thus exchanged their ancient opinions with readiness, since they found themselves indulged in those innocent relaxations which are only immoral when carried to an excess. Augustine was consecrated archbishop of Canterbury, endowed with authority over all the British churches, and his associates,, having spread themselves over all the country, compleated that conversion which was so happily, begun.

The kingdom of the heptarchy which next em-. braced the Christiar faith was that of Northumberland, at that time the most powerful of the rest; Edwin, a wise, brave, and active prince, then king of the country, was married to Ethelburga, the daughter of Ethelbert, who had been so lately, converted. This princess, emulating the glory of her mother, who had been the instrument of converting her husband and his subjects to Christianity, carried Paulinus, a learned bishop, with her into Northumberland, having previously stipulat ed for the free exercise of her religion. Edwin, whom his queen unceasingly solicited to embrace Christianity, for a long time hesitated on the proposal, willing to examine its doctrines before he declared in their favour. Accordingly he held several conferences with Paulinus, disputed with his counsellors, meditated alone, and, after a serious discussion, declared himself a Christian. The high priest also of the pagan superstition soon after declaring himself a convert to the arguments of Paulinus, the whole body of the people unanimously followed their example.

The authority of Edwin, who was thus converted, soon after prevailed upon Larpwold, the, king of the East Angles, to embrace Christianity. . This monarch, however, after the death of Edwin, relapsed into his former idolatry, at the persuasion of his wife. But upon his decease, Sigebert, his

half-brother, who had been educated in France, restored Christianity, and introduced learning among the Angles.

Mercia the most powerful kingdom of all the Saxon heptarchy, owed its conversion, like the former, to a woman. The wife of Peada, who was the daughter of Oswy, king of Northumberland, having been bred in the Christian faith, employed her influence with success in converting her husband and his subjects. But it seems the new religion was attended with small influence on the manners of that fierce people, as we find Offa, one of their new converted kings, in a few reigns after treacherously destroying Ethelbert, king of the East Angles, at an entertainment to which he had been invited. However, to make atonement for this transgression, we find him paying great court to the clergy, giving the tenth of his goods to the church, and making a pilgrimage to Rome, where his riches procured him the papal absolution. It was upon this occasion, the better to ingratiate himself with the pope, that he engaged to pay him a yearly donation for the support of an English college at Rome; and in order to raise the sum, he imposed a tax of a penny on each house possessed of thirty pence a year. This imposition being afterwards generally levied throughout the kingdom went by the name of Peter-pence, and in succeeding times gave rise to many ecclesiastical abuses.

In the kingdom of Essex, Sebert, who was nephew to Ethelbert, king of Kent, of whose conversion we have already made mention, was also prevailed upon by his uncle to embrace the Christian religion. His sons, however, relapsed into idolatry, and banished Melitus, the Christian bishop, from their territories, because he refused, to let them eat the white bread which was distri

buted at the communion. But Christianity was restored two or three reigns after, by Sigebert the Good; and such was the influence of its doctrines upon Offa, the third in succession from him, that he went upon a pilgrimage to Rome, and shut himself up during the rest of his life in a cloister.

We know but little of the propagation of Christianity in the kingdom of Sussex; but this being the smallest of all the Saxon heptarchy, it is probable that it was governed in its opinions by some of its more powerful neighbours. It is said, that during the reign of Cissa, one of its kings, which continued seventy-six years, the kingdom fell into a total dependence upon that of Wessex, and to this it is probable that it owed its conversion.

The kingdom of Wessex, which in the end swallowed up all the rest, desérves our more particular attention. This principality, which, as has been already related, was founded by Cerdic, was, of all the Saxon establishments in Britain, the most active and warlike. The great opposition the invaders of this province originally met from the natives, whom they expelled, not without much bloodshed, served to carry their martial spirit to the highest pitch. Cerdic was succeeded by his son Kenric, and he by Ceaulin, a prince more ambitious and enterprising than either of the former. He had, by waging continual wars against the Britons, added a great part of the counties of Devon and Somerset to his dominions; and not satisfied with conquests over his natural enemies, he attacked the Saxons themselves, till, becoming terrible to all, he provoked a general confederacy against him. This combination took place; so that he was at last expelled the throne, and died in exile and misery. His two sons succeeded; and after a succession of two more, Kynegils inherited the crown. This prince embraced Christianity

through the persuasion of Oswald, the king of Northumberland, his son-in-law. After some succeeding obscure reigns, Ceadwalla mounted the throne, an enterprising, warlike, and successful prince. He subdued entirely the kingdom of Sussex, and annexed it to his own dominions. He made also some attempts upon Kent, but was repulsed with vigour. Ina, his successor, was the most renowned and illustrious of all the kings who reigned in England during the heptarchy. This monarch inherited the military virtues of Caedwalla, but improved by policy, justice, and prudence. He made war upon the Britons, who yet remained in Somerset, and having totally subdued that province, he treated the vanquished with a humanity hitherto unknown to the Saxon conquerors. In less than a year after he mounted the throne of Wessex, he was declared monarch of the AngloSaxons, a remarkable proof of the great character. he had acquired. He compiled a body of laws, which served as the ground work of those which were afterwards published by Alfred. He also'assembled a general council of the clergy, in which: it was determined, that all churches, monasteries, and places of religious worship which had gone to ruin or decay, should be rebuilt and repaired. At length, after a distinguished reign of thirty-seven years, in the decline of life, he made a pilgrimage. to Rome; and, on his return home, shut himself up in a cloister, where he died. To him succeeded Oswald, Cudred, Sigebert, Cenulph, and Brithric; all these claiming the crown, not entirely by. hereditary right, nor yet totally rejecting their fa mily pretensions.

It was in the reign of the last-named monarch, that Egbert, a grand nephew of the late king Ina, began to grow very popular, among the West Saxons, both on account of his family and private

T

merit. Being sensible, however, of the danger of popularity, under such a jealous monarch as Brithric, he withdrew secretly into France, to the court of Charlemagne, at that time the most polished. prince of Europe. This was a school, in which young Egbert failed not to make a rapid proficien-" cy; and he soon acquired such accomplishments. both in arts, and arms, as raised him greatly superior to any of his countrymen at home.

A. D.

799.

Nor was it long before this prince had an opportunity of displaying his natural and acquired talents to advantage. For Brithric being poisoned by his wife Eadburga, the nobility recalled him. from France, in order to ascend the throne of his ancestors. About that time also, a fortunate concurrencecf events seemed to prepare the way for his becoming sole monarch of the whole country. In all the kingdoms of the Heptarchy, an exact rule of succession was but little regarded; while at the same time, family pretensions were not totally thrown aside. Every person of the collateral line had as good a right to assert his right as those who claimed by direct descent; so that the reigning monarch was under continual apprehensions from the princes of the blood, whom he was taught to consider as rivals,and whose death alone could insure him tranquillity, From this fatal cause, together with the passion princes, then had of retiring to monasteries, and the opinion of merit attending the preservation of chastity, even in a married state; from these causes, I say, the royal families had been entirely extinguished in all the kingdoms, except that of Wessex. Thus, Egbert was the only surviving descendant of those conquerors, who boasted their descent from Woden; and consequently, beside his personal merit, he had hereditary pretensions to the throne of the united kingdoms.