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.

* 1.1XX. CHAP.

1.2 &c. A great plague. Death of King Earcombert: and of the Arch-bishop Deus-dedit.

4.5. &c. Apostacy of one King of the East-Saxons: and piety of the other.

8. Of the Holy Bishop Iarumannus.

9 10. wini the first Simoniacall Bishop in England.

* 1.21. THE same year in the Month of May there was a great Eclipse of the Sun, and a mor∣tality or plague followed it, so raging, as no memory had been of the like, saith Mathew of Westmin∣ster. The destruction caused by it in Brittany and Ireland was so great, that it almost layd wast both those Islands, as Huntingdon testifies. It began, saith S. Beda,* 1.3 in the Southern parts of Brittany, which were even depopulated by it: and from thence it proceeded to the Province of the Nor∣thumbers, where it raged in all quarters, and de∣stroyd a wonderfull multitude.

2. Now because he says it began in the Southern parts, and also recounts severall il∣lustrious persons taken away by it: wee will follow its course in our Narration: and begin∣ning with Kent, we there are told of the death both of the King and Arch-bishop. The King was Ercombert,* 1.4 a Prince so devout, that nei∣ther the luxury of the Court, nor solicitudes of the Kingdom could withdraw him from the ser∣vice of God. And hereby living secure under the Divine Protection and favour, all things both at home and abroad succeeded prosperously to him, and he lived in great tranquillity to a very old age. Thus writes William of Malms∣bury. So that it may be a doubt whether it was of the pestilence or some other disease that he dyed. But whether that or the Ec∣clipse was Gods Messenger to summon him, we may piously beleive that he was cal∣led from an earthly to a heavenly King∣dom.

3. The like we may affirm of the Holy Arch-bishop of Canterbury, Deus-dedit, who sate the sixth in that Chair, and after nine years devoutly and zealously spent in admi∣nistring that See, received this year the reward of his labours, and has deserved a place among the Saints in our Martyrologe on the last of Iune.* 1.5 A worthy Character of his vertues is afforded us by the Authour of his life in Capgrave. After his death the See was vacant for a considerable time, for by reason of the raging pestilence, care could not be taken to provide a Successour.

4. From Kent we passe to the East-Sa∣xons, governed by two Kings, Signer the Son of Sigebert sirnamed the Little, and Sebb a Prince of great Sanctity, and Son (not of Edilred, as Harpsfeild affirms, but) of that King Seward, who shamefully be∣traid the Christian Faith, and was slain by the King of the West-Saxons.

5. In this Kingdom the pestilence was more violent and furious, then any other. And we may iudge that Gods design thereby was by kindling the furnace of this calami∣ty to sever the gold from the drosse, and to render the Piety of one of those Kings more illustrious, by opposing it to the impiety of the other. For King Sigher upon this Vi∣sitation fell back to his former Pagan Su∣perstition, hoping to obtain from his Idols a remedy against the infection, whereas nothing but impurity could proceed from them, whose infection was more mortall then that of the pestilence. Which Apo∣stacy of the King became an Example to his inconstant Subjects: Yea, saith Saint Beda, his Nobles,* 1.6 who loved onely this present life, and had no care, or perhaps beleived not a fu∣ture, began to restore the Idoll-temples formerly demolished, and to adore their senceles Idolls, as if by them they could be defended from the Mortality. But the violence of the pesti∣lence afterward more encreasing taught them that what they hoped would be a re∣medy, more inflamed the disease.

6. As for the other King Sebb, his portion of the Kingdom was free from this Supersti∣tion, and his Piety, being more purified by Humility and Resignation to Gods Visitation, became a pattern to all his Subjects. For, saith the same Authour, he was a man very devout to God,* 1.7 and fervently intent to Religious Acts, fre∣quent Prayer, and pious exercises of Charity and Alms-giving. In his own inclination he pre∣ferred a private Monasticall life before the riches

and pompe of a Kingdom,* 1.8 and if the obstinate re∣fusall of his Wife to admitt a Separation had not hindred, he would long before have forsaken his throne to retire into a Monastery. Hence it was that many were of opinion that a man so qualified was fitter to be ordained a Bishop, then a King.

Yet he shewd himself to be a very good King: and his Kingly solicitude was not con∣fin'd to his own portion, but extended it self to the reducing to Christian Profession Sigher his companion in the Throne. For which purpose he advised Wulfere King of the Mer∣cians of the danger his Kingdom was faln into of ruine from an infection far more horrible then the Pestilence. Whereupon Wulfere, as became a good Christian Prince, sent thither Iarumannus Bishop of the Mercians, lately there succeeding to the Holy Bishop Trumhere, by whose endeavours the Christian Faith was again restored among the backsliding East-Saxons.

* 1.98. Concerning this venerable Bishop Iarumannus, S. Beda thus writes: He was a Reli∣gious good man, very industrious, and passing through all quarters he preached the Word of Life, and by his labours reduced both King Sigher and his Subiects to the way of iustice, which they had forsaken, insomuch as relinquishing or demo∣lishing their Idoll-temples and Altars; they ioy∣fully confessed the Name of Christ formerly re∣nounced by them, and desired much rather to dye in him with a beleif of the Resurrection; then to live in the filth of Infideity among their Idols▪ Iarumannus having gloriously finished so good a work, together with the Preists and Teachers at∣••ending him returned home with great ioy.

9. The piety of King Sebb rested not here, but out of a care to provide against the in∣constancy of the East-Saoxns, he treated once more with Wulfere King of the Mercians to send him a Bishop to govern and administer the See of London. There was then residing among the Mercians Wini, who had been Bi∣shop at Winchester in the Kingdom of the West-Saxons, but for some now unknown crime was driven from his See by K Kenewalch. This man incited by an inordinate ambition and desire of Rule and wealth, most shamefully with money obtained of King Wulfere to be recommended to the Bishoprick of London; into which he entred in the year six hundred sixty sixe, and is marked in our Annalls as the first Simoniacall Bishop in our Island. Hence William of Malmsbury thus writes:* 1.10 Wina ha∣ving bought the Bishoprick of London; quickly ended there the remainder of his days. He became an ominous and fatall example to posterity, so that it cannot easily be discerned to whom the greater sin and infamy is to be imputed; to him who sold, or who bought with money this Sacred Dignity.

10. However certain it is that King Sebb was perfectly exempted from this stain. His desire was to obtain, and ioy to receive a Bishop, Orthodoxe in the Faith. As for his man∣ners, being a stranger to him, he hoped well and undoubtedly was wholly un interessed in the infamous bargain which passed between wulfere and Wini.

Notes

• * 1.1

  XX. CH.
• * 1.2

  A. D. 664. Westmenast. hîc Huntingd. l. 3.
• * 1.3

  Bed. in Epi∣tom.
• * 1.4

  Malmib. de Reg. f. 11.
• * 1.5

  Martyrol. Angl. 30. l••••.
• * 1.6

  Bed. l. 3. c. 30.
• * 1.7

  Id. l. 4. c. ii.
• * 1.8

  A. D. 678.
• * 1.9

  Id. l. 3. c. 30.
• * 1.10

  Malmsbu••. de P••••••. l. 2. c. 241.