NERS ARO 
ed by fome Spee. Lats at a. his Tong ealgi 
of 37 sect may be regarded as one of the moft glorious and 
moit profperost of hh heptarchy. In the decline of his age 
he made a pilgrimage to Rome, and after his return fhut 
ae up in a cloifter, where he died, 
Brithric, the laft king of Weflex, was polloned | in 799» 
by Eadburga his wife, natural daughter of Offa, king of 
Mercia, a profligate woman, equally ae for pass: 
and for ineontinence ; upon which the Weft Saxons oficred. 
the crown to Egbert. 
While the Saxons made this progrefs in the South, te 
countrymen were no lefs active in other quarters. he 
ar 527, a great tribe of adventurers, under feveral leaders, 
binded on the eaft coaft of Britain ; and, after fighting many 
battles, eftablifhed three 
Effex, Eaft-Anglia, and Mercia. 
new kingdom ms in og ifland, viz. 
The kingdom of Efex, 
: aft 
Its greatelt length 
"was 75 miles, and its breadth 38 ; it contained the counties 
of Effex and Middlefex, eases from that of Kent, and 
part of BesthordThire ; its principal cities were London and 
Colchefter. This country, which had been ereéted into a co- 
lony in the time of the Romans, but which was much reduced 
vafter the arrival of the Saxons, had been extorted ae Vr 
Ethelbert, king of K : 
embrace the Chriftian faith. His fons and joint fuceeff Ors, 
Sexted or Saxned, and Seward, relapfed into idolatry. 
Sigebert the poet: who reigned in 653, reftored Chriftianity. 
, who afcended the throne in 76 5> having made a vow 
of chaltity, po ieaar his marriage with Kenefw ‘itha, 
daughter o ot ercia, went in pilgr e to 
acti and hut henfelf up during the reft of hs = a 
ears, and was 
red, his fucceffor, reigned 
ommenced his rei 
he feaelt have Brivts'y 78 y 
The Binggom ° of chee i , or of ae ae arg was 
bounded on the N. by the umber am écan : 
80, neh s greatett breadth was 55 miles. Jt contained the 
two counties of Suffolk and ees , and part of Cambridge- 
oe were orwich, Thetford, Ely, and 
Cambridge 
in 578. 
* 
prin 
Be a the fourth king, and great grandlon of Uffa, b 
the founder of the monarchy, was converted to Chriftianity 
re the influence of Edwin, king of Northumberland ; but 
his wife, who was an idolatrefs, brought him back ts her 
religion. 
hriftianity, and introduced learning among the Eaft Angles, 
Some pretend that he founded the ty of Cambridge, 
‘rather fome fchools in 
. Ethelbert, the lait ki 
t 
“ ng, was ut to death Offa, ki 
~ of Mercia, in order to vices ae kingdom a “a ae nd 
sae of 
from this time Eaft Anglia and Mercia formed one ee 
oe kingdom of Mercia was bounded on the N. by ee 
Woes which feparated it from Northumberland ; on the 
W. the Severn, beyon i 
Well; on the 
> Leicefter, fbi 2 Litchfield, 
Northampton, alee Gloucefter, Derby, Chefter,. 
Shrewfbury, Stafford, Oxford, and Briftol. Of all the 
kingdoms of the heptarchy, this was the fineft and the moft 
confiderable. Its grees length was 160 miles, and its 
greateit breadth abou rida, its founder, arrived in 
Eng and in 584, . in es or the following year, was 
crowned king, and died in 594. 
57 arash Sue : 
reia ve i 
ticle. alt kings of Mercia were Bernulph, or Be 
nulf, in 821; Ludican, in 823; and Witgalph, or Wiglafty 
2 
The kingdom of Northumberland was ee as its 
name imports, on the north of the Humber. It v ound-" 
ed on the fouth, and parted from Mercia by cae iver, on 
the weft by the Irith fea, on the north by the country of the 
Pids and Scots, and on the eaft by the German oceatt. 
It contained the prefent counties of eile Cased 
Weiltmoreland, North yraberlatet, York, and ‘The 
principal cities were York, Du Mele fince sited Didi 
Carlifle, eared by the Romans Luguballia, on or 
H t, Lancalter, and fome others of lefs n This 
contained the Bes seat 
berlind: the biltepre of 
fouth-eatt counties of Scstaad , and he affum ed 
of Abont the fame time 
‘ | ar pe 
of Addlivid, rol of Ida, who married Acca, 
Ella; and expelling her brother, Edwin, ellas 
lifhed one of the moft powerful of the Saxoff” king= 
