one at once, before he knew better, or if he had become one after consulting all the British bishops without finding comfort, there might have been some excuse for him; but the time he selected for his act of perversion was, to say the very least, most ill-chosen. But Roman perverts always choose the wrong time for their apostasy.

Ethelbert neglected the means of grace that were within his reach, and looked for others, as many have done in recent times-with what results is but too well known. Now look at the danger to which this silly man exposed himself. He was not even a Christian,consequently he knew nothing whatever of theology, and yet he had the audacity, in all this ignorance, to confront himself with Roman Catholic priests.

The king came into the island, and, sitting in the open air, ordered Augustine and his companions to be brought into his presence They came... bearing a silver cross for their banner, and the image of our Lord and Saviour painted on a board; and singing the litany, they offered up their prayers to the Lord for the eternal salvation both of themselves and of those to whom they were come."

17 Now here we come to pure acts of schism. As we have already seen, it was a schismatical act on the part. of Gregory to send an Italian bishop to England at all. It was a schismatical act again on the part of Augustine to accept jurisdiction from

the Bishop of Rome over a country already occupied by other bishops.

This litany singing, this bearing about of silver crosses and "images of our Lord and Saviour;" this offering of prayers to the Lord &c., was one of the grossest pieces of impertinence recorded in ecclesiastical history. This intrusion of a band of priests and monks, headed by a bishop, into a country where there had been a church and an episcopacy for four hundred years, could not be justified on any ground but this-that the church and bishops already established were under the Roman obedience, and that the Pope, in consequence, had power to send his legate with full anthority to command, suspend, or even depose those bishops in the Pope's name.

Let those who will, defend Augustine in this manner: but a Protestant and a member of the Church of England can neither logically nor loyally do so; and be it understood that in no other way can a valid defense be made for him. If an English clergyman is prepared to champion the cause of Augustine, he must also be prepared to accept the dictum of Pope Benedict XIV., quoted by Ferraris,to the effect that the jurisdiction of all bishops is in such a manner subject to the supreme pastorate of the Pope, that it can be restrained, or altogether taken away by his authority. This throws us back inevitably upon the Church of Lucius, and I say without hesitation, that any member of the Church of England who defends Augustine, is a traitor to his creed and

a Jesuit in disguise. And now we return to the text.

(King Ethelbert said)—“ I cannot approve of them"(your words and promises) "so far as to forsake that which I have so long followed, with the whole English

forbid you to preach and gain as many as you can to your religion." Accordingly he permitted them to reside in the city of Canterbury, which was the metropolis of all his dominions. 18

18 Ethelbert refused to approve of the religion of the Italian priests; he