Britons received instructions what they were to do at the approach of the enemy; they were ordered to join the prelates in repeating aloud HALELUIAH, three times. Accordingly, when the foe was advancing, secure of an easy victory, the two apostolic leaders shouted aloud, while the rest united their voices with theirs; and the rocks and hills reverberated with the sound of the sacred word, HALELUIAH. The desired effect was produced; the enemy was thrown into consternation, being struck with a sudden panic, as if heaven was about to pour down vengeance upon them for attempting to violate the devout exercises of the Christians; for it appeared, to their terrified imagination, that the rocks and mountains were ready to fall upon and overwhelm them. The depredators threw down their arms, and fled; but many of them, in their confusion, were drowned in a water which they had to cross. Thus the Britons, says the ancient narrative, obtained

a bloodless victory; a victory won by faith, and not by force of arms.

The scene of these transactions lay near Mold, a town about ten miles from Chester, and fourteen from Denbigh. There is a spot that still bears the name of MAES GARMON, in reference, it is said, to this remarkable event. It bore that name in the age of Archbishop Usher, as he informs us; and the learned primate was much struck with the coincidence. A gentleman, who owned that place and estate in the last century, set up an elegant obelisk in view of the town, to commemorate what is called the Halleluia victory.

Mr. Whitaker, in the appendix to his history of the ancient cathedral of Cornwall, dedicated to Germanus, or St. German, has controverted the whole of this narrative, but not, I think, with his usual success. It is true, if we critically examine the account as expressed in the florid manner of Constantius the ancient biographer of Germanus, who is copied by Bede, there will be found some incongruity in the statement. But making due allowance for the attempt at embellishment, in the old writer, and his want of minute exactness, owing to his defective knowledge of the chorography of the surrounding district, there appears nothing improbable in the main incidents of the transaction. The religious ardour of the Britons, now stirred up by the preaching of the two divines; the heroism and faith of the holy men; and the device of throwing the enemy into consternation, by a sort of spiritual manœuvre; and the nature of the country so suitable for an ambuscade, all taken together, give an air of plausibility to the nar rative.

The circumstances of the British church, at that time, as confirmed by various accounts, accord with what we collect from the narrative: the country was relapsing

into a heathen state, and the ordinances of religion had been neglected. There is a church dedicated to the memory of Germanus, in the country where he is said to have exercised his ministry, and assisted the Britons to repel a band of rovers that were ravaging that region. Upon the whole Mr. Whitaker is more specious than solid in his attempt to invalidate the statement of Constantius and Bede.

As to the victory of the Britons, so wonderfully obtained over the Saxons and Picts, there appears some difficulty in accounting for that irruption of the Saxons, as well as the Picts, as early as the year 429 or 430. The Saxons, we know, had infested the British shores on the southern and eastern part of the island for a century before; but the Hibernian Scots were more likely to have effected a junction with the Picts, and penetrate into that part of the island. This difficulty I shall leave to more able antiquaries for their solution; only observ ing, that if instead of the Saxons and Picts we read the Scots and Picts, the account will appear more congruous. But Archbishop Usher conceived nothing incongruous in this junction of the Saxons and the Picts, as the Saxons had before this time been in the habit of infesting the British shores, and were also accustomed to form alliances with the Picts, in order to commit their depredations on the province.

As to the circumstance of the Saxons being found in the island as early as 429 or 430, and coalescing with the Pictish marauders to distress the provincial Britons, there is not any thing inconsistent with real history in that part of the narration. The pirates of the German and Baltic shores had long distressed the coasts of Britain; and that, in some instances, the Picts should join them is not improbable. But by a mistake of the narrator some would have it the Saxons and Picts are

mentioned instead of the Scots and the Picts, as the Hibernian Scots may easily have effected a landing on the coast of North Wales at any time. But we ought, perhaps, rather to be guided by the positive testimony of antiquity in these incidents, than take upon us to correct old authors, because at this distance of time 'certain occurrences may to us have an obscure aspect.

As to the various miracles said to have been performed by St. German, I have not thought it worth my while to lay them before the reader; it being my endeavour throughout the whole of this work to pay no attention to statements arising from either the credulity of the ignorant, or the frauds of designing men.

Garmon and Lupus, having succeeded so well in their mission; silencing the Pelagians, and reclaiming those who had been seduced by them; and having settled various things in the British churches conducive to good order and regularity, took their leave, and departed. But these holy men were not long returned home, before Garmon received a message intreating him to take another journey to Britain, in order to renew his former good offices. Garmon acceded to the request; and took with him Severus, bishop of Triers. His labours were again attended with the former success; and, in order to prevent the recurrence of that confusion which had been occasioned by the dissemination of the Pelagian errors, he procured the banishment of those who had taken the lead among the party. After this the Britons were no more infested for a considerable time with that controversy. The dreadful calamities which now threatened the country would surely tend to check such unseasonable disputations. The crisis of their fate, as a nation, was fast approaching.

The second visit of Garmon was of some continuance; probably until the country was overrun by the barbarous

Picts and Scots. Being sensible of the importance of learning, as the grand help-mate of piety; and the necessity of having certain places in those troublesome times which might afford a retreat for those who were candidates for the ministry, that they might pursue their literary studies, and especially the study of theology: he fixed upon a variety of situations in the island favourable for such a design. It is remarkable that all these institutions, of which we have any account, were in Wales. Does not this argue that Christianity had never taken root among the natives, in most other parts of the island, or why should the attention of those holy men be so entirely directed to one part of the country?

Since the departure of the Romans, the Britons felt severely the loss of those seminaries which flourished under their patronage, in the principal towns (among which Caerleon or Isca Silurum was famed); and the civil commotions among the states of Britain were detrimental to the cultivation of learning and piety.* The Emperor Theodosius gave great encouragement for the establishment of seminaries of learning; and one of those is said to be at Caer-Worgorn, in the vale of Glamorgan. This situation was improved by the labours. of Garmon and Lupus, and was formed into a college, where the piously inclined might find a retreat, in their declining years, to devote the remnant of their days to religious contemplation, and the service of God; while others might fit themselves for missionaries and pastors of the flock. I shall here give the account which is handed down in a little work before alluded to, and which has been preserved in that very part of the prin

* See Stillingfleet's Origines Britannica, where this subject is discussed at large.