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III studying the liistory of the Chiivch of
]^ii«^ljin(l M'c go hack until we rcacli the great
Avurk of JJeda, who is our lirst authority. Hut
in reading liis pages we become aware of the tact
that before the ^Jhurch of Enghmd existed there
was another Church in Britain and still another
in Ireland. By the time of the arrival of the
Teutonic invaders, Christianity had extended
itself all over the British islands, with the
exception of Caledonia. The Angles and Saxons
came, and war followed. The Christian Britons
were everywhere defeated, and driven out or
enslaved. In Gaul, Spain, and Italy the heathen
invaders had been christianized by the conquered
natives. In r>ritain it was difterent. The victors
were more savage, the defeated more sulk^n and
implacable. The conquered ])ritons regarded
their enemies with inexorable hate. Between the
two there lay a deep gulf which even Christianity
could not bridge over. So far from thinking of
christianizing his conqueror, the British Christian
actually regarded his heathen condition with a
feeling of com))lacency, since it assured him of a

'^*f'^ir

revenge in the future more ample than any which
he could take in the present — a new appHcation
of the text — " vengeance is mine, I will repay."
Till the last the British Christian did nothing
toward converting the Anglo Saxons.

This was reserved for the sister, or rather
daughter, Church of Ireland, and Mother Church
of llome. In 560 the former sent S. Columha
to Caledonia ; and in 597 the latter sent S.
Augustine to Kent, and out of the labors of
these and their successors arose the Church of
England. •

The Ancient British Church.

That Ancient British Church which appears
dimly before us through the mists of our early
history, has left but scanty memorials of itself.
I^egends make mention of the preaching of St.
Paul, and of Joseph of Arimathea. Gildas says
that Christianity was introduced at the end of
the reign of Tiberius. Beda, the Anglo Saxon
Chronicle, Nennius, and Geoffrey of Monmouth,
say that Pope Elentherius sent missionaries there
at the request of the British King Lucius.
Tertullian says that in his time the Gospel had
penetrated to Caledonia. It seems likely that
Christianity was introduced during the second
century. After the battle of the Grampians the
Island remained in the undisputed possession of
Pome. With Poman civilization it also received
that new religion which was extending so
rapidly. At the close of the third century

gIfcM-i.V.:.: --.^ ..-.^^1

\K-

Cliristians scorn to be numerous. Helena, llic
mother of Constaiitine, according to good
authority, was a Christian of the British Church,
and, if so, it was to her that the great Emperor
owed that predilection for Christianity which
enabled him to revolutionize the world. With
him Christianity became the State relii^ion.
I>ut Ijefore this the British Church had passed
through the fires of persecution, and lijul
furnished its martyrs, the chief of whom is St.
Alban. Immediately after the peace of the
(Church delegates were sent from Britain to the
first Western Councils. In the beginning of the
lifth century a British Christian, Pelagius.
disturbed the world with doctrines esteemed
heretical ; and St. Germanus was sent over from
Gaul to preach against them, (430). : .

In the struggle with the Aiiglo Saxons the
Britons were driven to the West, filling those
regions whose names still testify to their occu-
pation — Cornwall, Cambria, or Wales, Cumber-
land, (fee. Many lied to Armorica, now Brittany,
in Gaul, which was inhabited by a kindred race ;
many others to Ireland, which had been Christian
for generations. All these Celtic countries
exercised a reciprocal influencQ^ av^r each other.
All were distinguished by the same qualities,
manners, and customs. In them all we see the
same enthusiastic attachment to Christianity, the
same passionate love of music and poetry, the
same devotion to the monastic life, and the same
zeal in missionary enterprise.

I'roni iiniidst iljc soa of (Ji!lti(5 Ic^oiul a ibw
names stand forth prominent, as ornaments of the
ancient British Churcli, Avliich dese'rve a Lplef
mention here, to show what was done ])y these
imssionary monks. ,

First of these is 8t. Patrick, who was barn
alSoiit 390, in the West of ]]ritain. In early
youtli he was ca|)tunKl by pirates, and cariied as
n sPaveto Ireland, where, lie remained some years.
On his return home he was seized with a
consuming desire to jireach the gos[)el to the
Irish heathi^n, and, accordingly, he went back to
the land of bondage, where he labored as a
missionary witli such success that he has ever
since been known as the A])os.tle of Ireland.

Contemporary with St. Patrick wns Ninias,
the son of a Briton chief, who had studied at
Home. At the end of the 4th century he set
forth to preach the Gospel to the Caledonians, a
tierce people who were already preparing to burst
into ]>ritain. He labored among them for more
than thirty years.

There is also Iltud, who lived at the end of
the 5th century. He is famous as the founder
of Bangor, which became a great centre of
Caledonian labor, and of political resistance to
the 8axons. His contemporary, St. David, is
better known. Like Iltud, Le devoted himself
to religion and politics, insj)ired his countrymen
to resistance against the Saxons, and founded
twelve monasteri s.

A little later lived Cadoc, wlio founded

f ♦

Llaiigarvoiij the Luryin^,' j>lace of kings and
nobles, and the great monastic school of Cambria.
A great many [)roverl>.s and a])horisms \vhi(;h are
-still prosei^ved are attributed to him. His friend
Oildas is better known from his Epistlo on the
destruction of Britain. In this he mentions
biiefly the conquests of the SaxOiis, and
attributes the defeats of the Britons to their
sins. Finally, let mention be made of Kentigern,
who lived at the close of the 6tli century. He
went north to the kingdom of Strath Clyde,
which was peopled by mingled Britons and
Caledonian Scots, establiirthed a centre of
missionary labor on the spot where now is
Glasgow., and built a church on the place where
the Glasgow Cathedral now *tandB. He was
called by the Scots "St Mungo." While
laboring here he received a visit from St,
Columba, between whom and himself there
was the most cordial friendship and esteem.

The conversioii of the Knglish, or Anglo
Saxon, is due in part to Ireland and in part to
Eome. Of tliese let us first consider Ireland. ,

The Irish Church and its Missions.

When St. Patrick went to Ireland he was
accompanied by a number of British Monks, and
on the conversion of the Irish the British Monks
became Bishops of 30 Dioceses. Under the
influence of these Cambrian Monks the system
of monachism had a great development. Ireland
soon became one of the principal centres of

Christianity in tho world. In no country wero
monks so numerous. Whole clans wero converted
at once, and in many instances all embraced tho
monastic life. Tho first great monasteries of
Ireland wero clans re-organized under tho
monastic system. At Banghor they numbered
3,000, and at Clonard nearly as many.

In these monasteries there was a vast and
continuous development of literary and religious
effort. Latin and Greek were studied and spoken.
Manuscripts were copied and circulated through
Europe. One body of Irish Christians was called
Culdees. Some regard these as monks, others as
secular orders associated with monks. The
extent to which the Irish carried on their mission
operations throughout Europe may bo estimated
ffom the number of monasteries founded by
them: — Scotland, 13, England, 12, France, 36,
Germany, 31. Of all these missionary monks
tho most famous was St. Columba, and it is to
this man and his disciples that the Church of
England owes the largest debt for its origin.

Columba was born 521, of royal lineage, being
descended from King Niall of the nine hostages.
He was educated in a monastic Sjchool, and while
there he determined to devote himself to the
Religious life. Before the age of 25 he had
laboured so vigorously that \}g had erepted no less
than 37 monasteries. ' ...

His devotion to literature was intense, ai>d was
the immediate cause of a complete change in all
jiis life. On one occasion, having been refvise4

«>*■«■ '»*««^fMMaaM*w^'^*^^i#w«^

a manuscript which ho wished to borrow, ho
contrived to obtain a copy of it by stealth. Tlio
owner brought him before th(i king, who decided
that the copy must bo restored. Columba ])ro-
tested against this strange law of copyright, and
full of indignation at what ho considered an
injustice, he raised a civil war which residted in
the defeat of the king. But Columba also
suffered in his turn, being punished by excom-
munication for having caused the death of so
many Christians. In his distress he went for
consolation to a hermit, who directed him, by
way of expiation for his sins, to devote his life to
missionary labors, telling him that he must
become an exile from his country, and must
convert as many souls of the heathen as had
been killed through his agency.

In looking about for a sphere of labor Columba
choso Caledonia. About A. D. 500 the Irish
had landed on the west coast and established
themselves here. Among these Columba landed
563, and established himself at lona. Here
disciples followed him. They erected rude huts,
and began their missionary labors, carrying the
Gospel throughout all Caledonia. Among the
Irish Scots, or Dalriadians, as they were called,
their labors were comparatively easy in one
respect, since they understood the language ; but
when they ventured among the people who
inhabited the eastern half, the Picts, they found
a language which was entirely unknown to
thenL These people had something like the

Druidical religion, the priests were utterly liostiTe,
T/nt they succeeded in convei*ting the king, and
after that their labors were easier.

In 574 King Aidan "began to reign over tho
Dalriadians. He Avas crowned by Coluniba.
llie stone on which he sat was afterwards carried
to Scone, and ' now at Westminster Abbey^
where it is nsea at Dta coronation of .l>ritish
Sovereigns.

The work of Cohitnbaf was immense. Ancient
traditions attribute to him the foundation of 300
monasteries, modern learning and research ha?
discovered and regfstered the existence of 90
churches whose origin goes back to him. Traces
oH 53- of these yet remain, of which 32 are in the-
west, and 21 in the land of the Picts.

Columba made no rule like S. Benedict, but
his disci})les inherited his spirit sufficiently to
bind themselves in an order for several centuries.
It was called the " Fair Company and Family of
Columb Kill." The inihiencc of lona wa».
strong fn Ireland, anr^ a great order arose their
subject to the Lex Colimibcilli.

■ *

Roman Missions to the English. < '

Wbile the Chuiv.h of Ireland thus sent forth
h-er missionaries to North l>ritain, the Church of
Korae sent others to South Britain.

Every one is familiar with the beautiful story
of Pope Gregory, who when a monk had seen
the fair-haired Angles at Pome, and resolved to
gri> as a missionary ttx their countrymen* His

•mr|Mana>w-

elevaticii to the Papacy prevented him from
<:arryin^ out this dcriigu in })udsoii, but did not
alter it in other resj)ects, and the result was the
departure of JSt. Augustine and his 50 companions
in 57i). They hmded in Kent where they were
kindly received hy Jving Ethell>ert whoae wile
was a (Tliristian. The Icing was sooii converted
and baptized, and many of his people followed
his example. Gregory felt great joy at the glad
tidings ; other missionaries were sent, and
Augustine was miule tJie lirst Arehhishop of
Oanterhiiry.

Augustine was now ajaxious to gain tlie
adherence ot the Christian liritons. We have
«seeu how the intense hatred fidt hy these against
the Saxons had prevented tlK^m from making
any effort for their conversion. It is impossible
to find a single effort made by any Briton to
pr« ach the faith to the Saxons. Beda states
that the British had come to an agreement never
ito /reveal the truths of religion to tJieir enemies,
and even when they did become Christians to
treat them as heathens. Gregory the Great
makes the samo charge. " They refuse," he says,
^' to respond to any desire which the peo]>le
might have to be converted to tlie faith of Christ.'*

A conference was now agreed upon between
Augustine and the British clergy to take place
on the banks of tlie Severn, At the first con-
ference Augustine presented his claims, wdiich
were :— 1. To acknowledge the supremacy of
Augustine. 2- To accept the Eomtmcalculatia/jL

for Easter. 3. To completo the sacrament of
baptism according to the Roman mode. 4. To
preach the Word of God to the English along
■with the Roman missionaries.

Before the second conference it is said that the
British clergy went to coL^snlt a hermit as to their
decision. " If the stranger," said the hermit, **is
meek and lowly in heart it is probable that he
carries the yoke of Jesus Christ, and that it is
His yoke he offers you, but if he is hard and
proud he comes not from God." On coming to
the conference they found Augustine seated.
This they regarded as an indignity to them, and
they refused to yield to his claims.

But there was more at stake than that which
was involved in the words of Augustine. It was
not a question about the tonsure or observance of
Easter. The question is to be found in
Augustine's claim for supremacy. The British
Christians were not acquainted with the system
of subordination, law. and order which had been
developed by Rome. The real point of difference
was Celtic freedom and Roman organization.

But the British hate of the Saxon also inHu-
enced them. " No," said the Abbot of Bangor,
" we will not preach the faith to this cruel race
of strangers who have treacherously driven our
ancestors from their country, and robbed their
posterity of their privileges."

Augustine made a threatening prophecy, —
" Since you will not have peace with brethren
you will have war with enemies ; since you will

«4»

•*%

not show to the English the way of life you will
receive from them the punishment of death."

It is supposed by some that Augustine was
aware of the preparations which were making by
I^^thelfrid of Northumbria to invade the British
country. In 613 that monarch led his army
there, and Augustine's words were fulfilled. lie
saw the British clergy on their knees, praying, as
their warrior brethren weI:^ preparing for battle.
" Who are these, and what are they doing V
asked Ethelfrid. On being informed he declared
that they were as much enemies as if they were
armed warriors, and directed the attack to be
made upon them. The British did not, or could
not help, and the monks, 1 200 in number, were
all slain.

About this time Essex, which was subordinate
to Kent, received Christianity, Mellitus was
made first Bishop of London, and Westminster
Abbey was founded.

'Not long after Ethelbert died. Then came a
great reaction. His successor was a heathen.
Many of the missionaries fled, and at length
nothing was left but a little spot of land at
Canterbury and a handful of Christians. From
this state of depression, however, the cause of
Christianity revived for a time in another quarter
— Northumbria. The king of Northumbria,
Edwin, had made himself thp most powerful
monarch in the island. He hau married Ethel-
burga, the daughter of the king of Kent, and as
freedom of religion had been granted her, she

took with licr from her home Pauninns, one of
tlio coiiipjinions of Augiistino. (025.) For
801110 years the Lihors of Puulliiius met with no
result, hut at length King Edwin emhraced
Chrtstianity, and called a Council in order to
debate concerning the new religion. It was one
of the most memorable Councils in English
history. The high priest, Coifi, declared that
the old religion had never benefitted him, and
that if the new one were more efficacious they
should hasten to adopt it. One of the great
chiefs made a sj)eech full of religious elevation
and poetic melancholy, in which he likened the
life of man in his progress through the unknown
past to the unknown future to the flight of a
sparrow through the lighted Council chamber,
out of the darkness of night, and back again
into that darkness. And if, he concluded, the
new doctrine can teach us something certain, it
deserves to be followed. After further debate
the assembly unanimously resolved to embrace
Christianity, the high priest Coifi called upon all
to begin at once, and seizing an axe he led the
way to the temple, where he desecrated the
altar and overthrew . the idols. The whole
Northumbrian nobility and many of the people
were l)aptized with the king, who for the rest of
his life aided Paullinus in his eflbrts to Chris-
ianize the nation.

But all this drew to a close in G33 through a
war with Mercia, in which Edwin was defeated
and slain. The Mercians, a heathen p^^ple,

-»i

^UMHtimw ' '

-♦I

inulor thei/ King Pcnda, ravaged NorthumLria
Avitli fire and sword, and in this lie was assisted
Ly the ])ritish King Cadwallon, wlio, though a
Christian, rivalled the heathen Penda in cruelty.
Christianity was oLliterated, and thus, after 3G
years of continual efiorts, the lionian missions
had everywhere failed except in the little district
of Canterbury. At length a new class of
missionaries appeared, who took up the work
where the Romans had left it. These were tho
monks of lona.

The Work of the Missionaries from lona.

The next King of Northumbria was Oswald,
the son of Ethelfrid, who had fled to the land of
the Scots, and had there been converted to
(/hristianity. He raised an army, defeated and
slew the fierce Cadwallon, and established
himself firmly on the throne. lie devoted
liimself at once to tlie work of Christianizing tho
people. He did not send to Rome, and did not
seem to think of Canterbury, but turned rather
to those generous friends who had received him
in exile, and had made known to him the truth.
The monks of lona res^jonded with the utmost
zeal.

The first Avho came was Corman, but he, not
being successful, was shortly succeeded by Aidan.
This great man had to begin from the foundations,
for the work of the Roman missionaries had
utterly perished. He brought with him a num-
ber of companions from lona, and Celtic monks

came continually to his help. lie chose a new
centre of operations in Lindisfarne, and from this
carried on his holy work. King Oswald assisted
to the utmost of his power, not only by such
kingly acts as gifts of lands and money, but also
by acting himself as interpreter to Aidan on
many occasions. After a time Oswald married
the daughter of the King of Wessex, and assis-
ted the Christian Missionaries in that kingdom.
These labors ^ were interrupted by wars with
Penda of Mercia, (G42), by whom Oswald was
defeated and slain. Then followed a period of
disaster, terminated by the defeat and death of
Penda. Oswy was now King of Northumbria.
Aidan had passed away, and was succeeded as
Bishop first by Finan, and then by Colman, 661,
a monk of lona, sent forth to govern the North-
umbrian Church and to evangelize the Anglo
Saxons. The work was now resumed and carried
on with great ardor. ISTew monasteries rose,
fresh bands of missionaries came from Scotland
and from Ireland, and crowds of Anglo Saxons
entered the monasteries. Nothing could surpass
the self denial and zeal of the missionaries
of lona. Beda bears testimony to this. " They
lived," he says, "the simplest and most
abstemious lives, and were always preaching the
Gospel." Great opposition, however, was offered
both by Kings and nobles, who were fickle and
changeable , and by the people, who always at
the pressure of any unforseen calamity were read v
to relapse into Paganism. • ' . ^ > ^

-T

Kiirfiafti'igin**^'"

■ »» . ,. i i«i . *> mw

-^1

In considering the conversion of the English
to Christianity, we come to the following conclu-
sion. Of the tight Anglo Saxon Kingdoms, one
only, Kenty was converted exclusively by tlio
Roman missionaries. Four — Beniicia, Deh*a,
East Anr/Jia, and Merciay were converted by the
Tnonks of lona alone. Two, — Wessex, and Essex,
by combined action of the Celtic monks and the
Bishops sent from Rome ; while Sitssex^ the last
to receive the Gospel, owed that blessing to a
monk who had been trained in the school of the
Celtic missionaries. Thus to this little island of
iona, and to the Irish Church, we are to look
for the chief agency in the conversion of the
English. In affectionate recognition of the d^^bt
owed by England to this little island. Dr.
Johnson exclaims in a well-known passage, "That
man is little to be envied whose ])atriotisiu
would not gain force upon the plains of Marathon,
or whose piety would not grow warm among the
ruins of lona."

The Organization of the English Church.

We have in the next place to consider the
' Advance of the English Church to organization.'

In the English Church at its origin there were
two different developments of Christianity — the
Celtic and the Roman. Celtic Christianitv was
without much law or order. It was disorganized,
with a vast number of isolated and independent
centres of action. The Roman Church, on the
other hand, had grown to be a colossal hierar-

cliic.ll sysf cm, nil suhordinated in many successive
<^raduations, terminating in the IJishop of llonu'.
A IjittiT strug|L;le soon arose between these two —
the ('eltic and the Koman forms of Christianity,
Ly which tlie Church of England was for a time
convulsed. TLe man to whom it is chiefly
owing that the Iloman system was successfully
introduced, was Theodore, Archbishop of Can-
terbury. Theodore \vns niade Archbishop of
Canterbury in 6G7. He was a learned Greek,
with administrative genius of high order, full of
calm sagacity and earnest piety. A few years
before his arrival the Celtic party had been
defeated, and at the great \Vitena-gemot, or
National Parliament at AVhitby, 664, the Koman
suj)rcmacy was formally admitted, and the Eomaii
ciistoujs acknowledged as authoritat^' /e. On thi
arrival of 'j'heodore lie was acknowledged by all
the English people, being the first Archbishop
who w^as recognized by all. Theodore took
advantage of the state of things to complete the
unity of the Church ; he visited the wdiole
country, divided it into dioceses, and organized
the parochial system. The nation was divided
into dioceses — Kingdom by Kingdom, and thus
while still divided politically, it was blended
together in one ecclesiastical union. The w^ork
of Theodore was afterwards modified from time
to time, but it continued ])ermanent, and remains
to the ])resent day. In addition to this Theodore
directed liio attention towards the elevation of
the clergy by promoting their education and

t^^^jjimmi^

><liMi iwmm^m

■ «»«N«MMMikB«MkM

moral and reli,L,noiis advancoiiKMit Tlioso olTorts
won) HO suc(;osHful that " in a sin^^'lc ('cntury
Knuland lu'caim; known as a land ol' IcaiMKMl

men

devout and unwearied missionaries, of
strong, rich, and pious Kings."

One great feature of the Early l^'nglisli Church
was the prevalence of the monastic system. This
was due first to the fact that it was the creation
of monks, and secondly to tlie prevalence of
monachism over all Western Europe;. Wherever
monasteries were planted civilization followed.
The work ell'ected l)y the monks in England was
fourfold — 1. The conversion of the heathen
English to Christianity ; 2. Their instnu'tion in
agriculture and the useful arts ; 3. Tlieir educa-
tion ; 4. The formation of a feeling of national
union. In the first three of these nionachism did
no more in England than in Germany, hut in
the last the work of English monachism is unique.
All monasteries were under one government, all
belonged to the Universal (31nirch, all monks felt
as brethren, provincial feeling could not exist
in the monastery. The monks travelled freely
from one place to another and were treated as
brethren by their fellow monks. A Mercian or
West Saxon might be Archbishop of Canterbury ;
the Bishop of East Anglia might be a Kentish-
man, and a South Saxon might rule at Rochester.

Of course abuses existed in these institutions,
for they were only human and were liable to
human frailties. Beda denounced their luxury.
Dunstan tried to reform the evils that had crept

V .

rv4r«i4M>r««'ia«aw«MM0«

in. Yot for one or two centuries all that was
most lofty and venerable in English Christianity
was the production of the monasteries.

Representative Men of the Engh'sh Church.

The English Church, like the English nation,
entered at once upon a rich and varied life, and
in her annals there are records of a host of great
men who gave dignity to English history. From
these may be selected lor a brief survey a few
who may be considered as representative men.

Wilfrid.

lie may be taken as representing the public
life of the age. Wilfrid was educated at
Lindisfarne. In his early youth he made a visit
to Rome, where he became fascinated by the
Roman system, and conceived a dislike to the
Celtic usages. On his return he devoted all his
life to the overthrow of the Celtic influence in
England. That life was destined to be a stormy
one, for the Celtic element was strong, and
Wilfrid was resolute. At length he gained the
victory, and the triumph of the Roman cause,
which took place just before the arrival of
Theodore, allowed him to bring about many
reforms. 13ut Wilfrid's hate of the Celtic system
extended to the Celtic clergy, whom he insulted
and persecuted. His violent measures drew
down even the indignation of the Archbishop,
and brought about a reaction. Wilfrid defied
all opposition, contended with the Archbishop on

\ \

tho one hniid, and the Celtic clerg;/ on the other ;
fou^lit with kings, nobles, and Witenagcniots,
endured deposition, exile, disgrace, and finally
lived to see a general reconcilliation effected, and
spent the rest of his days in peace. The career
of Wilfrid is an important one. We see him tho
chief champion of Home. He shows us tho
Itoman hierarchical system in its law, order, and
high organization in conflict with the free,
nnsystematic, careless, Celtic spirit. We see also
the detestation of the Celt and Celtic ways
which for ages has characterized the Saxon, and
is still strong in his descendant.

The struggle was that of Koman supremacy
against British independence, the rigid rule of
the Itoman hierarchy against the free personality
of the School of Columha. The children of
Columba, the sainted Aidan, the holy Colman
and their followers had Christianized the English.
They saw the arrogant monk endeavouring to
appropriate their labours and bring them under
his own control. Thi' of itself was sufficient to
lead them to resistance, but beside this there was
something more, and that was the independent
English spirit which animated king, noble, priest
and people to resist the imposition of a foreign
yoke.

' On he other hand much may be said in favor
of Wilfrid. In the words of Montelembert, —
" He was the first Anglo Saxon who secured the
attention of foreign nations, the first of whom a
biography has been preserved ; he appears before

\ \

"TTTTr^T'irrT,

r**

VIS a type of tlic quiilitios and sin;^'ulariti(?s of Ills
nation, — of the o1)ytinacy, coiira<^n', laboiiousnesiii,
and untirin<^' encri^y, tlie dog«^^cHl love of work
fliid of conliict, tlu'ir ivsohition to strive till
d(- h for their patrimony, honor and rights.
Dlen et mon droit, — this proud Engliah motto is
-written on every ])agc of \Vilfrid*s history. All
the passions and all the uoble instincts of his
people palpitated in him. That mind must he
indeed be^sotted by hatred who <loes not recog-
nize in him the eldest son of an invincible race,
the first ot the ICn'dish nation."

J ♦ ' I

Cuthbert.

Our next name is that of Cnthlx^.rt, who may
l)e said to reprcisint the s])iritJial life of the ag^'-.
lie was the son of an Irish i)rincess who had
heen reduced to slavery, was educated at lona,
then entered upon n2issio]i<'iry labors and evan-
$,'elized the country between the Sol way and the
Forth. Alter this he went into the monastery of
Lindisfarne. Here he was made bishop, but
during his episcopate he continued to be a monk
and a missionary. He headed the Celtic party
an the conliict with Wilfrid, but never ceased to
be absorbed in hi-s spiritual duties. " ]>eside
Wilfrid," says Montelembert, " who is the saint
of polemics, of publicity, of the struggle with
liings, princes and prelates, Cuthbert appears as
the saint of nature, of a life retired and hum))le,
of popular preaching, solitude and prayer. The
popularity of Cuthbert was immense and infinitely

MNAt'

■JivVii>fiiiitftr;,,iw .imiAt,„..l i;«».vi,

more fjoiicml aiul lasting tliau that of WUfruT^
or iii(l('(Ml of any othrr saint of his country or
century, IIo dm\ 087." His posthumous fame
is attoste<l by innitniorahlo loj^oiuls, some of
>vliich are alhulud to in Scott's Mannion :

** From sea to sea, fmm or to ghore,
Seven years Saint Cuthbert's corpse they bore;

~Tiey rested hitn in fair Melrose,
,u», hou^'h alive ho loved ft well,
j Not there his relics mljjfht repose^

For w«)ndr()U8 tale to tell !
Tn his stoue coffin forth he rides,
A pondcmus baric for river tides,.
Yet light as gossamer it j^lidea
•• Povvnward to Tihnouth cell ;

And aftcT nmny wandcritiifs past,
lie chose his lonely seat at las»t
Wlieru his cathedral hujfc and vast
Looks down upon the Wear.
There, deep in Durham's Gothic shado
His relics are in secret laid.

Who may his miracles declare ?

Even Siiotland's dauntless kinj,' and hefr

Before his standard fled.
Twas he, to vindicate his rei{fn,
Edged Alfred's falchion on the Dane
And turned the conqneror back a^ain^
When with his Norman bowyer band
He canie to waste Northumberland."

I' *M

-7

^ Benedict Biscop.

Tlie next name is T>ene(lict Biscop, the repre-
sentative in arts and literature. IJorn 058 of the
liighest nobility, at the age of 25 he embraced
tlic religious life, went with Wilfrid to Eome^,

■^'s^^^^Amm^

■ ^ '««?featixyS!i9iS»»S"

and afterwards acted as guide and interpreter to
Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury. He devoted
his life to study literature and art, made many
journeys to Kome, and brought back rich stores
of books. King Egfrid of Northumbria, who
was much attached to him, founded for him a
monastery at Wearmouth. After this Benedict
]3iscop went to France and brought back work-
men to build sacred edifices ; he also brought
Roman priests wdio gave instruction in liturgical
music to all the Northumbrian monasteries.
King Egfrid afterwards assigned him another
estate near Wearmouth, which was the cradle of
the monastery of Yarrow, the name of which
is inseperably linked with that of Beda. Al-
though a contemporary of Wilfrid, Benedict
Biscop took no part in the great Celto Roman
controversy, but confined himself to his religious
duties and to the cultivation of literature, learn-
ing, and art. He died GOO.

Winfrid.

Winfrid, St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany,
the foreign missionary. No sooner had the
English received the Gospel than they flung
themselves with a noble ardor into the work of
preaching the Gospel to the heathen round them,
more especially to their Teutonic brethren on the
continent. Of all these devoted men the most
famous is Winfrid, or St. Boniface, the Apostle
of Germany. In 718 he went to Rome, when
Gregory II. authorized him to preach the Gospel

■M*

to the Germans. He commenced his labors in
Bavaria, passed three years in Friesland, and went
thence to other parts of the country. In 732
Gregory III. made him Archbishop of all Ger-
many. From the summit of this high eminence
Boniface could contemplate the result of his
life-long work— all Central Germany Christianized,
divided into 9 bishoprics, dotted with churches
and monasteries, with armies of monks and parish
priests under his patriarchal rule. But this was
not enough for the heroic Englishman. At the
age of 73 he resigned all his honors, and then,
with no weapons but his own stout heart and his
indomitable faith, plunged once more as a
missionary, into the midst of the fiercest bar-
barians in the world, and there he met, what
perhaps he sought, the crown of martyrdom.

Caedmon.

Our next name is that of Caedmon, the
representative poet, the Anglo Saxon Milton.
Beda says of him that he endeavoured by his
poetry ** to turn away all men from the love of
vice and to excite in them the love of good
actions and application to them. By his verses
the minds of many were often excited to despise
the world and aspire to heaven. Others, after
him attempted in the English nation to compose
religious poems, but none could ever compare
with him." This strong commendation by Beda
shows the character and aim of his writings, and
also displays the iuuuensity of the change which

mpwap— — mWf^'.'W—.— i»»yi^ I ii |] m il » in III.I i im iiiMi upn iii i jij^w—iMi

had been wrought in the literature of the nation
by Christianity.

Beda also relates his vocation to the oiBce of
poet. In Caedmon's youth he never was able to
sine;, and when the harp was passed round the
liall for each to sing in turn he could not perform
his part. He used to leave the room when h*©
vsaw his turn coming so as to avoid the
mortification of showing his ignorance and want
of skill. One night after he had left the hall he
lay down in the stable and fell asleejx Then h>c
liad a dream. He thought t^^at a stranger came
to him and asked hi-n to s-^ig him something,
*• I know nothing to sing," he replied, " I had
to slip out of the hall." " Nay," said the
stranger, " You have something to sing. "
" What must I sing," asked the other in wonder.
** Sing the Creation," said the stranger. jS'o
sooner had he said this than Caedmon began to
sing, Noble words flowed from his lips. This
dream poem may be compared w^ith the famous
** Xanadu" of Coleridge, and the strains of the
rough cowhfird will not suffer in comparison.
The following is a paraphrase : —

T^I^

O come and let us sing
Praise to the heavenly King,
Sing the Creator's might,

Tell of His wisdom.
Lord of the sons of mei^,
Lord of eternity,
How He of wonders all

Formed the begiuuing.

mm»mm

Tie the most holy Oiicv
First fwr tlic suns of nicrr
Gave as a covering '

\ ' Heaven o'er archiivjf.

Then to the sons of men,
All tills bright lower world

Gave for a dwelling.
Lord of humanity,
Lt)Td of eternity,

Lord God Almighty !

In the midst uf this Caednion awoke and
recalled the words that he had i^umr and all tlie
events of the dream. He went on the following
day to the monastery of Whitby and t:)ld his
story. In order to test him they gave him a
passage in the Bihle to ])ara|)hrase. Caednion
performed the task and the result was perfectly
successful. Thereupon he emhraced the religious
life and comi)osed those suhlime poems which
are now regarded as the greatest production of
Anglo Saxon literature.

One of the most characteristic pavssage» of
Eeda's history is the account of the death of
Caedinon. ^' When it was past midnight ho
asked them whether thev had the Eu(?harist
there." They answered, '* What need ol tho
Eucharist. You are not likely to die since you
talk so ph'asantly with us." Nevertheless,"
said he, ''bring me the Eucharist." Having
received the same into his hand, he asked
wliether they were all in charity with him, and
without any enmity or rancor. They answered

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M|MilwW)WIWTWWW.p . I w i i. ipiii mM M ^ ^.i»i , | i|i I I I n iif*v'A

that they were all in perfect charity and free
from anger ; and in their turn asked him
whether he was in the same mind toward them.
He answered, " I am in charity, my children,
with all tlie servants of God." Then strength-
ening himself with the heavenly viaticum, ho
prei)ared for the entrance into another life, and
asked how near the time was when the brothers
were to be awakened to sing the nocturnal
praises of our Lord. They answered, " It is nob
far off." Then he said, " Well, let us wait that
hour," and signing himself with the sign of the
cross, he laid his head on the pillow, and falling
into a slumber ended his life in silence. " And
thus," continues the historian, *^ it came to pass
that as he had served God with a simple and
pure mind and undisturbed devotion, so he now
departed to His presence, leaving the world by
a quiet death ; and that tongue which had
composed so many holy words in praise of the
Creator, uttered its last words whilst he was in
the act of signing himself with the cross and
recommending himself into His hands."

Beda.

We have next to consider Beda. the representa-
tive student and scholar. The Yenerable Bede,
as he is called, was born in 672 and died in 735.
In extent of attainments he surpassed all his
contemporaries. He wrote thirty-eight w^orRs
upon theology, science, and history. Most of
these were commentaries upon the Bible, and in

these he exliibited a power not often found
among commentators — a power of penetrating
beneath the letter into the inner spirit of the
Divine Word. His great work, however, and
that npon which his fame rests, is his Eccle-
siastical History of the English Nation, a work
the importance of which can hardly be over-
estimated. The style has all the freshness and
artlessness which we admire in Herodotus or
Mandeville. He reports every legend, fable and
miracle that has ever been told to him, with
unswervering faith, wherever it is connected
with his beloved Church. Yet the record of
facts is an accurate one, and there is very much
in his work of the political history of the country
which we learn from him alone. He alludes to
the many natural resources of the country, its
iron, lead, copper and other metals, of the
excellence of the soil where grain can easily
grow, and vines may be cultivated, of the
excellent game with which the woods and waters
abound, and of the fisheries along the coasts.
According to him the common people wore
woollen clothing, and the ecclesiastics sometimes
dressed in silk. He speaks of London being the
mart of many nations who resort to it by sea
and land. He is said to have translated various
books into the vernacular, among which are the
Gospel of St. John, together with the Creed and
the Lord's Prayer. The Venerable ]^ede is
interesting from his own impressive character,
standing out with such lustre in a dark age,

l]0

liilioriiif,^ lor learning and true n.'ligion, and
leaving Leliind liini a name dear alike to high
and low ; Avliile to the student he is doubly
venerable, since he is almost the only source of
infornuilion concerning the early English i eriod.
The account of Jkda's death, wliich has ^eeii
lianded (hjwn by one of his (lisci[)les, is full of
that pathos which may be found in his account
of the death of the poet Caedmon. At that time
lie was engaged upon a translation of the Gospel
of St. John into English (Anglo Saxon). *' He
passed the day joyfully till the evening, and hit
amanuensis said, * dear master, there is one
sentence not yet written.' He answered, ^ write
quickly.' Soon after the boy said, * The sentence
is now written.' He replied, ^ It is well. You
have said the truth. It is finished.' Then he
added, ' Keceive my head into your hands for it
is a great satisfaction to me to sit facing my holy
l)lace where I was wont to pray, that I may also,
while sitting here, call upon God my Eather.'
And thus, on the pavement of his little cell,
singing, * Glory be to the Eather and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost,' wdien he had named the
Holy Ghost he breathed his last, and so departed
to the heavenly kingdom." His remains were
afterwards transterred to Durham Gathedral, and
there, though the ashes have been scattered to
the winds, we may still see the inscription
concluding with the Leonine rhyme : —

Ilac sunt in fo ^a Betloc vencral>ilis ossa.

:-t:,j

. laNiiiajf ■

I imiiiiW

And wliat shall I say nioro, for timn would
fail me to tell of those M'orthies of tiie Early
English Church whose lueuiories have heeii
pieserved by IJeda, — of the Saints Chad, and
Cedd, and Guthlac, of the Christian Kings
Oswald and Oswan, of the holy Ethelburga and
the devoted Hilda, and of a thousand others like
them, all of whom sta* 1 before us as ornaments
of the Church of England, but still more as
striking examples of the Divine power of
Christianity, which could produce such examples
of heroic self-sacrifice and virgin purity ; of the
beauty of holiness and the fervor of religious
zeal among the children of the bloodthirsty Jute,
the pirate Saxon and the marauding Anglian.

Finally, What became of the Ancient British
Church ? We have seen the Biitish Church was
irreconcileable, and held itself eternally aloof
from the English heathen. These after their
conversion were as odious as ever. Tl\e I>rilish,
sullen, stubborn, and vengeful, fought on, and
were slowly pressed back toward the West.
Ages passed away. Century succeeded to cen-
tury, and still the British and the English were
at war, the latter victors, the former vanquished.

In those ages and in those struggles there was
no annihilation or exterminaLion of the British.
They were conquered, reduced to slavery, and
b(;came interniini^led with the lowest class of
the Anglo Saxon serfs. They lost their own
language, adopted that of the Conqueror, until
at length the nation was made up of the

descondanta of both races, wlio all spoke the
English tongue.

The last stronghold of the British was Wales.
Here among the mountains there was a long and
bloody war, until at length long after the J^forman
Conquest, Wales was reduced to subjection.
Then in progress of time it was appropriated by
the Church of England, it was divided into new
dioceses, whose Bishops were under the sway of
the Canterbury, and had nothing to do with the
Ancient British Church. Thus that Ancient
British Church died. Between it and the
Church of England there was no communion,
no interchange of fellowship, no fraternity, no
union, no transfer of orders. The Church of
England was the creation of lona and of Eome,
and with the Ancient Church of Britain it is
connected only indirectly through lona and the
Church of Ireland.

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