CHA P. XIII.

How Bishop Wilfrid converted the Province of the South-Saxons to CHRIST.

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ILFRID being expell'd his Bishoprick, and having travell'd in feveral Parts, went to Rome, and return'd to Britain; and tho' he could not, by reafon of the Enmity of the aforefaid King, be receiv'd into his own Country or Diocefe, yet he could not be reftrain'd from the Miniftry of preaching of the Gofpel; for taking his Way into the Province of the South-Saxons, which extends from Kent on the Weft and South, as far as the WeftSaxons, containing Land of feven Thousand Families, and ftill at that Time follow'd the Pagan Worship, he adminifter'd to them the Word of Faith, and the Lavre of Salvation. Edilwalch, then King of that Nation, had been, not long before, baptiz'd in the Province of the Mercians, in the Prefence of and by the Perfwafion of King Wulfhere, who was also his Godfather, and as fuch gave him two Provinces, viz. the Isle of Wight, and the Province of Meawara, in the Nation of the Hamp Weft-Saxons. The Bishop therefore, with the hire. King's Confent, or rather to his great Satiffaction, baptiz'd the prime Commander and Soldiers of that Country; and the Priests Eappa, and Padda, and Burghelm, and Eadda, either then, or afterwards baptiz'd the rest of

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the People. The Queen, whose Name was Ebba, had been chriften'd in her own Island, that is, the Province of the Wiccii. She was the Daughter of Eanfrid, the Brother of Eanher, who were both Chriftians, as were their People; but all the Province of the South-Saxons were Strangers to the Name and Faith of God. There was among them a certain Monk of the Scotish Nation, whose Name was Dicul, having a very fmali Monaftery, at the Place call'd Bofanham, encompafs'd with the Sea and Woods, and in it five or fix Brothers, ferving our Lord in a poor and humble Life; but none of the Natives car'd either to follow their Courfe of Life, nor hear their Preaching. But Bifhop Wilfrid preaching to them, did not only deliver them from the Mifery of perpetual Damnation, but also from an inexpreffible Calamity of Temporal Death; for no Rain had fallen in that Province in three Years before his Arrival, whereupon a dreadful Famine enfuing, cruelly deftroy'd the People. fhort, it is reported, that very often, forty or fifty Men being fpent with Want, would go together to fome Precipice, or the Sea Shore, and there, hand in hand, either perish by the Fall, or be fwallow'd up by the Waves. But

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Now call'd Bofcham, in Suffex, this was the Archbishop of Canterbury's, till Earl Godwin taking a Fancy to it, requiring of the Archbishop to give him Bofham, i, e. a Kiss; the Archbishop reply'd, I give you Bolham, whereupon he took Poffeffion, and by Arms kept it. It was a Place of Retreat to his Son Harold, and from hence he fet out in a PleasureBoat, when the Wind drove him to Normandy, where Duke William oblig'd him to furrender his Right to the Crown.

But on the very Day on which the Nation receiv'd the Baptifm of Faith, there fell a foft but plentiful Rain; the Earth flourish'd again, and the Verdure being reftor'd to the Fields, the Year prov'd pleafant and fruitful. Thus the former Superftition being rejected, and Idolatry exploded, the Hearts and Flesh of all rejoic'd in the Living God, being convinc'd that he who is the true God, had, through his Heavenly Grace enrich'd them with interior and exterior Goods. For the Bishop, when he came into the Province, and found fo great Mifery of Famine, taught them to get their Food by fishing; their Sea and Rivers abounding in Fifh, and yet the People had no Skill to take them, except only Eels. The Bishop's Men having gather'd Eel Nets every where, caft them into the Sea, and by the Help of God, took three Hundred Fishes of several forts, the which being divided into three Parts, they gave an Hundred to the Poor, an Hundred to thofe of whom they had the Nets, and kept an Hundred for their own Ufe. By this Benefit the Bishop gain'd the Affections of them all, and they began the more readily upon his Preaching to hope for Heavenly Goods, by whofe Help they had receiv'd the Temporal. At this Time King Edilwalch gave to the most Reverend Prelate Wilfrid Land of eighty feven Families, to maintain his Men that wander'd in Banishment, which Place is call'd Selefeu, that is, The Iland of the Sea Calf. That Place is en

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bi. e. Seals, now Selfey in Suffex, the Bishop's See was remov'd from hence to Chichefter by Stygaud the 22d Bishop, Mr. Camben obferves that at low Water are to be seen the Ruins of the City, here mention'd by Eede.

compafs'd by the Sea on all fides, except the Weft, where is an Entrance about the Caft of a Sling over; which fort of Place is by the Latins call'd a Peninsula; by the Greeks, a Cherfonefus. Bifhop Wilfrid having this Place given him, founded a Monastery therein, and establifh'd a regular Course of Life, chiefly of the Brethren he had brought with him, the which his Succeffors are known to poffefs to this Day; for he both in Word and Actions perform'd the Function of a Bishop in thofe Parts during the space of five Years, that is, till the Death of King Ecgfrid. And for as much as the aforefaid King, together with the Poffeffion of the faid Place, gave him all the Goods that were in the fame, with the Lands and Men, he having inftructed them in the Faith of CHRIST, baptiz'd them all. Among whom were two Hundred and fifty Men and Women Slaves, all whom he by Baptifm not only refcu'd from the Servitude of the Devil, but giving them their Liberty, exempted them from the Yoke of Human Servitude.

СНАР.

CHA P. XIV.

How a Peftilential Mortality ceas'd through the Interceffion of King Ofwald.

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N which Monaftary at that Time, fome Favours of the Heavenly Grace are faid to have been shown; as in a Place where the Tyranny of the Devil being lately expell'd, CHRIST had then began to reign. Of which Number I have thought it proper to perpetuate the Memory of one, which the most Reverend Bifhop Acca was wont to relate to me, affirming it had been told him by most creditable Brothers of the fame Monaftery. About the fame Time, that this Province (of the South Saxons). embrac'd the Faith of CHRIST; a grievous Mortality ran through many Provinces of Britain; the which alfo, by the Divine Dispensation, reaching the aforefaid Monastery, then govern'd by the moft Reverend and moft Religious Prieft of CHRIST, Eappa, and many as well of thofe that came thither with the Bishop, as of those that had been call'd to the Faith of the fame Province of the South-Saxons, being fnatch'd away out of this World; the Brethren thought fit to keep a Faft of three Days, and to implore the Divine Goodness, that it would vouchafe to extend Mercy to them, either by delivering thofe that were in Danger by the Distemper from Death, or by

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