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THEODORE
came to his Church in the second year after his consecration, on Sunday, the
27th of May, and spent in it twenty-one years, three months, and twenty-six
days. Soon after, he visited all the island, wherever the tribes of the English
dwelt, for he was gladly received and heard by all persons; and everywhere
attended and assisted by Hadrian, he taught the right rule of life, and the
canonical custom of celebrating Easter. This was the first archbishop whom all
the English Church consented to obey. And forasmuch as both of them were, as
has been said before, fully instructed both in sacred and in secular letters,
they gathered a crowd of disciples, and rivers of wholesome knowledge daily
flowed from them to water the hearts of their hearers; and, together with the
books of Holy Scripture, they also taught them the metrical art, astronomy, and
ecclesiastical arithmetic. A testimony whereof is, that there are still living
at this day some of their scholars, who are as well versed in the Greek and
Latin tongues as in their own, in which they were born. Nor were there ever
happier times since the English came into Britain; for having brave Christian
kings, they were a terror to all barbarous nations, and the minds of all men
were bent upon the joys of the heavenly kingdom of which they had but lately
heard; and all who desired to be instructed in sacred studies had masters at
hand to teach them.
From that
time also they began in all the churches of the English to learn Church music,
which till then had been only known in Kent. And, excepting James, of whom we
have spoken above,the first teacher of singing in the churches of the
Northumbrians was Eddi, surnamed Stephen,invited from Kent by the most reverend
Wilfrid, who was the first of the bishops of the English nation that learned to
deliver to the churches of the English the Catholic manner of life.
Theodore,
journeying through all parts, ordained bishops in fitting places, and with
their assistance corrected such things as he found faulty. Among the rest, when
he charged Bishop Ceadda with not having been duly consecrated, he, with great
humility, answered, "If you know that I have not duly received episcopal
ordination, I willingly resign the office, for I never thought myself worthy of
it; but, though unworthy, for obedience sake I submitted, when bidden to
undertake it." Theodore, hearing his humble answer, said that he should
not resign the bishopric, and he himself completed his ordination after the
Catholic manner. Now at the time when Deusdledit died, and a bishop for the church
of Canterbury was by request ordained and sent, Wilfrid was also sent from
Britain into Gaul to be ordained; and because he returned before Theodore, he
ordained priests and deacons in Kent till the archbishop should come to his
see. But when Theodore came to the city of Rochester, where the bishopric had
been long vacant by the death of Damian,he ordained a man named Putta,trained
rather in the teaching of the Church and more addicted to simplicity of life
than active in worldly affairs, but specially skilful in Church music, after
the Roman use, which he had learned from the disciples of the blessed Pope
Gregory.
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