conceal from himself the fact that Germanus, like many foreigners, must have become somewhat of a nuisance. Matters may be said to have reached a climax in a great battle between the Britons and the Picts and Scots.

Germanus, bearing in his hand the standard, instructed his men all in a loud voice to repeat his words, and the enemy advancing securely, as thinking to take them by surprise, the priests three times cried, Hallelujah! A universal shout of the same word followed, and the hills resounding the echo on all sides, the enemy was struck with dread. They fled in disorder."

11 Now I have never hesitated to admit that Germanus was summoned from Gaul by the British Church, or that he preached and officiated in this island with its full approval; but it is impossible to believe that the British bishops, whom we may imagine to have been staid, portly, and moderate men, could possibly have approved of extravagance of this kind. There may have been one or two of them, who, in order to avoid the worse evil of the spread of dissent, connived at the immoderate behavior of Germanus; just as a weakkneed bishop or two in this very century may have connived at the proceedings of the Salvation Army; but it is perfectly incredible that the whole bench of British bishops heard of this irreverent, if not profane, "Hallelujah

Victory," without expressing their strongest disapproval, and appointing a sub-committee to inquire into the matter.

The prelates prepared to return home. Their own merits, and the intercession of the holy martyr Alban, obtained them a safe passage, and the happy vessel restored them in peace to their rejoicing people."

12 And very glad the British bishops must have been to get rid of them! Some people have seized upon the words "the intercession of the holy martyr Alban," and argued therefrom that the early British Church encouraged prayers to the

saints. They have then gone on to urge this as a proof that it was widely apart from ours in its doctrines. Now it would be impossible to conceive any line of argument more exactly opposite to the truth. For what do we find? That not a word is said about the intercession of saints until the party had obtained a safe passage. This is very remarkable, as it proves the exact similarity of the discipline of the ancient British Church to that of the modern Church of England. So long as the party were in this country, it would have been an act of schism to believe in the intercession of saints, or to invoke their patronage; but as soon as they had landed in France, it was open to them to worship in the churches of the country, where

the cultus of the saints was habitu

ally practiced.

To-day, precisely the same discipline prevails. At Dover, it would be an act of schism to kneel down in the Roman Catholic Church; but when once the English churchman has "obtained a safe passage" to Calais, he is at liberty to attend services, and to worship in a Roman Catholic Church, although there may be a dozen altars in it to as many different saints, and the choir may be singing the Litany of the Virgin.

The reader will at once perceive the importance of this passage in Bede's writings, and its deep meaning. It tells us with no uncertain voice that what is wrong on one side of the channel is right on the