I: in a mutiny, was fucceeded by Offa, who was a de- CHAP. gree more remote from Penda, by Eawa, another brother. THIS prince, who mounted the throne in 755 had fome great qualities, and was fuccefsful in his warlike enterprises against Lothaire, king of Kent, and Kenwulph, king of Weffex. He defeated the former in a bloody battle at Otford upon the Darent, and reduced his kingdom to a state of dependence: he gained a victory over the latter at Benfington in Oxfordshire; and conquering that county, together with that of Gloucefter, annexed both to his dominions. But all thefe fucceffes were ftained by his treacherous murder of Ethelbert, king of the Eaft-Angles, and his violent feizing of that kingdom. This young prince, who is faid to have poffeffed great merit, had paid his addreffes to Elfrida, the daughter of Offa, and was invited with all his retinue to Hereford, in order to folemnize the nuptials. Amidst the joy and feftivity of these entertainments, he was feized by Offa, and fecretly beheaded: And though Elfrida, who abhorred her father's treachery, had time to give warning to the Eaft-Anglian nobility, who efcaped into their own country, Offa, having extinguifhed the royal family, fucceeded in his defign of fubduing that kingdom. The perfidious prince, defirous of re-eftablishing his character in the world, and perhaps of appeafing the remorfes of his own confcience, paid great court to the clergy, and practifed all the monkish devotion fo much efteemed in that ignorant and fuperftitious age. He gave the tenth of his goods to the church; beftowed rich donations on the cathedral of Hereford; and even made a pilgrimage to Rome, where his great power and riches could not fail of procuring him the papal abfolution. The better to ingratiate himself with the e Brompton, p. 50, 751, 752. Brompton, p. 776. & Chron. Sax. p. 59. Spell. Conc. p. 308. VOL. I. E fovereign CHAP. fovereign pontiff, he engaged to pay him a yearly I. donation for the fupport of an English college at Rome, and in order to raise the fum, he impofed the tax of a penny on each house poffeffed of thirty pence a year. This impofition, being afterwards levied on all England, was commonly denominated Peter's pence; and though conferred at firft as a gift, was afterwards claimed as a tribute by the Roman pontiff. Carrying his hypocrify ftill farther, Offa, feigning to be directed by a vifion from heaven, difcovered at Verulam the reliques of St. Alban, the martyr, and endowed a magnificent monaftery in that place'. Moved by all these acts of piety, Malmesbury, one of the best of the old English hiftorians, declares himself at a lofs to determine whether the merits or crimes of this prince preponderated. Offa died, after a reign of thirtynine years, in 794'. THIS prince was become fo confiderable in the Heptarchy, that the emperor Charlemagne entered into an alliance and friendship with him; a circumftance which did honour to Offa; as diftant princes at that time had ufually little communication with each other. That emperor being a great lover of learning and learned men, in an age very barren of that ornament, Offa, at his defire, fent him over Alcuin, a clergyman much celebrated for his knowledge, who received great honours from Charlemagne, and even became his preceptor in the fciences. The chief reafon why he had at firft defired the company of Alcuin, was, that he might oppofe his learning to the herefy of Felix, bishop of Urgil in Catalonia; who maintained, that Jefus Christ, confidered in his human nature, could, more properly, be denominated the adoptive, than the natural fon of God". This herefy was condemned i In k Lib. 1. cap. 4. Spell. Conc. p. 230. 310. 312. h Higden, lib. 5. I. in the council of Francfort, held in 794, and con- CHAP. fifting of 300 bishops. Such were the queftions. which were agitated in that age, and which employed the attention not only of cloistered scholars, but of the wifeft and greateft princes". EGFRITH fucceeded to his father, Offa, but furvived him only five months; when he made way for Kenulph, a defcendant of the royal family. This prince waged war against Kent; and taking Egbert, the king, prifoner, he cut off his hands, and put out his eyes; leaving Cuthred, his own brother, in poffeffion of the crown of that kingdom. Kenulph was killed in an infurrection of the EaftAnglians, whofe crown his predeceffor, Offa, had ufurped. He left his fon, Kenelm, a minor; who was murdered the fame year by his fifter, Quendrade, who had entertained the ambitious views of affuming the government". But she was fupplanted by her uncle, Ceolulf; who, two years after, was dethroned by Beornulf. The reign of this ufurper, who was not of the royal family, was fhort and unfortunate: He was defeated by the Weft-Saxons, and killed by his own fubjects, the Eaft-Angles 1. Ludican, his fucceffor, underwent the fame fate'; and Wiglaff, who mounted this unftable throne, and found every thing in the utmoft confufion, could not withstand the fortune of Egbert, who united all the Saxon kingdoms into one great monarchy. TH The Kingdom of ESSEX. HIS kingdom made no great figure in the Heptarchy; and the hiftory of it is very imperfect. Sleda fucceeded to his father, Erkinwin, the founder of the monarchy; and made way for his n Offa, in order to protect his country from Wales, drew a rampart or ditch of a hundred miles in length from Bafinwerke in Flintshire to the South fea near Biiftol. See Speeds Defcription of Wales. P Ingulph. p. 7. Brompton, p. 776. * Alur. Beverl. p. 87. Ingulph. p. 6. E 2 fon, CHAP. fon, Sebert, who, being nephew to Ethelbert, king I. of Kent, was perfuaded by that prince to embrace the Christian faith. His fons and conjunct fuci ceffors, Sexted and Seward, relapsed into idolatry, and were foon after flain in a battle against the Weft-Saxons. To fhew the rude manner of living in that age, Bede tells us', that these two kings expreffed great defire to eat the white bread, diftributed by Mellitus, the bishop, at the communion". But on his refufing them, unless they would fubmit to be baptized, they expelled him their dominions. The names of the other princes, who reigned fucceffively in Effex, are Sigebert the little, Sigebert the good, who reftored Chriftianity, Swithelm, Sigheri, Offa. This laft prince, having made a vow of chastity, notwithstanding his marriage with Kenefwitha, a Mercian princefs, daughter to Penda, went in pilgrimage to Rome, and fhut himself up during the reft of his life in a cloifter. Selred, his fucceffor, reigned thirty-eight years; and was the laft of the royal line: The failure of which threw the kingdom into great confufion, and reduced it to dependence under Mercia". Switherd first acquired the crown, by the conceffion of the Mercian princes; and his death made way for Sigeric, who ended his life in a pilgrimage to Rome. His fucceffor, Sigered, unable to defend his kingdom, fubmitted to the victorious arms of Egbert. TH The Kingdom of SUSSEX. HE hiftory of this kingdom, the smallest in the Heptarchy, is ftill more imperfect than that of Effex. Alla, the founder of the monarchy, left the crown to his fon, Ciffa, who is chiefly remarkable for his long reign of feventy-fix years. 1. During his time, the South-Saxons fell almoft into CHA P. a total dependence on the kingdom of Weffex; and we scarcely know the names of the princes who were poffeffed of this titular fovereignty. Adelwalch, the last of them, was subdued in battle by Ceadwalla, king of Weffex, and was flain in the action; leaving two infant fons, who, falling into the hand of the conqueror, were murdered by him. The abbot of Redford opposed the order for this execution; but could only prevail on Ceadwalla to suspend it, till they fhould be baptized. Berthun and Audhun, two noblemen of character, refifted fome time the violence of the Weft-Saxons; but their oppofition ferved only to prolong the miseries of their country; and the fubduing of this kingdom was the first step which the Weft-Saxons made towards acquiring the fole monarchy of England*, The Kingdom of WESSEX, HE kingdom of Weffex, which finally fwalall the other Saxon ftates, met with great refiftance on its firft establishment: And the Britons, who were now enured to arms, yielded not tamely their poffeffions to thofe invaders. Cerdic, the founder of the monarchy, and his fon, Kenric, fought many fuccefsful, and fome unfuccefsful battles against the natives; and the martial spirit, common to all the Saxons, was, by means of these hoftilities, carried to the greatest height among this tribe. Ceaulin, who was the fon and fucceffor of Kenric, and who began his reign in 560, was still more ambitious and enterprifing than his predeceffors; and, by waging continual war against the Britons, he added a great part of the counties of Devon and Somerset to his other dominions. Brompton, p. 800. E 3 Çar ried |