belly beasts? as the Apostle calleth them."

It is one of the English clergyman's greatest consolations to reflect that it is with such as these that he claims affinity, rather than with the intrusive priests of St. Augustine, of whom more presently. Gildas's description of the British clergy, though couched in monkish language, proves how much there was among them of that "life" of which the Church of England has ever been so justly proud. The "chaffering of church-livings is simply the custom of selling advowsons and presentations, which existed during the early Christian centuries in this country, just as it does now. The most unlettered could easily perceive that this is another important link in the chain that binds the Church

of England to that of the ancient Britons.

We must pause for a moment here to notice a grievous mistake which two puny historians of our own Church have made in their inferences from the passage from Gildas just quoted. "The British clergy," say they, "can have sued to none but the Popes; yet in the fearful wars and sackings of Rome in the first half of the sixth century, one would have thought they had little leisure to attend to our distant isle. That their appointments were respected shows how great was the reverence for the See of Peter."

Nothing of the kind! The object of the expeditions of the British ecclesiastics into foreign countries is plain enough. Their reason for crossing the seas and travelling over most large

countries, that so in the end" they might get the preferment they wish. for, was undoubtedly to find Jew money-lenders in the continental cities, who would advance money on bills of "sale of their whole substance," which would enable them to purchase the advowsons or presentations they wished for. This is obvious. Why, then, put a strained interpretation on the passage? Gildas appears to have had a prejudice against the sale of livings, and on this point he seems to have agreed very much with many Dissenters and some Church people of to-day; but this only in passing.

We now return to the text of Bede.

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 things, all the bonds of sincerity and justice were so entirely broken, that there was not only no trace of them left remaining, but few persons seemed to be aware that such virtues had ever existed. However, the goodness of God did not forsake His people, whom He foreknew, but sent to the aforesaid nation much more worthy preachers, to bring it to the faith.

.

Gregory, a man renowned for learning and behaviour, was pro

the servant of God, Augustine, and with him several other monks, who feared the Lord, to preach the Word of God to the English nation.14

14 Before entering into the meanings of this interesting portion of the writings of Bede, we will say frankly that we intend to omit a passage a little further on that bears upon the same period. We refer to some well known but vile puns made by this very Pope, Gregory, about Angles and Angels, Deiri and Deira. How such nonsense can have been transcribed into so many English histories, and especially histories for children, we are