5.35. Edilred king of Mercia inuadeth the kingdome of Kent, and maketh great waste without resistance of Lothaire the king there|of, Putta of a bishop becommeth a poore curat and teacheth musicke, Wilfred deposed from his bishop|rike by king Egfrid vpon displeasure, he preacheth the gospell in Sussex by the licence of king Edilwalke no raine in Sussex for the space of three yeeres, the woord and sacraments bring blessings with them; bishop Wilfrid the first teacher to catch fish with nets, the people haue him in great reuerence, a great and bloudie battell betweene Egfrid & king Edil|red, they are reconciled by the meanes of archbishop Theodore; a synod holden at Hatfield, the cler|gie subscribe to certeine articles, of Hilda the famous abbesse of Whitbie. The xxxv. Chapter.

Edilred king of Mercia inuadeth the kingdome of Kent, and maketh great waste without resistance of Lothaire the king there|of, Putta of a bishop becommeth a poore curat and teacheth musicke, Wilfred deposed from his bishop|rike by king Egfrid vpon displeasure, he preacheth the gospell in Sussex by the licence of king Edilwalke no raine in Sussex for the space of three yeeres, the woord and sacraments bring blessings with them; bishop Wilfrid the first teacher to catch fish with nets, the people haue him in great reuerence, a great and bloudie battell betweene Egfrid & king Edil|red, they are reconciled by the meanes of archbishop Theodore; a synod holden at Hatfield, the cler|gie subscribe to certeine articles, of Hilda the famous abbesse of Whitbie. The xxxv. Chapter.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _AFter Uulfhere,Edilred. his bro|ther Edilred or Ethelred suc|céeded in gouernment of the kingdome of Mercia. This Edilred inuaded the king|dome of Kent with a mightie armie, in the yéere of our Lord 677,677 destroieng the countrie afore him, not sparing churches nor abbeies, but spoi|ling the same without respect, as well as other com|mon places.Hen. Hunt. King Lothaire durst not appéere in the field to giue him battell, so that Edilred went tho|rough the countrie, destroied the citie of Rochester, and with great riches gotten by the spoile he retur|ned home. Putta the bishop of Rochester, after that his church was spoiled and defaced by the enimies, went to Sexvulfe bishop of Mercia, and there obtei|ning of him a small cure, and a portion of ground, remained in that countrie, not once labouring to re|store his church of his church of Rochester to the former state, but went about in Mercia to teach song, and instruct such as would learne musicke, wheresoeuer he was re|quired, or could get intertainment.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Heerevpon the archbishop Theodore consecrated one William bishop of Rochester in place of Putta, and after, when the said William constreined by po|uertie, left that church, Theodore placed one Geb|mound in his stéed. In the yéere of our Lord 678,678 in the moneth of August, a blasing starre appéered,A blasing starre. with a long bright beame like to a piller. It was séene e|uerie morning for the space of thrée moneths togi|ther. The same Egfrid king of Northumberland, Matth. West. Beda lib. 4. ca. 12. ba|nished bishop Wilfrid vpon displeasure taken with him,Bishop wil|frid banished. Hagustald. Hexham. Eadhidus. Lindesferne Holie Iland. out of his sée, and then were two bishops ordei|ned in his place, to gouerne the church of the Nor|thumbers, the one named Bosa at Yorke, and the o|ther called Eata at Hagustald or Lindesferne. Also one Eadhidus was ordeined about the same time bi|shop of Lindsey, the which prouince king Egfrid had of late conquered and taken from Uulfhere the late king of Mercia, whome he ouercame in battell, and droue him out of that countrie. The said thrée EEBO page image 123 bishops were consecrated at Yorke by the archbishop of Canturburie Theodorus, the which within thrée yéeres after ordeined two bishops more in that pro|uince of the Northumbers, that is to say, Tumbert at Hagustald, Eata that was appointed to remaine at Lindesferne, & Trumuine was ordeined to haue the cure of the prouince of those Picts which as then were vnder the English dominion. Also bicause E|dilred king of Mercia recouered the countrie of Lindsey, and ioined it to his dominion, bishop Ead|hedus comming from thence, was appointed to go|uerne the church of Rippon.The church of Rippon.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 After that bishop Wilfrid was expelled out of his diocesse and prouince of the Northumbers, he went to Rome, and returning from thence, came into the kingdome of the Southsaxons, the which conteining seuen thousand housholds or families, as yet was not conuerted to the christian faith. Wherefore the said Wilfrid began there to preach the gospell with licence of king Edilwalke,Wilfrid by li|cence of king Edilwalke preacheth the gospel to them of Sussex. who (as before is mentio|ned) was conuerted and baptised in Mercia by the procurement of king Wolfher, that then became his godfather, and gaue him at the same time the Ile of Wight, and the prouince of the people ancientlie called Meanuari, which he had woon from the West|saxons. Bishop Wilfrid then by king Edilwalke his furtherance and helpe baptised the chiefest lords and gentlemen of that prouince. But certein priests baptised the residue of the people, either then or in the time following.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 ¶It chanced that for the space of thrée yeeres (as it is said) before the comming thither of bishop Wil|frid,Lacke of raine. there had fallen no raine from the aire within that prouince of the Southsaxons, so that the people were brought into great miserie by reson of famine, which through want of necessarie fruits of the earth sore afflicted the whole countrie, insomuch that no small numbers threw themselues hedlong into the sea, despairing of life in such lacke of necessarie vit|tels. But as God would, the same day that Wilfrid began to minister the sacrament of baptisme, there came downe swéet and plentifull showers of raine, so watering the earth, that thereby great store of all fruits plentifullie tooke root, and yéelded full increase in growth, to the great comfort and reliefe of all the people, which before were in maner starued and lost through want of food.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Bishop Wilfrid also taught them in that coun|trie the maner how to catch fish with nets,Catching of fish with nets. where be|fore that time, they had no great skill in anie kind of fishing, except it were in catching éeles. Hereby the said bishop grew there in great estimation with the people, so that his words were the better credited a|mongst them, for that through him they receiued so great benefits, God by such meanes working in the peoples hearts a desire to come to the vnderstanding of his lawes. The king also gaue vnto Wilfrid a place called Sealesew, compassed about on each side (except on the west halfe) with the sea, conteining 87 housholds or families, where he built an abbeie, and baptised all his tenants there,Bondmen made trulie free. amounting to the number of 250 bondmen and bondwomen, whome he made frée both in bodie and soule: for he did not onelie baptise them, but also infranchised them of all bodilie seruitude and bondage.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 In this meane while manie things happened in other parts of this land, and first in the yeere after the appéering of the blasing starre before mentioned, a mightie battell was fought betwixt the said Egfrid and Edilred king of Mercia, néere to the riuer of Trent, where Alswine the brother of king Egfrid was slaine, with manie other of the Northumbers, so that king Egfrid was constreined to returne home with losse. The archbishop of Canturburie Theodorus perceiuing that great warre and effussion of bloud was like to follow therevpon, trauelled so in the matter betwixt them, that they were made friends, and Egfrid had a péece of monie in recom|pense of his losses. The foresaid battell was fought in the yéere of our Lord 679;679 and in the yéere follo|wing, that is to say, in the yéere of our Lord 680;680 which was also in the tenth yéere of the reigne of Eg|frid king of Northumberland, the sixt yéere of E|delred king of Mercia, the 17 of Aldvulfe king of Eastangles, and in the 7 of Lother king of Kent.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The archbishop of Canturburie Theodorus held another synod at Hatfield,A synod at Hatfield. about the 15 kalends of October,Articles sub|scribed. in the which all the clergie there present sub|scribed to certeine articles touching the beléefe of the trinitie of persons, in the vnitie of the Godhead of the like substance, and also of the same vnitie in tri|nitie, according to the true faith of the church of God. Moreouer, they acknowledged by the like subscrip|tion, the fiue generall councels, of Nice, of Con|stantinople the first, of Ephesus, of Calcedon, and of Constantinople the second, with the synod also hol|den at Rome in the daies of Martin bishop of Rome about the yéere of the emperour Constantine. At this synod holden at Haifield, was present one Iohn the archchanter of S. Peters church at Rome, sent into this land of purpose to bring from hence a certificat vnto pope Agatho of the agréement of the English church in matters of faith, with other chur|ches of the christian world: but the foresaid archchan|ter died by the way in France, as he returned home|wards, and was buried at Towers in Towraine.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 The same yéere that famous woman Hilda ab|besse of Whitbie departed this life, Bale. The abbesse Hilda. Beda. or (as other say) fiue yéeres after, hauing first beene deteined long with gréeuous sickenesse. She was the daughter of one Herrericus the nephue of king Edwin, and con|uerted to the faith of Christ at the preaching of bi|shop Pauline, and afterwards instructed by bishop Aidan, she professed hirselfe a nun, applieng hir whole studie to the reading of the scriptures, to praier, & o|ther godlie exercises. She builded the abbeie of Whit|bie, wherein were placed both men and women, with such an equalitie in all things, that there was no rich person amongst them, nor anie that wanted things necessarie. She departed this life on the 15 kalends of December,Bale. Ran. Cest. Matth. West. Beda. being 66 yéeres of age. As some haue written she argued stoutlie on bishop Colmans part, at the disputation holden in the mo|nasterie of Whitbie, in the yéere of Grace 664, whereof ye haue heard before.Henrie Hunt. About the yéere of our Lord 682, that is to say, in the seuenth yere of Cent|wine or Centiuinus king of Westsaxons, the same Centwine fought with the Britains, and ouercame them in battell,The Bri|tains dis|comfited. pursuing them with fire and sword vnto the sea side.

¶Thus (at this time as also at diuerse other times) they were discomfited and put to flight, being a peo|ple allotted and shared out as it were to suffer many an ouerthrow, and abide manie a sharpe and shame|full repulse at the hands of their enimies, who con|uerted the distresse of that people to their profit, and tooke pleasure in the extreamitie of the miseries wherein they were plunged, as may be obserued by the pitifull alteration of their state vnder diuerse go|uernors, and speciallie vnder the Danish dominion, who kept them in no lesse vile seruitude than Pharao did the Hebrues at the making of bricke & chopping of straw. So that some thinke this land to be cor|ruptlie named Britania, Gorop. in Go|to danica lib. 7. pag. 759. but ought rather to called Bridania, that is, Liberae Dania, siue regio in qua Dani libe|rè viuant, for they liued as lords in the land, & did (for the time being) what they listed. But of this matter more shall be spoken hereafter in place conuenient.