own country, king Oswy being persuaded to take part with the Catholics. A person of the name of Wighard, a Saxon, was sent to Rome, to be ordained bishop there, and to be appointed metropolitan of the English churches, in order that he might ordain a sufficient number of orthodox bishops upon his return. But Wighard, soon after his arrival at Rome, died; when Pope Vitalian designated a monk of the name of Adrian for the same dignity; which that ecclesiastic declining, a native of Tarsus, in Cilicia, of the name of Theodore, was ordained to be the English archbishop. Theodore having been brought up in the Greek church, though a man of learning and piety, well versed both in profane and sacred literature, laboured under the suspicion of not being conformable to all things enjoined by the Roman church: Adrian was, therefore, appointed to accompany him, ostensibly as the companion of his journey, but with the design that he might be prevented from introducing into England any of the customs of the Greeks.

The ordination of Theodore was in the year 668, about the season of Easter, being on the seventh of the Calends of April, when he was in the 66th year of his age. Coming to Marseilles by sea, both he and Adrian were detained in France for some time; so that the winter coming on, and being unusually severe, they did not arrive in England until the beginning of the following summer.

The new archbishop soon brought matters into a regular train, by visiting all parts, ordaining bishops in proper places, and, with their advice, correcting what was amiss. Bishop Ceada, in whose ordination two British bishops had assisted, was reprimanded: but the good man being willing to resign his office, the primate admired his humility, and completed his ordination, according to the Catholic rites, by laying his purer hands upon his head.

Theodore was the first archbishop to whom all the English clergy submitted; and whatever may be thought of the design of the Roman church, in his mission to England, his character was truly dignified, and he adorned the high situation which he held. He and his companion, or chaplain, the Abbot Adrian, were indefatigable in improving the English clergy, both in sacred and secular literature; in the various branches of both which they were themselves, as was before observed, well versed. "A croud of disciples flocked to them; and there daily flowed from them," to use the language of Venerable Bede, "rivers of saving knowledge for watering their hearts:" for, together with the exposition of the Scriptures, they also taught poetry and music, astronomy and arithmetic, and initiated their scholars into a thorough acquaintance with the Greek and Latin languages.

There were living, at the time when the historian wrote, some of their scholars, as familiarly acquainted with the Greek and Latin, as their own vernacular language. He, testifies that their days were the happiest that the English nation ever knew from the first coming over of the Angles into Britain: for their princes were both brave and pious;* and there was a general disposition in all ranks of people to regard their spiritual concerns: and as people were thus willing to

* Bede calls the Saxon kings, of that period, fortissimos Christianosque, and that they were a terror to all the barbarous nations, (cunctis barbaris nationibus essent terrori); by whom he perhaps meant the Picts and the Welsh; for the territories of King Oswy extended to the Forth, if not beyond it; for mention is made of the Picts that were subject to his dominion; and as to the Welsh, both Oswald and Oswy proved too potent for their princes after the death of Cadwallon. The famine and pestilence in Wales which obliged King Cadwalader to retreat into France, were most probably occasioned by the devastations of Oswy.

receive instruction, there were competent persons ready to communicate it.

Theodore appointed Ceadda, with the sanction of the king of Mercia, to be bishop of that province, as well as of the Midland Angles. He fixed his episcopal seat at Lichfield, where the see of the bishops of that diocese continued; and in the year 1148 Roger de Clinton, bishop at that time, founded a stately church in honour of the Blessed Virgin, and St. Ceadda, or Chad.

In the year 670, King Oswy died. Venerable Bede relates that it was his devout wish and purpose, had his life been spared a little longer, to go to Rome, and end his days in that holy place! Oswy had, during a long reign, extended his dominions from Northumberland to the centre of England, being king of Bernicia and Deira, of Mercia and the Mid-Angles: he held Wales in subjection, as well as some parts of the Pictish dominions, including perhaps the country to the south of Braidalbin. Cadwalader, the British king, tired out with perpetual warfare, and seeing the struggle between the old Britons and the Saxons now become hopeless, and the country being afflicted with famine and pestilence, he was compelled to seek a retreat in Britany. After an interval of some years, he found that the state of affairs among his people at home was so unfavourable that he relinquished all claims to sovereignty; and, being seized with the superstition of the times, he went on pilgrimage to Rome, where, according to Caradoc the historian, he died in the year 680. After him, not one of the princes of Wales assumed the title of King of the Britons; and the remnants of the ancient inhabitants were governed by their respective chieftains in Cornwall, South and North Wales, and Clydesdale.*

* In about a century after the death of Cadwalader the whole of the country southward of the Clyde and the Forth was added to the Saxon

In the third year of the reign of Ecfrid, the son and successor of Oswy, being A.D. 673, a synod was convened at Heorotford, or Hartford, at which the archbishop presided; and there were present, Bisi, bishop of the East Angles, the proxy of Wilfrid bishop of the Northumbrians, Putta, bishop of Rochester, Lutherius, bishop of the West Saxons, and Wynfrid, bishop of the province of the Mercians. Among other things it was ordained that Easter be kept, through all the provinces, on the Sunday next after the fourteenth day of the moon of the first month; that no bishop intrude into the diocese of another; that no bishop molest monasteries; that monks leave not their own monastery without consent of the Abbot; that no clergyman wander about, or be any where entertained without letters of recommendation from his own prelate; and that bishops, or other clergymen, on their travels, be treated with hospitality; but that it be deemed unlawful for them to exercise any of their functions, without leave of the priest, or bishop, within whose precincts they may be then situated. It was also ordered that more bishops should be ordained as the number of the faithful increased; from which it appears that there still existed obstructions to the spread of Christianity in some of the provinces. The only regulation, besides what related to the clergy, was respecting the necessity of preserving the purity of the marriage state, and prohibiting divorce, excepting, as the Gospel teaches, on account of fornication. It was resolved that such a general synod be held every year, this being the first held among the clergy of the heptarchy.

The last province which received Christianity was kingdom of Northumberland. Cornwall was conquered by Athelstan, A. D. 936: but the Welsh, in a great measure, maintained their independence until the reign of Henry II.; although at times compelled to pay tribute, which they did to Edwin and Oswy, and afterwards to Edgar:

that of the South Saxons, including Sussex, Hampshire, and Dorsetshire; and its introduction was, by means of Wilfrid, the bishop of York, who having displeased his sovereign, the Northumbrian king, was expelled his dominions; and now returning to Britain, after wandering in various parts abroad, betook himself into the territory of the South Saxons. Edilwalch, the king of that nation, had long before been baptized at the persuasion of the Mercian King Wulfere, to whom he seems to have been tributary. His queen had also made profession of the Christian Faith; but the whole province was hitherto involved in heathen darkness: and Wilfrid found the inhabitants at first exceedingly perverse; but, by adopting proper means, he gradually gained their esteem, and they paid attention to his preaching and admonitions. The country was grievously afflicted with famine, to such a degree that many threw themselves over the rocks into the sea. But the people no sooner embraced Christianity, than the seasons became favourable; the fields were covered with verdure, and the land was filled with plenty. The bishop also taught them an improved method of fishing; and thus made himself useful in promoting their temporal as well as their spiritual welfare, which could not fail of being productive of a salutary effect in softening the minds of a rude people, and inducing them to attend more cheerfully to the spiritual advice of the man of God. These traits of humanity and condescension reflect honour on the character of these Saxon missionaries, and raise them to a rank in our estimation, beyond what any titles could confer upon them.

The religion of Christ, although attended with certain superstitious rites, in the propagation of it among the Anglo-Saxons, soon shewed itself superior to Paganism, in its ameliorating influence on the commnnity. The reflections of the elegant Anglo-Saxon historian are so