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.

XX. CHAP.* 1.1

1. Succession of Kings in Kent.

2. Kenred a hopefull Prince of the West-Saxons, unhappily slain.

3. The Monastery of Bredon in Worcester∣shire, founded.

4 5 &c. Of Sampson a naughty Scottish Preist.

1. THE year following Edilbert King of Kent and eldest son of Withred,* 1.2 after a raign of three and twenty years, dying with∣o••t issue, his Brother Edbert succeeded him. Some of our Historians account Edbert the elder Brother, and affirm that he dying this year, Edilbert the next succeeded The E••∣rour on which side soever it lyes, is not much materiall. And indeed these Princes o•• Kent to whom the Titles o•• King are given, w••re so obscure, that no wonder, both their names and actions should be delivered to po••terity uncertainly. In the late S••nod at Clove•••• in Kent, among the subscriptions none 〈◊〉〈◊〉 na∣med as King▪ but Ethelbald King o•• the Mercians, to whom these Princes were tri∣butary, and therefore those three Brothers, Edilbert, Edbert and Al••c, w••o raigned suc∣cessively in Kent, are to be esteemed ••s rec∣kond under the Ti••les of Princes and D••••es, Subscribers to the said Synod. As touching the Prince who now dyed, all that is recor∣ded of him, is that he bestowd on the Mona∣stery of Religious V••rgins at Men••rey in the ••sle of Thanet certain lands, as Harpsfeild de∣clares.

2. The same year, which was the ninth of the Raign of Cuthred King of the West-Saxons, saith Huntingdon, his Son Kenric was slain a Prince of wonderfull hopes: tender in years, but vigorous and ••eirce in combats, and ioy∣full to find any occasion to exercise his va∣lour. This young Prince in a certain expe∣dition being too eager in pursuing his good successe, through immoderat heat discon∣tented his own soldiers, and in a ••edition raised by them was slain.

3. To thi•• year is referred the new erection of a Church and Monastery at a Town called Bredon, in the Province of Worcester by a cer∣tain Noble man of the Mercian kingdom cal∣led Eanulf▪ Concerning which Camden thus writes:* 1.3 At the root of the said Hills is seated a Town called Bredon where was a Monastery founded: Concerning which wee read this passage in a Charter made by Offa, who was afterwards King of the Mercians, I Offa King of the Mer∣cians doe give land containing thirty five acres of tributaries to the Monastery named Breodun in the Province of the Wiccians (Worcestershire) to the Church of S. Peter Prince of the Apostles

built there,* 1.4 which my Grand-father Eanulf foun∣ded to the praise and glory of God who lives for ever. This devout Charity of Eanulf Al∣mighty God rewarded by exalting to the throne of the Mercian Kingdom his grand∣child Offa, who held it illustriously the space of nine and thirty years, as shall hereafter be declared.

4. This is all which occured memorable in Brittany this year. Passing therefore over into Germany, wee shall find there the whole care of the late planted Church to lye in a manner upon Saint Boniface alone. Who being much disquieted with false Teachers pretending to be Preists, and spreading per∣nicious errours touching the Sacraments of the Church, his best remedy was to consult the See Apostolick: for which purpose he sent this year Burchard Bishop of Wirtzburg to Rome with Letters to acquaint Pope Zacharias with the impediments which he mett with in propa••ating the Faith.

* 1.55. What those speciall impediments were, does appear by the Popes Answer:

In which wee find that great numbers of false Preists who never had been ordained by Bishops, and confounding all Ecclesiasticall order, refu∣sed to be subiect to Bishops, against whom they armed popular tumults, making separated Con∣gregations, in which they taught doctrines con∣trary to Catholick Faith, not requiring before Baptism an abrenunciation of Satan, and re∣fusing to sign with the Crosse, yea not so much as instructing such as were baptized in the Faith of the Blessed Trinity.

6. And among such Ministers of Satan a principall one was a certain Scott, named Sampson, who also had the impudence to teach that without the Mysticall inv••cation of the Blessed Trinity, yea without any baptism at all, a man might becom a good Catholick Christian only by the imposition of the hands of a Bishop.

7. Now to prevent any further contagion by such guilefull seditious Ministers, the Pope advised S. Boniface to coll••ct a Synod, and there not only depose them, but likewise shutt them up in Monasteries, there to doe Pennance to the end of their lives. For which purpose he should require the assistance of the Noble Dukes and Potentats of France And particularly as touching that naughty Scottish Preist (Nequissimum virum) Sampson, he re∣quired him not to content himself with only deposing him▪ but that he should also ex∣communicate and expell him out of the Church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A D. 749

  XX. CH.
• * 1.2

  A. D. 749.
• * 1.3

  Camd. in Worcest.
• * 1.4

  A. D. 748.
• * 1.5

  Ap. Bonif. Ep. 140.