pages, he is faid to have cried out, in the Latin language, Non Angli fed Angeli forent, fi effent Chriftiani; They would not be English, but Angels, had they been Chriftians. From that time he was ftruck with an ardent defire to convert that unenlightened nation, and actually embarked in a fhip for Britain, when his pious intentions were fruftrated by his being detained at Rome by the populace, who loved him. He did not however lay aside his pious refolution; for, having fucceeded to the papal chair, he ordered a monk, named Auguftine, and others of the fame fraternity, to undertake the miffion into Britain. It was not without fome reluctance that these reverend men undertook fo dangerous a task; but fome favourable circumstances in Britain seemed providentially to prepare the way for their arrival. Ethelbert, king of Kent, in his father's life-time had married Bertha, the only daughter of Coribert, king of Paris, one of the descendants of Clovis, king of Gaul. But before he was admitted to this alliance, he was obliged to ftipulate that this princess. fhould enjoy the free exercife of her religion, which was that of Christianity. She was therefore attended to Canterbury, the place of her refidence, by Luidhard, a Gaulish prelate, who officiated in a church dedicated to St. Martin,

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which had been built by the Romans, near the walls of Canterbury. The exemplary conduct and powerful preaching of this primitive bifhop, added to the queen's learning and zeal, made very strong impreffions upon the king, as well as the reft of his fubjects, in favour of Christianity. The general reception of this holy religion all over the continent might also contribute to dispose the minds of these idolaters for its admiffion, and make the attempt less dangerous than Auguftine and his affociates at first fuppofed.

This pious monk, upon his first landing in the Ifle of Thanet, fent one of his interpreters to the Kentish king, declaring he was come from Rome with offers of eternal falvation. In the mean time he and his followers lay in the open air, that they might not, according to the belief of the times, by entering a Saxon house, fubject themfelves to the power of heathen necromancy. The king immediately ordered them to be furnished with all neceffaries, and even vifited them, though without declaring himself as yet in their favour. Auguftine, however, encouraged by this favourable reception, and now feeing a prospect of fuccefs, proceeded with redoubled zeal to preach the gofpel, and even endeavoured to call in the aid of miracles to enforce his exhortations.

hortations. So much affiduity, together with the earnestness of his address, the austerity of his life and the example of his followers, at last powerfully operated. The king openly espoused the Chriftian religion, while his example wrought fo fuccefsfully on his fubjects, that numbers of them came voluntarily to be baptiz ed, their miffioner loudly declaring against any coercive means towards their converfion. The heathen temples being purified, were changed to places of Chriftian worship, and fuch churches as had been fuffered to decay were repaired. The more to facilitate the reception of Christianity, the pope enjoined his miffioner to remove the pagan idols, but not to throw down the altars, obferving, that the people would be allured to frequent those places, which they had formerly been accustomed to revere. He also permitted him to indulge the people in those feafts and chearful entertainments which they had been formerly accustomed to celebrate near the places of their idolatrous worship. The people thus exchanged their ancient opinions with readiness, fince they found themselves indulged in those innocent relaxations which are only immoral when carried to an excefs. Auguftine was confecrated archbishop of Canterbury, endowed with authority over all the British churches,

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churches, and his affociates, having spread themselves over all the country, completed that converfion which was fo happily begun.

The kingdom of the heptarchy which next embraced the Chriftian faith was that of Northumberland, at that time the moft powerful of the reft: Edwin, a wife, brave, and active prince, then king of the country, was married to Ethelburga, the daughter of Ethelbert, who had been fo lately converted. This princess, emulating the glory of her mother, who had been the inftrument of converting her husband and his fubjects to Chriftianity, carried Paulinus, a learned bishop, with her into Northumberland, having previously tipulated for the free exercise of her religion. Edwin, whom his queen unceasingly folicited to embrace Chriftianity, for a long time hefitated on the propofal, willing to examine its doctrines before he declared in their favour. Accordingly he held feveral conferences with Paulinus, difputed with his counsellors, meditated alone, and, after a serious difcuffion, declared himself a Chriftian. The high priest alfo of the pagan fuperftition foon after declaring himself a convert to the arguments of Paulinus, and the whole body of the people unanimously followed their example.

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The authority of Edwin, who was thus converted, foon after prevailed upon Earpwold, the king of the Eaft Angles, to embrace Chriftianity. This monarch, however, after the death of Edwin, relapfed into his former idolatry, at the perfuafion of his wife. But upon his decease, Sigebert, his half-brother, who had been educated in France, reftored Christianity, and introduced learning among the Angles.

Mercia, the most powerful kingdom of all the Saxon heptarchy, owed its converfion, like the former, to a woman. The wife of Peada, who was the daughter of Ofwy, king of Northumberland, having been bred in the Christian faith, employed her influence with fuccefs in converting her husband and his fubjects. But it seems the new religion was attended with small influence on the manners of that fierce people, as we find Otto, one of their new converted kings, in a few reigns after, treacheroufly deftroying Ethelbert, king of the East Angles, at an entertainment to which he had been invited. However, to make a tonement for this tranfgreffion, 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 pro