The church-history of Brittany from the beginning of Christianity to the Norman conquest under Roman governours, Brittish kings, the English-Saxon heptarchy, the English-Saxon (and Danish) monarchy ... : from all which is evidently demonstrated that the present Roman Catholick religion hath from the beginning, without interruption or change been professed in this our island, &c. / by R.F., S. Cressy of the Holy Order of S. Benedict.

XVII. CHAP.* 1.1

1.2. &c. A Letter of Saint Boniface and the Synod of English Bishops at Mentz to the Mercian King Ethelbald repro∣ving him for his incestuous lusts and Sa¦criledge.

7. &c. Another Letter of the same to Egbert Arch-bishop of York.

1. NEither did S. Boniface's Christian Chari∣ty and Pastorall solicitude confine it self to Germany alone: But he thought it his duty to give his best assistance to his Native countrey Brittany, almost over-whelmd with a Sea of vices. There King Ethelbald, the most potent among the English-Saxon Princes, had in a high manner offended God in a sacrile∣gious invasion of the rights and revenews of Churches within his Dominions of Mercia, in offring violence to the chastity of Religious Virgins consecrated to God, and many other crimes, and there was a iust fear least such enormities in a King should become exem∣plary to his subjects, and draw many to imi∣tate them; Therefore S. Boniface and his com∣panions in this Synod of Mentz who were all Bishops of English race, thought expedient to admonish the sayd King Ethelbald of his Du∣ty as a Christian Prince, by a Letter directed to him in the name of ••he whole Synod: Which was likewise done by them.

2. This Letter is still extant In which with a modest yet vigorous stile,* 1.2 becoming an A∣postolick Spirit they signifyed to h••m, that pu∣blick fame having informed them that he had all his life abstaind from Mariage: which if he had done out of the Love and fear of God and for chastities sake, they should have much reioyced in it: But they were told that he refused to take a lawfull wife, and pollu∣ted himself in adulteries and unlawfull lusts, not abstaining even from devout Virgins the Spouses of our Lord: a sin so horrible, that it is by God esteemed equall to Heathenish Idolatry. Yea the ancient Pagan Saxons did so abhorr adultery that if any woman, though unma∣ried were found guilty of it, they would cō∣pell her with her own hands to hang her self, & after her death they would consume body with fire, and hang him who had cor∣rupted her, over her smoking ashes. Or else they would cause a multitude of women to drive her out of their town with whips, cut∣ting all her garment away to her wast, and lancing her body with knives: and thus she

would be entertaind by the women of the next village,* 1.3 who would use the like rigour towards her till they dispatched her of her Life Now if Heathens have such a zeale for Matrimoniall Chast••ty, how iealous will our Lord be of his Spouses contracted to him by Vow, and how infinitly more heavy will the punishment be which he will inflict on their Sacrilegious corrupters!

3. They adiured him moreover to con∣sider that Gods fury will more feircely be inflamed against Kings who are guilty of un∣lawfull lusts, because probably their sub∣jects will imitate them: by which means the whole Nation, like Sodom, will become polluted, and thereby leave a posterity effe∣minated by lusts, despised both by God and men, and regardles even of their Faith. An example whereof might be seen in the Nations in Spain, Province and Burgundy, which giving themselves to filthy luxury were forsaken by God, who justly suffred the Saracens to come upon them and over∣come them, so that now they have lost all knowledge of God and their Holy Faith.

4. Hereto they added another great Crime which publick fame made him guilty of, which was breaking the Priviledges of Chur∣ches and Monasteries, and invading their re∣venews: ••n which abominable sin he was followed by his Nobles, who sett no bounds to their rapin and cr••••lty to Ecclesiasticks and Monks, depriving them of their subsi∣stence, and bringing them into servitude. They therefore earnestly be••ought him to consider that among all the Saxon Kings since the Conve••sion of that Island, not any had been guilty ••f such Sacrilegious cruelty and unbounded lusts, except only two, Osred King of the Northumbers, and Ceolred his predecessour in the Kingdom of the Mercian••: And how horrible their deaths were, he could not be ignorant: particu∣larly of this latter, whom the Devill visibly hurried away to hell in the midst of his iol∣lity and banquetting,

5. Therefore with humble and Fatherly prayers they besought him not to despise their counsell: but freely and speedily to amend those greivous offences against God: considering how short this present life is, how momentany the delectation of the fil∣thy flesh, and how ignominious it is for a Prince after a short life to leave behind him a perpetuall example of sin to poste∣rity, &c.

6. This Letter being written they did not send immediatly to King Ethelbald, but prudently considering that reproofs or counsels which arrive unseasonably to per∣sons of high estate, seldom produce any good effects,* 1.4 but rather harden them the more:

Therefore they inclosed it in another dire∣cted to a certain Prest named Heresfrid, to whom the King would more willin••ly hearken, then any other, and who like∣wise out of fear to God, would not fear bold¦ly to admonish the King. Him therefore they desired to present it to King Ethel∣bald, when he saw a fitting opportu∣nity.

7. At the same time likewise Saint Bo∣niface wrote another Epistle to Egbert the learned Arch-bishop of York,* 1.5 in which he acquainted him, that having received com∣mand from the Apostolick See that in what Nation soever he saw or understood that er∣rours were sowed among the people, o•• the Ecclesiasticall Rules depraved by ill pra∣ctises and customes, that he with the Popes own authority should endeavour to invite and reduce into the right any Transgressours who soever they were. In obedience to which command he together with eight other Bishops of the English Nation assem∣bled in a Synod at Mentz, had sent an humble admonitory Letter to Ethelbald King of the Mercians which they had given order should be first shewe•• to him, that he might cor∣rect in it any thing which he did not ap∣prove, and add thereto what in prudence he should think meet. Withall desiring him that if in his Province of the Northum∣bers any such poysonnous root of wickednes was springing, he should speedily pluck it up. He requested him likewise to sen•• him some Treatises of Beda, who of late brightly shone with divine Light and Grace in that Province. Telling him also that among other small presents he had sent him the Copies of certain Epistles of Saint Gregory, which he beleived had never before ••ome into Brittany, and if he pleased, would af∣terwards send him more: Because he had at his being at Rome copied out of the Popes Archives a multitude of such Writings. Be••sides all this he with much seriousnes entreats him that he would be his Counsellour and helper in inquiring and finding out the Ecclesiasticall Rules of the Iudgments of God, &c.

8 What was the successe of the foresaid Letter of Saint Boniface to King Ethelbald,* 1.6 it is not known, saith Baronius. But not any Historian hath declared that by these admonitions he any th••ng amended his life. However certain it is that two years after this (he should have said twelve) he ended his life very unhappily:

For thus wee read in the Epitome of the English History: In the year of our Redeemer seaven hundred fifty seaven Edilbald King of the Mercians was by night miserably murdred by his Guards.

Thus writes Baronius. Notwithstanding though none of our Historians expressly mention the amendment of this King, yet wee shall shew probable grounds of it, by•• declaring his ioyning with Cuthbert Arch-bishop of Canter¦bury in restoring the priviledges of the Church and Ecclesiasticall Discipline▪ &c. and we may reasonably iudge that this Epistl•• had a great influence into such a good change.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XVII. CH.
• * 1.2

  Bonif. Ep.
• * 1.3

  A. D. 746.
• * 1.4

  Bonif. Ep. 10.
• * 1.5

  ••b••d. Ep. 8.
• * 1.6

  B••ron. hic.