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CHAP.
I.

The Kingdom of KENT. ESCUS fucceeded his father, Hengift, in the kingdom of Kent; but feems not to have poffeffed the military genius of that conqueror, who firft made way for the entrance of the Saxon arms into Britain. All the Saxons, who fought either the fame of valour, or new establishments by arms, flocked to the standard of Ella, king of Suffex, who was carrying on fuccessful war against the Britons, and laying the foundations of a new kingdom. Efcus was content to poffefs in tranquillity the kingdom of Kent, which he left in 512 to his fon Octa, in whose time the Eaft-Saxons established their monarchy, and difmembered the provinces of Effex and Middlefex from that of Kent. His death, after a reign of twenty-two years, made room for his fon Hermenric in 534, who performed nothing memorable during a reign of thirty-two years, except affociating with him his fon Ethelbert in the government, that he might fecure the fucceffion in his family, and prevent fuch revolutions as are incident to a turbulent and barbarous monarchy.

ETHELBERT revived the reputation of his family, which had languifhed for fome generations. The inactivity of his predeceffors, and the fituation of his country, fecured from all hoftility with the Britons, feem to have much enfeebled the warlike genius of the Kentish Saxons; and Ethelbert, in his first attempt to aggrandize his country, and distinguish his own name, was unfuccefsful'. He was twice difcomfited in battle by Ceaulin, king of Weffex; and obliged to yield the fuperiority in the Heptarchy to that ambitious monarch, who preferved no moderation in his victory, and by reducing the kingdom of Suffex to fubjection, excited jealousy in all the

f Chron. Sax. p. 21.2

other

CHAP. other princes. An affociation was formed against I. him; and Ethelbert, intrusted with the command

of the allies, gave him battle, and obtained a decifive victory". Ceaulin died foon after; and Ethelbert fucceeded as well to his afcendant among the Saxon states, as to his other ambitious projects. He reduced all the princes, except the king of Northumberland, to a ftrict dependance upon him; and even established himself by force on the throne of Mercia, the most extenfive of the Saxon kingdoms. Apprehenfive, however, of a dangerous league against him, like that by which he himself had been enabled to overthrow Ceaulin, he had the prudence to refign the kingdom of Mercia to Webba, the rightful heir, the fon of Crida, who had first founded that monarchy. But governed ftill by ambition more than by juftice, he gave Webba poffeffion of the crown on fuch conditions, as rendered him little better than a tributary prince under his artful benefactor.

BUT the most memorable event which diftinguished the reign of this great prince, was the introduction of the Chriftian religion among the Englifh Saxons. The fuperftition of the Germans, particularly that of the Saxons, was of the groffeft and most barbarous kind; and being founded on traditional tales received from their ancestors, not reduced to any fyftem, not fupported by political inftitutions like that of the Druids, it feems to have made little impreffion on its votaries, and to have easily refigned its place to the new doctrine promulgated to them. Woden, whom they deemed the ancestor of all their princes, was regarded as the god of war, and, by a natural confequence, became their fupreme deity, and the chief object of their religious worship. They believed, that if they obtained the favour of this divinity by their valour (for

H. Hunting. lib. 2.

they

I.

they made lefs account of the other' virtues), they CHAP. fhould be admitted after their death into his hall; and repofing on couches, fhould fatiate themfelves with ale from the fkulls of their enemies whom they had flain in battle. Incited by this idea of paradife, which gratified at once the paffion of revenge and that of intemperance, the ruling inclinations of barbarians, they defpifed the dangers of war, and increafed their native ferocity against the vanquished by their religious prejudices. We know little of the other theological tenets of the Saxons: We only learn that they were polytheifls; that they worfhipped the fun and moon; that they adored the god of thunder, under the name of Thor; that they had images in their temples; that they practifed facrifices; believed firmly in fpells and inchantments; and admitted in general a fyftem of doctrines which they held as facred, but which, like all other fuperftitions, muft carry the air of the wildeft extravagance, if propounded to those who are not familiarized to it from their earliest infancy.

THE Conftant hoftilities which the Saxons maintained against the Britons, would naturally indifpofe them for receiving the Chriftian faith, when preached to them by fuch inveterate enemies; and perhaps the Britons, as is objected to them by Gildas and Bede, were not overfond of communicating to their cruel invaders the doctrine of eternal life and falvation. But as a civilized people, however fubdued by arms, ftill maintain a fenfible fuperiority over barbarous and ignorant nations, all the other northern conquerors of Europe had been already induced to embrace the Chriftian faith, which they found established in the empire; and it was impoffible but the Saxons, informed of this event, must have regarded with fome degree of veneration a doctrine, which had acquired the afcendant over all their brethren. However limited in their views, they could not but have perceived a degree of cul

tivation

I.

CHAP. tivation in the fouthern countries beyond what they themselves poffeffed; and it was natural for them to yield to that fuperior knowledge, as well as zeal, by which the inhabitants of the Chriftian kingdoms were even at that time diftinguished.

BUT thefe caufes might long have failed of producing any confiderable effect, had not a favourable incident prepared the means of introducing Chriftianity into Kent. Ethelbert, in his father's lifetime, had married Bertha, the only daughter of Caribert, king of Paris, one of the defcendants of Clovis, the conqueror of Gaul; but before he was admitted to this alliance, he was obliged to ftipulate, that the princefs fhould enjoy the free exercife of her religion; a conceffion not difficult to be obtained from the idolatrous Saxons'. Bertha brought over a French bifhop to the court of Canterbury; and being zealous for the propagation of her religion, fhe had been very affiduous in her devotional exercifes, had fupported the credit of her faith by an irreproachable conduct, and had employed every art of infinuation and addrefs to reconcile her husband to her religious principles. Her popularity in the court, and her influence over Ethelbert, had fo well paved the way for the reception of the Chriftian. doctrine, that Gregory, firnamed the Great, then Roman pontiff, began to entertain hopes of effecting a project, which he himself, before he mounted the papal throne, had once embraced, of converting the British Saxons.

IT happened, that this prelate, at that time in a private station, had obferved in the market-place of Rome fome Saxon youth exposed to fale, whom the Roman merchants, in their trading voyages to Britain, had bought of their mercenary parents. Struck with the beauty of their fair complexions and blooming countenances, Gregory afked to what country

b Greg. of Tours, lib. 9. cap. z6. H. Hunting. lib. 2.
1 Bede, lib. 1. cap. 25. Brompton, p. 729.

they

I.

they belonged; and being told they were Angles, CHAP. he replied, that they ought more properly to be denominated angels: It were a pity that the Prince of Darkness fhould enjoy fo fair a prey, and that fo beautiful a frontispicce fhould cover a mind deftitute of internal grace and righteoufnefs. Enquiring farther concerning the name of their province, he was informed, that it was Deïri, a diftrict of Northumberland: Deiri! replied he, that is good! They are called to the mercy of God from his anger, De ira. But what is the name of the king of that province? He was told it was Ella or Alla: Alleluia, cried he: We must endeavour, that the praises of God be fung in their country. Moved by thefe allufions, which appeared to him fo happy, he determined to undertake, himself, a miffion into Britain; and having obtained the Pope's approbation, he prepared for that perilous journey: But his popularity at home was fo great, that the Romans, unwilling to expofe him to fuch dangers, oppofed his defign; and he was obliged, for the prefent, to lay afide all farther thoughts of executing that pious purpose *.

1

THE Controverfy between the Pagans and the Chriftians was not entirely cooled in that age; and no pontiff, before Gregory, had ever carried to greater excefs an intemperate zeal against the former religion. He had waged war with all the precious monuments of the ancients, and even with their writings; which, as appears from the ftrain of his own wit, as well as from the ftyle of his compofitions, he had not taste or genius fufficient to comprehend. Ambitious to diftinguifh his pontificate by the converfion of the British Saxons, he pitched on Auguftine, a Roman monk, and fent him with forty allociates to preach the gofpel in this island. Thefe miffionaries, terrified with the dangers which might

VOL. I.

Bede, lib. a. cap. 1. Spell, Conc. p. 91,
D

attend

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