I. the miracle, or influenced by fome other motive, CHA P. he divorced himself from his mother-in-law, and returned to the profeffion of Chriftianity: His whole people returned with him. Eadbald reached not the fame or authority of his father, and died in 640, after a reign of twenty-five years; leaving two fons, Erminfrid and Ercombert. ERCOMBERT, though the younger fon, by Emma, a French princefs, found means to mount the throne. He is celebrated by Bede for two exploits, for establishing the faft of Lent in his kingdom, and for utterly extirpating idolatry; which, notwithstanding the prevalence of Chriftianity, had hitherto been tolerated by the two preceding mo-. narchs. He reigned twenty-four years; and left the crown to Egbert his fon, who reigned nine years. This prince is renowned for his encouragement of learning; but infamous for putting to death his two coufin-germans, fons of Erminfrid, his uncle. The ecclefiaftical writers praise him for his bestowing on his fifter, Domnona, fome lands in the Ifle of Thanet, where the founded a monaftery. THE bloody precaution of Egbert could not fix the crown on the head of his fon Edric. Lothaire, brother of the deceafed prince, took poffeffion of the kingdom; and, in order to fecure the power in his family, he affociated with him Richard, his fon, in the adminiftration of the government. Edric, the difpoffeffed prince, had recourfe to Edilwach, king of Suffex, for affiftance; and being fupported by that prince, fought a battle with his uncle, who was defeated and flain. Richard fled into Germany, and afterwards died in Lucca, a city of Tufcany. William of Malmesbury afcribes Lothaire's bad fortune to two crimes, his concurrence in the murder of his coufins, and his contempt for reliques. Brompton, p. 739. D 4 8 Will, Malm. p. 11. СНАР. 1. LOTHAIRE reigned eleven years; Edric his fucceffor, only two. Upon the death of the latter, which happened in 686, Widred, his brother, obtained poffeffion of the crown. But as the fucceffion had been of late fo much disjointed by revolutions and ufurpations, faction began to prevail among the nobility; which invited Cedwalla, king of Weffex, with his brother Mollo, to attack the kingdom. These invaders committed great devaftations in Kent; but the death of Mollo, who was flain in a fkirmish", gave a fhort breathingtime to that kingdom. Widred reftored the affairs of Kent; and after a reign of thirty-two years', left the crown to his pofterity. Eadbert, Ethelbert, and Alric, his defcendants, fucceffively mounted the throne. After the death of the laft, which happened in 794, the royal family of Kent was extinguifhed; and every factious leader who could entertain hopes of afcending the throne, threw the ftate into confufion. Egbert, who firft fucceeded, reigned but two years; Cuthred, brother to the king of Mercia, fix years; Baldred, an illegitimate branch of the royal family, eighteen: And after a troublefome and precarious reign, he was, in the year 723, expelled by Egbert, king of Weffex, who diffolved the Saxon Heptarchy, and united the feveral kingdoms under his dominion. The Kingdom of NORTHUMBERLAND. ADELFRID, king of Bernicia, having married Acca, the daughter of Alla, king of Deïri, and expelled her infant brother, Edwin, had united all the counties north of Humber into one mo-, narchy, and acquired a great afcendant in the Heptarchy. He alfo fpread the terror of the Saxon arms to the neighbouring people; and by his vic 1. tories over the Scots and Picts, as well as Welsh, CHAP. extended on all fides the bounds of his dominions. Having laid fiege to Chefter, the Britons marched out with all their forces to engage him; and they were attended by a body of 1250 monks from the monastery of Bangor, who stood at a small diftance from the field of battle, in order to encourage the combatants by their prefence and exhortations. Adelfrid enquiring the purpose of this unusual appearance, was told, that thefe priefts had come to pray against him: Then are they as much our enemies, faid he, as thofe who intend to fight against us': And he immediately fent a detachment, who fell upon them, and did fuch execution, that only fifty escaped with their lives". The Britons, aftonifhed at this event, received a total defeat: Chester was obliged to furrender: And Adelfrid, purfuing his victory, made himself mafter of Bangor, and entirely .demolished the monaftery; a building fo extenfive, that there was a mile's diftance from one gate of it to another; and it contained two thousand one hundred monks, who are faid to have been there maintained by their own labour". NOTWITHSTANDING Adelfrid's fuccefs in war, he lived in inquietude on account of young Edwin, whom he had unjustly difpoffeffed of the crown of Deïri. This prince, now grown to man's eftate, wandered from place to place, in continual danger from the attempts of Adelfrid; and received at laft protection in the court of Redwald, king of the Eaft-Angles; where his engaging and gallant deportment procured him general efteem and affection. Redwald, however, was ftrongly folicited by the king of Northumberland to kill or deliver up his gueft: Rich presents were promifed him if he would comply; and war denounced against him in cafe of his refufal. After rejecting feveral meffages of this 1 Brompton, p. 779. Bede, lib. 2. cap. 2. m Trivet, apud Spell. Conc. p. 111. W. Malmef. lib. 1. cap. 3. I. CHAP. kind, his generofity began to yield to the motives of intereft; and he retained the laft ambaffador, till he fhould come to a refolution in a cafe of fuch importance. Edwin, informed of his friend's perplexity, was yot determined at all hazards to remain in Eaft-Anglia; and thought, that if the protection of that court failed him, it were better to die, than prolong a life fo much expofed to the perfecutions of his powerful rival. This confidence in Redwald's honour and friendship, with his other accomplishments, engaged the Queen on his fide; and the effectually reprefented to her husband the infamy of delivering up to certain destruction their royal guest, who had fled to them for protection against his cruel and jealous enemies. Redwald, embracing more generous refolutions, thought it fafeft to prevent Adelfrid, before that prince was aware of his intention, and to attack him while he was yet unprepared for defence. He marched fuddenly with an army into the kingdom of Northumberland, and fought a battle with Adelfrid; in which that monarch was defeated and killed, after avenging himself by the death of Regner, fon of Redwald". His own fons, Eanfrid, Ofwald, and Ofwy, yet infants, were carried into Scotland; and Edwin obtained poffeffion of the crown of Northumberland. EDWIN was the greateft prince of the Heptarchy in that age, and diftinguifhed himfelf, both by his influence over the other kingdoms, and by the ftrict execution of juftice in his own dominions, He reclaimed his fubjects from the licentious life to which they had been accuftomed; and it was a common faying, that during his reign a woman or child might openly carry every where a purfe of gold, without any danger of violence or robbery. There is a remarkable inftance, tranfmitted to us, • W. Malmef. lib. 1. cap. 3. H. Hunting. lib. 3. Bede. Chron. Sax. p. 27. I. of the affection borne him by his fervants. Cuich- CHAP. elme, king of Weffex, was his enemy; but finding himself unable to maintain open war against fo gallant and powerful a prince, he determined to use treachery against him, and he employed one Eumer for that criminal purpose. The affaffin having obtained admittance, by pretending to deliver a meffage from Cuichelme, drew his dagger, and rushed upon the king. Lilla, an officer of his army, feeing his mafter's danger, and having no other means of defence, interpofed with his own body between the king and Eumer's dagger, which was pushed with fuch violence, that, after piercing Lilla, it even wounded Edwin: But before the affaffin could renew his blow, he was difpatched by the king's attendants. THE Eaft-Angles confpired againft Redwald, their king; and having put him to death, they offered their crown to Edwin, of whofe valour and capacity they had had experience, while he refided among them. But Edwin, from a fenfe of gratitude towards his benefactor, obliged them to fubmit to Earpwold, the fon of Redwald; and that prince preferved his authority, though on a precarious footing, under the protection of the Northumbrian monarch'. EDWIN, after his acceffion to the crown, married Ethelburga, the daughter of Ethelbert, King of Kent. This princefs, emulating the glory of her mother Bertha, who had been the inftrument for converting her husband and his people to Chriftianity, carried Paullinus, a learned bifhop, along with her'; and befides ftipulating a toleration for the exercise of her own religion, which was readily granted her, fhe ufed every reafon to perfuade the king to embrace it. Edwin, like a prudent prince, hefitated on the propofal; but promifed to examine • H. Hunting. lib. 3. the Gul. Malmef. lib. 1. cap. 3. |