from the Incarnation of our Lord. In which year there happened a most grievous famine in Syria, which in the Acts of the Apostles is recorded to have been foretold by the prophet Agabus. [Acts xi. 28.] § 11. Vespasian, who was emperor after Nero, being sent into Britain by the same Claudius, brought also under the Roman dominion the Isle of Wight, which is next to Britain on the south, and is about thirty miles in length from east to west, and twelve from south to north; being six miles distant from the southern coast of Britain at the east end, and three at the west. Nero, succeeding Claudius in the empire, attempted nothing whatever in martial affairs; and, therefore, among other innumerable detriments brought upon the Roman state, he almost lost Britain; for under him two most noble towns were there taken and destroyed. CHAP. IV. [A.D. 156.]-LUCIUS, KING OF BRITAIN, WRITING TO POPE ELEUTHERUS, DESIRES TO BE MADE A CHRISTIAN. 3 § 12. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation 156, Marcus Antoninus Verus, the fourteenth from Augustus, was made emperor, together with his brother, Aurelius Commodus. In their time, whilst Eleutherus, a holy man, presided over the Roman church, Lucius, king of Britain, sent a letter to him, entreating that by his command he might be made a Christian. He soon obtained the effect of his pious request, and the Britons preserved the faith, which they had received, uncorrupted and entire, in peace and tranquillity until the time of the emperor Diocletian. CHAP. V. [A.D. 189.]-HOW THE EMPEROR SEVERUS DIVIDED THAT PART OF BRITAIN, WHICH HE SUBDUED, from the rest by a Rampart. § 13. In the year of our Lord 189, Severus, an African, born at Leptis, in the province of Tripolis, received the imperial purple. He was the seventeenth from Augustus, and reigned seventeen years. Being naturally stern, and engaged in many wars, he governed the state vigorously, but with much trouble. Having been victorious in all the grievous civil wars which happened in his time [A.D. 208], he was drawn into Britain by the revolt of almost all the confederate tribes; and, after many great and dangerous battles, he thought fit to divide, from the other unconquered nations, that part of the island which he had recovered, not with a wall, as some 1 See Dio Cassius, lx. 20; Eutrop. vii. 19. 2 Camelodunum is generally supposed to be the town of Maldon (Camd. Brit. col. 416): but Mannert argues successfully for Colchester. See Geog. der Greich. u. Romer. p. 157; Archæolog. iii. 165. The reader who is 3 The chronology of Beda is here confused and erroneous. interested in its elucidation, may consult Stillingfleet's Orig. p. xiv.; Alford. Annal. i. 49; and the passages referred to by Ussher, in his Index Chronolog. appended to his Antiq. Britan. Eccl. A.D. 176 and 179. The conversion of Lucius may safely be assigned to a period limited by the pontificate of Eleutherus on the one hand, and the death of Aurelius on the other. imagine, but with a vallum. For a wall is made of stones, but a vallum, with which camps are fortified to repel the assaults of enemies, is made of sods, cut out of the earth, and raised high above the ground all round like a wall, so that there is in front the ditch whence the sods were taken, and strong stakes of wood fixed before it. Thus Severus drew a great ditch' and strong rampart, fortified with frequent towers, from sea to sea; and was afterwards taken sick and died at York. He left two sons, Bassianus and Geta; of whom Geta died, adjudged a public enemy; but Bassianus, having taken the surname of Antoninus, obtained the empire. CHAP. VI.3 [A. D. 286.]—THE REIGN OF DIOCLETIAN, AND HOW HE PERSECUTED THE CHRISTIANS. § 14. In the year of our Lord's Incarnation 286, Diocletian, the thirty-third from Augustus, being chosen emperor by the army, reigned twenty years, and created Maximian, surnamed Herculius, his colleague in the empire. In their time, [A.D. 287-94,] one Carausius, of very mean birth, but prompt of head and hand, being appointed to guard the sea-coasts, then infested by the Franks and Saxons, acted more to the prejudice than to the advantage of the commonwealth; and from his not restoring to its owners the booty taken from the robbers, but keeping all to himself, it was suspected that by intentional neglect he suffered the enemy to infest the frontiers. Maximian having ordered that he should be put to death, he took upon him the imperial robes, and possessed himself of Britain, and having most valiantly retained it for the space of seven years, he was at length put to death by the treachery of his associate, Allectus. The usurper, having thus got the island from Carausius, held it three years afterwards, and was then vanquished by Asclepiodotus, the captain of the Prætorian bands, who thus at the end of ten years restored Britain to the Roman empire. § 15. Meanwhile, Diocletian in the east, and Maximian Herculius in the west, commanded the churches to be destroyed, and the Christians to be persecuted and slain. This persecution was the tenth since the reign of Nero, and was more lasting and bloody than all the others before it; for it was carried on incessantly for the space of ten years, with burning of churches, outlawing of innocent persons, and the slaughter of martyrs. At length, it reached Britain also, and many persons, with the constancy of martyrs, died in the confession of their faith. ! Concerning this line of defence, see Lappenberg, i. 43; Camd. Brit. col. 1045. 2 A.D. 211; see Pagi ad an. 211, § 2. The whole of this chapter is taken from Orosius. See Petrie's Excerpta, lxxix. From A.D. 303 to 313, in which latter year the emperor Constantine embraced Christianity. Within these two dates occurred the events mentioned in the following chapter, probably in 304 or 305. CHAP. VII. [A.D. 304 or 305.]—THE PASSION OF ST. ALBAN AND HIS COMPANIONS, WHO AT THE SAME TIME SHED THEIR BLOOD FOR our Lord. § 16. In that persecution suffered St. Alban, of whom the priest Fortunatus, in his poem on the Praise of Virgins, where he makes mention of the blessed martyrs that came to the Lord from all parts of the world, says "In Britain's isle was holy Alban born."1 This Alban, being yet a pagan, at the time when the edicts of wicked princes were raging against Christians, gave entertainment in his house to a certain clergyman, flying from the persecutors. This man he observed to be engaged in continual prayer and watching day and night; when on a sudden the Divine grace shining on him, he began to imitate the example of faith and piety which was set before him, and being gradually instructed by his wholesome admonitions, he cast off the darkness of idolatry, and became a Christian in all sincerity of heart. The aforesaid clergyman having been some days entertained by him, it came to the ears of the wicked prince, that this holy confessor of Christ, whose time of martyrdom had not yet come, was concealed at Alban's house. Whereupon he sent some soldiers to make a stricter search after him. When they came to the martyr's cottage, St. Alban immediately presented himself to the soldiers, instead of his guest and master, clothed in the habit or long coat which he wore, and was led bound before the judge. § 17. It happened that the judge, at the same time when Alban was carried before him, was standing at the altar, and offering sacrifice to devils. When he saw Alban, being much enraged that he should thus, of his own accord, put himself into the hands of the soldiers, and incur such danger in behalf of his guest, he commanded him to be dragged up to the images of the devils, before which he stood, saying, "Because you have chosen to conceal a rebellious and sacrilegious person, rather than to deliver him up to the soldiers, that his contempt of the gods might meet with the penalty due to such blasphemy, you shall undergo all the punishment that was due to him, if you attempt to abandon the worship of our religion." But St. Alban, who had voluntarily declared himself a Christian to the persecutors of the faith, was not at all daunted at the prince's threats, but girt in the armour of spiritual warfare, he publicly declared that he would not obey the command. Then said the judge, "Of what family or race are you?”—“ What does it concern you," answered Alban, "to know of what stock I am? If you desire to hear the truth of my religion, be it known to you, that I am now a Christian, and bound by christian duties." "I ask your name," said the judge; "tell me it immediately.”— "I am called Alban by my parents," replied he;" and I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things." Then the judge, inflamed with anger, said, "If you will enjoy the happiness of eternal life, do not delay to offer sacrifice to the great gods." 1 Fortunatus, De Laude Virginum, p. 190, ed. 1617. Alban rejoined, “These sacrifices, which by you are offered to devils, neither can avail the subjects, nor answer the wishes or desires of those that offer up their supplications to them. On the contrary, whosoever shall offer sacrifice to these images, shall receive the everlasting pains of hell for his reward.” He § 18. The judge, hearing these words, and being much incensed, ordered this holy confessor of God to be scourged by the executioners, believing he might by stripes shake that constancy of heart, on which he could not prevail by words. He, being most cruelly tortured, bore the same patiently, or rather joyfully, for our Lord's sake. When the judge perceived that he was not to be overcome by tortures, or withdrawn from the exercise of the christian religion, he ordered him to be put to death. Being led to execution, he came to a river, which, with a most rapid course, ran between the wall of the town and the arena where he was to be executed. there saw a multitude of persons of both sexes, and of various ages and conditions, who were doubtlessly assembled by Divine command, to attend the blessed confessor and martyr, and had so taken up the bridge on the river, that they could scarce pass over that evening. In short, almost all had gone out, so that the judge remained in the city without attendance. St. Alban, therefore, urged by an ardent and devout wish to arrive quickly at martyrdom, drew near to the stream, and on lifting up his eyes to heaven, the channel was immediately dried up, and he perceived that the water had departed and made way for him to pass on foot. Among the rest, the executioner, who was to have put him to death, observed this, and moved by Divine inspiration hastened to meet him at the place of execution, and casting down the sword which he had carried ready drawn, fell at his feet, praying that he rather might suffer with the martyr, whom he was ordered to execute, or, if possible, instead of him. § 19. Whilst he thus from a persecutor was become a companion in the faith, and there was a considerable delay among the other executioners, (the sword all the while lying on the ground), the reverend confessor of God, accompanied by the multitude, ascended a hill about 500 paces from the bank of the river, adorned, or rather clothed with all kinds of flowers, having its sides neither perpendicular, nor even craggy, but sloping down into a most beautiful plain, worthy from its lovely appearance to be dedicated by a martyr's blood. On the top of this hill, St. Alban prayed that God would give him water, and immediately a living spring broke out before his feet, the course being confined, so that all men perceived that the river also had been dried up in consequence of the martyr's presence. Nor was it likely that the martyr, who had left no water remaining in the river, should want some on the top of the hill, unless he thought it suitable to the occasion. The river having performed the holy service, returned to its natural course, leaving a testimony of its obedience. Here, therefore, the head of our most courageous martyr was struck off, and here he received that crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. But he who gave the wicked stroke to the neck of this just one, was not permitted to rejoice over the deceased; for his eyes dropped upon the ground together with the blessed martyr's head. § 20. At the same time was also beheaded the soldier, who before, through the Divine admonition, refused to give the stroke to the holy confessor. Of whom it is apparent, that though he was not washed in the fountain of baptism, yet he was cleansed by the washing of his own blood, and rendered worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then the judge, astonished at the novelty of so many heavenly miracles, ordered the persecution to cease immediately, beginning to honour the death of the saints, by which he before thought they might have been diverted from the christian faith. The blessed Alban suffered death on the tenth of the kalends of July [22d June], near the city of Verulam,' which is now by the English nation called Verlamacaestir, or Vaetlingacaestir, where afterwards, when peaceable christian times were restored, a church of wonderful workmanship, and suitable to his martyrdom, was erected. In which place, there ceases not to this day the cure of sick persons, and the frequent working of wonders.2 § 21. At the same time suffered Aaron and Julius, citizens of the Urbs Legionum, and many more of both sexes in several places; who, when they had endured sundry torments, and their limbs had been torn after an unheard-of manner, having completed their sufferings, yielded up their souls to enjoy in the heavenly city a reward for the tortures through which they had passed. CHAP. VIII.3 [A. D. 313.]—THE PERSECUTION CEASING, THE CHURCH IN BRITAIN ENJOYS PEACE TILL THE TIME OF THE ARIAN HERESY. § 22. WHEN the storm of persecution ceased, [A.D.313,] the faithful Christians, who, during the time of danger, had hidden themselves in woods and deserts, and secret caves, appearing in public, rebuilt the churches which had been levelled with the ground; founded, erected, and finished the temples of the holy martyrs, and, as it were, displayed their conquering ensigns in all places; they celebrated festivals, and performed their sacred rites with clean hearts and mouths. This peace continued in the churches of Christ in Britain until the time of the Arian madness, which, having corrupted the whole world, infected this island also, so far removed from the rest of the globe, with the poison of its errors; and when the plague was thus conveyed across the sea, all the venom of every heresy immediately rushed into the island, ever fond of something new, and never holding firm to anything. § 23. At this time, Constantius, who, whilst Diocletian was alive, governed Gaul and Spain, a man of extraordinary meekness and courtesy, died in Britain. This man left his son Constantine, born of Helen his concubine, emperor of the Gauls. Eutropius writes, that Constantine, being created emperor in Britain, succeeded his father in the sovereignty. In his time the Arian heresy broke out, 1 See Camd. Brit. col. 350. 2 The history of St. Alban will be considered upon a future occasion. |