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AS soon
as they entered the dwelling-place assigned to them, they began to imitate the
Apostolic manner of life in the primitive Church; applying themselves to
constant prayer, watchings, and fastings; preaching the Word of life to as many
as they could; despising all worldly things, as in nowise concerning them;
receiving only their necessary food from those they taught; living themselves
in all respects conformably to what they taught, and being always ready to
suffer any adversity, and even to die for that truth which they preached. In
brief, some believed and were baptized, admiring the simplicity of their
blameless life, and the sweetness of their heavenly doctrine. There was on the
east side of the city, a church dedicated of old to the honour of St. Martin,
(Note: St. Martin was regarded with special reverence in Britain and Ireland.
Possibly some of the earliest missionaries may have been his disciples, e.g.,
St. Ninian and, St. Patrick. The Roman church of St. Martin at Canterbury has
been frequently altered and partly rebuilt, so that "small portions only
of the Roman walls remain. Roman bricks are used as old materials in the parts
rebuilt") built whilst the Romans were still in the island, wherein the
queen, who, as has been said before, was a Christian, was wont to pray. In this
they also first began to come together, to chant the Psalms, to pray, to
celebrate Mass, to preach, and to baptize, till when the king had been
converted to the faith, they obtained greater liberty to preach everywhere and
build or repair churches.
When he,
among the rest, believed and was baptized, attracted by the pure life of these
holy men and their gracious promises, the truth of which they established by
many miracles, greater numbers began daily to flock together to hear the Word,
and, forsaking their heathen rites, to have fellowship, through faith, in the
unity of Christ’s Holy Church. It is told that the king, while he rejoiced at
their conversion and their faith, yet compelled none to embrace Christianity,
but only showed more affection to the believers, as to his fellow citizens in
the kingdom of Heaven. For he had learned from those who had instructed him and
guided him to salvation, that the service of Christ ought to be voluntary, not
by compulsion. Nor was it long before he gave his teachers a settled residence
suited to their degree in his metropolis of Canterbury,
with such possessions of divers sorts as were necessary for them.
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