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V. How, after the death of the kings Ethelbert and Sabert,
their successors restored idolatry; for which reason, both Mellitus
and Justus departed out of Britain. [616 A.D.]
CHAP. V.
IN the year of our Lord 616, which is the twenty-first year after Augustine and
his company were sent to preach to the English nation, Ethelbert, king of Kent,
having most gloriously governed his temporal kingdom fifty-six years, entered
into the eternal joys of the kingdom of Heaven. He was the third of the English
kings who ruled over all the southern provinces that are divided from the
northern by the river Humber and the borders contiguous to it; but the first of
all that ascended to the heavenly kingdom. The first who had the like
sovereignty was Aelli, king of the South-Saxons; the second, Caelin, king of the
West-Saxons, who, in their own language, is called Ceaulin; the third, as has
been said, was Ethelbert, king of Kent; the fourth was Redwald, king of the
East-Angles, who, even in the life-time of Ethelbert, had been acquiring the
leadership for his own race. The fifth was Edwin, king of the Northumbrian
nation, that is, of those who live in the district to the north of the river H
umber; his power was greater; he had the overlordship over all the nations who
inhabit Britain, both English and British, except only the people of Kent; and
he reduced also under the dominion of the English, the Mevanian Islands of the
Britons, lying between Ireland and Britain; the sixth was Oswald, the most
Christian king of the Northumbrians, whose kingdom was within the same bounds;
the seventh, his brother Oswy, ruled over a kingdom of like extent for a time,
and for the most part subdued and made tributary the nations of the Picts and
Scots, who occupy the northern parts of Britain: but of that hereafter.
King Ethelbert died on the 24th day of the month of February, twenty-one years
after he had received the faith, and was buried in St. Martin's chapel within
the church of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, where also lies his queen,
Bertha. Among other benefits which he conferred upon his nation in his care for
them, he established, with the help of his council of wise men, judicial
decisions, after the Roman model; which are written in the language of the
English, and are still kept and observed by them. Among which, he set down first
what satisfaction should be given by any one who should steal anything belonging
to the Church, the bishop, or the other clergy, for he was resolved to give
protection to those whom he had received along with their doctrine.
This Ethelbert was the son of Irminric, whose father was Octa, whose father was
Oeric, surnamed Oisc, from whom the kings of Kent are wont to be called
Oiscings. His father was Hengist, who, being invited by Vortigern, first came
into Britain, with his son Oisc, as has been said above.
But after the death of Ethelbert, the accession of his son Eadbald proved very
harmful to the still tender growth of the new Church; for he not only refused to
accept the faith of Christ, but was also defiled with such fornication, as the
Apostle testifies, as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one
should have his father's wife. By both which crimes he gave occasion to those to
return to their former uncleanness, who, under his father, had, either for
favour or fear of the king, submitted to the laws of the faith and of a pure
life. Nor did the unbelieving king escape without the scourge of Divine severity
in chastisement and correction; for he was troubled with frequent fits of
madness, and possessed by an unclean spirit. The storm of this disturbance was
increased by the death of Sabert, king of the East Saxons, who departing to the
heavenly kingdom, left three sons, still pagans, to inherit his temporal crown.
They immediately began openly to give themselves up to idolatry, which, during
their father's lifetime, they had seemed somewhat to abandon, and they granted
free licence to their subjects to serve idols. And when they saw the bishop,
whilst celebrating Mass in the church, give the Eucharist to the people, filled,
as they were, with folly and ignorance, they said to him, as is commonly
reported, "Why do you not give us also that white bread, which you used to give
to our father Saba (for so they were wont to call him), and which you still
continue to give to the people in the church?" To whom he answered, "If you will
be washed in that font of salvation, in which your father was washed, you may
also partake of the holy Bread of which he partook; but if you despise the laver
of life, you can in no wise receive the Bread of life." They replied, "We will
not enter into that font, because we know that we do not stand in need of it,
and yet we will be refreshed by that bread." And being often earnestly
admonished by him, that this could by no means be done, nor would any one be
admitted to partake of the sacred Oblation without the holy cleansing, at last,
they said, filled with rage, "If you will not comply with us in so small a
matter as that which we require, you shall not stay in our province." And they
drove him out and bade him and his company depart from their kingdom. Being
driven thence, he came into Kent, to take counsel with his fellow bishops,
Laurentius and Justus, and learn what was to be done in that case; and with one
consent they determined that it was better for them all to return to their own
country, where they might serve God in freedom of mind, than to continue to no
purpose among barbarians, who had revolted from the faith. Mellitus and Justus
accordingly went away first, and withdrew into the parts of Gaul, intending
there to await the event. But the kings, who had driven from them the herald of
the truth, did not continue long unpunished in their worship of devils. For
marching out to battle against the nation of the Gewissi, they were all slain
with their army. Nevertheless, the people having been once turned to wickedness,
though the authors of it were destroyed, would not be corrected, nor return to
the unity of faith and charity which is in Christ.
