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* 1.1VII. CHAP.
2 &c. G••sts of the Missioners among the Frisons: Cruelty of King Radbode.
1. THE Narration of these happy suc∣cesses in the countrey of the Frisons we will here sett down in the words of the Eminent Cardinall Baronius taken from the faithfull Relation of Marcellinus one of the said Missioners,* 1.2 who wrote what he saw with his eyes, and in which himself had a part.
[2. In the six hundred ninety fifth year of our Lord,* 1.3 and in the eight Iudiction (saith he) the Church of the Frisons was happily propagated, being bed••w'd with the blood of Martyrs.
For besides the Martyrdom of the two Brethren called Ewald, before re∣lated, the Holy Preist Wigb••rt, one of the twelve Apostolick Missioners was this year made partaker of the same Crown. These things are particularly declared by Marc••lli∣nus in the Acts of S. Swibert, where to the Gests formerly related he adioyns the fol∣lowing Narration:
3. At that time Radbode the infidel King of the ••risons, having been expelled out of Vtrecht by the illustrious and most Christian Prince Pipin Sen••schall of the Court of France, made his abode in the Isle of Fosteland, called so from the name of a certain Idol-De••ty cal∣led Fosta, where that Sect of Idolatry was most solemnly celebrated. In that Island the Holy Preists and Apostolick Missioners by the sug∣gestion of S. Wigbert being assembled toge∣ther, destroyd the profane Temples of Iupiter and Fosta: and yet with all their diligence in preaching could perswade onely three per∣sons to renounce the Pomps of Satan, and ioyn themselves to the Orthodox Faith.
4. But King Radbode, an obstinate Idolater, having heard that his Idols had been destroyd by Christians, conceived a most furious rage against them, and resolving to revenge the injury done to his Gods, commanded Saint Wigbert, whom he knew before to be a Chri∣stian and companion of the Holy Missioners, to be putt to death with horrible torments. Which manner of death was most accepta∣ble to him, for in his dayly prayers his cu∣stom had been to begg of almighty God the favour of suffring Martyrdom for him. And as for the rest of the Holy Preachers, he drove them violently out of the said Island.
5. These devout Preists perceiving that King Radbode could by no means be with∣drawn from the profane worship of Idols, and that by reason of his Tyranny they could by preaching make small progresse in gai∣ning of soules, they retired out of that countrey to the foresaid illustrious Prince Pipin, by whom they were gratefully en∣tertained. And whereas a little before he had by conquest obtained the possession of the Southern F••••seland, from whence he had expelled the said King Radbode, he sent them back to preach the Gospell there, with a com∣mand from the King directed to his Pagan Subjects that not any of them should dare to disturb or in the least sort molest them in their preaching. Hence it came to passe by Gods Grace assisting them, that by their se∣dulous teaching they dayly converted many soules from Idolatry to the Faith of Christ.
6. The place where these Holy Preists upon any occasion mett together, was the Castle of Vtrecht, anciently called Wiltanburg, which at this time was under the power of the Eastern Francks: and where a little before in the raign of the Emperour Heraclius the illu∣strious and Holy King of France Dagobert had caused a Church to be built to the ho∣nour of the Apostle S. Thomas: which Church presently after, the perverse and obstinat Frisons had utterly ruind to the ground. In the same place these Holy Preists this year built another Church to the honour of the Holy Crosse, adioyning to the ruines of the former, where they consecrated likewise a Sacred Font to which the new-converted Christians might have a secure accesse to re∣ceive the holy Sacrament of Baptism, by rea∣son of the strength and defence of the said Castle and garrison.Thus writes S. Macelli∣nus, cited by Baronius.