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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.
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