The History of the Church of Great Britain, Century 6
CENT. VI.
MOſt miſerable at this time was the Britiſh Common-wealth, crouded up into barren Corners, whil'ſt their Enemies the Pagan Saxons poſſeſſed the Eaſt and South, if not the beſt part of the Iſland. Pen-dragon dying, the Nobles and Biſhops of Britain ſet up his Son Arthur, being about 16 years of age, to be King of Britain, in the year 516. Of whom one writeth thus, Cultum Religioni pene debitum in Civitatibus, & viris, & oppidis, ref…rmavit: Eccleſias à Pagana Gente deſtructas vel dirutas reparavit: & in eis Res & Epiſcopos cum Clericorum officiis, prout locorum dignitas cogebat, devoto Religionis ſtudio ordinavit. Vigente adhuc post Germani Epiſcopi labores, qui ob id in Britanniam bis venerat, Pelagiana labe, ac desperato pene remedio, David ex univerſae Gentis Synodo Praeſul conſtitutus An. 519. diutina praedicatione diſceptationbus publicis eandem profligavit, atque aream Eccleſiae purgavit. David was Un…kle to King Arthur; he privately ſtudied the Scriptures ten years, before he would preſume to Preach, and always caryed the Goſpels about him. He kept a Synod againſt the Pelagian error (which was now revived in Britain) and confirmed many wavering Souls in the Faith. The main body of the Britiſh Church was at this time in Wales, wh…re Bangor on the North, and Caerleon (on Ʋsk in Monmouth-ſhire) in the South, were the two eyes thereof for Learning and Religion. Caerleon had in it the Court of King Arthur, the See of an Archbiſhop, a Colledge of 200 Philoſophers, who threrein ſtudied Aſtronomy, and was a populous place of great extent, though at this day reduced to a ſmall Village. By leave obtained from King Arthur, David removed the Archiepiſcopal ſeat from Caerleon to Meneva, now called St. David's in Pembrook-ſhire, in which exchange (ſaith Fuller) his devotion is rather to be admired, than his diſcretion to be commended,Girald. Cambr. leaving a fruitful ſoyl for a bleach barren place; though the worſe it was, the better for his purpoſe, being a great promoter of a Monaſtical life.
In thoſe days ſuch was the correſpondency between the greater and leſſer Britain, that they ſeemed to poſſeſs Learned Men in common betwixt them.
About the ſame time flouriſhed Cadocus, Abbot of Llancanvan in Glamorgan ſhire, Son of the Toparch of that Countrey: He retained part of his paternal principality in his hand, whereby he daily fed 300 of Clergy-men, Widdows, and poor People, beſides gueſts and viſitants daily reſorting to him. Wilful poverty then was not by vow entailed upon Monaſtical life.
Iltutus followed him, a profound Scholar,Fullers Church Hiſt. who at Llaniltut in Glamorgan ſhire Preached God's Word, and ſet up a Colledge of Scholars, himſelf leading a ſingle life. Sampſon, Scholar to Iltutus, ſucceedeth, made Biſhop at large, ſine titulo. In that Age all Biſhops were not fixed to the Chair of a peculiar Church, but ſome might ſit down in any vacant place for their Cathedral, and there exerciſe their Epiſcopal Authority, provided it were without prejudice to other Biſhops: This Sampſon being afterwards made Archbiſhop of Dole in French-Britain, Baleus ſaith, That he caried away with him the Monuments of Britiſh Antiquity.
Patern for three and twenty years was a conſtant Preacher at Llanpatern in Cardigan ſhire.
St. Petrock comes next, one of great Piety and painfulneſs in that Age, Captain of the Corniſh Saints. Then lived St. Teliau, who was Scholar to Dubritius, and ſucceeded him in the Biſhoprick of Landaff, a pious Preacher, and zealous reprover of the Vices of that time. About the year 560 flouriſhed Congel Abbot of Bangor, who much altered the diſcipline of that Monaſtery. Kentigern, the famous Biſhop of Elwy in North-Wales; St. Aſaph was his ſucceſſor in the ſame place, in whoſe mouth this ſentence was frequent; Such who are againſt the Preaching of God's Word, do envy the ſalvation of mankind.
About the year 596. Pope Gregory I. ſent Auguſtine a Benedictine Monck, a ſubtil and induſtrious Man, into this Land, to work two ends; the one to reduce the Chriſtians of this Iſle to the Form and Service of the Romiſh Church; the other, to draw (if he could) ſome of thoſe Pagan Kings to the Chriſtian Religion. Auguſtine with Mellitus, and forty more of his Companions, ſent to Preach the Goſpel in Britain, landeth at Thanet in Kent: Ethelbert was then King of Kent, and a Pagan, yet had he Married Bertha, Daughter to the King of France, a Chriſtian Woman, to whom he permitted the free uſe of her Religion, allowing her both Luidhard, a Biſhop for her Chaplain, and an old Church in Canterbury (formerly dedicated by the Romans to St. Martin) to exerciſe her Devotion therein.
Auguſtine with his followers (having obtained leave from King Ethelbert) advanced unto Canterbury, to the foreſaid Church of St. Martin: Here they lived ſo Piouſly, Prayed ſo fervently, Faſted fo frequently, Preached ſo conſtantly, and wrought Miracles (as it is ſaid) ſo commonly, that Ethelbert was perſwaded by Queen Bertha to embrace the Chriſtian Religion, and was Baptized, whoſe example multitudes of Pagans followed: There were in one day about ten thouſand Men Baptized, beſides Women and Children, in a River. The Water being hallowed by Auguſtine, he commanded the People to go in by couples, and one to Baptize the other, in the name of the Trinity. Thus Auguſtine carieth away the credit of all that came after him, becauſe the Primitive planter of the Goſpel among the Saxons, and Kent was converted to Chriſtianity; yet far more than half of the Land lay ſome years after in the darkneſs of Paganiſm, which others afterwards illightened with the beams of the Goſpel. Mean time the poor Chriſtian Britains living peaceably at home, there enjoyed God, the Goſpel, and their Mountains, not caring for the Ceremonies A la mode, brought over by Auguſtine.