The historie of Great Britannie declaring the successe of times and affaires in that iland, from the Romans first entrance, vntill the raigne of Egbert, the West-Saxon prince; who reduced the severall principalities of the Saxons and English, into a monarchie, and changed the name of Britannie into England.

CHAP. VII.

Ercombert succeedeth Edbald in the Principality. The in∣stitution of Lent. Honorius the Arch-bishop of Can∣terbury divideth his Province into Parishes. Deus∣dedit succeedeth Honorius in the Sea of Canterbury. Egbert ruleth the Kentish-Saxons after the death of Ercombert. Theodorus the Arch-bishop of Canter∣bury expelleth Wilfrid out of the Sea of York. His lear∣ning in Divinitie and Philosophie. His estimation in the Court of Rome.

THen Ercombert his son, (by Emma the daughter of the King of France) a temperate and religious Prince, prosecuted the worke which his father had begun, in reestablishing the Christian faith within his Dominions The idolatrous Priests he banished, ra∣zing their Temples to the ground, and erecting others for the service of the true God. The subjects of his Realme (being much inclined to excesse in eating and drinking) he restrained, by commanding a publike fast, during the space of fortie daies, to be yeerely kept, for the better exercise of devotion; which custome conti∣nueth among the English even to this day. The Church of Canterburie was governed in his time by Honorius, who first (as it is reported) divided his Province into Parishes, and left his Sea to Deus-dedit, the first Saxon Arch Bishop, (the former being strangers of other na∣tions;) his owne name was Frithona, which for his zea∣lous inclination towardes the advancement of the Church and Common-weale, was changed into Deus-dedit, as the man whom God himselfe had specially

given. After him, Wighard was elected, but died at Rome before his consecration.

Ercombert the Prince, having peaceably ruled the Kentish Saxons about foure and twenty yeares, ended his life when the continuance thereof was most desi∣red. He had by Sexourga, (one of the daughters of An∣na, Prince of the East-Angles) a sonne named Egbert, that succeeded him in the governement.

Egbert ruled the Kentish-Saxons with great moderati∣on, and had not his hands beene defiled with the in∣nocent blood of Elbert and Egelbright, his cosin ger∣mans, he might worthily have beene registred in the number of their best princes.

In his time there lived Adrianus the Abbot, and The∣odorus, (a Graecian borne) then Arch-bishop of Canter∣bury, and the last of those that came out of Italie. They were men of speciall regard for their learning and ho∣linesse of life. This Theodorus began first of all others, to exercise his Pontificall authoritie over all Britannie, placing and displacing Bishops at his pleasure, conse∣crating (contrary to ordinances of the church of Rome) Bishops of other Seas in the Citie of Yorke, and either by force or shew of right, removing first Cedda, and af∣terwards Wilfrid, (who had bin Bishops of that place) pretending, that the wealth and possessions of that Bi∣shopricke alone, were sufficient to maintaine three Bi∣shops, and that it was meete they should be divided ac∣cordingly: but whether he did it for the selfe same end that was pretended, or for envie at the glorie and great∣nesse of that Sea, I will not take vpon me to censure. Howbeit, Wilfrid (being thus expelled, and his Sea dis∣membred) exhibited his complaint to Agatho, then Bi∣shop of Rome; notwithstanding he sought thereby, ra∣ther to manifest his owne innocency, then to accuse

Theodorus. Whereupon, being in the end acquited by judgement of the Court of Rome, he was remanded into his former seate, which yet he could not obtaine, by reason that Egfrid, the Prince of Northumberland, refused to receive him, while Theodorus either openly opposed against his re-admission, or cunningly vnder∣hand, laboured to empeach it: the reputation of this Arch-bishop, (as of a stowt Prelate, and very well lear∣ned both in Philosophie and Divinitie) being so great with the Church of Rome in those daies, as she would not alter or make frustrate, what he indirectly had esta∣blished; for further proofe whereof, also may serve the verie testimonie of Agatho, the Bishop of Rome, who de∣ferred the Session of the sixth Synod at Constantinople, (where the Bishops of all other Nations were assem∣bled) vpon expectation onely of Theodorus his com∣ming thither out of Britannie.