been driven from his See by Egfrid King of the Northumbers, was forced to wander through ma∣ny Provinces: he went to Rome and after retur∣ned into Brittany. And although by reason of ••he hostile enmity of the said King he could not be admitted to his Diocese, yet none could hinder him from his Ministery of preaching the Faith. For having been forced for refuge to turn aside into the Province of the South-Saxons, lying between the Kingdoms of Kent and the West-Sa∣xons, and containing land for about seaven thou∣sand families, which Province at that time was wholly addicted to heathenish Superstitions, he preached there the Christian Faith, and having converted many, he administred to them the Sa∣crament of Baptism.
5. As for the King of that Nation Edilwalch, he had some years before been baptized in the presence and by the suggestion of Wolfhere King of the Mercians, by whom at his coming out of the Font he was received as his Son, and in sign of such adoption he bestowed on him two Provinces, to wit, the Isle of Wight, and the little Province of the Meanvari.
6. But the whole Province of the South-Sa∣xons remained ignorant of God and his holy Faith. Now there was there a certain Scot∣••ish Monk, his Name was Dicul, who had built a very small Monastery in a place called Bo∣sanham, compassed with the Sea and woods, where lived five or six Monks who served our Lord, li∣ving in an humble and poore manner. But not any of the inhabitants of that countrey gave any ear to their preaching, and much lesse emulated their profession.
7. But when the Holy Bishop Wilfrid preached the Gospell among them, he not only delivered them from eternall damnation, but likewise from a present temporall calamity ready to de∣stroy them. For the space of three years before his coming into that Province no rain at all had falln: by means of which a most greivous famine ••ame among the people, destroying great num∣bers of them. For the report is, that many times forty or fifty men together half consumed with hunger would goe to some precipice hanging over the Sea, and holding their hands together cast themselves down into the water, or upon the ••ocks. But on the very day in which that Nation received Baptism there sell a seasonable and plen∣tifull rain, by which the earth flourished again, and the feilds with a pleasant verdure brought forth fruits of all kinds in great plenty. Thus abandoning their Idolatry, the hearts and flesh of all the inhabitants exalted in the living God, perceiving that he was indeed the only true God, who in mercy had enriched them with goods of all kinds, both for their soules and bo∣dies.
8 The same Authour in another place relates how Saint Wilfrid taught the people another remedy against the famine. For, says he, the Sea and rivers in that countrey abounded with fish: but the inhabitants had no skill at all in fishing, except only for Eeles. But by his command a great number of such Netts as were used for Eeles being gathered together, they cast them into the Sea, and by Gods providence took of severall sorts of fishes to the number of three hundred. Which being divided into three parts, one hundred was given to the poore, anothe•• to those which laboured, and the third he reserved for the use of him and his attendants. By such benefits as these he gott a cordiall affection of them all, by which means they were the more easily in∣duced to expect heavenly blessings promised them in his Sermons, since by his assistance they had already obtained temporall.
9 Great numbers therefore having been converted, the next care was to appoint a Mansion for Saint Wilfrid and his compa∣nions. This care was not wanting, for as the same Authour says, At that time King Edil∣walch gave to the most Reverend Bishop a posses∣sion of eighty seaven families, for the entertain∣ment of himself and those who would not forsake him in his banishment. The place was called Seo∣lesea, or the Island of Seales. It was encompassed by the Sea on all sides except toward the West, where the entrance into it is in breadth about a bow-shoot. Ass••on as the Holy Bishop had the possession of this place, he founded there a Mo∣nas••ery, placing therein for the most part ••uch as he had brought with him, whom he instituted in a Regular conversation: and this Monastery is to this day governed by such as have succeeded him. For he remained in those parts the space of five years, that is, to the death of King Egfrid, and worthily exercised his Episcopall Office both by word and deed. And whereas the King, to∣gether with the said land, had bestowed on him all the goods and persons upon it, he instructed them all in the Christian Faith and purified them with the Sacrament of Baptism: among whom were men and mayd-ser••ants two hundred and fifty, all which were not only by baptism▪ rescued from the slavery of the Devill, but had likewise be∣stowed on them a freedom from human servi∣tude.
10. Severall Bishops anciently have had their Episcopall See in this Half-Island, and were called Bishops of Selsey: but none suc∣ceeded S. Wilfrid there, till the year of Grace seaven hundred and eleaven. Afterward about the year one thousand and seaventy the Episcopall See, was translated thence to Cissancester▪ now called Chichester, where it re¦mains to this day. As for the ancient small Cit∣ty in which those Bishops resided, there remains only the ca••keyse of it, which in high tides is quite covered with the Sea, but at low water is open and conspicuous, saith Camden.
11. Over the Monks in this new founded Monastery S. Wilfrid appointed Abbot a devout Preist named Eappa, of whom we have alrea∣dy treated And a little after hapned a terrible plague which swept away great numbers both of Religious persons there, and in the countrey about. By occasion of which the Monks appointed a solemn Fast three days together, with prayers and Sacrifices for the asswaging of it. And on the second day