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.

* 1.1XV. CHAP.

1.2. Kenulf King of the Mercians.

3.4. &c. He solicites and obtains from Pope Leo a restitution of the Primacy of the See of Canterbury, &c.

* 1.21. EGFRID the son of Offa King of the Mercians after a short raign of scarce five entire months, dying, he named for Successour Kenulf, having regard rather to his vertues and merits, then title or pro∣ximity of blood. Yet he was descended from a Brother of King Penda called Chenalch father to Kentwin, who begot Cuthbert the Father of this Kenulf.

2. The excellency of this Prince is well described by William of Malmsbury,* 1.3 who affords him this Character, Kenulf was a ma∣gnanimous person, whose vertues over-went his fame. He never did any thing that en∣vy could carpe. At home he was Religious, in war Victorious: He was a Prince whose praises will never be silenced as long as there lives in England a person ingenuous and sin∣cere. He is to be exalted for the sublimity of his State, and Humility of his mind: Which vertue did then shine most bright, when he restored the iniured dignity of the Archiepiscopall See of Canterbury. For this good King did little valew the worldly haughtines of his own Province, when it could not be established without transgres∣sing the ancient Ordonnance of Ecclesiasticall Canons.

3. In this first year of his raign there∣fore Athelard Arch bishop of Canterbury encouraged by the iustice and piety of this King represented to him the iniurious op∣pression which by King Offa had been brought upon the Prime See of Brittany, desiring him that the order instituted by Holy Progenitours might not be depraved by the ambition of particular persons. In which request Embald Arch-bishop of York likewise ioynd. Whereupon the King being satisfied in the iustice of his demand, to the end the matter might be more ma∣turely pondred, commanded a Synod to be assembled at Clovesh•• (or Cliff:) where by the votes of the Bishops and Nobility Mes∣sengers with Letters were sent to Rome to Pope Leo, desiring him to employ his spi∣rituall authority also to rectify the dis∣orders introduced lately into the Churches of Brittany.

4. But this Embassage had not the good successe expected: and the fault seems to have been in the Messenger, which was an Abbot called Wada, who, as we read in a second Letter to the same Pope from the same King Bishops and Nobles, behaved him∣self in thate Legation slouthfully negligently and imprudently. Perhaps it might be by the suggestions of the Archbishop of Lich∣feild, who was principally interessed in the busines, that he willingly made the message unsuccessefull.

5. This Second Letter, sent by Byrne a Preist, and by Fildas and Ceolberth ser∣vants to the King,* 1.4 is recorded by Baronius▪ and is indeed a Letter well beseeming the piety of this good King:

In which after the expression of his ioy that so worthy a person had succeeded to the Venerable Hope Hadrian, he with great submission begged his Fatherly Benediction, and that he would accept him for his Son, promi∣sing all duty and Obedience to him: In the next place he represented to him, how his Predecessour King Offa out of an enmity which he bore to the late Arch-bishop of Canterbury Iambert and to the Kingdom of Kent, had divided that Archiepiscopall Pro∣vince into two Provinces, so making a Schism in the Churches of Brittany, con∣trary to the expresse Ordonnance of the most Blessed Father Pope Gregory the Great, who had decreed that to the See of Can∣terbury twelve Episcopall Sees should be subiect. Now though he would not con∣demne either King Offa for procuring this change, or Pope Hadrian for condescen∣ding to it, since he did not know all the Motives which might induce them thereto: Yet since it seemed to him and the Synod most iust that that Mother Church, in which reposed the Sacred Body of Saint Augustin who brought Christianity into the King••dom, should enioy the honour of Metropo∣litan, he desired his Holines to advise with wise men about this matter, and to search the Archives of the See Apostolick, where the ancient Ordonnances touching the esta∣blishment of the Churches of Brittany were preserved, and to give his iudgment and Sentence in the cause accordingly. He besought him withall seriously to peruse a Letter sent by the same Messengers from Aethelard Arch-bishop of Canterbury tou∣ching severall other causes and necessi∣ties of the Churches of Britta••y, and to make known to them his will concer∣ning them. With this Letter the King sent likewise certain presents, to wit, a

hundred and twenty (Mancusas) markes.* 1.5

6. Now though in this Letter the Names of the Messengers by whom it was sent be expressed: Yet certain it is that Aethelard Arch-bishop of Conterbury, whose cause was discussed, either him∣self went with them, or at least imme∣diatly followed them. Saint Alcuin in∣deed endeavoured to disswade him from that iourney, but the good Arch-bishop esteeming it his duty to omitt nothing that might be advantageous for so iust a cause▪* 1.6 Saint Alcuin in a short Letter sent from his Monastery at Tours, wished him a prosperous iurney.

And moreover know∣ing that the said Arch-bishop was desi∣rous to salute King Charles by the way, he wrote another to the same King, whom he calls King David,* 1.7 and himself Flac∣cus Matricularius, in which he earnestly recommended to his favourable reception the same Arch-bishop: as likewise other persons of quality which it seems atten∣ded him, to witt, Ceilmund who had been a servant to Offa late King of the Mer∣cians, and Torchmund a faithfull Officer to Edilred formerly King of the Northum∣bers, a man of approved zeale for the Faith, and of stout courage, who had valiantly avenged the death of his Master.

* 1.87. Now what successe this iourney had is thus breifly declared by Mathew of Westminster: Kenulf King of the Mercians in his own Name, and in the Names of all the English Bishops sent Messengers and Let∣ers to Leo Successour to Pope Adrian: the Arch-bishop of Canterbury himself underta∣king the Charge of generall Embassadour: and obtaind of him what he requested.* 1.9

But this appears more expressly and fully by the Letter of Answer written by Pope Leo himself: in which, after many high com∣mendations both of the Kings piety, and the Arch-bishops excellent vertues, he si∣gnified that after diligent search into the Sacred Roman Archives he found that his Predecessour Saint Gregory had to the Ar∣chiepiscopall See of Canterbury, and to Saint Augustin Arch-bishop thereof subiected twelve Bishopricks, granting to him only the power of Consecrating the said Bishops: Therefore by Apostolick authority he decreed a restitution of the same Ordinations & Con∣secrations to Athelard and his Successours: A confirmation of which Priviledge he had gi∣ven to the said Arch-bishop, which he re∣quired should be observed under the penal∣ty prescribed by the Sacred Canons.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XV. CHA.
• * 1.2

  A. D. 797.
• * 1.3

  Malmsb. f. 33.
• * 1.4

  Baron. ad A. D. 796.
• * 1.5

  A. D. 796.
• * 1.6

  Ap. Malmsb. da Pont. l. 1. Ethelard.
• * 1.7

  Alcuin. Ep. ad K. Carol.
• * 1.8

  Westmon. hîc.
• * 1.9

  Ep. Leon. P. ad K. Kenulf.