* 1.1XVI. CHAP.
1.2. &c The Piety of King Ina: His devout iourney to Rome.
1. THE year of Grace seaven hundred twenty six was much illustrated by the piety and devotion of the glorious King of the West-Saxons,* 1.2 Ina, who after a raign of thirty eight years, having munificently ex∣tended his liberality to the See of Rome, then at last in his old age undertook a tedious iourney thither, leaving his Kingdom to younger and stronger shoulders, and resol∣ving to spend the remainder of his life in devotion meditation of celestiall things, near the monuments of the glorious Apo∣stles S. Peter and S. Paul:* 1.3 A practise of devotion in these dayes very frequent with all sorts, Noble and ignoble, men and women also, as S. Beda te∣stifies.
* 1.42. Before he putt this in execution, he the year before had, beyond all his Predecessours, richly endowed the ancient venerable Mo∣nastery of Glastonbury, where from the foun∣dation he erected a New Church consecrated to our Saviour, and the Honour of S. Peter and S. Paul Princes of the Apostles: and withall conferred on the said Monastery (which he stiles the prime fountain and Originall of all Reli∣gion in Brittany) very many large possessions and Manors, confirming withall, whatsoeves had been formerly given by Kings his Prede∣cessours or any others a particular account whereof he setts down in his Charter. More∣over he granted to the same Monastery very great Priviledges and exemptions from the Bishops authority, permitting the Monks to re∣ceive in the said Monastery or in any Chappells annexed to it the Ecclesiasticall Sacraments frō whatsoever Bishop they should think fit, so he were such an one as was conformable to the Church in the Paschall celebration.
3. A Coppy of which Royal Charter is extant in Sir H. Spelman, extracted out of the an∣cient Archives of that Monastery: Where it is further written,* 1.5 that the foresaid King Ina after the sealing of this Charter by himself, with the consent and attestation of his Queen Edilbur∣ga, of King Buld••ed, of Adelard the Queens Bro∣ther, of Beorthwald Arch-bishop of Canterbury, &c. directed Letters to Pope Gregory signed with his Royall Seale, in which was enclosed the same Charter exemplified, together with a Cup of gold and other royall presents, beseeching him that he would receive the Church of Canterbury with all its appartenances and priviledges into the prote∣ction of the See Apostolick and confirm them for ever by his authority. The same year likewise the said King took a iourney personally to Rome, and sent back to Glastonbury this Priviledge confir∣med by the Apostolick signet.
4. This devout iourney of King Ina to Rome was suggested to him principally by his ver∣tuous and pious Queen Ethelburga: The inno∣cent subtilty by which she at last effected it is related by William of Malmsbury, to this effect: King Ina, saith he, had to wife Ethelburga, a Lady of Royall blood and a Royall mind likewise.* 1.6 She frequently instilld into the cares of her husband motives to induce him to bid farwell, at least in his last age, to all wordly vanities. Such good sug∣gestions he would seem to approve, but the exe∣cution of them he delayd from day to day. At last she attempted to overcome him by subtilty, in the manner following:
5. On a certain time being in their Countrey-pa∣lace, where a Royall court was kept with extreme magnificence: assoon as they were gone from thence, the Keeper of the house by the Queens private or∣der defiled all the rooms of the palace with rubbish and the dung of cattell; yea in the bed where the King and Queen had lyen, he putt a sow with her young piggs. In the mean time when the Court had proceeded little more then a mile in their return, the Queen entreated and importuned the King to goe back to the same palace, as if it im∣ported almost her life. The King with no great difficulty was perswaded: but when he found his Pa∣lace, which he had el••t but even then magnificētly adorned, now become so ugly and nasty, he wonderd at it, and turning his eyes to the Quern, seemed to ask her the reason of this change.
She taking ad∣vantage of this occasion, with a smiling look said to him, so, where are now the rustling tumults and noises▪ Where are the magnificent purple Tapistries? Where are the many vessels of gold and silver? where the luxurious banquets for which sea and land was searched? Are not all these vanished away like smoke and wind? But woe to those who fixe their minds on such vanities, which like a swift torrent make hast to loose themselves in the abysse, for they likewise sholl be snatched away with them. The more powerfull wee are, the more powerfull will our torments be, unlesse wee provide in time for our eternall state To this purpose she spoke, and with such efficacy she by this emblem drew her husbands mind to perform what for many years together she could not obtain by her perswasions.For after many victories and rich spoyles gained from his enemies, and many noble explo••••s performed in the world, he at last aspiring to the supreme perfection of piety, undertook a pil∣grimage to Rome.
6. As touching his pious Queen Edilburga, how she disposed of her self, entring into a Monastery, of which she became Abbesse and dyed in great Sanctity, wee shall treat in due season and place.