The History of the Church of Great Britain, Century 8
CENT. VIII.
WIlfrid was troubled by the Archbiſhop of Canterbury, he appealeth to Rome, and is acquitted; he is at laſt reſtored, and died in peace in the LXXVI. year of his age, having been 45. years a Biſhop, and was buried in his Monaſtery at Rippon.
Camden's Brit. in Wiltſhire.The Biſhoprick of Sherborn having been taken out of the Biſhoprick of Wincheſter by King Ina, Adelme his Kinſman was made firſt Biſhop thereof. This Adelme was the firſt of our Engliſh Nation, who wrote in Latine, and the firſt that taught our Engliſh Nation to make Latine verſe, according to his promiſe.
Primus ego in patriam mecum, modo vita ſuperſit,
Aonio rediens deducam vertice Muſas.
If life me laſt, that I do ſee
That native ſoil of mine,
From Aon top I'l firſt with me
Bring down the Muſes nine.
He wrote many Books; one of Virginity, another of the Celebration of Eaſter: And about this time the Libraries of Monaſteries began to be repleniſhed with Books, many being written in that Age.
In this age there were many Saints (ſuch as they were) of Royal, or Noble extraction: of theſe Noble Saints, St. Guthlake, a Benedictine Monk, was the firſt Saxon that profeſſed an Eremetical life in England; he was a Monk in the Abbey of Repyndon, and the third year after he went to Crowland, that is, the raw or crude Land, a fenny place in Lincoln-ſhire, and there led for a while an Anchoret's life, and there finally was buried; in which Iſle and place of his burying, was built a fair Abbey.
About the year 709. a Synod was aſſembled at Alnceſter in Worceſter-ſhire, to promote the building of Eveſham Abbey; which was done accordingly, and the ſame was bountifully endowed by Offa, and other Mercian Kings, with large revenues: And not long after, another Synod was called at London, to introduce into England the doctrine of Image-worſhip, now firſt beginning to appear in the publick practice of it.
Now alſo flouriſhed another Noble-born Saint, viz. John of Beverley, Archbiſhop of York, a Learned Man, and who gave the education to one more Learned than himſelf, I mean, Venerable Bede, who acknowledgeth, that he received the order of Prieſthood from him.
About this time it was faſhionable for Kings and Queens in England, to renounce the World, and turn Monks and Nuns, commonly in Convents of their own Foundation: but they had an high opinion to merit Heaven thereby.
Among the Saxon Princes who thus renounced the World, in this and the next Century, theſe nine following were the principal.
1. Kinigilſus, King of Weſt Saxons.
2. Ina, King of Weſt Saxons.
3. Ceololfus, King of Northumberland.
3. Edbertus, King of Northumberland.
5. Ethelred, King of Mercia.
6. Kenred, King of Mercia.
7. Offa, King of Eaſt Saxons.
8. Sebbi, King of Eaſt Saxons.
9. Sigebert, King of Eaſt Angles.
Ina builded the Abbey at Glaſtonbury in the 32 year of his Reign;Sir H. Spe…m. in conciliis. beſides his bounty to other Churches, he beſtowed on the Church of Glaſtonbury, two thouſand ſix hundred pounds weight, in the Utenſils thereof, of maſſy Gold and Silver: He was the firſt King of this Land, that granted a penny out of every fire-houſe in England to be paid to the Court of Rome, which was called long after Rome-ſcot, or Peter-pence, and was to be paid on St. Peters day. After this he went to Rome in Pilgrimage, in the fellowſhip of poor Men, and there built a School for the Engliſh, and a Church adjoyning to it to bury their dead.
But Winnifrid, an Engliſh Man, about this time converted to Chriſt the Provinces of Franconia and Haſſia in Germany.
About the ſame time flouriſhed Bede, a Presbyter in the Monaſtery of Weremouth, near Durham; he was born at Girwy, now in the Biſhoprick of Durham, brought up by St. Cuthbert, and was the profoundeſt Scholar of his Age, for Latine, Greek, Philoſophy, Hiſtory, Divinity, Mathematicks, Muſick, and what not? Homilies of his making were read in his life-time in the Chriſtian Churches, a dignity afforded to him alone. He wrote the Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory, and dedicated it to Ceolwolfus King of Northumberland: He is generally ſirnamed Venerable, and is ſtill accounted worthy of that Title: He was credulous in believing of falſe Miracles, and ſlipped into ſome corruptions of the times, as Chriſm and Confeſſion; yet, even in theſe, he differed from the latter times. In the Articles of poſitive Doctrine he was clear: He did obſerve and deplore the growing corruptions of the Church; for in an Epiſtle to Ecbert he did not approve the ſpecious and ſpacious buildings of Monaſteries; and elſe-where, he ſaith, Let the Reader behold with tears a thing worthy of tears, how far the Church ſlideth daily into a worſe, or (to ſpeak moderately into a weaker eſtate. He wrote many Books, as John Bale teſtifieth: He lived 72 years, and died Anno 734.
At that time began the general viciouſneſs of the Saxons, occaſioned by the uncleanneſs of Ethelbald, King of Mercia, whoſe unlawful luſt made no difference of Places, or Perſons, Caſtles, or Cloiſters: Then Boniface an Engliſh Man, having boldly reproved Ethelbald, for Adultery, and Tyranny, was forced, by that King (who ſought his life) to fly to Rome, from whence Gregory the ſecond, Biſhop of Rome ſent him into Germany to convert the Saxons. He cauſed the Monaſtery of Eulda to be built, in favour of the Engliſh, and was ſlain at Borna, being Biſhop of Mentz.
Afterwards Ethelbald reformed himſelf; and not onelyonly ſo, but with Cuthbert Archbiſhop of Canterbury, called a Council at Cliffe in Kent; the Acts of this Synod were 31 Canons, four whereof I ſhall ſet down, as being the chief.
I. That the Prieſts learn, and teach to know the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and words of Conſecration in the Eucharist, in the Engliſh Tongue.
II. That the Lord's day be honourably obſerved.
III. That the ſin of drunkenneſs be avoyded, eſpecially in the Clergy.
IV. That Prayers be publikely made for Kings and Princes.
King Ethelbald, and Offa were preſent; and they two, with many Dukes and Counts, confirm the Decrees with their ſubſcriptions.
About the year 755 Kenulphus, King of Weſt Saxons conferred large priviledges on the Monaſtery of Abbingdon in Bark-ſhire. Anno 758. Bodies were firſt brought to be buried in Churches, which by degrees brought in much ſuperſtition.
In the year 789. the Danes firſt invaded England Danes their firſt arrival in England.with a conſiderable Army. The landing of theſe Danes in England was uſhered with many ſad Prognoſticks: Stars were ſeen ſtrangely falling from Heaven, and ſundry terrible flames appeared in the Skies: Serpents were ſeen in Suſſex, and blood reigned in ſome parts of this Land. Lindesfern, or Holy Iſland, was the firſt that felt the fury of theſe Pagans, but ſoon after no place was ſecure from their cruelty.
At this time the Archbiſhoprick of Canterbury was in part removed to Lichfield, by reaſon of the Puiſſance and Ambition of Offa, King of Mercia, commanding in chief over England. Ethelbert, King of the Eaſt Saxons, went to Marry the Daughter of Offa, and Offa perfidiouſly cauſed him to be murdered: After which he gave the tenth part of all that he had unto the Church, and ſeveral Lands to the Church of Hereford; and then he went to Rome, and there confirmed and enlarged, to Pope Adrian, the gift of Peter-pence. Then was the corps of St. Alban in pompous manner taken up, enſhrined, and adored by the ſpectators: Offa being at Rome, procured the Canonization of St. Alban, the abſolution of his own ſins, and many murders, and viſited and endowed the Engliſh Colledge there; and then returning home, he Founded the Monaſtery of St. Albans, beſtowing great Lands and liberties upon it, as freeing it from the payment of Peter-pence, Epiſcopal juriſdiction, and the like. Next year Offa died, and was buried at Bedford.
Then flouriſhed Alcuinus, or Albinus, Scholar to Venerable Bede, and Tutor to Charles the Great, who in an Epiſtle written to him, calleth him Maſter; of whom Trithemius give's this character,R. Hoveden Annal. part. 1. Vir in divinis Scripturis eruditiſſimus, & in ſecularium literarum peritia nulli ſuo tempore ſecundus. He oppoſed the Canons of the ſecond Nicene Council, wherein the Superſtitious adoration of Images was enjoyned: He wrote divers Books againſt the Errors of Felix and Eliphant: Felix in reading them, wrote a Recantation to the Presbyters and Deacons of his Church: His Books de Trinitate are written ſo clearly, that Sixtus Senenſis ſaith, they were written by John Calvin, and publiſhed in the name of Alcuinus; but Dr. James ſaith, that ancient Copies thereof were in the Prince's library at St. James, and they were Printed at Lions, Anno 1525. when Calvin had not begun to write.
Egbert, King of the Weſt Saxons in the year 800. having vanquiſhed,Tho. Cooper. Mercia, Kent, Eſſex, and Northumberland, made himſelf ſole Monarch of England, and fixed the ſupreme Sovereignty in himſelf and poſterity. For, though afterward there continued ſome petty Kings, as Kenulph, King of Mercia, &c. yet they ſhined but dimly, and in the next Age were utterly extinguiſhed: Egbert commanded this Land to be called Anglia, and the Inhabitants Angles, or Engliſh Men.