CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 133 



adopt Augustine's practice, if they saw the way fairly clear. And 

 the anchorite's answer is quite startlingiy broad and bold — 'If 

 he is a man of Grod, follow him.' 'And how,' they naturally 

 asked, ' are we able to test that ? ' He replied, ' The Lord hath 

 said, take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek 

 and lowly in heart. If then, Augustine is meek and lowly in 

 heart, you may believe that he himself bears Christ's yoke, and 

 that he offers it to you also to be borne. But if that he is not 

 meek is proved, it is clear that he is not of God, nor need we regard 

 his teaching.' 'And by what means,' thej' asked, 'are we to 

 discern this ? ' ' Arrange beforehand,' he advised them, ' that he 

 and his people arrive fii'st at the place of the synod. If he rises 

 to receive you when you approach, know that he is a servant of 

 Christ, and hear him with willing attention. But if he spurns 

 you, and does not chose to rise when you appear, though you are 

 more in number than he, let him in turn be spurned by you.' 

 They acted on his advice. It turned out that, when they came, 

 Augustine remained seated. They became angry, noting him as 

 proud, and they set themselves to argue against everything he 

 said. He said last to them this : ' There are many points on 

 which you act contrary to our custom, yea, the custom of the 

 Universal Church. Yet, if on three points you will assent to my 

 view, we will tolerate with equanimity all your other practices, 

 though they be contrary to our own. These three points are : — 

 that you celebrate the Passover (Easter) at its proper time ; that 

 you complete the office of baptism after the manner of the holy 

 Roman and Apostolic Church ; that along with us you preach the 

 Word of God to the English race.' . . . .They then gave him their 

 final answer. ' They would do none of these things. They 

 would not have him as Archbishop; for,' they argued among 

 themselves, ' if he does not rise to greet us now, he will treat us 

 as of no account at all when we are under his rule.' On which 

 Augustine is said to have threatened them by a prophecy that the 

 English would destroy them. So natural a prophecy was in due 

 course fulfilled." 



It need cause us no surprise to find a foundation of S. Uvellus 

 in Cornwall. Caw the father of Gildas and grandfather of S. 

 Eval, was son of Geraint, of Domnonia, so that there is nothing 

 surprising in his claiming possession to land in the family 



